Epidemiology19

I agree. Assuming that's ~$7500 per year, I know there are several schools that are in the low- to mid-thirties, with full tuition coverage and health insurance included. Hopefully we get a better idea of the funding soon to make a decision!

I’m eagerly awaiting funding info from UNC (epi) as well. Their funding seems to be lower than other schools and is a bit concerning to me. Anyone else feel this way?

I heard directly from my department as well. It sounds like they’re gradually churning them out, so there’s definitely still a lot of hope!

Congrats! Guess we’ll find out more soon. See you there as well!

Do folks remember if there’s a an accepted students day for Yale and what it entails? I thought I remembered them mentioning this being on 3/25. Trying to figure out my schedule for next month and when I can realistically make an informed decision.

I've been checking all day too! Guess it will be next week then. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Did you end up hearing back from Yale? I was hoping that they would send out the decisions today (I guess there's still some time)

I wasn't the person who posted, but I'm in epi and received an email directly from the school of public health. It was not a generic email, so maybe they're just gradually sending them out. Best of luck!

It may differ by department? I was admitted into epi and did not have an interview. However, I did visit the school myself and speak with faculty before applying

This is amazing! Thanks for sharing! I think the only other item that I have in my mental list is data availability. I’m particularly interested in using administrative datasets, so their availability through mentors is something I always keep an eye out for.

I definitely feel that way sometimes too! Just remember that there were probably hundreds of applicants and they chose you! Maybe it’s a matter of how to frame the email? For example- see if they can connect you with students so that they can share transition to a new city, current research projects, volunteer opportunities within the school, etc? And then of course mix in the hard-hitting questions once you get in touch with the students and feel them out

I have a lot of respect for international applicants. It must be difficult, but hopefully worth it in the end! Have you tried asking faculty to connect you with any of their current students? Faculty who I’ve asked have been really willing to share contact info of students so that they can talk about their experiences, and I’ve found their input to be insightful. I’ve actually crossed a school off my list because of the (extremely) honest feedback from a POI’s 2 current students. I find this to be an interesting topic. Aside from ranking & funding, what are some of the “softer” factors that others are considering? I’ve been keeping these types of things in mind: responsiveness of potential mentors, track record of their mentees, size of the cohort (and collaboration vs competition), encouragement for grant writing, location of the school, etc.

Couldn’t agree more. The methodology is a bit vague and seems very subjective. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/health-schools-methodology

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.

What program are you asking about? If epi, I haven't heard back yet after interview day. Some of the current students said that they didn't hear back until early March during their application cycle.