PhD applicants: Fall 2018

[vitaumile]

Hi everybody,

First time here! 

Have you guys heard anything about the NIH stipend for fiscal year 2018?

I got accepted into Emory EHS and they guaranteed tuition scholarship, but said still waiting on NIH's doctoral stipend level...? 

 

[light10491]

On 4/1/2018 at 3:04 PM, pusheen323 said:

I tried to get the details from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and they just keep saying that they’re not sure and there’s no concrete gauranteed funding and that it’s the student’s responsibility to find funding as a TA/RA every semester. I think that this is insane for a PhD program at a top American institution, but I am starting to get the feeling that this is what happens with PhDs in public health fields...it sucks. 

But at least they offered you a first year package? Michigan accepted students and then rejected them afterward because there was no funding for everyone in the first year, and it's unclear about the subsequent years. Make sure to get the concrete details from UNC Chapel Hill or ask their current students via email.

Edited April 3, 2018 by light10491

[hccgrl]

Had my interview the 22nd of March.

They said I would hear back by the following week. (I would say by March 31).

It'll be two weeks tomorrow since my interview and I haven't heard anything :-( 

Going nuts.

 

[gallimimus]

45 minutes ago, hccgrl said:

Had my interview the 22nd of March.

They said I would hear back by the following week. (I would say by March 31).

It'll be two weeks tomorrow since my interview and I haven't heard anything :-( 

Going nuts.

 

I like to think that no news is good news! When I interviewed, it took 3 weeks to hear back, which sucked but I would also assume if they didn't want you they would have told you right away. Think positive! You got this!!

[hccgrl]

29 minutes ago, gallimimus said:

I like to think that no news is good news! When I interviewed, it took 3 weeks to hear back, which sucked but I would also assume if they didn't want you they would have told you right away. Think positive! You got this!!

Thanks!! Reading this surprisingly made me feel a little better :-)

I really hope no news is good news. 

[AsaN]

Hello everyone, 

I'm trying to decide between Albany and umass public health PhD program. Any information about both programs in terms of ranking, faculty etc, will be appreciated. 

[eek_]

2 hours ago, AsaN said:

Hello everyone, 

I'm trying to decide between Albany and umass public health PhD program. Any information about both programs in terms of ranking, faculty etc, will be appreciated. 

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings/page+2

[AsaN]

15 hours ago, eek_ said:

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings/page+2

Thanks. I would like to get personal reviews though. 

[hccgrl]

3 hours ago, AsaN said:

Thanks. I would like to get personal reviews though. 

Have you tried reaching out to some of the students at each institution? Or maybe some alumni? 

What were your reasons for applying to those schools? Based on that, make a pros and cons list. If you're able to, go on campus and try to get a feel for the school. 

When I started thinking about applying to PhD programs, I really wanted to attend University of South Florida. That was my dream school. I  flew to Florida and attended a campus tour and met with a bunch of faculty one on one and at the end of a very exhausting day, I realized I was not a good fit at that school, no matter how hard I tried looking for something. The school is great and all, but I just didn't click with the faculty.  That's something to keep in mind. Which one seems to be the one that'll get you to your overall goal. 

[Climate_Health]

Has anyone heard back from Columbia's EHS program? I was told that they're still reviewing applications, but it seems so late when many of us have to get back to other schools by April 15...

[eek_]

3 hours ago, Climate_Health said:

Has anyone heard back from Columbia's EHS program? I was told that they're still reviewing applications, but it seems so late when many of us have to get back to other schools by April 15...

They already sent their acceptances out-a few weeks ago. They are keeping applicants in their back pocket in case anyone rejects their offer. Kind of rude imo.

[AsaN]

8 hours ago, hccgrl said:

Have you tried reaching out to some of the students at each institution? Or maybe some alumni? 

What were your reasons for applying to those schools? Based on that, make a pros and cons list. If you're able to, go on campus and try to get a feel for the school. 

