MPH Canada Fall 2017

[mphalberta]

I'm still waiting to hear back from the U of A's MPH program with a focus on health promotion. I'm so impatient at this point!

[Creme_Brulee]

On 2017-04-09 at 4:44 AM, And1 said:

Current U of T MPH Epi student here. They should be rolling out informal offers around the third week of April, which was the case last year. It is "informal" in the sense that the department is letting you know directly first, and they just have to go through school of graduate studies to make it official (which comes about 3 weeks after, so around mid-May). I believe those who are waitlisted also hear of the informal results around this time. The formal offer deadline is two weeks after they receive it, so it ends up being around end of May. From then on, waitlisted candidates will slowly get accepted if there's room. This continues until about end of June. Good luck! 

Thank you so much! That definitely clears things up for me.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Creme_Brulee

[Creme_Brulee]

On 2017-04-10 at 3:44 PM, vancouverrunner said:

I havnt heard from UBC yet! I applied to the MPH/MSN program. Figured if I had the ability to get both- why not. Although the MSN isn't directly in my wheel house of goals. 

I'm a bit scared because although my undergraduate GPA is quite high (BSN program 3.8, along with valedictorian, extra curriculars etc...) my stats course is the lowest of all my grades (B). I think UBC calls for a B+. Hoping this could be overlooked but I am guessing I will find out soon enough. 

Also applied to UVIC, as their program is mostly online and I am working full-time as a research assistant. I am hoping I hear from either soon!

I spent over a year going back and forth with advisors at UBC to see what it would take to get accepted into the MPH program. One of the main things they told me was that the quantitative skills requirement is very strict. They don't allow exceptions (nothing below a B+), which is why I took another Stats course at UBC, aced it...and still didn't get into the damn program. Still though, I wish you good luck.

On 2017-04-10 at 3:54 PM, jenniferkp said:

Thanks!! Are you a new grad? I'll be done my BSN in December, but I'm worried programs will be hesitant to accept without years of work experience... I've done a few RAships, done my own research presented at conferences, volunteered at a hospital and with an organization doing health promotion, but the lack of people getting accepted has me worried about applying. Did you have your CRNBC licence when you applied? 

I'll also reiterate what the UBC advisors told me (at least for their MPH program). They want public health experience, particularly paid experience that shows them you're interested in different aspects of the field, I suppose. This certainly worked against me, but I hope it won't be the case for you. Best of luck.

[jenniferkp]

34 minutes ago, Creme_Brulee said:

I spent over a year going back and forth with advisors at UBC to see what it would take to get accepted into the MPH program. One of the main things they told me was that the quantitative skills requirement is very strict. They don't allow exceptions (nothing below a B+), which is why I took another Stats course at UBC, aced it...and still didn't get into the damn program. Still though, I wish you good luck.

I'll also reiterate what the UBC advisors told me (at least for their MPH program). They want public health experience, particularly paid experience that shows them you're interested in different aspects of the field, I suppose. This certainly worked against me, but I hope it won't be the case for you. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for the feedback! Any comment on the quantity of experience they were looking for? 

[emph]

On 3/21/2017 at 11:04 PM, overandover said:

Thanks so much for that in depth answer! That is very close to the read I got as well for the two programs. Do you have any other tips on how to make the most out of your MPH degree? 

Sorry it took so long to respond! School has been a little crazy and I haven't had a chance to check the board (these 1st year MPH courses are no joke, haha...)

First and foremost, I would say definitely try to network as much as you can. Taking the time to get to know your professors and your classmates (many of whom already work in the public health domain and are very well networked) can go extremely far. It's a huge one-up to know somebody at the organization you are vying to work at... and this is particularly salient if you want to work in Vancouver - the public health field seems quite small (e.g., many people end up working at the health authorities and somehow know one another). At the very least you will have some insider's knowledge, and best case scenario, you'll be able to bypass the first few rungs of the job application process. In ways, who you know might be even more important than your grades (though needless to say, it's obviously important to do as well as you can in your courses ;))

If you have any more questions feel free to PM me! Happy to help.

