DrPH Applicants Fall 2020

[DrPHJourney]

On 3/13/2020 at 5:22 PM, MJDRPH said:

I also got into GWU!!!!! I'm so excited!!! And you were right... it only takes ONE to turn everything around!!!!
See you in August (if COVID-19 allows it)

I look forward to it! 

[2020epi]

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2020 at 8:14 PM, PublicHealth2020grad said:

I am in this situation too! Hopkins DrPH vs. tuition-covered PhD. I am really unsure at this point. I am attending the upcoming virtual Q&As/info sessions and trying to talk to current students to help with the decision

@PublicHealth2020grad @HealthPolicyMgmtPhD have either of you received follow up about who your DrPH advisor would be? And have you made any progress in making your decision? Still very conflicted over here!

[PublicHealth2020grad]

2 hours ago, 2020epi said:

@PublicHealth2020grad @HealthPolicyMgmtPhD have either of you received follow up about who your DrPH advisor would be? And have you made any progress in making your decision? Still very conflicted over here!

Hi, no I haven't. Last I heard they were delayed and needed to rework the letters based on current events (not sure exactly what would be changing?). I will reach out to see if they can provide an update. Still very conflicted over here too. Today and tomorrow I have been speaking to professors and current students from the 2 other programs I'm considering. I wanted to know my advisor for JHU DrPH and try to arrange a call before making a decision... so hopefully they let us know soon.

[jace_PH]

16 hours ago, PublicHealth2020grad said:

Hi, no I haven't. Last I heard they were delayed and needed to rework the letters based on current events (not sure exactly what would be changing?). I will reach out to see if they can provide an update. Still very conflicted over here too. Today and tomorrow I have been speaking to professors and current students from the 2 other programs I'm considering. I wanted to know my advisor for JHU DrPH and try to arrange a call before making a decision... so hopefully they let us know soon.

Hi, I haven't heard from JHU DrPH too. Aside from the evolving COVID19 situation, I spoke to a current DrPG student (with the same ImpSci concentration) and I think this could be another cause of delay. While she praised a lot of aspects of the program, she was honest in telling me that "...Hopkins needs to hire more administrative support for the DrPH program, (and they are aware of this)..."

I hope the release of the letters won't get delayed that much especially for you guys on such situation!

Edited March 17, 2020 by jace_PH

[AlphacentauriC]

Nothing much to report here, just waiting for my interview tomorrow. If you don't mind, share your interview experiences. I have chased this dream for a million years, so...if offered a chance, I can talk about it forever. Wish me luck! 

[PublicHealth2020grad]

10 hours ago, jace_PH said:

Hi, I haven't heard from JHU DrPH too. Aside from the evolving COVID19 situation, I spoke to a current DrPG student (with the same ImpSci concentration) and I think this could be another cause of delay. While she praised a lot of aspects of the program, she was honest in telling me that "...Hopkins needs to hire more administrative support for the DrPH program, (and they are aware of this)..."

I hope the release of the letters won't get delayed that much especially for you guys on such situation!

I heard that the program will send out letters by the end of the week. 

[ParttimeHopeful]

@Drph have you heard back from UGA yet? Thinking about reaching out since they said mid-month but I also recognize the world flipped upside down in the last week so they may be held up. 

[ParttimeHopeful]

Heard from UGA before I reached out, I was accepted! I also heard from UIC yesterday and they offered me an interview next Tuesday. I had taken the lack of communication as a rejection. So if anyone else is still waiting to hear back they are still interviewing. 

[DrPH2025]

I got the official UNC offer and accepted. Just sharing for anyone wondering about timing.

Good luck on the UIC interview and apps that are in process.

[AlphacentauriC]

1 hour ago, DrPH2025 said:

I got the official UNC offer and accepted. Just sharing for anyone wondering about timing.

Good luck on the UIC interview and apps that are in process.

Congruts! Curious, is this the part time or full time program? 

[DrPH2025]

9 minutes ago, AlphacentauriC said:

Congruts! Curious, is this the part time or full time program? 

I am doing the DrPH / Executive Doctoral Program in Public Health Leadership. It's a 2 year lockstep cohort model for classes with 3 on-campus visits a year and the rest is remote. After 2 years is dissertation work. I believe classes are live once a week for three hours online, perhaps recorded. Working is actually a requirement of the program. 

