PHD Applicants: Fall 2019

[cheesefries]

1 hour ago, epibiostat2019 said:

Thanks so much! I interviewed at Brown for Recruitment Day as well, just curious if they had sent out responses yet.

Oh I have no idea about Brown! I was referring to NYU's SBS program  

[Nairel]

4 hours ago, cheesefries said:

I was there, from my understanding they are only considering those they interviewed. I’m so sorry! Keep your head up though and best of luck. 

Hey! thank you so much. At least it is good to have a little information when all I've got is radio silence ?

[gloriaepi2019]

 

Just a quick update: received my rejection from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) yesterday. Will try my best to get prepared for the incoming interviews and start applying for the fellowship at UT. Those who have received interview invitations from Yale and Brown, do you mind sharing your credentials. Thank you so much!

[EpiPhD831]

On 2/18/2019 at 8:24 PM, gloriaepi2019 said:

 

Just a quick update: received my rejection from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) yesterday. Will try my best to get prepared for the incoming interviews and start applying for the fellowship at UT. Those who have received interview invitations from Yale and Brown, do you mind sharing your credentials. Thank you so much!

I didn’t apply to Yale but I did get into Brown’s Epi program. 

3.5 GPA for both undergrad and MPH

163 Quant/156 Verbal/4 Writing

BA in Mathematics from HBCU and MPH in Epi from Emory

2 co-author publications

4 years of infectious disease simulation modeling research in undergrad where I presented at 5 conferences. 2 years of post-grad work doing a combination of simulation modeling and cost effectiveness research in infectious diseases and substance use disorders through collaboration with CDC and our state department of health. 

[epi3333]

On 2/16/2019 at 10:40 AM, gloriaepi2019 said:

Anyone applied to the University of Iowa and interviewed there?  I received an interview invitation from the University of Iowa and I think it is a pretty decent program with ranking at the 17th right after Yale. If anyone could share any information regarding this program, I would appreciate that! And also curious about the ranking and reputation of the program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Hi Gloria, which ranking is that you've mentioned?

[PhDtwenty]

Does anyone know when JHU's Pop Fam department is expected to release their results? Thanks in advance!

[gloriaepi2019]

7 minutes ago, EpiPhD831 said:

I didn’t apply to Yale but I did get into Brown’s Epi program. 

3.5 GPA for both undergrad and MPH

163 Quant/156 Verbal/4 Writing

BA in Mathematics from HBCU and MPH in Epi from Emory

2 co-author publications

4 years of infectious disease simulation modeling research in undergrad where I presented at 5 conferences. 2 years of post-grad work doing a combination of simulation modeling and cost effectiveness research in infectious diseases and substance use disorders through collaboration with CDC and our state department of health. 

Thanks for sharing and Best of Luck!

[gloriaepi2019]

8 minutes ago, EpiPhD831 said:

I didn’t apply to Yale but I did get into Brown’s Epi program. 

3.5 GPA for both undergrad and MPH

163 Quant/156 Verbal/4 Writing

BA in Mathematics from HBCU and MPH in Epi from Emory

2 co-author publications

4 years of infectious disease simulation modeling research in undergrad where I presented at 5 conferences. 2 years of post-grad work doing a combination of simulation modeling and cost effectiveness research in infectious diseases and substance use disorders through collaboration with CDC and our state department of health. 

By the way, how is Brown's program? I cannot find the ranking for this program or any other information.

[gloriaepi2019]

10 minutes ago, epi3333 said:

Hi Gloria, which ranking is that you've mentioned?

The USnews ranking https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings. Is it a reliable resource?

[Epidemiology19]

34 minutes ago, gloriaepi2019 said:

The USnews ranking https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings. Is it a reliable resource?

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. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Epidemiology19

[apex45]

I think the rankings are pretty meaningless tbh. In addition to what @Epidemiology19 said, they're based only on faculty's perceptions of schools they don't work at. They don't take into account graduation rates, placement, strength of the curriculum, student factors, etc. 

