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ridgey

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Ahh, still waiting as well!

Has anyone else applied to NYU (Wagner), Tulane, SC Arnold (they forgot to take note of my GMAT scores for the department ( :roll: ) or Drexel?

I think I want to go to Tulane as my first choice, a little worried about the crime. I was looking at the school reviews and most people are either getting robbed, beat up or pistol whipped. :shock:

Has everyone pretty much taken the GRE, I feel like the odd duck taking the GMAT?

P.S. How old is everyone here applying to the PH program?

BEST! :)

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I didn't apply to any of those schools, desireyen. I applied to a few rather odd-ball, more obscure schools and then a few better-known schools--but nothing in the to 10--b/c my GRE quant is too low to be competitive and also I don't have much of a math background, which is important even thought I'm not doing epi/biostats.

I think crime is something you just have to deal with. Those who go to JHU are definitely going to be faced with crime all around them. The school where I'm finishing my MA is in a super crime-y neighborhood and I don't go out at night even to take out my trash. You just have to be cautious.

I would've thought PH would draw the older, more experienced crowd, but people seem to be pretty young. I noticed on BU's stats page that the mean age of their PH student body is 25. I dunno, I thought that was pretty young. I'm 25 now, so that means I'll be lumped in among the older students if I end up going there in the fall (still haven't heard back from BU, though, and I could very well be rejected...).....eeeeek..

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Has everyone pretty much taken the GRE, I feel like the odd duck taking the GMAT?

P.S. How old is everyone here applying to the PH program?

BEST! :)

I took the GRE. I'm not sure that any of the programs to which I applied would accept the GMAT.

I am definitely in the older demographic around these parts - 37. :shock: I'm a career changer.

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The BU stats page lumps everyone together, which is not very helpful. I wish they would at least seperate the doctoral from masters students. Or maybe break it out by program It would be helpful for measuring myself to the student body for GREs etc... I know it wouldn't really mean a thing, but gosh it would be nice to know how I measure up! Especially during these times of mixed self-doubt and self-confidence. March cannot come soon enough!

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This end of the waiting game is getting painful - it's dragging out!

I have heard back from Johns Hopkins, still awaiting news from Harvard (they've confirmed to me that decisions will be known by March 15th). I see a few MPH/SM decisions have been made, anything in Global Health? Gotta feel like the underdog with their admissions statistics though - a tough market so my realistic pitch is on a couple of lower ranked applications.

Still - would be good to know rather than not being able to think of anything else. I too am failing to get any work done on my dissertation...

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This end of the waiting game is getting painful - it's dragging out!

I have heard back from Johns Hopkins, still awaiting news from Harvard (they've confirmed to me that decisions will be known by March 15th). I see a few MPH/SM decisions have been made, anything in Global Health? Gotta feel like the underdog with their admissions statistics though - a tough market so my realistic pitch is on a couple of lower ranked applications.

Still - would be good to know rather than not being able to think of anything else. I too am failing to get any work done on my dissertation...

KiwiPubHealth - I'm in the same boat! Did you apply for Hopkins Int'l Health (Health Systems track) and Harvard's SD in Global Health (Health Sys track)? I've heard from the former and not the latter. The wait is excruciating :(

Do you (or anyone) know which school is stronger in terms of Health Sys? Thanks! :)

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I was accepted to master's programs in Global Health at Harvard and Hopkins. I am planning to apply for doctoral programs during my first year in the master's program. Any advice on whether Hopkins or Harvard is better? The Hopkins program is a good fit for me but I am intimidated by the high crime rates in Baltimore.

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Hey congrats on the two Masters acceptances - that's great news :D

Which doctoral program you choose I think is really guided by what your specific interests are - both schools are exceptional and highly regarded for their teaching, research and activities in the global health field. The two have different doctoral tracks (except for Health Systems) and you may find slightly different core interests. Harvard also seems more invovled with economics, but that's due to the leading faculty they have in that area.

I agree re: Baltimore - it's another factor to consider, though there are nice parts of the city it isn't the same as Boston for sure. Perhaps a testament to JH strength that they attract such great scholars there despite the location!

Healthfourall - yeah I applied to both those programs too! I see someone got their rejection today, hopefully the decisions for the rest of us not too far away. I am not sure which is stronger in this track - and I think it all comes down to personal goals again. For instance, Harvard has a more interdisciplinary approach with other graduate schools, ethics faculty, politics etc in their course (all of which attract me), but Johns Hopkins has a strong child health focus to their department (which is another interest of mine) and maintains a good breadth to the systems curriculum.

One member of the harvard faculty I contacted said that the global health focus of the school is likely to increase over the next few years as Julio Frenk is keen on this.

Hope that helps - let me know when the decisions roll in!

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Globalhealth09: Congratz! I can comment a bit on the quality of life in Baltimore (or Bmore) as I went to Hopkins for undergrad. Yes, the high crime rate is something to be concerned about --- you don

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Hey healthfourall* -- did you take any courses in public health during your undergrad at Hopkins? What did you think? I'm accepted at JHU for the MPH program, and really excited about it. However, three things worry me.

First -- the class sizes seem huge, even for the more specialized classes. Second -- all that learning crammed into 1 year. I'd almost prefer to stretch it out and have an internship or something at the same time. Third -- what if all the illustrious faculty members are too engrossed in their own research to have time or interest in students?

Any thoughts?

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Healthfourall* -- thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! I've talked to a number of current and former students at this point and a picture is emerging that is very consistent with what you have written. I am not sure if it is the same for the PhD program, but someone in the MPH program said it is totally encouraged to switch advisors if you can find someone who is more helpful/attentive. So that's good to know.

There are certainly a number of tradeoffs so this decision is not going to be easy. It sounds like you are on the right track for research -- if I was looking at an academic or research-oriented career, I'd definitely go to Hopkins. Good luck wherever you end up!

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Healthfourall* -- thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! I've talked to a number of current and former students at this point and a picture is emerging that is very consistent with what you have written. I am not sure if it is the same for the PhD program, but someone in the MPH program said it is totally encouraged to switch advisors if you can find someone who is more helpful/attentive. So that's good to know.

There are certainly a number of tradeoffs so this decision is not going to be easy. It sounds like you are on the right track for research -- if I was looking at an academic or research-oriented career, I'd definitely go to Hopkins. Good luck wherever you end up!

Yep at JHSPH you are encouraged to switch advisors to fit your needs from the program on the doctoral level. There are a lot of people to choose from, so definitely do not be afraid to speak up if you feel your advisor is not being responsive.

I would also say that Hopkins can be good for non academic or research careers too. When writing my proposal and statement for Hopkins, I made it very clear I had no plans of becoming a professor or doing research as a career. And they ended up giving me an advisor that just about 100% matched my interests to work in an applied setting.

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Yep at JHSPH you are encouraged to switch advisors to fit your needs from the program on the doctoral level. There are a lot of people to choose from, so definitely do not be afraid to speak up if you feel your advisor is not being responsive.

I would also say that Hopkins can be good for non academic or research careers too. When writing my proposal and statement for Hopkins, I made it very clear I had no plans of becoming a professor or doing research as a career. And they ended up giving me an advisor that just about 100% matched my interests to work in an applied setting.

That's really a new idea for me. I thought Hopkins is all the way research-oriented. Because I don't want to pursue a research pathway to be a faculty, so I was hesitating whether Hopkins is a fit one for me. That's wonderful! As well as changing advisor as you wish too!

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