loganartemis

Yeah it's odd how certain programs have websites that allow you to check your application status while others do not. Among my schools, the ones that used SOPHAS did not have anything that I could check, while the others did.

mmajum01- I noticed you up-voted your own post in order to balance the down-votes of myself and Burkis. I think that action speaks for itself so I won't get into the ethics of it, but I do want to let you know why I down-voted it in the first place since it clearly bothered you. It is evident from your posts that you believe you are a very qualified individual. Seeing that others in this forum have been posting for weeks how much anxiety they are having about getting an acceptance and recent posts about funding cuts due to sequestration magnified this tension, I found it vainglorious and insensitive that you felt the need to publicly remind us that you have a fully-funded offer from your top choice, if I recall correctly.

I totally understand this reaction haha. I would read into it exactly as you are doing. Best wishes!

I just thought of the one where Joey is filling out Ross's hospital admission form after he gets hit with a puck at the Rangers game. "Occupation: [pause, thinks] ...Dinosaurs."

VBD- that's good to know that Nor'easterners manage to adapt well to Phoenix. Congratulations on U-Dub! I'm jealous!

Thank you for the encouraging and informative comments! I am very much into hiking and camping and I hadn't considered that the Phoenix area is good for that. One of the things I've missed most about California since I moved to Philadelphia is easy access to a huge amount of great mountain hiking. There is a lot of beautiful nature to enjoy in PA, but the only "mountains" are quite a drive. Congratulations on the great news from UT-Houston!

This may or may not be of interest to anyone in here, but I spoke with the Director of the Department of Global Health where I was accepted yesterday. She wanted to give me a personal welcome, which was nice, but more importantly we talked about funding. She said that while no offer can be made until they know what funding they have to work with, "We typically have a lot of external grant funding as well as some additional in-house support available, and all of the PhD students I’ve helped supervise over the last 6 years have had full funding during their time at ASU." I am certainly looking forward to hearing back from my remaining three programs but this was reassuring. Throughout this process I have gotten the best feeling from the faculty at ASU out of the programs to which I've applied, so if I can count on full funding there I won't be too disappointed if I don't get any other offers. My only reservation is that living in Arizona does not sound appealing at all. Conversely, Washington's faculty have been far less engaging in their communication with me but I love love love Seattle. Does anyone have any experience living in the Phoenix/Tempe area? Am I placing too much weight on where I actually live? (I've lived in a wide variety of places both in the US and internationally, but I seem to have an affinity for northern, cooler, greener places)

You are absolutely not the only one haha! I even click over to it once or twice during the day at work. Shh.

Thanks for the input and well wishes, erzi. I'm still highly hopeful!

The more I hear you all talk about UNC the more I find myself wishing they had had a Global Health PhD program to apply to! I hope that BoilerEpi, MammaD, et al. are able to join VBD for what sounds like a great experience in Chapel Hill!

MammaD, I hadn't even thought of that possibility. That's really pathetic if an aspiring professional resorted to doing something like that, but I can't say that it would especially surprise me. Oh bother! (Winnie the Pooh)

I brought this up in the Public Health forum but wanted to post a new thread here also in hopes of addressing this issue. This program is my top choice but I was left feeling uneasy after reading a Results post this evening. This person said they were accepted over the phone and, "WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING. I made a major mistake in applying to this program. If you think this program is truly global health you are grossly mistaken! There is no actual global health experience, you are just a data monkey doing systematic/meta analyses. If you want to do real global health and community based research and you want to attend UW I suggest you get a PhD in Epidemiology or Health Systems. This program is a joke!" I am hesitant to buy this as the program told me they have just finished initial reviews and that they will begin final review of the applications which pass in late February with decisions announced around the first of March. I have also never heard anything negative about this program, and there is an entire year of international fieldwork/data collection explicitly laid out in the curriculum for those whose area of emphasis is Implementation Science. The other area of emphasis, Metrics, doesn't include this and shows completion in four years rather than five. Perhaps this is what this individual is alluding to? It seems pretty strange to me that this individual was accepted before the department has begun final review and that they subsequently chose to lambaste the program in the Results section. Does anyone have any thoughts on this particular issue or insight on UW's Global Health PhD program generally?

