apex45

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. 

I’d be curious to hear what other people think, but my personal opinion is that it doesn’t mean much on an individual level. Part of the reason is that we apply to specific departments within schools, and there isn’t a ranking for that. Additionally, as we all know, it’s very much about research fit for PhD programs. However, with that said, I think it can give a broad overall sense of how the program is perceived to others, and probably the types of resources that the school has 
In my case, I will likely turn down a highly ranked program (according to USN&WR) for a lower ranked one because of research and faculty fit. 

Being told this isn't because you're black or a woman.  Don't be so narcissistic.  Learning to fail and being able to stand back up and brush yourself off is life advice that EVERYONE needs to live by.  You need to learn how to fail and understand that failing doesn't make you a failure.  There's a difference.  How did you learn to walk?  You failed and literally got back up and brushed yourself off.  Only, now, you don't have your parents there to pick you up.  Now, when you fail, you need to pick yourself up.  Friends and family surrounding you, encouraging you, is important to making that possible, but you are still the one who needs to do it.  Sure, every time I have been rejected over the last three years, I could have curled into a ball, called myself a failure, and never tried again.  That option is entirely available to you and there are times I've certainly considered doing the same thing.  But the mind set of "I've succeeded at everything I've done up til now" has only diluded you into thinking you're some unstoppable force--none of use are.  Now that it looks like you've hit a small obstacle, you have only just realised that you aren't so "unstoppable" afterall.  That fact is, that's okay!  It's okay to fail. 
We, as humans, will all be confronted with the limits of our own success, at some point in our life.  What makes a difference between the strong among us and those who aren't is whether we accept our failure, learn from it, and work hard to push ourselves beyond our limits.  Is the struggle harder for some than others?  Yes.  Do some have to work harder to get to places that come so easily for others?  Yep.  Do some people have a list of things trying to keep them from succeeding, that are entirely out of their control (societal, financial, etc.)?  Absolutely.  The question you, and everyone here, have to ask yourself is: Am I okay with taking the loss and moving on?  Or do I want to prove to myself I can push myself to recover from this and succeed through perserverance.  No matter what decision you choose, you're welcome to it.  But don't blame people who encourage you to be stronger just because you don't think you can or don't think they understand how hard it will be.  You may not take value in what I have to say because I don't know what it's like to grow up as a black woman in a society that severely marginalises against you.  That's fine.  But it doesn't make what I say any less valid as advice for dealing with failure.  Telling you it is okay to fail and try again, is not invalidating the struggle you go through to do that.  It's acknowledging that the journey will not be easy, but we have faith you have the strength to do it--even if you don't think you do. 
If you take nothing away from this, at least take this with you:  The only difference between failing and being a failure, is your perception.

I want to say I'm happy to have found this thread because I felt so alone during this whole process too. It is incredibly hard to explain to anyone in my personal life what this means, how it feels to process rejection after rejection, and how even though I have received feedback from some of the most well-regarded professors in my desired field of study, who are also Black women, I feel like an utter failure. I have always been successful at any major challenge I pursued. Now all I feel is doubt about my abilities and how could I possibly be "good enough" next cycle if I somehow found the nerve to try again.
And honestly, I am so tired of anyone telling Black women to be resilient. We are not made of stone. How much of our lives must we commit to always being told to push through, and dust yourself off and try again? That crap is exhausting when you're not, nor ever will be, at an even playing field. For those who don't feel they've ever had to face such experiences as people of color, kudos to you - but that isn't the reality for a majority of people of color. If it were there would be more people of color, especially Black and Latino in academe. 
@JustCallMeDoc, you are heard and I see you on this bumpy journey. I do hope it leads you to a point where you feel whole and affirmed in your choices.

They said by the end of next week
 
Did anyone have interviews?

I believe Yale said approx 2 weeks. Hang in there! 

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.

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. 

It's time to revive this thread, comrades

Sorry you got yeeted bro

looks like Stanford missed out on a real winner here folks

At least for my cohort that began this year, 42 students entered for the PHS program across all 5 fields of study (Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Global Health and Population, and Nutrition). SBS had 8 students and Nutrition had 5...unsure about the other fields of study off the top of my head, but I know that Epi was the heaviest.

looks like Stanford missed out on a real winner here folks

ACCEPTED TO HARVARD PHS!!!! Crying...dying!!!! 

hang in there, rejections always come before interviews. I know they're running behind this year but I can let you know if I hear anything from the committee about when interview invitations will be sent. 

