periepi2011

Hi zwajh (and others!) I have a couple more questions: 1) again related to contacting professors. i have been emailing like crazy with faculty at a number of schools and am not 100% sure where to take things from here. if i've emailed with professors who say that 'my research areas are very interesting' for example, can/should i mention that in my SoP? Or if they say 'i would be happy to explore areas of collaboration if you decide to come here'... I guess, i'm trying to see how definitive or committal their responses should be for me to include them in my application. how are you approaching this? 2) related to Berkeley: how did you approach the 'personal history statement' compared to the SoP? this is something i'd been putting off and i'm now a bit worried about it! 3) related to sophas: does sophas want you to submit all the applications at the same time? or can you stagger the submission by deadlines for the schools? can you change things (like upload a newer CV) after submitting one? to zwajh: have you submitted your applications already? if you would consider applying to harvard, i just emailed with a very supportive professor who studies ovarian cancer...let me know if you want more info. good luck!

Hi again zjwah, That is also my understanding. I was thinking about contacting SOPHAS to confirm. But from everything I can see on my end of the site, and from what i can find on the SOPHAS & school websites, that seems to be the case. I just checked when you wrote the last post - By now you have likely already sorted this out?

Thanks, zjwah. yes, please do share your stats if you don't mind - i don't want this thread to be about me, but about all of us in this boat right now! wow - sounds like you're quite far along in the application process - well done! if you don't mind my asking, what drew you to UPittsburgh? otherwise, i think it's interesting how much overlap we have in schools given our different interests within epi. i bet that is common in this field, since the list of clear 'stand out' schools is quite obvious, or so it seems to me. why is WashU your first choice? location, prestige, a specific prof? what kind of cancer epi are you interested in? (this is somewhat of a personal interest for me after some family experience with cancer, but not a professional/academic interest). have you talked to professors at any of the schools, or will you do that all in one step next? are you going to send in your applications now, or closer to their deadlines? how did it go for you to get letters of rec? are they already submitted, or are you still waiting? sorry for all the questions, i think my head is swimming with all this right now! good luck to you also. sounds like you're on the right track!

Thanks so much for all the responses. Sorry for my delayed reply! Socialepi - your comments are very helpful - thank you! I am very relieved to know that I seem like a competitive applicant - it's hard to know what the chances are like when many applicants have good stats, relevant experience, etc. I suppose that is the main idea behind applying to so many schools. I am still going for 9 schools, but am now applying to BU and not UCLA. now that i am more fully into the application process, i understand how much coordination and work it takes to apply to so many schools - and, yes, also expensive! tailoring personal statements to 9 schools is a lot! but it's coming together...hope to have the first one done this weekend (to give my references a month to write letters before dec 1 deadlines). For the most part, I am going to apply only to master's programs. There are 1 or 2 schools with later deadlines that theoretically accept direct to phd applicants. If I can swing it, I will apply to those. If not, I will be happy to go to master's programs and transition to phd when that is feasible. The next point of stress for me is making contact with professors at each school. Do people just cold call? or 'cold email'? I would assume that you just send a paragraph describing your interest and why you think you could be a match with the professor...any other tips?? to answer your question, salome: my publications range. i am an author on 2 peer-reviewed articles, i am listed in the acknowledgments for another 2 (any idea how to mention those??), i am an author on 2 articles that are in the review process now, and then 3 policy brief/reports... Then, i'm an author on about 10 presentations at professional conferences. I divided the publications in my CV by type (peer-reviewed, other publications, etc). Hope that's helpful. how far along are you guys in the application process??

I am in a similar position, in that I also ultimately want a PhD (in Epidemiology). What I have gleaned from the admissions offices I've spoken to is this, as well as from some others on this forum,: it is very difficult to go directly from undergrad to PhD in this field. But, each school handle this situation differently. For example, U of W has very clearly laid out guidelines that explain eligibility for applying directly to PhD (being first author on a primary research article that involved significant data analysis). Other schools leave it a bit more vague, with language like 'exceptional candidates may apply directly to doctoral programs...' while others still say that a master's is a prereq for phd programs, period. I asked the same question a while ago about whether AdComs would frown on applying to both levels. Now that I am more fully in the thick of applying, I don't think this is the case. I think that these committees have an intimate understanding of where we are all coming from. There are clear benefits to skipping a master's degree, such as funding, skipping an application process, etc. So, if you may be a competitive enough applicant to go straight to phd, go for it. But, I would also apply to master's programs...to be safe. To be honest, it sounds like if you are just now starting to think about phd applications, it may be best to wait and to focus on master's applications this year. But only you know that! For myself, I have basically decided not to apply for Phd programs this year. I am applying to 9 schools, which is a daunting process as it is, while working full time. In order to have a hope of getting into doctoral programs, you need to have a well developed relationship with potential supervisors at each school you apply to, as well as a reasonably well developed research idea. I have decided that this is may not be a realistic goal for me this year. If I finish all my master's applications before the phd deadlines and if any correspondence with faculty (at schools that allow for direct phd applications) get to the point that I could ask them to recommend me for phd directly, i will go for it. otherwise, i will be content with my 9 applications to master's programs... hope this is helpful!

Is anyone out there currently working on public health applications? So many of the public health threads are old, old, OLD! I'm just getting started on the full application process: SoP, polishing the CV, approaching colleagues for recommendations, etc. I'm also trying to decide how many schools to apply to. Right now, my list is pretty long: Hopkins, Harvard, UNC-Chapel Hill, UofW, Emory, Columbia, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, and UBC, and is largely based on rank/prestige of the schools. Should I narrow my focus? Or, are these schools so competitive that it makes sense to apply this many? Ultimately, I want a phd in epidemiology with a focus on perinatal care/maternal child health in the US &/or Canada. I don't yet have one clearly defined project, though I do have a well-defined focus area within perinatal epi: policy & practice to study models of care that support physiologic pregnancy and birth. Some schools allow you to apply to phd without a master's (e.g. jhu, emory), others don't (harvard, UW). So, it is likely that I will be applying to some masters programs and some phd programs depending on the school. And, beyond that, I will be applying to some MPH programs and some MHSc programs, again, depending on the specifics of the school... My basic background: 3.85 GPA (on 4.3 scale) in a semi-related field from Canadian university 3 years of research experience in a university setting, first as RA, then Research coordinator I'm an author on approx 6 articles, and more presentations 1440 GRE: 770Q, 670V, 5.5AW Will I be in the running for these top schools?? How many schools are other people applying to? Which schools? With what kind of qualifications? Any thoughts on applying directly to phd without a master's? What about applying to both phd and master's at the same school? Will that come across as unfocused? Any advice/comments would be great!