On another topic, did anyone see that results post for University of Washington's Global Health PhD program? I might start a new thread asking about it because it has me somewhat concerned, albeit skeptically. This program is my top choice and I'm waiting on a decision myself, but the individual posted some bizarre comments. This person said they were accepted over the phone and, "WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING. I made a major mistake in applying to this program. If you think this program is truly global health you are grossly mistaken! There is no actual global health experience, you are just a data monkey doing systematic/meta analyses. If you want to do real global health and community based research and you want to attend UW I suggest you get a PhD in Epidemiology or Health Systems. This program is a joke!" One, I am hesitant to ascribe credibility to this individual as the program told me they have just finished initial reviews and that they will begin final review of the applications which pass in late February with decisions announced around the first of March. Two, I have never heard anything negative about this program, and there is an entire year of international fieldwork/data collection explicitly laid out in the curriculum for those whose area of emphasis is Implementation Science. The other area of emphasis, Metrics, doesn't include this and shows completion in four years rather than five. Perhaps this is what this individual is alluding to? It seems pretty strange to me that this individual was accepted before the department has begun final review and that they subsequently chose to lambaste the program in the Results section. Does anyone have any thoughts on this particular issue or insight on UW's Global Health PhD program generally?

You should definitely do it if you have the chance! I co-presented our study at the conference in San Francisco last October and, in addition to the excellent experience, numerous faculty members of both prospective PhD programs and at my current institution have made positive remarks on it.

Super exciting news about Hopkins! Are they your top choice or are you waiting to compare with other offers?

Terrific suggestions. Thanks so much!

Best wishes for the Columbia interview! Did they make it mandatory that the interview be in person or did they give a phone/Skype option? I didn't actually apply to Mailman, so I'm glad I don't have to compete with you. I did get my first official acceptance, however! I was very happy to be admitted by Arizona State's Global Health PhD program, as I got a really great vibe from a handful of faculty members in the department. I'm not thrilled about living in Arizona and will still weigh their offer against any others I receive, but I am confident the department would be a really good fit. They're bringing newly admitted students out for a visit on March 7-8. What a relief!

Aversion to the hard sciences! haha I mean...lower than average smoking incidence, better eating habits, and more frequent STI testing!

I laughed at this because it crossed my mind as well!

If you hadn't already interviewed, I would say it would be fine to send a polite email inquiring about the status of your application. Being that you interviewed with them so recently, I am inclined to discourage you from pressing them for an answer prior to the stated decision notification date. They undoubtedly receive many such premature inquiries which are very likely a nuisance to them--a nuisance you don't want to be a part of!

Each of the five Global Health programs I've spoken with have told me it will be February-March before (if?) I receive anything definitively positive. Washington said if I don't hear from them in January it will be a good thing. The applications that don't make it past the initial review are notified in late January. So while I continue to monitor results on gradcafe, I've settled into a peaceful waiting period. Has anyone heard what funding is looking like this year (in general, of course)?

I don't know if anyone else has heard anything more substantial and compelling, but one of my programs informed me that the department admissions committee began review of my application today. Not good, not bad; just anxiety-inducing!

I am also applying without a Masters! In the period since I submitted my applications in early October, I have vacillated between a position of confidence in my candidacy and insecurity when I read how few apply without a Masters. I apologize if the tone of my question came off the wrong way! Perhaps I should have clarified that I will not have completed my Masters by the time of enrollment (or not). I frequently find myself wondering at how much of a disadvantage are we when stacked up against those who do. In September and October I spoke with faculty members at each of the programs to which I'm applying, plus one lengthy phone interview. Following the interview, the professor spoke with the department head who then emailed me. He told me they are confident I could handle PhD coursework and that I'd be a good fit for the program based on my experience and proposed research, but one consideration they'd have to discuss was funding me, as I would need to do more coursework than someone coming in with an MPH. He finished by saying that this was simply a strategic matter and that it wouldn't preclude me from admission. This may or may not be encouraging to you, and I'm not certain how I feel about it myself. I agree that each passing day is fertile ground for sowing doubt, but at least we no that no one has heard back yet, right (according to gradcafe's results)? Cheers!

I'd be most interested to learn how many of us applied this cycle. Are there any Public Health/Global Health PhD hopefuls applying without a Masters degree? If so, on what merits are you basing your candidacy?

January is officially here- meaning the obsessive email and status checks can begin to be more substantiated. I want to be very zen about this process, believing that I will be just fine whether or not I gain admission, but as the calendar turns my pulse ever quickens. Here's to a January and beyond of happy outcomes.