I was sent a link to view my decision

Today, I got my acceptance letter for Brown's PhD program for EPI!

Just got an email from BU (epi) inviting me out to the interview day! February 15th.

Wow, this is actually a good question lol...
As far as I know, if your funding is confirmed in the offer letter sent to you, that means this money has been put in graduate school's annual budget. So you will be safe in the first one or two years... However, if your adviser moves after you enter the program, well, the situation will be more complex and it's hard to tell. Generally, if you are not admitted to the candidacy yet, you may have to look for funding for your future PhD life. Some "nice" advisers may suggest you move with them and start your new PhD life in a new institute. Or you may contact other PI in the program and ask if they could support you. If you couldn't find enough funding for your PhD, you have to quit.
 
If you have already been admitted to the candidacy when the adviser moves, you are totally safe. In this case, no one would fire you unless you quit your PhD voluntarily. 

Hey guys, keep your hopes up and be patient and I think we all have already tried out best!
This is what I know from the PHS-SBS interview, which is my lifetime first interview, ever:
1) One faculty told me the results should be out at a standardized time, although I can email the program assistant to confirm (but I didn't);
2) The other faculty told me that both faculties would evaluate my candidacy to make the final decision. So, it definitely would take into account the fact that I screwed up the interview with my POI (I was really nervous and English is not my native language); also, it means that maybe it does not matter that much even I feel like the other interview went well. But I just feel like the whole evaluation process is pretty fair. If you get an interview, does not mean your candidacy is "clinically" higher that those who dont; if you did not get an interview, you still have a chance. Hope this help! 
 

Hi There! It's been one month that I did not check this forum out (nerve-wracking)!!!
I just want to tell you that no interview does not mean rejection.
I got interviews from two SBS faculties; but for sure I screwed up the one with my POI.
From the results page, I saw someone also did not get offer because he/she did not nail the interview.
My interview was early Jan; I am pretty sure they contacted someone else after that.
I did not her back anything since then; radio silence, the same thing during the last couple months. 
and I was told the final result for SBS should be out at a standardized time as last year, i.e. 20-ish Feb.
And, good luck with you and everyone else who is waiting! 
 

Hi all,

I've been lurking somewhat for a few years now. Finally got my first Phd acceptance letter (and I am super stoked!). Rutgers Phd in Health Systems and Policy. Just received the email an hour ago but the official letter is dated 22 January. No interview. Full tuition support and Research Assistant appointment.

My background: International applicant. Bachelor's in Philosophy (Non-US). Master of Public Policy (Non-US). Good GPAs for both. One book review and one co-authored book chapter (2nd author) in bioethics. Worked in a bioethics research centre outside of the US for about two-years part-time while doing my undergrad and masters. GRE: V161/Q163/4.5. Contacted POI is assigned as my supervisor in the acceptance letter. He is in an interdisciplinary field of public health ethics that straddles between philosophy, bioethics and public health. I didn't think I had a shot because my background wasn't strongly leaning towards 'traditional' aspects of Public Health. But I have a strong quant foundation from my masters and a strong philosophy and ethics foundation from my undergrad. I stated in my application that I would be doing research mostly in the interdisciplinary field of public health ethics, so I thought that it would count against me. 

I have also applied for Johns Hopkins - Health Policy & Management (Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy) and Oxford - Population Health. I have not heard from either schools.

It's been a long journey for me since I first applied for doctoral programmes three years ago. Good luck to everyone!

looks like Stanford missed out on a real winner here folks

looks like Stanford missed out on a real winner here folks

looks like Stanford missed out on a real winner here folks

UC Davis English, PhD (F18) Rejected via E-mail on 23 Feb 2018 A 23 Feb 2018 report spam Rejected but I got into a higher ranked university so actually I guess my application was competitive.  If only rank wasn't an arbitrary concept that has little to no impact on grad admissions standards for English!