Machaon01 Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) Hey Kang 6789, I interviewed at Columbia last week also, but haven't heard anything. Haven't heard a thing from Yale, have you inteviewed there? D Edited February 19, 2015 by Machaon01
kang6789 Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) Congrats as well Sea Turtles! I'm nervous about funding too. @Machaon01, I haven't heard anything from Yale (no interview), or Columbia post-interview. Fingers crossed! Edited February 19, 2015 by kang6789
KB8 Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Anyone heard from berkeley? I saw someone posted today that they were accepted on Feb 2nd, which seems a little odd.
gnarls_barkley Posted February 19, 2015 Author Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) Hi all, Looking for a bit of feedback on a couple offers I've received from SPH PhD programs. One offer will provide full support (NIH training grant) for my duration. The other is from a more 'prestigious' program, but only for a 1 year RA position with subsequent years *usually* getting funded. The program in question is still very solid, but not quite at the level of the other (think top ~20 vs top ~10, in terms of US News, NIH funding, etc). My question: aside from the obvious benefits of a higher stipend and more research freedom, are there non-financial benefits to fellowships in academia? In particular, for post-doc positions, faculty positions, etc. Basically trying to figure out if the trade-off of a lower ranked school with a fellowship is worth passing over a higher ranked school, with so-so support. Edited February 19, 2015 by gnarls_barkley
FreeRadical Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 This thread has gotten busy! Congrats all on your acceptances and interviews. @seaturtles and @kang6789, what program at UW did you apply to? @KB8, I heard that I was wait listed for the DrPH program at Berkeley yesterday. It is weird that someone posted an acceptance date of February 2nd, especially considering that last year's acceptances didn't come out until March. @gnarls_barkley, my impression is that 'prestige' matters more in academia than public health practice. I'm applying to a lot of DrPH programs, and I personally would take better fit/funding over a big-name school (within reason). Money also matters, so if you're going to be in debt for 10 years in the more expensive program, that might be a reason to avoid it. Otherwise, unfortunately, a school's reputation matters a lot in the research world. It's probably more likely to open doors for you later, compared to having had more research freedom during your PhD program. JMTC (if this isn't an acronym already, I'm coining it right now) KB8 1
KB8 Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Hi all, Looking for a bit of feedback on a couple offers I've received from SPH PhD programs. One offer will provide full support (NIH training grant) for my duration. The other is from a more 'prestigious' program, but only for a 1 year RA position with subsequent years *usually* getting funded. The program in question is still very solid, but not quite at the level of the other (think top ~20 vs top ~10, in terms of US News, NIH funding, etc). My question: aside from the obvious benefits of a higher stipend and more research freedom, are there non-financial benefits to fellowships in academia? In particular, for post-doc positions, faculty positions, etc. Basically trying to figure out if the trade-off of a lower ranked school with a fellowship is worth passing over a higher ranked school, with so-so support. KB8 1
seaturtles Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 @FreeRadical, I applied to both Epi and Global Health Metrics at UW. Got accepted to epi, rejected from GH. The epi department doesn't offer funding with admission, so students have to find professors to work for on their own. Have you heard anything from UNC or Michigan yet? I saw on the results page that a couple of people were accepted to Michigan last week, but I've not heard anything from them yet post-interview. I'm starting to get a little concerned...
gnarls_barkley Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 That's really surprising. I figured a school with UW's 'prestige' would be able to offer some sort of funding. It seems like students are required to take somewhat of a leap of faith, and assume they will get taken on as an RA by someone. @FreeRadical, I applied to both Epi and Global Health Metrics at UW. Got accepted to epi, rejected from GH. The epi department doesn't offer funding with admission, so students have to find professors to work for on their own. Have you heard anything from UNC or Michigan yet? I saw on the results page that a couple of people were accepted to Michigan last week, but I've not heard anything from them yet post-interview. I'm starting to get a little concerned...
seaturtles Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 That's really surprising. I figured a school with UW's 'prestige' would be able to offer some sort of funding. It seems like students are required to take somewhat of a leap of faith, and assume they will get taken on as an RA by someone. From what I can tell, a number of "prestigious" schools are this way, sadly. I believe UNC, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins are the same (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
gnarls_barkley Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 From what I can tell, a number of "prestigious" schools are this way, sadly. I believe UNC, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins are the same (someone correct me if I'm wrong). It does make sense, to an extent. The top tier schools know they are not going to have any issues attracting quality students. They may be less likely to offer upfront funding, as students may be more willing to take the funding 'leap' I mentioned. This is opposed to lower ranked schools, which may try to lure top admitted students with RA/fellowship positions.
seaturtles Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 It does make sense, to an extent. The top tier schools know they are not going to have any issues attracting quality students. They may be less likely to offer upfront funding, as students may be more willing to take the funding 'leap' I mentioned. This is opposed to lower ranked schools, which may try to lure top admitted students with RA/fellowship positions. In retrospect, I should have applied to some lower ranked schools . Live and learn!
