BoilerEpi Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 It seems like most of the PH results coming out are for Biostats and Health service/policy. Nothing really for epi which is what I'm waiting for. However according to last year's results if we were accepted should be hearing back from UNC-Epi in the next few days. Good luck everyone!
MammaD Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 Nothing really for epi which is what I'm waiting for. However according to last year's results if we were accepted should be hearing back from UNC-Epi in the next few days. Good luck everyone! I'm waiting on UNC Epi, too. It's the only school I applied to. Good luck to you, too, and to everyone!
BoilerEpi Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I'm waiting on UNC Epi, too. It's the only school I applied to. Good luck to you, too, and to everyone! Almost glad to hear that they haven't told you anything, some maniac posted that they'd been accepted to UNC-Epi on 1/13. Could just be an anomaly but if the results from last year are any indicator we should hear back any day now. What are your stats if you don't mind me askin Mamma (I shared mine on the first page of this thread). Also, http://www.sph.unc.edu/images/stories/academic_programs/epid/documents/Student_Services_Resources/program_area_descriptions_with_epi_by_the_numbers.pdf is a link to where UNC-Epi posts the GRE and GPA for accepted students the last 5 yrs. My stats for the GRE are right in the middle and my grad GPA is way higher (which they've told me they pay WAY more attention to than U GPA). Gave me the confidence to go through with the app. Hope it does the same for you!
MammaD Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 (edited) Haha, I saw that "maniac" and tried to comfort myself that there aren't enough people with numbers like that AND appropriately-suited reasearh interests to close me out of the program! My GRE wasn't the greatest but my advisor (MPH program) told me the fact that I've been out of high school math for over 20 years is something they'll consider, especially since I'm doing well in Epi and biostats electives I'm taking here. I was in 74th percentile for Q and 94th for V. I got a 4.5 on the AW which doesn't bother me because I have copy-writing and editing experience on my CV, including for a journal and a publisher in my field of interest. My GPA is currently 3.88 and will likely hold. I interviewed with 2 faculty there and thought the day went well. I also applied to the MCH program there because the faculty member whose research interests most closely match mine is affiliated with that dept (and she told me to), so if I get in there but not Epi, I can plan to minor in Epi, which I'm told is the exact same first year of coursework. If I get into both, I've got some serious thinking to do. Now I'm just obsessing over whether this year's "January 27" means tomorrow (Friday) or Monday. I'll definitely post here if I learn anything either way. I hope we both get in!! Edited January 24, 2013 by MammaD
MammaD Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 Oh my goodness BoilerEpi, we're like numbers twins! My MPH is also behavioral sciences/health promotion but I do have clinical experience in the field I want to research -- not much in terms of academic experience, though. I'm riding on the hope that my research interests were focused and viable enough that they'll see me as a good fit for their program.
BoilerEpi Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I've been thinking the same thing, we could even be hearing back on Sunday (I think that was the 27th last yr). Your GRE are a bit higher than mine (personally I don't think anyone cares about AW) but our GPA's are the same. I have one journal accepted paper, 2 yrs as a TA, one summer as an RA, and two dept awards that I used to fund my research in South America which will hopefully balance out my lack of 9-5 experience. I've spoken to 7 of the faculty at UNC since UNC is my No. 1 choice and I think there are a lot of great matches there for my research interests, 2 of whom were out in the field in Africa so we Skyped. Everyone that I contacted got back to me to set up times to talk on the phone, I really think that says something positive about the character of their faculty. I hope we meet up there, you sound like a great candidate!
MammaD Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 My undergrad GPA was 3.63 but my major was music performance. I spent 17 years as a professional musician. I started my public health journey (unwittingly) as a volunteer in 2005 and things sort of carried me from there to this point. I guess that earns me lots of labels like "non-traditional" and "career change" but here's hoping it's all a good thing!
