apex45

Just found a note on my computer with this information all in one place and thought future applicants might find it useful: Brown BSHS Contacted POIs prior to application: yes Interview invite: January 11 Interview: January 25, all day in person, met with 2 POIs and another prof individually Decision: accepted February 11, portal changed before email came Funding: full Pitt BCHS Contacted POIs prior to application: no Interview invite: February 4 Interview: February 8, hour long phone interview with 2 POIs Decision: accepted February 20 via email Funding: none, said they would find full funding if I accepted offer Yale SBS Contacted POIs prior to application: no Interview invite: January 22 Interview: February 11, all day in person, met with every professor in the department individually Decision: waitlisted February 28, portal changed before email came Harvard PHS SBS: Contacted POIs prior to application: no Decision: rejected February 7, email to login and receive rejection, no other contact with school Michigan HBHE: Contacted POIs prior to application: yes Interview invite: January 22 Interview: February 4, 30 min video chat interview with 3 professors on adcom (not POIs) Decision: accepted February 8 via email Funding: full Minnesota Epi: Contacted POIs prior to application: yes No interview Decision: first round acceptance January 15; formal acceptance March 27 Funding: partial

Committed to Michigan. Cheers for the support on this forum, all, I'm out!

For anyone waiting on UMN Epi, I just got an email about a scholarship and TAship. It referenced an acceptance letter that I never got. I haven't heard from them since January.

Minnesota isn't exactly a waitlist, but even if they admit me with full funding at this point, I'd choose UM or Brown. Getting into Yale would be great, and I do plan to stay on the waitlist until I decide on UM vs. Brown. But I'm not optimistic since I was directly competing with 1-2 others for a T32 and am pretty sure that whoever their first pick was would accept it. The funding/benefits at Yale are amazing but my research interests align better at UM and Brown.

Declined my offer to Pitt. Deciding between Michigan and Brown now. I'm hoping I make up my mind by April 15, but it's a really hard decision.

No, I'm not able to, but please let me know how it is!

Nope! I know my research doesn't align very well with what they do, so their silence isn't surprising to me. I don't expect to be fully admitted.

Also just got my waitlist notification. No email for me; just a portal update. I gotta admit, it's bringing me down a bit.

All the conversations I've had like this have been pretty casual and flow naturally. I wouldn't stress about coming in with lots prepared since you're already accepted. But here's some stuff you might consider asking: - Where does she see her research going over the next few years? - What data does she have access to/have banked for future student projects? - What does she expect of you in your first year? - Does she advise current students that you could talk to? (You definitely want to talk to them to get their honest opinion on her mentoring abilities) - Will you get 1:1 attention or does she prefer a team meeting structure? - Where does your funding come from? Are you required to TA or RA, or are you on a fellowship that allows you to work on your own projects? Good luck! You're already in, the hard part is over.

Congrats! Thanks for letting me know.

Did you (or @Epidemiology19 or anyone else) actually hear back from Yale?! Especially for SBS? I went to interview day but haven't heard anything since. I assume I've been waitlisted but there's no change on my portal and no one's contacted me.

How did you decide between schools? How did you determine that you and your current advisor would be a good fit?

Hey, does anyone have any tips for job searching in Ann Arbor? I'm tossing around going to UM but my partner isn't sure she'll be able to find work there. She works at an education nonprofit now and has K12 teaching experience but would like to work in higher ed. Any help would be much appreciated!

5:04 EST and I also have not heard from Yale. Please, Ivy league gods, end my misery now.

WashU = Washington University in St. Louis (in Missouri) [I think their public health school is called the Brown School, which is not the same at Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, RI] UW = University of Washington (in Washington) These are totally different schools! Just wanted to clear up that confusion and hopefully allay some fear.

Maybe? They've been my least communicative program. I got notified that I was through the first round Jan 15 but haven't heard anything at all since. I'm assuming a rejection at this point (/acceptance without funding).

I've got a whole spreadsheet of factors with weighted averages based on how important they are to me. I made it for MPH programs two years ago but updated the categories. I wish it were helping more... 3 schools are within a tenth of a point of each other. Anyway, here's the categories in it: Research alignment with content interests alignment with methods interests PI's mentorship secondary sources of support (other faculty with interest overlap, basically) student/alumni opinions productivity (# of papers students graduate with) Program/School curriculum aligned with my interests ranking/prestige time/completion rate student/alumni opinions cohort size likelihood I'll make real friends Financial funding amount funding model cost of living perks (spousal insurance, moving stipend, etc.) Location ability to escape interesting stuff to do diversity/integration political climate partner's opinion

No worries! If you're super nervous, email someone in admissions, the department admin, or the PhD program coordinator. Often staff know more students than professors do, so they might be able to connect you with a wider range of student perspectives.

You should definitely ask at the schools you've been admitted to! Since it's not feasible for you to visit, that's probably the best way to get information about programs that's not canned. Students are really the only ones who can tell you if living on the stipend is manageable, for example. And of course you'll want to ask details about their relationships with faculty, research opportunities, etc. Don't feel embarrassed. I volunteer to answer emails from applicants about the MPH program I'm working on finishing. I've probably gotten 1-2 emails a day from international students since decisions went out.

Sure! Undergrad: 3.4 from a top-3 liberal arts college; Biology major & Education minor Grad: 3.8 for an MEd from a low-ranked state school; 4.0 for an MPH from Brown Work experience: 5 years teaching middle & high school science, health, and engineering; no public health work experience GRE: I don't remember the exact scores, but percentiles were 98% for Verbal, 57% for Quant, and 98% for Writing Research: ~1 year, no pubs at time of application but ~5 mostly first author papers under review; experience writing R34 grant LORs/SOP: I know everyone rates theirs as "really strong" but I honestly think these are what set me apart given my mediocre uGPA & quant GRE and lack of longterm research experience. My interests are pretty unique and specific, so I think fit has also played a major role in getting me interviews (& acceptances).

I think the rankings are pretty meaningless tbh. In addition to what @Epidemiology19 said, they're based only on faculty's perceptions of schools they don't work at. They don't take into account graduation rates, placement, strength of the curriculum, student factors, etc. I picked where to apply based on research fit and mentorship quality, which I think are ultimately the biggest factors in a PhD student's success. I have no idea what program I'll pick yet, but ranking won't factor into my decision at all.

Yes, but I applied for HBHE and had a Skype interview. Interviewed on 2/4 and heard back 2/8.

Hey, did anyone who was at Yale Recruitment Day catch any info about when we'll hear back? Also, has anyone who interviewed with Pitt for BCHS still not heard back? Idk about y'all, but I am so, so ready for this admissions cycle to wrap up. I was really hoping to hear from those two schools this week, but alas, 5 pm EST on Friday has come and gone again.

Yeah I feel like the results page has been super nasty this year when it doesn't have to be. I get people are touchy and bitter about rejections/waitlists but tearing people down doesn't help anyone.

In a past interview, the not-a-match professor didn't seem to be on the admissions committee and was looking for a connection between our research. It was clear that the professor was not intending to be my advisor or anything but was looking for "big picture" connections. The vibe was like, "If you came here, what sorts of things would you seek my advice about or what could we collaborate on?" Since we didn't share population or disease interests, the conversation ended up being about methodology, ethics, and overall research processes. To get to your question-- I think I'll prepare for general adcom questions ("Why Yale?" "Why a PhD?") and just generally familiarize myself with everyone's research interests. 3/5 of my interviews are with people I asked to meet with, so I'll look deeper into their recent and current work.