[2020epi]

On 3/17/2020 at 6:40 PM, PublicHealth2020grad said:

I heard that the program will send out letters by the end of the week. 

I got my letter! Though honestly with the current economic state of the world and feeling less secure economically than before, I am now leaning towards the cheaper option.

[PublicHealth2020grad]

2 hours ago, 2020epi said:

I got my letter! Though honestly with the current economic state of the world and feeling less secure economically than before, I am now leaning towards the cheaper option.

Oh good! I haven't received mine yet. Also leaning towards the cheaper option (which is not this) though

[jace_PH]

25 minutes ago, PublicHealth2020grad said:

Oh good! I haven't received mine yet. Also leaning towards the cheaper option (which is not this) though

I haven't got mine as well. They told me earlier that since they are transitioning to a work from home arrangement, they would be able to send all concentration letters latest on Monday.

[HealthPolicyMgmtPhD]

On 3/16/2020 at 5:18 PM, PublicHealth2020grad said:

Hi, no I haven't. Last I heard they were delayed and needed to rework the letters based on current events (not sure exactly what would be changing?). I will reach out to see if they can provide an update. Still very conflicted over here too. Today and tomorrow I have been speaking to professors and current students from the 2 other programs I'm considering. I wanted to know my advisor for JHU DrPH and try to arrange a call before making a decision... so hopefully they let us know soon.

I got my letter this past Thursday about my JHSPH committee and faculty advisor....did you get yours since your last message? I’m really excited with whom they fit me with, but I am still very torn about deciding between this and a tuition-covered PhD. I reached out and had the chance to talk to my potential faculty advisor via phone this Friday and I had good feelings about the call. Having recently talked to faculty at the other school I am considering, I do feel there’s a caliber difference. Justifying the cost difference is something I’m still weighing at this time though! The PhD program will let me work part time so I’m not sacrificing my career potential in either case. What’s your thoughts so far on your decisions?
 

On the call, my faculty advisor offered for me to talk to prior students that he advised, so I’ve set up some calls this week to get a sense of their experiences and how things went for them in my particular track. So far, I have chatted with two students. They expressed that financing through a combination of employer and personal funds was really the main way to fund the degree; overall they all had good things to say about their program experiences.

Would love to hear what you’ve been thinking! Let me know! We still have time to make a decision so I hope that my talking with everyone the next weeks will get me to a final decision.

[HealthPolicyMgmtPhD]

On 3/20/2020 at 3:20 PM, PublicHealth2020grad said:

Oh good! I haven't received mine yet. Also leaning towards the cheaper option (which is not this) though

Somehow I just saw these messages (I’m reading the forum on my phone!) ... I’m less sure on my end. One day, I’m leaning on the cheaper option, other times, I’m leaning on the Hopkins DrPH. Really wish we could have visited the schools in person! 

[PublicHealth2020grad]

On 3/20/2020 at 3:47 PM, jace_PH said:

I haven't got mine as well. They told me earlier that since they are transitioning to a work from home arrangement, they would be able to send all concentration letters latest on Monday.

that's good to know. you are implementation science too, right? they must be going by concentration. hope to get it tomorrow. 

[PublicHealth2020grad]

19 hours ago, HealthPolicyMgmtPhD said:

I got my letter this past Thursday about my JHSPH committee and faculty advisor....did you get yours since your last message? I’m really excited with whom they fit me with, but I am still very torn about deciding between this and a tuition-covered PhD. I reached out and had the chance to talk to my potential faculty advisor via phone this Friday and I had good feelings about the call. Having recently talked to faculty at the other school I am considering, I do feel there’s a caliber difference. Justifying the cost difference is something I’m still weighing at this time though! The PhD program will let me work part time so I’m not sacrificing my career potential in either case. What’s your thoughts so far on your decisions?
 

On the call, my faculty advisor offered for me to talk to prior students that he advised, so I’ve set up some calls this week to get a sense of their experiences and how things went for them in my particular track. So far, I have chatted with two students. They expressed that financing through a combination of employer and personal funds was really the main way to fund the degree; overall they all had good things to say about their program experiences.

Would love to hear what you’ve been thinking! Let me know! We still have time to make a decision so I hope that my talking with everyone the next weeks will get me to a final decision.

