DrPH Applicants Fall 2019

[pakiprincess]

Hi folks! First time posting on grad cafe! I wanted to continue the tradition and start a discussion forum for those applying to DrPH programs to begin in Fall 2019! We can use this topic to discuss and share our experiences through the application cycle. 

[Rose petals]

Great thanks for making this! I was surprised one wasn’t made earlier. I was about to make it. Which schools are you applying to?

Edited November 21, 2018 by Kimmy

[dubiousraves]

I'm only applying to one: the Health Security track DrPH at Johns Hopkins. I wish I could apply to more but I have a job that takes me overseas quite a bit so I need something flexible. 

 

 

[Rose petals]

3 hours ago, dubiousraves said:

I'm only applying to one: the Health Security track DrPH at Johns Hopkins. I wish I could apply to more but I have a job that takes me overseas quite a bit so I need something flexible. 

 

 

I am also looking for part-time, online options, although I am applying to some full-time ones. I rather stay at my job and keep getting my income  

Have you checked out these online DrPHs? UNC- https://sph.unc.edu/hpm/hpm-drph/ , UIC- http://publichealth.uic.edu/drph , USF https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/apply/graduate-admissions/drph

I am applying to Harvard, Columbia Mailman (Sociomedical Sciences.. I wish they had a doctorate in their Health Policy and Management track), Hopkins- Implementation Science Track (part-time online), and University of Chicago, Illinois (part-time, online). I wanted to apply to other programs, particularly UNC and CUNY SPH, but my GRE scores are 6 years old, therefore expired. The schools I am applying to are either accepting my expired scores or scores are not required/waived.

I am currently working on my apps...what a lovely Thanksgiving it will be lol!

Edited November 21, 2018 by Kimmy

[pakiprincess]

I am applying to one program as well. I applied to the Health Policy and Management track at Hopkins. I need something flexible due to my job and SO being in the Navy. Fingers crossed!

[pakiprincess]

1 hour ago, Kimmy said:

I am also looking for part-time, online options, although I am applying to some full-time ones. I rather stay at my job and keep getting my income  

Have you checked out these online DrPHs? UNC- https://sph.unc.edu/hpm/hpm-drph/ , UIC- http://publichealth.uic.edu/drph , USF https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/apply/graduate-admissions/drph

I am applying to Harvard, Columbia Mailman (Sociomedical Sciences.. I wish they had a doctorate in their Health Policy and Management track), Hopkins- Implementation Science Track (part-time online), and University of Chicago, Illinois (part-time, online). I wanted to apply to other programs, particularly UNC and CUNY SPH, but my GRE scores are 6 years old, therefore expired. The schools I am applying to are either accepting my expired scores or scores are not required/waived.

I am currently working on my apps...what a lovely Thanksgiving it will be lol!

Good luck with your applications! I am sure one sacrificed Thanksgiving will be worth it! 

[dubiousraves]

I wonder how heavily DrPH programs weigh the GRE? Does anyone have a sense of how school's approach DrPH admissions? I ask because I just took the GRE for the first time in 20 years(!) and really bombed the quantitative section. I don't have time to re-take it with a deadline of Dec. 1. 

I'm going to email Hopkins and ask them. 

[DrPH PA]

@dubiousraves I took mine in 2017 after a long break and bombed quantative and then retook then this year and improved the score. I went to one of the online application forums for Johns Hopkins DrPH  and they said for GREs they like everything to be around the 50th percentile but there is no cut off’s. Harvard said they like each section to be around 60th percentile in their online forum and it sounded like a cut off but I’m not sure. 

If only they had a stats only quant section for us! 

[DrPH PA]

I applied to Johns Hopkins HPM quality improvement track, USF, UIC, UNC, Harvard and University at Albany. Good luck everyone! 

[hopskipjump13]

Hi everyone! Glad to see this thread has kicked off.

I've applied to the Health Security track at Hopkins and the Leadership track at USF. 

Regarding GRE scores, in a webinar for Hopkins (in September I believe?) they said they look at the quantitative more closely than the verbal, but didn't give any specific cutoffs or ranges at that time.

Good luck to everyone!