I picked where to apply based on research fit and mentorship quality, which I think are ultimately the biggest factors in a PhD student's success. I have no idea what program I'll pick yet, but ranking won't factor into my decision at all. 

[Epidemiology19]

18 minutes ago, apex45 said:

I think the rankings are pretty meaningless tbh. In addition to what @Epidemiology19 said, they're based only on faculty's perceptions of schools they don't work at. They don't take into account graduation rates, placement, strength of the curriculum, student factors, etc. 

I picked where to apply based on research fit and mentorship quality, which I think are ultimately the biggest factors in a PhD student's success. I have no idea what program I'll pick yet, but ranking won't factor into my decision at all. 

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

[gloriaepi2019]

37 minutes ago, apex45 said:

I think the rankings are pretty meaningless tbh. In addition to what @Epidemiology19 said, they're based only on faculty's perceptions of schools they don't work at. They don't take into account graduation rates, placement, strength of the curriculum, student factors, etc. 

I picked where to apply based on research fit and mentorship quality, which I think are ultimately the biggest factors in a PhD student's success. I have no idea what program I'll pick yet, but ranking won't factor into my decision at all. 

Thank you for sharing the information! How was your interview going and do you mind sharing your credentials? 

[gloriaepi2019]

1 hour ago, Epidemiology19 said:

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. 

Thank you for sharing!

[epihope]

 

On 2/16/2019 at 3:41 AM, BlessforPhD said:

I contacted UCLA Epi but received no reply. Did you have the interview with them?

 

No I didn't, did you?  (I didn't think they interviewed)  I spoke with some PI's in the fall. Let us know if you hear back, good luck!

[apex45]

20 minutes ago, gloriaepi2019 said:

Thank you for sharing the information! How was your interview going and do you mind sharing your credentials? 

Sure!

Undergrad: 3.4 from a top-3 liberal arts college; Biology major & Education minor

Grad: 3.8 for an MEd from a low-ranked state school; 4.0 for an MPH from Brown 

Work experience: 5 years teaching middle & high school science, health, and engineering; no public health work experience 

GRE: I don't remember the exact scores, but percentiles were 98% for Verbal, 57% for Quant, and 98% for Writing 

Research: ~1 year, no pubs at time of application but ~5 mostly first author papers under review; experience writing R34 grant

LORs/SOP: I know everyone rates theirs as "really strong" but I honestly think these are what set me apart given my mediocre uGPA & quant GRE and lack of longterm research experience. My interests are pretty unique and specific, so I think fit has also played a major role in getting me interviews (& acceptances). 

 

 

 

[tryinnaaskquestions]

16 hours ago, gloriaepi2019 said:

 

Just a quick update: received my rejection from Washington University at St. Louis yesterday. Will try my best to get prepared for the incoming interviews and start applying for the fellowship at UT. Those who have received interview invitations from Yale and Brown, do you mind sharing your credentials. Thank you so much!

You're talking about UT Health correct? I also got in but it seems like a lot of work to secure funding. A quick search through Reddit showed that their program may not guarantee funding, but after you accept their offer you're able to get GTA/GRA-ships and scholarships to cover tuition but there's no guarantee apparently. 

 

Here's the link a commenter (who claims to be a current PhD epi student) posted in case you're interested:

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/publichealth/comments/7xaukt/uthealth_biostats_phd_funding/

[CaribbeanFoodie]

On 2/16/2019 at 6:43 PM, Epidemiology19 said:

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.

Thanks for your reply! Yes epi is the program I was asking about.

[CaribbeanFoodie]

I applied to: UPenn, Michigan, U of Rochester, WashU, BU, Brown and Columbia.
Interviewed: UPenn, Michigan
Rejected: UPenn, BU, Columbia
Waitlisted: Brown
Accepted: U of Rochester
Still waiting: Michigan, WashU

I have a law degree (LLB) and Masters (LLM) both from New Zealand (I'm an international applicant) and an MPH fro BU (GPA 3.53). I have 2.5 years research experience and have published two papers, first authored one.