FreeRadical Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 (edited) @FreeRadical, I applied to both Epi and Global Health Metrics at UW. Got accepted to epi, rejected from GH. The epi department doesn't offer funding with admission, so students have to find professors to work for on their own. Have you heard anything from UNC or Michigan yet? I saw on the results page that a couple of people were accepted to Michigan last week, but I've not heard anything from them yet post-interview. I'm starting to get a little concerned... Yeah, actually. I heard this morning that I was accepted at UNC! Nothing from Michigan so far. I think they sent out offers to the applicants they knew they'd have funding for, because there are full scholarships for applicants with top GPA and GRE scores. Otherwise, they really try to provide funding with an offer (based on what my POI told me), so my guess is that they're still trying to piece together funding sources for the rest of us. Edited February 23, 2015 by FreeRadical
seaturtles Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Yeah, actually. I heard this morning that I was accepted at UNC! Nothing from Michigan so far. I think they sent out offers to the applicants they knew they'd have funding for, because there are full scholarships for applicants with top GPA and GRE scores. Otherwise, they really try to provide funding with an offer (based on what my POI told me), so my guess is that they're still trying to piece together funding sources for the rest of us. Congratulations on UNC! I've still heard absolutely nothing from them, but hopefully a decision will be here soon. Glad I'm not the only one still waiting on Michigan. Now that I've experienced trying to find funding on my own, a guaranteed funding offer sounds reeeally nice.
kang6789 Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Congrats on UNC! Still waiting to hear from them, application status just says "Submitted". I'm not too confident about funding at UW: all the fellowships that match my interests aren't accepting new pre-doctoral students and professors don't have much funding for TA and RAships. I'll likely end up at Emory (they fully fund) unless I get money at Columbia or UNC by some miracle. A bit scared about Atlanta coming from the northeast! Haven't heard from Harvard yet, but I'm not expecting much as they've already sent out some acceptances. Seems like not many people have heard back from Berkeley either?
seaturtles Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Congrats on UNC! Still waiting to hear from them, application status just says "Submitted". I'm not too confident about funding at UW: all the fellowships that match my interests aren't accepting new pre-doctoral students and professors don't have much funding for TA and RAships. I'll likely end up at Emory (they fully fund) unless I get money at Columbia or UNC by some miracle. A bit scared about Atlanta coming from the northeast! Haven't heard from Harvard yet, but I'm not expecting much as they've already sent out some acceptances. Seems like not many people have heard back from Berkeley either? I'm feeling the same way about UW funding... Don't worry about Atlanta! I am from the Northeast and got my MPH at Emory. Atlanta and especially the Emory area isn't really that different... And the cost of living is a lot lower.
FreeRadical Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Holy crap, I was accepted at Johns Hopkins for DrPH in International Health. That's nuts. I have no idea how I'm going to choose between Hopkins, UW global health and UNC epidemiology. Still waiting on Michigan epidemiology. Wait listed at Berkeley. What's your impression about these programs? I did my MPH at Michigan, but I don't know much about UW, Hopkins and UNC.
mona90 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 (edited) Yeah, actually. I heard this morning that I was accepted at UNC! Congrats How did you hear the acceptance news? Did they send you an email or they just updated your app status on their website? Edited February 24, 2015 by mona90
FreeRadical Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Congrats How did you hear the acceptance news? Did they send you an email or they just updated your app status on their website? Thanks! I got an email to check the website.
KB8 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Holy crap, I was accepted at Johns Hopkins for DrPH in International Health. That's nuts. I have no idea how I'm going to choose between Hopkins, UW global health and UNC epidemiology. Still waiting on Michigan epidemiology. Wait listed at Berkeley. What's your impression about these programs? I did my MPH at Michigan, but I don't know much about UW, Hopkins and UNC. Congrats!! Which Berkeley program did you apply to? PhD or DrPH? I'm still waiting to hear from them...
kang6789 Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Good to hear about Atlanta! Was rejected from Harvard yesterday. Surprised we still haven't heard from Columbia...
Machaon01 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Hey All, Congrats to all with acceptanaces, so just going through the forum and the results page, no one has heard from Columbia post Interview? Or Brown post interview? And anyone with even a peep from BU? D
universerunr55 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Hey, Soooo...still waiting to hear from: - Emory Environmental Health PhD (I interviewed via Skype at beginning of Feb) - Hopkins International Health/GDEC PhD (are they doing interviews for IH PhD?) - Minnesota Epi PhD (passed "first round"...no news on match with faculty/advisor) - Minnesota Environmental Health PhD (no news on anything) - Berkeley Epi PhD (are they doing interviews for PhD?) Has anyone heard from these specific programs yet? I've seen a few things on the results forum, but can't corroborate any of that info. I'll be a LOT less anxious if I can get into at least one program...congrats to everyone who's been accepted somewhere so far!
gnarls_barkley Posted February 25, 2015 Author Posted February 25, 2015 Hey, Soooo...still waiting to hear from: - Emory Environmental Health PhD (I interviewed via Skype at beginning of Feb) - Hopkins International Health/GDEC PhD (are they doing interviews for IH PhD?) - Minnesota Epi PhD (passed "first round"...no news on match with faculty/advisor) - Minnesota Environmental Health PhD (no news on anything) - Berkeley Epi PhD (are they doing interviews for PhD?) Has anyone heard from these specific programs yet? I've seen a few things on the results forum, but can't corroborate any of that info. I'll be a LOT less anxious if I can get into at least one program...congrats to everyone who's been accepted somewhere so far! I'm still waiting on Minnesota Epi, after receiving that same message several weeks ago. Not sure if that's a good or bad sign at this point...
universerunr55 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 I'm still waiting on Minnesota Epi, after receiving that same message several weeks ago. Not sure if that's a good or bad sign at this point... do you mind me asking what your topical area of interest is? i'm worried b/c i'm not a super great match for professors in the Epi dept. my top guy is actually in the EHS dept so not sure if that's a problem...i did apply to EHS as well but haven't heard from them either...
LH27 Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Hey All, Congrats to all with acceptanaces, so just going through the forum and the results page, no one has heard from Columbia post Interview? Or Brown post interview? And anyone with even a peep from BU? D I heard back from Columbia yesterday. Just FYI. Hope you hear back soon too!
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