[deacon]

On 11/24/2018 at 8:27 AM, dubiousraves said:

I wonder how heavily DrPH programs weigh the GRE? Does anyone have a sense of how school's approach DrPH admissions? I ask because I just took the GRE for the first time in 20 years(!) and really bombed the quantitative section. I don't have time to re-take it with a deadline of Dec. 1. 

I'm going to email Hopkins and ask them. 

Very interested in what you find, as I am in a similar situation.

[deacon]

On 11/21/2018 at 9:30 AM, Kimmy said:

I am also looking for part-time, online options, although I am applying to some full-time ones. I rather stay at my job and keep getting my income  

Have you checked out these online DrPHs? UNC- https://sph.unc.edu/hpm/hpm-drph/ , UIC- http://publichealth.uic.edu/drph , USF https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/apply/graduate-admissions/drph

I am applying to Harvard, Columbia Mailman (Sociomedical Sciences.. I wish they had a doctorate in their Health Policy and Management track), Hopkins- Implementation Science Track (part-time online), and University of Chicago, Illinois (part-time, online). I wanted to apply to other programs, particularly UNC and CUNY SPH, but my GRE scores are 6 years old, therefore expired. The schools I am applying to are either accepting my expired scores or scores are not required/waived.

I am currently working on my apps...what a lovely Thanksgiving it will be lol!

I posted earlier trying to get some feedback from people who may have attended or know someone who has attended these programs, but no luck. I missed the USF deadline, but emailed hoping for late consideration. Also applying to UNC and UIC. Don't know much about the latter.

Re:GRE - did Hopkins waive this requirement for you? If so, would you mind sharing how?

[pakiprincess]

Is there any sort of financial aid available for the part-time DrPH program at Hopkins? My plan is to have my employer pay for it, but I am trying to identify all of my options.

[TopofthemuffinTOYOU]

My application is in at Johns Hopkins for the DrPH in Health Policy and Management - Quality & Patient Safety track.

Pakiprincess - I'm not aware of any funding other than the Bloomberg Fellowship (deadline December 1).

Deacon - I was able to get my GRE waived (my scores were old, but decent), I think mostly because I do work in a semi-quantitative field and have a PhD in a life science.

So anxious to hear back, but they don't start reviewing applications until December, and we won't hear anything until March (per admissions/website info).

I also heard there is a new HPM track - Policy - coming next year.

I'm interested in policy evaluation, patient outcomes, and safety at the intersection of medical cannabis, chronic pain, and pharmacologic therapies (opioids, etc).

[Rose petals]

On 11/26/2018 at 4:00 PM, pakiprincess said:

Is there any sort of financial aid available for the part-time DrPH program at Hopkins? My plan is to have my employer pay for it, but I am trying to identify all of my options.

Check out https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/fellowship

It’s due 12/1. Two forms must be filled out; one by you and one by your collaborating institution. Be mindful that the short-answer questions claim to accept 500 words, but the actual pdf fillable form accepts closer to 400.. I have emailed about this, but have not heard back. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by Kimmy

[Rose petals]

9 hours ago, TopofthemuffinTOYOU said:

My application is in at Johns Hopkins for the DrPH in Health Policy and Management - Quality & Patient Safety track.

Pakiprincess - I'm not aware of any funding other than the Bloomberg Fellowship (deadline December 1).

Deacon - I was able to get my GRE waived (my scores were old, but decent), I think mostly because I do work in a semi-quantitative field and have a PhD in a life science.

So anxious to hear back, but they don't start reviewing applications until December, and we won't hear anything until March (per admissions/website info).

I also heard there is a new HPM track - Policy - coming next year.

I'm interested in policy evaluation, patient outcomes, and safety at the intersection of medical cannabis, chronic pain, and pharmacologic therapies (opioids, etc).

Are you applying to the Bloomberg fellowship? If so, have you had issues with the word count in the form? Good luck with your application. 

[Rose petals]

On 11/26/2018 at 3:42 PM, deacon said:

I posted earlier trying to get some feedback from people who may have attended or know someone who has attended these programs, but no luck. I missed the USF deadline, but emailed hoping for late consideration. Also applying to UNC and UIC. Don't know much about the latter.

