ChiccaChica

Also, I want to add that, although I found this forum super helpful, for others this place was damaging to their mental health. The admissions process is brutal and the collective anxiety here can be too much for many. So I don’t begrudge anyone from unplugging. 

Hey y’all! First time user here. Let me start by congratulating all of you on your acceptances!
I’m just wondering if anyone’s accepted to NYU’s Ph.D program in EHS and is planning on (not) going. I found out I was “waitlisted” and I have to reply to another school soon so I’m trying to see if it’s worth it to wait it out... Thanks!
 

Hello! For those who got multiple acceptances do you mind sharing when you're expected to let your programs know of your decision? I'm currently waitlisted (UNC Epi) and I'm trying to get an idea of if/when they'll start admitting people on their waitlist.

Sorry to lean on everyone here and be a pain, but would anyone be willing to share a bit more about how they asked programs for constructive feedback if they were rejected? I'm really nervous about asking and want to make sure I ask in a way that will maximize chance of response and not sound wierd ?

I have been waitlisted in 2 schools, one of them I did not reach out to learn about my position. However, for the other one I knew my position because I knew someone in the faculty. I don't know how common it is to ask, but I think it depends on how you feel the school is going to be like. If you do decide to ask that, I would let them know that you are really interested not heir program, and that is why you are asking. 

Y'all, it finally happened. I got accepted. I'm going to get a PhD in epi! UMass may not be ranked t10, but it's a great school and in three years I'll have the degree. Anyone else going to accepted student day tomorrow? 

That sucks for your friend. I'm at 12 rejections so I know it well. Thanks for letting me know, it was very helpful! 

After a sea of rejections, I can finally say, WE DID IT JOE!!! ???? Just  received my first ever PhD acceptance courtesy of UMD. Wow wow wow! 

Just got my official letter of acceptance to Tulane Epi. My only acceptance/13 applications. So excited and relieved. Full funding and stipend email package followed. Accepting the offer now. Other Tulane epis, let's connect!

Was admitted to Mailman Epi PhD program for Fall 2021.

Waitlisted at Rutgers for the Health Systems and Policy PhD program.

Folks, I wanted to share my experience this application cycle so people really know how difficult it was to apply this year. I applied to mostly epi PhDs. Here goes:
Stats: Undergrad GPA 3.8 (well-known foreign school), MPH epidemiology and biostatistics from top 5 PH program (GPA 3.93), GRE: 170V 165Q, 2 years full-time research experience at top 5 PH school, 2 co-author publications, 1 first-author publication. Worked on my personal statement for months and got a lot of feedback. Looking at it now, I still think it was a good one and checked all the boxes you're supposed to check for a statement.
I did all my due diligence with contacting PIs before applying. I must have done 20 meetings. In each meeting, I'd specifically ask the PI if they are accepting PhD students next year, and if they'd feel comfortable with my including their name in my application. I always asked if they had any questions for me, and usually got interview-type questions. I had incredibly positive meetings with almost all the PIs I met with. 2 PIs at Harvard told me they highly anticipate my being accepted into the epi program. One PI at Hopkins who's on the admissions committee said she'd be very surprised if I didn't get at least an interview to the program.
Results season comes around - my first rejection was from Hopkins. What followed was a stream of rejections from "safety" schools and everything in between. My anxiety was through the roof as getting a PhD offer was literally the only way I could stay in the US. I applied to 13 programs in total and finally got one acceptance. The irony was that I hadn't spoken with the PI at all before, and his research has nothing at all to do with my research interests or experience. Don't get me wrong, I'm super grateful to have the offer and will definitely take it. Just wanted to illustrate how odd/difficult of a cycle this was to apply.
Anyway, hope this helps a bit. Congrats to all the folks with acceptances and for the folks with none, you'll come back fucking stronger next year. 

Waitlisted at Rutgers for the Health Systems and Policy PhD program.

Just received an acceptance to the University of Oxford for a DPhil in Population Health! I'm shook! I was rejected for the past 3 years from numerous schools. KEEP PUSHING GUYS!

