PhMe
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Pubhealth101 reacted to a post in a topic:
PHD Applicants: Fall 2019
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PHApplicant reacted to a post in a topic:
PHD Applicants: Fall 2019
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You're not crazy! I applied to 13 schools last year as I really wanted to get in somewhere. I got accepted by 8 schools, and received funding commitments for the first year from 3 schools, and full funding from only 1 school, which I ended up attending. Never a bad idea to diversify your options!
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Hi there, I’m also attending a PhD program this year, having gone thru the application cycle last year. I absolutely agree with ianmleavitt in that it is a waste of time and money to apply to schools where you dont have a strong research interest match with some of the faculty. I wasted a lot of time with schools where there was only the most tenuous of links between faculty interests and mine.
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Hi All, Looks like the forum has pretty much winded down. Just want to say that reading about everyone's experiences, good and bad, and contributing my own felt like such a huge help throughout this difficult process for all these months. In the end, the waiting paid off. I'll be starting at GW this fall. Thank you all and good luck! Signing off..
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Yup, was offered admission about 3 weeks ago, and declined the offer about 2 weeks ago. The funding wasnt great.
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badgalriri reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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apex45 reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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hccgrl reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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FrozenFreshMeat reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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My two cents: The difference between a "top" and "OK" program can be a bit messy. US News rankings, based on a limited sample of academics' opinions about other programs will only get you so far. The amount of research output and citations also comes with its limitations. I don't know if there are rankings based on student perceptions for public health grad programs, but even those data would come with a certain degree of self-selection. My point is, for doctoral training, the totem pole is not so well defined, and who is to say that the ok program will not provide as good or better training than the top program. My approach is to see if the faculty are engaged in research that I like; if it seems well aligned with my interests. Then to see if there seems to be a good fit with a potential mentor at the school. Can u see yourself doing good work here? What are the red flags, and are they deal breakers? Finally, what is your level of acceptable risk with regard to funding? For me, I have a very low risk tolerance as I am an international student from a developing country who will be taking a dependant with me. I can't afford to move across the world on the hope of securing funding year to year, so full funding is my choice. Your level of acceptable risk could be different which should also be considered. Good luck!
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MarylandGirl reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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NFighter reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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Don't be sorry; these are really important questions! From my own experience hunting for this information, there is no straight answer. Some federal funding mechanisms do not have a citizenship requirement, while others (like the T-32 grant) are restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. check out this page: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/who-is-eligible.htm What I've found is that our best bet is to be funded through either scholarships or RA/TAships offered by the department or the institution. In some instances, the school will offer a tuition remission for in-state tuition, and if you are lucky, for out-of-state tuition, and then try to match you with a faculty member who has a grant which can cover you for a stipend and health insurance. There are also external scholarships/funding sources which a number of schools have links to. I have not had much success with these as they quite often have very specific eligibility requirements, but always something to look into to, whether you receive full funding or not in case you are eligible for them. I was told by a PI to look into getting funding from FHI360 and RTI (I didn't find it), while I've looked at the Agha Khan foundation 50% loan/50% grant program as well. If you find yourself eligible to apply for certain external funding opportunities, go for them! Also, some university systems see us as cash cows, and getting funding there is difficult (as I have personally experienced): http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-uc-regents-tuition-20180315-story.html All in all, I would say that maintaining communication with your POI and admissions coordinators are the key to knowing about what funding is available because they will likely be privileged with more insider information than we would. Let me know your findings! good luck!
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hccgrl reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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Yup, I made a decision. I got accepted to 5 programs, and chose GWU based on faculty research fit and the fact that they provided full funding. Paid the deposit, created the email address, etc. It feels like a huge relief, after so much waiting and deliberation. Tulane was one I wish I hadn't applied to. I got in, but they offer absolutely NO funding, and I'm an international student which disqualifies me from any NIH grants.
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Yes! In fact, it was an odd series of events. I contacted my POI who said they hadn't heard but would ask around. I then was contacted by the UCSD program director with whom I kind of interviewed (not sure if it was an interview or not; he said he just wanted to figure out where he could place me). He asked me to contact some faculty to see if they had the funds to support me for a TAship and that he would ask around as well. There was no official email or offer; just the conversation. This was late last week, and this week I let him down that I would be accepting an offer from another program.
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After interviewing with Hopkins, UNC and GWU for PhD positions, it took one month for each of these schools to get back to me. A brutal wait! However they all interviewed in January. I'm sure Colorado will get back faster!
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marval13 reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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Yes for sure! That's a good idea; let me contact my POI. I do hope they get back to us soon!
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Has anyone applied to the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health at UCSD-SDSU? I've written to both admissions coordinators but have heard nothing. This program may also take longer since it involves two institutions. Anyone else apply to this and have any updates or thoughts?
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I did see some accrptances to the PhD in SMS. Given that the rejections have gone out as well, if you havent heard anything it's possible you are on the waitlist. sometimes they wait a certain period after the first accepters to see if anyone says no. then they start informing the waitlisters.
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PhMe reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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To the poster for Yale SBS in the Results page who asked whether those who are accepted and wait listed were interviewed or not, I can confirm that I did not interview and was wait listed. In fact, I believe the two are highly correlated
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I have a feeling that without GRE scores higher than the average for the program, it's a real uphill battle making it past the first screening. A friend of mine who applied to the same doctoral programs as me did not receive interview requests whereas i received a couple, even though her CV and experiences are objectively more extensive and relevant than mine. It's impossible to say for sure but I think having GRE scores that are average or lower than average make it really hard to stand out initially. And even if you do make it past them, there will often be more qualified candidates than available slots. That being said, I've found reaching out and making a connection with faculty can mitigate this to a degree (that same friend got accepted to a program after a series of enthusiastic chats with various faculty before she applied), as long as you can make it past an admissions committee. Anyway dont lose hope and if there are schools who are still accepting applications, I would recommend applying just in case, provided they are a good fit for you.
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PhMe reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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PhMe reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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PhMe reacted to a post in a topic:
PhD applicants: Fall 2018
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You're right to think this is fishy. I didn't apply to this school for this very reason - they seemed iffy on the funding, especially for international students. For comparison, Tulane was very upfront with me on the lack of funding before I made a decision. The head of the program, some faculty, and the admissions coordinator emailed me to let me know (with regrets).