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Stories

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  1. I got 5/6 rejections. One of those rejections (NYU) annoys me - the school barely even has a Public Health pogramme, and they consider me beneath them?!?!

    I think that I shot myself in the foot with the majority of my applications. I wrote my SoPs and writing samples in the last couple of days bfore my application deadlines. One of my recommenders told me straight up that he'd be able to write a stronger letter in a year when I had finished chapters of my thesis he could base his comments on. Finishing my MPH thesis would also have upped my GPA.

    My acceptance is at UMass. Not particularly prestigous; fortunately, I couldn't care less about rankings. The programme requires a minor in a non-PH department, which is perfect for me. They'll get back to me about funding in a couple of weeks.

    I'm excited, but uncertain whether to take it. Part of me wonders what would happen if I reapplied to my favourite programmes, Hopkins and Columbia, in a year. The application would be stronger for the reasons above, but my interests would still be weird and I'd still be an international student. And I have seen a few jobs advertised recently that would be PERFECT for me, not to mention I have an actual job offer, albeit not so exciting. The thought of choosing to be poor for 5 or so more years is not pleasant. On the other hand, it would be harder to do after a few years with an actual income.

    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.

  2. Tuition waived at both for the first two years. I'm actually leaning more towards Hopkins now. I think the international name recognition might be worth living in poverty until I get some dissertation grant money. Also, the program looks a lot more rigorous.

    With those federal traineeships do you have to do RA work or something along those lines to earn the funding?

    Also, final score for me is in at 4 out, out at 1.

    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/

  3. 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 :)

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. I think you should go with your gut and pick UNC. Your $$ will probably go farther there (especially after the first year, when you can pay resident tuition), and more freedom with your research is a huge plus, IMO. Plus, yeah, it's not Baltimore. :wink:

    Seconded, UNC.

    What's the stance on tuition? Waived? Must pay for it?

  7. I have a dilemma: I'm trying to decide between 2 programs. 1 is a doctoral program that is offering me a good amount of money to TA. I also like the department and the faculty a lot. The problem is that it is relatively low in the rankings (in the 40s) and I worry about my career prospects if I went there. (Not to mention that I'm a pretty insecure person who craves external validation of the sort conferred by an elite diploma
  8. I applied to 8 of the top Philosophy doctoral programs in the US and got rejected by all of them.

    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.

  9. ^ was at work when i got the word.. felt like screaming out.. instead i emailed my brother in CAPS, hehe.. close enough.

    I still won't feel totally secure until i receive the official letter (esp with my other accept deadline coming up on the 15th), but i'm still confident, happy and greatful. Sometime soon i want to document all my steps and experiences througout this process on the forum. Hopefully it will help other have an easier time than i did (felt like i was feeling my way in the dark at some points..). I'd encourage others to do so as well. Ours is a discipline unlike many others and from what i've been able to find, it is one that requires more coverage with regard to the application/review/admission processes.

    anyway,

    im sure once it's sunk in, i'll find something else to worry about (ie. moving across the country). At the moment, i think im finally ready to be productive at work again, hahah!

    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 :)

  10. Thanks very much for your reply. I know seattle is much better than Baltimore, but I think the job opportunity in industry in and around MD is much better....I also asked for suggestions from a student who got PhD degree in JHU and are now working in UW. He also told me that unless I have a specific interest that JHU excels, UW would be a better choice.

    Now, I don't how to reply to JHU. In the phone interview, I told them that JHU was still high in my list. They think I almost accept their offer. I don't know how to tell them if I decide to decline JHU......I feel so sorry....

    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. :D

  11. But odds-wise? Probably not very good. I heard from my masters level program that many of the applicants should have gotten into a phd program, but instead had only gotten into that program and were enrolling there. So if you think about how few people have gotten into the PhD programs - surely they will accept their offers.

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

  12. 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 :)

  13. 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!

  14. Of COURSE you should feel proud! You went at least 2 for 3 and got acceptances at a couple of great schools. Think of all the people who didn't finish undegrad, let alone high school. You clearly have talent and perseverance to get this far. You're just having a moment of imposter syndrome, that's all. Wait until you start in September and begin producing good work, learning to teach, and participating in the grad community. If you're not proud right now, you'll be proud once you start accomplishing awesome things at the grad level.

    The fact that this process has uncontrollable elements doesn't make your two acceptances meaningless. Clearly you ARE a desirable applicant. Now go kick ass.

    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.

  15. just got my 'congratulations' email from the program director at the University of Toronto (Dalla Lana School of Pub Health). Should be getting the official letter in the mail soon.

    im so eff'ing happy! :D

    2-0-1

    still waiting on McMaster, but I think I'm set for TO.

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

  16. It probably means that they don't admit students without giving them support and they could therefore offer support AND admission only to 27 students..

    Do call them up if you can though!

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

  17. 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.

  18. I love to know where this imaginary army of people who are holding onto spots just for fun are. :roll: Seems to me that most people who haven't declined yet have good reason, like needing to know how funding will shake out, or needing a safety off a waitlist.

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

  19. Oh, but they're my professors!

    Regarding the dating of undergrads, we were told they would kick us out of the department/university if we dated one of our students. "If it's true love, it can wait" is what we were told.

    Hopefully your students are master's level and not undergrads :)

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