Waitlisted at Rutgers for the Health Systems and Policy PhD program.

crybby^^^

I just got a call from the program director for Government & Social Policy at Harvard letting me know I've been accepted!
Really can't believe it, I had completely given up hope for this cycle.

You seem happy with Program A. How is the funding? How is the research match? Will you be working with an advisor you’re excited about?
If the answer to all the above is positive, I’m not sure why you’d delay. 

When I got Emory rejection, I had asked for feedback. It was very generic. I have heard its always nice to know, but with the number of applicants being higher this year. They probably cannot give individual feedback. 
But I wish we could get one, will help us so much. 

I thought I would let folks know that I just received an update form Emory GHD program. I've been waitlisted but it appears that first round of acceptances have been sent out. Congrats to those accepted and good luck to those waiting to hear. 

Still waiting to hear back from UMass Amherst CHE. Do you have a sense of whether all acceptances have been sent out? Congrats again, it would be so cool if we were in the same cohort!!!

I have heard back from all my schools, and will be accepting at UMass Amherst for CHE PhD. I have not yet confirmed this with the school. I am waiting to speak with my prospective mentor next week about the specifics of the fellowship I was awarded, so I have a better understanding of what I'm getting myself into financially. While not an "elite" school, it's a great fit for me as an arts-based researcher in Public Health and Arts in Health and I want to stay closer to home (New Jersey) because of some family matters. Nevertheless, I'm super excited! This was my first application cycle and only applied to 3 programs (it's really hard as an arts-based researcher in PH finding a good fit). Posting here in case others get accepted or decide to attend UMass, as I'd love to connect off the forum! Also happy to connect more generally if you're interested in how the arts can compliment public health research and programming. You can find me on IG @dramatichealtheducator. Good luck to you all. What is for you, is already yours. It might take a little work, but it is yours. This forum has been helpful, and I appreciate the grace you all share with each other. 

I appreciate how warm and encouraging folks in this forum are! Last year, I was devastated when I was rejected from Every.Single. Program that I applied to. I just wanted to share my experience with everyone, especially those who have not heard from any of the programs they applied to.
After receiving all the rejections, I took some time to reflect on ways to improve my application while pursuing other public health opportunities that I was interested in. I ended up consulting for two local organizations in my country on some really cool projects. And fortunately for me, things picked up at work due to COVID, and I ended up gaining more responsibilities and experience (I work in International development btw).
Last year, I applied to 6 schools. This time around, I applied to 7. I thoroughly researched the schools I was interested in and spoke to numerous faculty and current students. I typed up every answer they gave to my questions and read through them when I was writing my personal statement. This was extremely helpful to tailor my statement to each of the schools that I applied to. I revised my personal statement from last year and wove the past year's experience in the essay. I also understood what I wanted to research better, and I believe the time I spent reflecting on how to improve my applications was the cause. I listened to podcasts, watched YouTube videos, and stalked the faculty members' Twitter accounts I was interested in. It also helped to see what they were interested in and really understand their areas of expertise.
So far, I have been accepted to two programs without interviews (Temple University & OHSU). And I have also been interviewed for UMD, Duke and Vanderbilt. This is all to say, hang in there! Don't give up! If a PhD is what you want, and you didn't get into any programs this year, remember the wise words of Aaliyah: 
If at first you don't succeed
(First you don't succeed)
Then dust yourself off and try again
You can dust if off and try again, try again
Also, if y'all have "academic" Twitter accounts, I'd love to follow you. It would be nice to have this community when pursuing my PhD studies, and I would also love to help folks when they submit new applications. My Twitter handle is @nana_add0 ?.

Thank you!!!  Yes, I've been snooping around this thread for a while but said ahhh, finally a post I can actually contribute to ?  I'm very happy and excited. Wishing you the best of luck and extending grace and warmth to you as you wait to hear back from schools.

Hello! My prospective mentor emailed me to let me know on February 5th that UMass faculty had "just met" to discuss applicants to CHE. Today, I received an acceptance by way of a fellowship award letter. All others, may be coming out veeeery soon! Ironically, my SPIRES account still says "Application Under Review."