Re:GRE - did Hopkins waive this requirement for you? If so, would you mind sharing how?

https://www.jhsph.edu/academics/degree-programs/doctoral-programs/doctor-of-public-health/admissions.html

scroll down to find waiver info ^^

Request for waiver was due 10/15. I had to send my CV, transcripts, and expired GRE scores. They want to see evidence of quantitative ability. My GREs scores were so so, but I actually did well in Biostats. I guess this is what allowed me to get the waiver. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by Kimmy

[Rose petals]

On 11/26/2018 at 11:12 AM, hopskipjump13 said:

Hi everyone! Glad to see this thread has kicked off.

I've applied to the Health Security track at Hopkins and the Leadership track at USF. 

Regarding GRE scores, in a webinar for Hopkins (in September I believe?) they said they look at the quantitative more closely than the verbal, but didn't give any specific cutoffs or ranges at that time.

Good luck to everyone!

I heard in another recent webinar that they review the application holistically. 

Good luck!

[TopofthemuffinTOYOU]

9 hours ago, Kimmy said:

Are you applying to the Bloomberg fellowship? If so, have you had issues with the word count in the form? Good luck with your application. 

I am not, actually. The public health work that I want to base my DrPH dissertation on is consulting-based, and it makes more sense financially for me to stay in my current job than to commit to working full time for a year for a public health entity after the DrPH is completed.

[pakiprincess]

Question for everyone: What are you interested in researching/studying during your DrPH?

[TopofthemuffinTOYOU]

Paki-

I'll repost my answer from earlier (this is a great Q for everyone to answer)!

I'm interested in policy evaluation, patient outcomes, and safety at the intersection of medical cannabis, chronic pain, and pharmacologic therapies (opioids, etc).

[pakiprincess]

50 minutes ago, TopofthemuffinTOYOU said:

Paki-

I'll repost my answer from earlier (this is a great Q for everyone to answer)!

I'm interested in policy evaluation, patient outcomes, and safety at the intersection of medical cannabis, chronic pain, and pharmacologic therapies (opioids, etc).

That's awesome! Thank you for reposting your answer! Is there are particular region you are interested in studying? US, global, or another specific country?

I will contribute mine. I work in tech and I am interested in studying the role of insurtech(insurance technology) in changing the healthcare practices. Amazon entering the healthcare market was my biggest motivator to applying this year. Super excited to track how the industry changes in the next few years! 

[DrPH PA]

Great question!  I work and teach at a large academic medical center and I’m interested in improving the systems in our hospitals to increase patient safety while improving outcomes. I have been involved in developing protocols and they have greatly impacted patient care. I am a Veteran and have a special interest in Veteran’s health and policies at the VA. 

[sarcasmandcoffee7]

Submitted applications on 11/13. My anxiety is getting the better of me, so... I decided to follow some threads. Good luck to everyone applying! Top 2 Programs are UTHealth - Houston and Colorado School of Public Health. Mainly due to potential mentor matches and research interests!

[DrPHinDC]

First time poster, long time reader:

It seems so difficult to determine likelihood of admission to these DrPH programs.  I currently work in DC and am not looking to leave the area; I've applied at Hopkins and am also looking at the online programs at University of Illinois- Chicago, UNC, and in-person at GWU. I am bummed that GW does not admit every year as I would like to begin a program in 2019. 

Undergrad School: Mid-size top 50 private institution
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.62
Major/Minor: Political Science
Grad School: Two grad degrees: MPA from a top 10 and an MPH from a top 5
GradGPA (if applicable): 3.57, 3.88
Grad Studies (if applicable): Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health
GRE: 157 V/157 Q (wish this quant had been higher)
Experience/Research:
- Eight years in Federal policy focused on health and healthcare
- Presidential Management Fellowship for government after first Master's degree
- Some international experience collaborating with WHO on data review and reporting
- listed as an author on one article; listed as a contributor on one publication.
Special factors: First generation student, laser focused on a specific health issue with deep experience.
LORS: Former supervisor, professor from MPH, former professor/administrator from first grad program

 

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by DrPHinDC