Dreams Posted February 14, 2009 Posted February 14, 2009 Not specifically PH related, but could be in a way. I was reading an article on JHU's recent hiring freeze and cuts and thought about it could mean for new applicants. Fortunately, the savings from the pay cuts JHU is instituting will be for student aid. There may still be hope there yet. http://chronicle.com/news/article/5977/ ... rators-pay On other news, JHU is one of the only PH schools that does not outline funding in too much detail. I am thinking they probably don't have to because of the sheer amount of research project there. To those who got an admit there, how did they outline funding?
LeenieC Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Hi everyone, My first time here, in fact first time posting on a board anywhere. I'm an undergraduate student in Texas and have 40 hours left before I finish. I've got some time on my hands before the rush of applications come around. (I'm thinking fall 2010.) So, I suppose my question is- if you had to do the whole application process over again where would you place more focus? Study the GRE like crazy? Should I take some more time to add more research experience or possibly volunteer for the Department of Public Health here in town? I'm also still debating whether I should get a MPH or PhD. Any great advantages for either when coming straight out of undergrad? Vague I know, but any advice is wonderful and greatly appreciated!
Dreams Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Welcome to the board. I guess the first thing I would advise you to consider is the field of PH you would be interested in. There are many choices: Epi, Biostat, Social/behavioral, Policy, and so on. Once you identify your desired field, shore up the prep courses and experiences you would need to be a competitive candidate for whatever programs you are interested in. Research would definitely help for the PhD, and relevant work experience will definitely help for the masters, as well as the PhD. Keep in mind though that at some schools, like Harvard and Hopkins, the MPH is a degree for people either many years of relevant experience, or for people who already hold other relevant professional degrees like social work or medicine. Those schools have cognate degrees for people fresh out of undergrad (MHS, ScM, etc). Other places will offer the MPH for undergrads who wish to continue directly into grad school like Yale and University of Pittsburgh. Despite the varying titles, the degrees are equivalent in terms of recognition and preparation for the field. Naturally your academic preparation should be solid, including test scores. But please do not go into this tirade if you don't score 1600 on the GRE :roll: We have enough of that here already The interning at your local PH department sounds like a good start, and the people there can also give you tips on good schools.
orangepotato Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 I think have work experience is extremely important before going back for a MPH or PhD program, not just because you will be a more competitive applicant but also because it really helps you focus your career path. There are lots of exciting areas of public health that I had no knowledge of as an undergraduate and I'm glad I had a chance to test the waters to see what I like-- as well as to see what I don't like so much. That said, I'm sure there are some people who intuitively know where they are headed, but before making such a huge investment in terms of time and money, be sure you are sure!
angrawa Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 Hi All, Just to let you know, I got my rejects from JHU Epi and UNC HBE. Still waiting on UBC Vancouver--anyone heard from them yet? Good luck..
Rutabaga Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Oh for f***s sake! I checked my JHU status and there is a decision made but the decision will not actually LOAD. So I called them and all they could say was that a decision was made but they can't tell me what it is and I should have it in the mail by Friday. This is going to drive me up the wall!!
jay Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Oh for f***s sake! I checked my JHU status and there is a decision made but the decision will not actually LOAD. So I called them and all they could say was that a decision was made but they can't tell me what it is and I should have it in the mail by Friday. This is going to drive me up the wall!! That does stink. Well look at the bright side, at least you know definitively that the waiting will be over soon. I know it doesn't help. I'd be going bonkers knowing that.
Rutabaga Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Hmm, looks like it might be apply yourself having issues. I sent in a ticket and got this reply Thanks for your patience. I apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. We are currently working on this issue and we will contact you as soon as the matter is resolved. Again, thank you for contacting Technical Support. They are depriving graduate students to be across the land of this SUPER important information! And I exagerate only slightly ETA: ok, so it' s not them, it's the school. I guess I will have to wait...
ashleyvparks Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 Hi Everyone, I am glad to hear some of you are receiving acceptances. I applied to Berkeley's HSPA, UCLA's DrPH in Health Services, and Loma Linda's DrPh. The only acceptance I have received is from loma Linda. Has anyone heard for Berkeley HSPA or UCLA's Health Services DrPh?? I am dying to know. Thanks.
A&F Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 Hi everyone, I've got the admission from Penn State for PhD of Health Policy and Administration. To be honest, I know quite little about Penn State's strength in this major. Can you tell me something about it? In comparison with some programs of other schools?