[heidiwind1]

12 hours ago, mphalberta said:

I'm still waiting to hear back from the U of A's MPH program with a focus on health promotion. I'm so impatient at this point!

Same here! I don't have much hope at this point. Last year they emailed out my rejection on April 15, so I am expecting something soon. 

[Magicksmith]

MUN updated my status today to "decision made," but didn't send out an email with that decision.

[canadian.azn]

I received a rejection from Alberta but I never got an e-mail, I just noticed my status changed on Bear Tracks, did anyone else receive an e-mail? Typically the university emails a few days after changing the status but haven't gotten anything

[Tahnin]

13 minutes ago, canadian.azn said:

I received a rejection from Alberta but I never got an e-mail, I just noticed my status changed on Bear Tracks, did anyone else receive an e-mail? Typically the university emails a few days after changing the status but haven't gotten anything

Hello @canadian.azn, if you do not mind me asking what specialty did you apply for in University of Alberta?

[heidiwind1]

19 minutes ago, canadian.azn said:

I received a rejection from Alberta but I never got an e-mail, I just noticed my status changed on Bear Tracks, did anyone else receive an e-mail? Typically the university emails a few days after changing the status but haven't gotten anything

When did you receive a rejection? Did anything change for you on the application portal? 

[canadian.azn]

I  received a rejection maybe a week and a half ago? It was for health promotion.

[canadian.azn]

23 minutes ago, heidiwind1 said:

When did you receive a rejection? Did anything change for you on the application portal? 

my bear tracks status changed to denied 

[NorthernGalMPHHopeful]

3 hours ago, heidiwind1 said:

Same here! I don't have much hope at this point. Last year they emailed out my rejection on April 15, so I am expecting something soon. 

The message we received on BearTracks was that due to their back log and high applicant number this year that SUCCESSFUL applicants wouldn't be notified until Mid-April this year (last year I knew people accepted March 31st).

so I think it's still a positive sign we haven't heard anything from UofA yet  

I think it's also really positive knowing that not one of the other UofA MPH applicant o this forum has been accepted yet (only online rejection updates). So I definitely don't think acceptances still have gone out. Stay hopeful !

wishing everyone the best during these impatient times  

Edited April 12, 2017 by NorthernGalMPHHopeful

[vancouverrunner]

13 hours ago, Creme_Brulee said:

I spent over a year going back and forth with advisors at UBC to see what it would take to get accepted into the MPH program. One of the main things they told me was that the quantitative skills requirement is very strict. They don't allow exceptions (nothing below a B+), which is why I took another Stats course at UBC, aced it...and still didn't get into the damn program. Still though, I wish you good luck.

I'll also reiterate what the UBC advisors told me (at least for their MPH program). They want public health experience, particularly paid experience that shows them you're interested in different aspects of the field, I suppose. This certainly worked against me, but I hope it won't be the case for you. Best of luck.

Wow, this is so timely response actually. I got rejected from UBC this am, which I am kind of not surprised about. My stats courses are lower than a B+, which I was obviously would be overlooked due to my high GPA. Since applying, I have been working as a research assistant in the field of public health and health promotion and often thought I would have done my application completely different if I had to redo it again. 

I have been accepted to LSHTM MScPH via distance. This may be my back up if UVIC doesnt work out. Anyone have any experience with LSHTM?

[EmPeeAych]

1 hour ago, NorthernGalMPHHopeful said:

The message we received on BearTracks was that due to their back log and high applicant number this year that SUCCESSFUL applicants wouldn't be notified until Mid-April this year (last year I knew people accepted March 31st).

so I think it's still a positive sign we haven't heard anything from UofA yet  

I think it's also really positive knowing that not one of the other UofA MPH applicant o this forum has been accepted yet (only online rejection updates). So I definitely don't think acceptances still have gone out. Stay hopeful !

wishing everyone the best during these impatient times  

No news is good news I guess! Haha. But yes, it's hard to be patient when it's April and everyone has heard back.

