SDOHEpi

I super excited to head to Seattle! I spoke with several students in my program who offered advice about places to live in Seattle. Most of them live in the neighborhoods north of the school. One lives near SeaTac in the south, but that area is pretty polluted. Many live outside of Seattle, and all said that living near a main bus line is important because driving and parking is horrible. Some said Bothell, Redmond, Bellevue, and Issaquah, are great places to live. I am moving to Seattle in three weeks because I found a summer school teaching position that starts June 29th. I can't afford most of the apartments listed on Trulia and Zillow, so I started looking at Craigslist. I signed a lease for a duplex I found through Craigslist in Lynnwood (closer to Briar) after Skyping with the landlord for a virtual walk-through. I have an application in with family housing, too, but I am number 28 on the waiting list...
I just thought I'd share for those of you looking for housing!

I'll send you a PM, @SDOHEpi!

My only suggestion is that unless the early course load at UW is lighter than ours, 20 hours per week ends up being a lot (if it's a strict requirement). My program only allows our RAs to require 15 hours per week until core coursework is done; however, one person in my program had a funding mishap and got a late RA with an outside funding source that demanded a strict 20 hr minimum per week. They ended up incredibly stressed out and unable to take on the opportunities for outside research that many of the rest of us could. Ultimately, I think the fact that it's not guaranteed and it requires you to have a strict hour minimum is going to make your first year more stressful than it could be. (Then again, I think my school takes a really fantastic interest in the mental and physical health of its grad students in a way that most don't, so 20+ hours could be standard elsewhere.)
With regard to transparency in funding, a lot of the money that goes towards funding RA positions is independent of the program. I didn't know if my advisor would receive the grant I'm funded under until the July before my first semester. That does make things pretty difficult, but there should be resources at your schools to help you find a position. For example, we have a portal that matches up students with professors based on experience and interests that you can access as soon as you accept your offer. I don't think most people needed to do mass emailing unless they waited until the last minute (or unless their funding fell through abruptly). Maybe UW has something similar?

I agree with EPI_2016 that 20 hours sounds like a lot to take on, especially during the first couple of years while you are taking classes. Is there a minimum hour requirement at Berkeley? It sounds like you would be set there with funding, which is definitely an important consideration. Will you find out about funding from Columbia before they require a decision? 

My understanding is that the first year stipend at Berkeley is "unattached" - so there are no minimum work requirements, but from year 2 you are expected to RA/TA or have fellowships that cover the stipend. I also have not yet heard from Berkeley about the actual amount of the stipend.
I found the 20 hour "you have to find your own funding before you even show up here, but don't worry 90% of students are able to make this happen" thing at UW to be very off-putting. Seems like a good way to gauge interest in the program, but as a person from a lower-class background, I found it discouraging....like an early sign that they weren't that interested in my training. But that's just me.

My favorite option right now is at Tulane for a PhD in Epi. I have an RA/TA with my advisor on one of her grants working 20 hours/week for $24,000/year. Then over the summer I can work 40hrs/week and make more. They typically recommend max 9 credit hours fall semester and 12 in the spring, which sounds more reasonable to me. Lots of credits from my MPH transfer, putting me in a more relaxed position. Plus I don't have kids.
During my MPH I was a full time student and working 30hrs/week. Plus senate and committees. I can't imagine continuing that during a PhD....

Hello all!
I thought I'd start a thread to discuss the funding situation at some of these PhD Public Health programs.  I've definitely been feeling overwhelmed in making a decision regardless, and have found that many programs haven't yet provided transparent funding packages, so thought this could serve as a venue for us to discuss our experiences and share insight/advice with one another.  
I'm currently deciding between the following three programs, all Epidemiology PhD, with the funding (as understood by me currently) described below:
Columbia:  I haven't heard anything about funding yet, but heard during the interview that they generally have students on training grants or funded with specific professors.  Berkeley:  Some students are funded through departmental fellowships, or part or full-time work at other institutions (health departments, UCSF, etc.) or with Berkeley professors.  I currently work at an institution that I think would be my source of funding. University of Washington:  Most students are funded through research assistant or TA positions.  If you work at least 20 hours per week, then your UW tuition is waived and you get a general PhD stipend.  Most of these positions are acquired through persistence (lots of e-mails!) and applying to posted positions.  I don't currently have a position lined up, so am nervous at this point! Any insight or shared experiences would be much appreciated!  Congrats to all on getting (almost!) through this year's application cycle.  

Hmmm. I spoke to Liliane today (I believe she's director of academic programs for Epi) and she said decisions would "definitely" be out this week. 

I've been getting bummed at the end when it's apparent that today is not the day! 

Just thought I'd share some positivity.. Thank you all for helping me through this whole process. I'm just waiting on UCLA now and appreciate so much all the forum messages, results posts, and inbox messages that you all have contributed. It really felt nice to be supported throughout this process. I hope we all receive good news in these upcoming days...it seems like these are some of the most stressful, given that most folks are already done with their notifications. I encourage us to repeat that its not over til its over (to myself first). We could all be waitlists, for all you know...which, at this point, is great lol. I'll post updates as they come, but for now, THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much for the kind, honest, encouraging post!!  And congrats on all of your acceptances.   For UCSF, did you receive an official notification directly from the school or a professor that you spoke with throughout the process?