Stories

I don't know anything about UMass, so I can't say much there. One thing I know that being international will place you at a disadvantage is any spots in programs that are funded on federal grants (like my funding). Only US-citizens are eligible to receive those funds, which is unfortunate because any many non-US citizens would fit great. Taking a job for a year isn't a bad thing at all. It's nice to be able to save up some money to bring to school. Especially on the meager stipends many students receive. But think of it this way, if you go to school now, you'll have a full year more of your increased earning potential in your eventual career post-PhD, rather than relying on money you earn with less earning potential.

Is there no tuition costs beyond the 1st two years or are you expected to bring in your own grant money at that point? Hopkins, does indeed, have the huge name, but is it really that well known outside of the US? A ton of folks in the US don't even know about Hopkins (granted, those in the PH or medical fields will know Hopkins). I honestly don't thin the name recognition will do THAT much for you, the focus of your career will undoubtedly be on your research and you should definitely go where you might put out the better research. As for my training grant/fellowship, I don't have to work as an RA--at all. My funding is for all my years (4). I basically do my dissertation work with the National Cancer Institute (where the fellowship comes from) while doing my coursework at Yale. Here's details: http://publichealth.yale.edu/nci/

Any hockey fans out there? I'll definitely be looking for someone to hit up the hockey games with once school rolls around. I was a big fan of hockey at my undergrad (Boston University), and if you've never been to a college game before, you're in for a treat. I've heard Ingalls Arena is fantastic, too. One of those old classic hockey barns

First, determine if the PhD is right for you. You'll be spending a LOT more time on it if you continue it and weigh this against simply working again. Some folks realize AFTER they are in school, the PhD was a mistake. The sooner you can determine this, the better. Once you're there, do you really think Michigan will be better? A PhD is mostly self-directed, anyway, and I wouldn't necessarily think different advisers would significantly impact your research outcomes.

Just out of curiosity: I'm wondering how everyone did in the application game? It's about time that most of us have made final decisions on where to attend, I'm just kind of interest to know what the gamut is. I applied to epidemiology programs. I applied to 17 schools and got into 4. Didn't hear back/withdrew from 5 before they had handed down a decision. I got into one of my top choices, Yale. I accepted the offer with a NCI (National Cancer Institute) training fellowship which covers tuition, health insurance, and a stipend. Most folks are able to complete their degree within 4 years. My area will be environmental epidemiology looking at respiratory cancers.

Seconded, UNC. What's the stance on tuition? Waived? Must pay for it?

Do you really think that one person really holds that much influence over the whole field? I doubt that. Go to school A. You've put such a bad wrap on school B already that you're only go to be that much more miserable going there.

That right there makes it highly likely you won't get in somewhere. Top means ultra competitive. The odds of getting in those schools are <10% (generally closer to 5%). You're playing by fire only applying to those schools. Traditionally logic to application strength doesn't apply in graduate school nearly as much as it did for undergrad. The intangibles (statement of purpose, past research, letters of rec) matter more than the tangible aspects (grades, GRE) for graduate admission. Doctoral programs are even more difficult to get into than master programs. Even more competitive with fewer spots. Widen your search next time, have a bracket of schools: safety, competitive, reach. This will give you a better opportunity to enroll somewhere next year.

I wouldn't worry. At Arizona, I got my accept from the department February 9th, but I didn't get my letter from the graduate school until April 2nd! So yeah, it takes time.

It definitely seems like the PH disciplines weigh your SoP a lot more than other programs and GRE is pretty insignificant (at least that's what I've thought). I spent a LOT of time on my SoP and I had 2 professors review it 5+ times before submission

That's why schools have a waitlist In an instance like yours where you're making a decision and you have to choose one over the other! JHU knows that they are high on the list, they're high on anyone's list that's in public health But it really comes down to do what's right for you. Each school has plenty of qualified candidates to accept if you don't enroll, so don't worry.

That's a scary thought. I should be thankful I had as many offers as I got.

It's something I thought about a long time when I got my first grad degree (I have a MPH). I had no intention of going to school immediately, but after setting up a meeting with the dean of admissions immediately after following my graduation to discuss my future enrollment (in 2007), he said to get into school now and they'd get me setup with money. Of course, I was ecstatic, especially since I'd get money to go to school (I ended up getting a RA which covered tuition). I never looked back. Now I'm on to another school for a PhD

It all really depends on whether or not the other folks that have been given acceptances enroll or not. If it's a school that is highly desired as a destination of study for folks and many folks end up enrolling that were accepted, then the chance that you get accepted is slim. But if it's a school that is not as well known as other schools, you might have a decent chance at winding up there. There's no real science behind a wait list. It's simply up to the other folks who were accepted. So never lose hope!

But don't be an ass about it. Nobody like those folks. Remember, getting into graduate school is only part of the battle. There's still passing your coursework, passing the qualifying exams, and defending your project.

Congrats! It's a wonderful feeling being accepted to your no. 1 choice isn't it?

This is how Yale treats PhD admissions. I'm sure other schools are also the same way.

Really can't go wrong with either school. Personally, I'd sway towards UW only for the fact that it's in Seattle. I also have a friend that'll be a PhD in Epi there! Consider funding, if both schools offer the same amount, I'd still slightly lean towards UW. Like I said though, both are fantastic and you can't go wrong at either school.

Exactly. Nobody is jerk enough to just hold on to an acceptance for no reason.

The days of big = accepted, small = rejected are long over. Most schools (3 of 4 schools that I got into) notified me by email or phone before I got any paper acceptances. Several schools rejected me by just email.

Now that's puzzling... :shock:

Congrats on your acceptance. It's a nice feeling when you're wanted, especially if a PhD is something you've been striving for a long time (which it sounds like you have!).

Hopefully your students are master's level and not undergrads