Anyone know anything specific pro's and con's of the U of A program, specifically global health? I believe the class size is quite small.

[Tahnin]

1 hour ago, NorthernGalMPHHopeful said:

The message we received on BearTracks was that due to their back log and high applicant number this year that SUCCESSFUL applicants wouldn't be notified until Mid-April this year (last year I knew people accepted March 31st).

so I think it's still a positive sign we haven't heard anything from UofA yet  

I think it's also really positive knowing that not one of the other UofA MPH applicant o this forum has been accepted yet (only online rejection updates). So I definitely don't think acceptances still have gone out. Stay hopeful !

wishing everyone the best during these impatient times  

hello @NorthernGalMPHHopeful, astute observation. i must admit, i myself did not notice that sentence.

And this definitely gives us hope. Thank you.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Tahnin

[Tahnin]

3 minutes ago, EmPeeAych said:

No news is good news I guess! Haha. But yes, it's hard to be patient when it's April and everyone has heard back.

Anyone know anything specific pro's and con's of the U of A program, specifically global health? I believe the class size is quite small.

Hi @EmPeeAych, from your post i am guessing you applied to the Global Health dept of UofA. 

I applied to Epi dept. So, I got the same msg @NorthernGalMPHHopeful is talking about. is it the same for you too? Are they sending the same msg to all MPH candidates despite of the specialty?

[NorthernGalMPHHopeful]

@Tahnin I think all MPH applicants got it as I applied to the  Health Promotion specialization

[heidiwind1]

Maybe U of A has to figure out their MSc students first because of advisors.

[yt.lin]

Hi all, 

The waiting game is killing.......

This what I received from U of A:

Your application to the Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree in the School of Public Health for Fall 2017 has been received and is being processed. Due to a higher than expected number of applications, our review process will be slower than in previous years. Please be assured your file will be reviewed in detail, and all qualified applicants will be considered for potential recruitment scholarship. We are aiming to advise all successful applicants by mid-April.

Which is different from: 

Due to their back log and high applicant number this year that SUCCESSFUL applicants wouldn't be notified until Mid-April this year......

Does that mean the decisions has been made?

[heidiwind1]

14 minutes ago, yt.lin said:

Hi all, 

The waiting game is killing.......

This what I received from U of A:

Your application to the Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree in the School of Public Health for Fall 2017 has been received and is being processed. Due to a higher than expected number of applications, our review process will be slower than in previous years. Please be assured your file will be reviewed in detail, and all qualified applicants will be considered for potential recruitment scholarship. We are aiming to advise all successful applicants by mid-April.

Which is different from: 

Due to their back log and high applicant number this year that SUCCESSFUL applicants wouldn't be notified until Mid-April this year......

Does that mean the decisions has been made?

I don't know what you mean. "Due to their back log and high applicant number this year successful applicants won't be notified until Mid-April" is the exact same thing as "Due to a higher than expected number of applications....we are aiming to advise all successful applicants by mid-April." I don't see the difference.

 

[yt.lin]

6 minutes ago, heidiwind1 said:

I don't know what you mean. "Due to their back log and high applicant number this year successful applicants won't be notified until Mid-April" is the exact same thing as "Due to a higher than expected number of applications....we are aiming to advise all successful applicants by mid-April." I don't see the difference.

 

I just thought the wording is different so I thought they sent out different messages.

[NorthernGalMPHHopeful]

3 minutes ago, yt.lin said:

I just thought the wording is different so I thought they sent out different messages.

Sorry I just paraphrased. I got the exact same message as you.

[yt.lin]

3 minutes ago, NorthernGalMPHHopeful said:

Sorry I just paraphrased. I got the exact same message as you.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Vekin7]

Hey everyone, I've gotten the same message from ualberta as well. Hopefully we'll hear something soon! Random question though, not sure if anyone can answer this, but can anyone speak to the strengths of UofA's epi stream as compared to SFU's population health stream? I guess the epi stream is a lot more focussed on one subject area, but would it be possible to work as an epidemiologist later on even though you did not specifically obtain an epi MPH degree, but an MPH in something else?