VBD Posted January 29, 2013 Posted January 29, 2013 MammaD, you sure sound like you have lived an interesting life! It doesn't seem like Columbia's talked about as much on here, but I just got an in-person interview offer from them. Yay pleasant surprises. Like LoganArtemis, I was told I wouldn't hear anything from Columbia until March. So perhaps Mailman's going to be trickling out with other interview offers soon? (At least one other person on the results survey has the same offer as I received) Hope everyone's staying sane *hugs all* loganartemis 1
MammaD Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) Congrats on the Columbia interview! A few of the faculty at my school (I'm in my last semester of my MPH) also teach at Columbia and it's an excellent place to study from what I can tell. The Epi department there is, like many other schools, geared more toward MDs than someone like me, but if I wasn't looking to do research, I'd have definitely applied there (and wouldn't have to move my family though the commute would be taxing ... there is NO PARKING around there!). My life has been interesting, I guess *shrug* I only had 3 years left in the military band before I could retire but I felt so strongly called to the work I'm hoping to do and I feel like the time to do it is now. I had a satisfying career in music and will hopefully play again, but I'm definitely ready to serve the world in another way. Hopefully one of the two programs (or both would be ok, too!) I applied to will deem me educable! Edited January 30, 2013 by MammaD
BoilerEpi Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Hopefully you'll get in the MCH program and free up a spot for me
VBD Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Congrats on the Columbia interview! A few of the faculty at my school (I'm in my last semester of my MPH) also teach at Columbia and it's an excellent place to study from what I can tell. The Epi department there is, like many other schools, geared more toward MDs than someone like me, but if I wasn't looking to do research, I'd have definitely applied there (and wouldn't have to move my family though the commute would be taxing ... there is NO PARKING around there!). My life has been interesting, I guess *shrug* I only had 3 years left in the military band before I could retire but I felt so strongly called to the work I'm hoping to do and I feel like the time to do it is now. I had a satisfying career in music and will hopefully play again, but I'm definitely ready to serve the world in another way. Hopefully one of the two programs (or both would be ok, too!) I applied to will deem me educable! Interesting, which other programs have you found to be geared toward MDs? I wonder if the MD skewing bleeds into the Environmental Health department at Columbia. Thanks for the tidbit though. It's your calling! That definitely draws attention to your application, I'd think. It's like look, at what this person did to step off her current and pursue a PhD. It could work in your favor. *crosses fingers* Boiler- that definitely sounds like a win-win situation all around xD
MammaD Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) Harvard was another Epi program that wanted more clinical rigor (MD), it seemed. My recollection is a little vague but I have flashes of lists and admissions criteria and going through website after website to get a feel for the approach each school took to their Epi programs. The schools I ultimately avoided seemed, to my eyes, anyway, to have programs where those with existing research skills could spend a few years brushing up and doing a couple of studies -- I really need to come in at the ground floor and build my methods base. I did visit Columbia when I was considering an MPH there, and I didn't get the impression that they would be MD-preferred for Environmental Health. I would have liked it there, I think, but I wasn't a good fit for their "executive" MPH program (lots of weekends and my work schedule was unpredictable with lots of weekends) and couldn't do a traditional on-campus class program at that time, either. The students seemed very excited about their projects and interactions with faculty and NYC is just teeming with every kind of public health case study a person could imagine! This is most definitely my calling. My SOP was hard to write without it coming off like a memoir but hopefully I captured my commitment to the field as well as my readiness to function in a rigorous research environment despite my unique profile. It took me a few years and a lot of soul-searching to get to this point, and if this PhD isn't the next step, I have no earthly clue what might be! BoilerEpi -- I truly don't know which program I'd choose if I got into both (and funding was equal). I was assured I could have access to the data/subject cohorts I needed from either department and I'd have access to faculty from both regardless of which one I was in. I probably have a better shot at MCH just by the numbers and I'd be thankful with an acceptance to either and a minor in the other. UNC is one of only 3 places in the country where my research interests are represented, and it's the best fit of those 3, Edited January 30, 2013 by MammaD VBD 1
MammaD Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Sorry! Posted before I finished! UNC is really the best place for me to be at this point, so hopefully the admissions folks will agree and my family will be looking at a fresh start in August.
BoilerEpi Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Just spoke to one of the UNC-epi administrators. She said that just a few of their decisions have gone out, and that there are still alot of decisions that will be coming out soon. Pretty much from now until March, but I'm expecting that the bulk of them will be in the very near future.
loganartemis Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 MammaD, you sure sound like you have lived an interesting life! It doesn't seem like Columbia's talked about as much on here, but I just got an in-person interview offer from them. Yay pleasant surprises. Like LoganArtemis, I was told I wouldn't hear anything from Columbia until March. So perhaps Mailman's going to be trickling out with other interview offers soon? (At least one other person on the results survey has the same offer as I received) Hope everyone's staying sane *hugs all* Best wishes for the Columbia interview! Did they make it mandatory that the interview be in person or did they give a phone/Skype option? I didn't actually apply to Mailman, so I'm glad I don't have to compete with you. I did get my first official acceptance, however! I was very happy to be admitted by Arizona State's Global Health PhD program, as I got a really great vibe from a handful of faculty members in the department. I'm not thrilled about living in Arizona and will still weigh their offer against any others I receive, but I am confident the department would be a really good fit. They're bringing newly admitted students out for a visit on March 7-8. What a relief!