[epi3333]

 

@apex45 @gloriaepi2019 @Epidemiology19 many thanks for the input guys. I had seen that US news ranking and was wondering if there was another one. I've had a few acceptances and I am trying to figure out how much weight I should give to each of the factors I have information on, school ranking being one of these factors. 

I am an international applicant and the whole process has been a bit overwhelming. Apart from the really big names it's difficult to judge which programs should be better or worse. It was difficult figuring out which ones to apply, not knowing anyone who had ever attended any of the schools. Of course faculty fit, in terms of research interests, is probably the most important factor, but it would be nice to hear from current or former students how they feel about the program. Most importantly (and what is stressing me out a bit now that I have a few acceptances), it would be nice to hear from people who were mentored by the professors I have been assingned to work with. 

 

[CaribbeanFoodie]

24 minutes ago, epi3333 said:

 

@apex45 @gloriaepi2019 @Epidemiology19 many thanks for the input guys. I had seen that US news ranking and was wondering if there was another one. I've had a few acceptances and I am trying to figure out how much weight I should give to each of the factors I have information on, school ranking being one of these factors. 

I am an international applicant and the whole process has been a bit overwhelming. Apart from the really big names it's difficult to judge which programs should be better or worse. It was difficult figuring out which ones to apply, not knowing anyone who had ever attended any of the schools. Of course faculty fit, in terms of research interests, is probably the most important factor, but it would be nice to hear from current or former students how they feel about the program. Most importantly (and what is stressing me out a bit now that I have a few acceptances), it would be nice to hear from people who were mentored by the professors I have been assingned to work with. 

 

Hi, I'm an international applicant too (from New Zealand). Do you mind sharing your background/grades and where you applied??

[Epidemiology19]

43 minutes ago, epi3333 said:

 

@apex45 @gloriaepi2019 @Epidemiology19 many thanks for the input guys. I had seen that US news ranking and was wondering if there was another one. I've had a few acceptances and I am trying to figure out how much weight I should give to each of the factors I have information on, school ranking being one of these factors. 

I am an international applicant and the whole process has been a bit overwhelming. Apart from the really big names it's difficult to judge which programs should be better or worse. It was difficult figuring out which ones to apply, not knowing anyone who had ever attended any of the schools. Of course faculty fit, in terms of research interests, is probably the most important factor, but it would be nice to hear from current or former students how they feel about the program. Most importantly (and what is stressing me out a bit now that I have a few acceptances), it would be nice to hear from people who were mentored by the professors I have been assingned to work with. 

 

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. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Epidemiology19

[epi3333]

36 minutes ago, KiwiMonica said:

Hi, I'm an international applicant too (from New Zealand). Do you mind sharing your background/grades and where you applied??

Hi, yes of course.

I've applied to Harvard, BU, JHU, Ohio State Un, Un of Florida, Un of Minnesota, UNC Chapel Hill and McGill.

I'll PM you my background and results

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by epi3333

[epi3333]

24 minutes ago, Epidemiology19 said:

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. 

I haven't asked them to connect me with other students, in some cases they offered to do it but for the ones that didn't I feel a bit embarassed to ask...

[apex45]

11 minutes ago, epi3333 said:

I haven't asked them to connect me with other students, in some cases they offered to do it but for the ones that didn't I feel a bit embarassed to ask...

You should definitely ask at the schools you've been admitted to! Since it's not feasible for you to visit, that's probably the best way to get information about programs that's not canned. Students are really the only ones who can tell you if living on the stipend is manageable, for example. And of course you'll want to ask details about their relationships with faculty, research opportunities, etc. 

Don't feel embarrassed. I volunteer to answer emails from applicants about the MPH program I'm working on finishing. I've probably gotten 1-2 emails a day from international students since decisions went out.