That's great! It sounds like a good fit then! I'm still waiting to receive my letter. I'm really curious who my faculty advisor will be. I heard the implementation science track at JHU will be holding a concentration virtual information session on April 3. I'm planning to attend that- just wish it was sooner!

Question: Do you have any thoughts on DrPH vs. PhD in terms of whether the difference of degree matters for you? I work in implementation science research, and most people have said to go with the PhD (especially because of cost), but they are also biased as they have that PhDs. There are definitely some DrPHs doing the work I want to do, so I don't know how much this really matters. I think the distinction has been fading more and more.

 

[PublicHealth2020grad]

@jace_PH @HealthPolicyMgmtPhD Received my concentration letter tonight!

[jace_PH]

17 hours ago, PublicHealth2020grad said:

That's great! It sounds like a good fit then! I'm still waiting to receive my letter. I'm really curious who my faculty advisor will be. I heard the implementation science track at JHU will be holding a concentration virtual information session on April 3. I'm planning to attend that- just wish it was sooner!

Question: Do you have any thoughts on DrPH vs. PhD in terms of whether the difference of degree matters for you? I work in implementation science research, and most people have said to go with the PhD (especially because of cost), but they are also biased as they have that PhDs. There are definitely some DrPHs doing the work I want to do, so I don't know how much this really matters. I think the distinction has been fading more and more.

 

Hi @PublicHealth2020grad! I got mine Monday morning here/Sunday evening ET. I would like to say that they did a great job in terms of matching with supervisors. I am thrilled to meet them. 

Regarding your question, I would agree that the distinction is blurring more and more but for me, I have a firm resolve that I wanted to get a DrPH over a PhD since I wanted to work on the translation side. While I did consider applying for a PhD program with a related concentration, I am convinced that Implementation Science jives better with a DrPH over a PhD. When I was doing my MPH in Sydney, I got an opportunity to continue to a PhD but I opted to defer because I believe that there is a bigger need for people who would translate the evidence at the grassroots... People with balanced research technical and managerial/leadership skills... Hence DrPH was a more logical and strategic option for me. Another important consideration is the potential for network expansion. Post-grad is not only about studying but rather it is more about creating professional networks. I believe this is where a good school, like JHSPH, would have a big advantage. Lastly, the opportunity cost of doing a full-time program versus a part-time program is also an important consideration. There is value in forwarding both your academic and professional careers at the same time especially in public health but admittedly, it could come with a heavy price in terms of work load and finances (especially for those coming in a developing country setting). At the end of the day, it's what you wanted to do out of the degree. A degree is not the end goal but rather a mean to an end.

[AlphacentauriC]

My fellow comrades waiting for offers, hang in there! I think that I will officially give up on the applications this cycle sometime in June. Of course, the wait becomes harder when everyone around are busy agonizing over choosing one out of the many offers they got. Some good news for us late admits: a) Some schools are cancelling GRE/testing requirements - this is a big deal. I feel the requirement for GRE for professional programs is just a 'straight-jacket' requirement which doesn't make sense. b) Interview cycles are now compressed, so results are coming out fast. Anyway, the battle continues....stay safe everyone. 

[Inf_emgPH]

5 hours ago, AlphacentauriC said:

My fellow comrades waiting for offers, hang in there! I think that I will officially give up on the applications this cycle sometime in June. Of course, the wait becomes harder when everyone around are busy agonizing over choosing one out of the many offers they got. Some good news for us late admits: a) Some schools are cancelling GRE/testing requirements - this is a big deal. I feel the requirement for GRE for professional programs is just a 'straight-jacket' requirement which doesn't make sense. b) Interview cycles are now compressed, so results are coming out fast. Anyway, the battle continues....stay safe everyone. 

The wait is definitely stressful. Already got few straight rejections. Complete silence from couple programs. Debating whether to shell few more $$ (the limiting factor) on couple late programs or just call it quit for good. Having gone through this taxing process and nothing to show in return is really disheartening. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Inf_emgPH

[AlphacentauriC]

Got my admit from Indiana University - Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Really excited! 

[DrPHLMB]

1 hour ago, AlphacentauriC said:

Got my admit from Indiana University - Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Really excited! 

Congratulations :-)!!!

[AlphacentauriC]

19 minutes ago, DrPHLMB said:

Congratulations :-)!!!

Thank you @DrPHLMB! The admit came in the morning today.