MammaD Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Congrats on the accept! I have a friend who is a faculty member/researcher there (AZ State) and she likes it very much -- great environment there. At least you have an option! loganartemis 1
BoilerEpi Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 Thanks for the sleuth work everyone! Kind of embarrassing calling to ask, but just had to know. Also they're doing the on campus visit for admits 3/22, so maybe I'll see some of you there IF I get in
jordanhina Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 I'm very happy to be able to report that I also have my first official acceptance, from the Population Health Sciences program at Wisconsin. It'd be a move back home for me, which makes it all the better. Congrats @loganartemis, and good luck to everyone else. Just think, in a few short weeks we'll all be back on here debating which offers to accept!
BoilerEpi Posted January 30, 2013 Posted January 30, 2013 I'm very happy to be able to report that I also have my first official acceptance, from the Population Health Sciences program at Wisconsin. It'd be a move back home for me, which makes it all the better. Congrats @loganartemis, and good luck to everyone else. Just think, in a few short weeks we'll all be back on here debating which offers to accept! Congratulations! I to have applied to University of Wisconsin, however it is my understanding that their epidemiology program is now completely separate from their pop health program (epi used to be a concentration), you even have to designate epidemiology separate from pop health in the grad school app phase. Are you aware if any of their epi decisions have gone out yet?
VBD Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 Wow, loads of exciting news from the PhD in PH thread. Yay. Thanks MammaD for the helpful information. I suppose I must have sensed that somehow since Harvard didn't make it to my short list. LoganArtemis, I was referring to how you were also told that a program you applied doesn't notify applicant until way later. xD Sorry for the confusion. Anyways. congrats on getting into Arizona State! That must take some of the nerves from this waiting game off. Good luck on your other schools as well. Also, I'm not sure about Columbia's program, but most Envir Health programs want an interview before admittance. Probably for fit reasons. They didn't make it mandatory, but since I'm going in person, I can sit in on a journal club, and a doctoral class, eat lunch with 5 current doctoral students AND talk in person with 2 POI's. So in-person definitely won out over Skype. Thanks for the luck, I'll surely need it. Jordanhina, congratulations on getting into Wisconsin! Let's hope we'll all be debating here soon.
songsong2012 Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 Hi, all, My path is almost identical to OP, health policy and global health foci. I've just received an acceptance from U-Minn for Health Services Research, Policy and Admin. (PhD program). Also, I screwed up a Skype interview with Iowa (Health policy) just this week at 2am in the morning where I live. Still waiting out on the rest. Good luck!
jordanhina Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) Thanks, guys! I must say, I am still a bit jealous of those of you that have gotten in to Minnesota - congrats, songsong! I haven't heard anything yet about whether or not Wisconsin is making decisions on Epi. In fact, I was surprised to hear as early as I did. Their visit day is March 18th - what visit days are others invited to/planning to attend? Edit: Got a response 10 minutes later. Phew! Edited January 31, 2013 by jordanhina
elsewhy Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 Hey all! I love how friendly everyone is here! Congratulations to everyone who has received their first acceptances! I just wanted to post that I was just notified that I've been accepted to Johns Hopkins for the Bioethics and Health Policy PhD! I'm super excited about it. I have a couple of interviews next week as well, so this is turning out to be a really exciting month for me. Best of luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear!!!
carryon08 Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 Hey all! I love how friendly everyone is here! Congratulations to everyone who has received their first acceptances! I just wanted to post that I was just notified that I've been accepted to Johns Hopkins for the Bioethics and Health Policy PhD! I'm super excited about it. I have a couple of interviews next week as well, so this is turning out to be a really exciting month for me. Best of luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear!!! Congratulations, elsewhy! How exciting! When did you interview with them (I interviewed for Health Services Research). May I ask which interviews you have next week?
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