Rutabaga Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 Hi everyone, I've got the admission from Penn State for PhD of Health Policy and Administration. To be honest, I know quite little about Penn State's strength in this major. Can you tell me something about it? In comparison with some programs of other schools? It's not ranked http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... lth_policy and and not top 20 here http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... pub/search That doesn't mean it's not a good program though. I would explore the web site, maybe see what stats you can find on the program (try here maybe http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/public-health). Harvard was a no finally by the way, after 3 phone interviews. Honestly I'm relieved to have that out of the way since there was no one there who really matched my research interests anyway (applied more for the name recognition I guess).
ridgey Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 It's not ranked http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... lth_policy and and not top 20 here http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... pub/search That doesn't mean it's not a good program though. I would explore the web site, maybe see what stats you can find on the program (try here maybe http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/public-health). The second link ranks ASPH schools, but there are many more individual programmes (accredited by ASPH, presumably including Penn State)that aren't considered. Harvard was a no finally by the way, after 3 phone interviews. Honestly I'm relieved to have that out of the way since there was no one there who really matched my research interests anyway (applied more for the name recognition I guess). Gutted! Sounds like it wouldn't have been great for you anyway. And JHU is still keeping you in suspense?
Rutabaga Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 The second link ranks ASPH schools, but there are many more individual programmes (accredited by ASPH, presumably including Penn State)that aren't considered. Gutted! Sounds like it wouldn't have been great for you anyway. And JHU is still keeping you in suspense? True, the first link was specifically health policy though. So I think all that would really matter is the policy ranking and the overall school ranking since the OP is accepted to the policy track. yep, still nothing in the mail from JHU and they are refusing to tell me. awesome.
ridgey Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 Except that there is no overall school ranking for Penn State in this case - not being an accredited school, USNews didn't collect data on them. C.f., for example, the University of Oklahoma, which is on the list because it is an ASPH school, but with no data reported. All the two USNews lists tell us about Penn State's Health Policy is that it's not top ten. A&F, if you take USNews' rankings seriously, you could pay and find out exactly where the programme in question stands. Better though - talk to your advisors, if possible. Is the school hosting a visit day - that's another source of information. A proxy for the quality of a programme is how often students publish. If their record is great, they'll have a list prominently displayed on a webpage; good to average to mediocre to poor, you may have to do some digging. Ditto for jobs.
Rutabaga Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 In at Hopkins and GW! No news on funding from either though, so we'll see! Man... choosing is going to be hard if I actually do get money from all three schools. I'm officially done waiting for news cause my last school was a backup of no real interest anyway.
Dreams Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 In at Hopkins and GW! No news on funding from either though, so we'll see! Man... choosing is going to be hard if I actually do get money from all three schools. I'm officially done waiting for news cause my last school was a backup of no real interest anyway. That is outstanding! Assuming comparative support from all 3, where do you suppose you would be more inclined to go?
Rutabaga Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 That is outstanding! Assuming comparative support from all 3, where do you suppose you would be more inclined to go? Would that I knew! I think the visits will be really important for me. Did you hear from JHU yet by the way?
butterfly Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hi all: I wish I found this forum earlier. I applied to USF for the PhD-EPI program. I heard from them a couple of days ago, and I have a phone interview on Monday. Does anyone have any tips for the phone interview? I'm really nervous! My friend applied to the health policy and management program at USF and just received a rejection message today :-( Anyone here applied to USF? Any help with the interview? Thanks in advance.
jay Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 In at Hopkins and GW! No news on funding from either though, so we'll see! Man... choosing is going to be hard if I actually do get money from all three schools. I'm officially done waiting for news cause my last school was a backup of no real interest anyway. Congratulation! That is excellent news. Jealous that the waiting is over for you.
Dreams Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Would that I knew! I think the visits will be really important for me. Did you hear from JHU yet by the way? Not at all. But I also did not see any results in general from the department either. So they may be getting around to reviewing apps late this year.
mlle Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Hi all: I wish I found this forum earlier. I applied to USF for the PhD-EPI program. I heard from them a couple of days ago, and I have a phone interview on Monday. Does anyone have any tips for the phone interview? I'm really nervous! My friend applied to the health policy and management program at USF and just received a rejection message today :-( Anyone here applied to USF? Any help with the interview? Thanks in advance. I thought I was the only person in the world applying to ANY program at USF. I just don't see people talk about that school very much. I just got an unofficial email notice of my acceptance at USF, but it is for an MPH in the Community & Family Health dept, not PhD epi. I didn't have to do any interview (so far)--thank god. *Gasp* Good luck on the interview---Sorry, I really don't have any interview advice bc I didn't have to do one at any school yet, and besides I suck at interviews, but let us know how it goes.
butterfly Posted March 1, 2009 Posted March 1, 2009 Thanks! I think that makes 2 of us. Congrats on your acceptance. I'm trying to prepare for the interview but I'm feeling pretty nervous!
A&F Posted March 2, 2009 Posted March 2, 2009 Thanks for your help :mrgreen: Anyway I'm almost moribund waiting for that suck :twisted: Backup school means little 'cause my wicked will iz over some other cloud :roll:
Dreams Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 In at Hopkins for the doctoral program. This complicates things a bit but I am very grateful for the acceptance. Now I don't feel so bad about Columbia.
Rutabaga Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 In at Hopkins for the doctoral program. This complicates things a bit but I am very grateful for the acceptance. Now I don't feel so bad about Columbia. congrats! The visitation day is in April for my program at least.
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