When I started thinking about applying to PhD programs, I really wanted to attend University of South Florida. That was my dream school. I  flew to Florida and attended a campus tour and met with a bunch of faculty one on one and at the end of a very exhausting day, I realized I was not a good fit at that school, no matter how hard I tried looking for something. The school is great and all, but I just didn't click with the faculty.  That's something to keep in mind. Which one seems to be the one that'll get you to your overall goal. 

Thanks for your response. I couldn't do campus visits as an international student, but I'm trying to connect with students.

[xoxo123]

Has anyone been accepted into the Health Systems Track at Hopkins? I have been waitlisted and Im really hoping someone will turn down their offer of admission. Any one planning to do that?

[ghint]

9 hours ago, xoxo123 said:

Has anyone been accepted into the Health Systems Track at Hopkins? I have been waitlisted and Im really hoping someone will turn down their offer of admission. Any one planning to do that?

I have applied to Health Systems track and received no communication still. That probably means I have been rejected. When did you receive the email? Thanks!

[xoxo123]

On 4/6/2018 at 11:44 AM, ghint said:

I have applied to Health Systems track and received no communication still. That probably means I have been rejected. When did you receive the email? Thanks!

I received the waitlist decision February 15th.  You should definitely send an email and ask. Its strange because I haven't seen anyone post any positive news from this track. I wonder if they ended up waitlisting or rejecting everyone!

Edited April 8, 2018 by xoxo123

[NotSoPatientlyWaiting2018]

It's April 10th and I still haven't made a decision...

Just wondering if anyone is still waiting to hear from Rutgers?? I emailed them on March 6th and all they said was: 

"Hello –

We appreciate your inquiry below.   However, we in the admissions office are not certain as to when the doctoral review faculty will  have the “completion” process for Fall doctoral admissions finalized.    The doctoral faculty received so many Fall submissions that they are actually still in the process of evaluating all applications.

We are sorry that we are not able to provide you with more details.

Thank you,

RUTGERS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Piscataway, New Jersey."

I feel like I am probably rejected, and I really don't want to be annoying and email them again.

 

[EpiNYC]

7 hours ago, NotSoPatientlyWaiting2018 said:

It's April 10th and I still haven't made a decision...

Just wondering if anyone is still waiting to hear from Rutgers?? I emailed them on March 6th and all they said was: 

"Hello –

We appreciate your inquiry below.   However, we in the admissions office are not certain as to when the doctoral review faculty will  have the “completion” process for Fall doctoral admissions finalized.    The doctoral faculty received so many Fall submissions that they are actually still in the process of evaluating all applications.

We are sorry that we are not able to provide you with more details.

Thank you,

RUTGERS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Piscataway, New Jersey."

I feel like I am probably rejected, and I really don't want to be annoying and email them again.

 

I have emailed them in February and March. Same response..... I emailed them again last week, no response yet. It’s absolutely ridiculous. 

[pbcup]

April 15th is fast approaching and I still can't pick a place! I'm deciding between full guaranteed funding at an OK school (but with a few red flags) vs trying to find funding every year at a top program. I thought I was going to go to the fully funded program, but all my advisors told me to they'd go with the school with the best training, even at the expense of research productivity. My goal is to (hopefully)  become an academic in the field. 

Any thoughts on this? Opinions would be highly welcome! 

[PhMe]

23 hours ago, pbcup said:

April 15th is fast approaching and I still can't pick a place! I'm deciding between full guaranteed funding at an OK school (but with a few red flags) vs trying to find funding every year at a top program. I thought I was going to go to the fully funded program, but all my advisors told me to they'd go with the school with the best training, even at the expense of research productivity. My goal is to (hopefully)  become an academic in the field. 

Any thoughts on this? Opinions would be highly welcome! 

My two cents:

The difference between a "top" and "OK" program can be a bit messy. US News rankings, based on a limited sample of academics' opinions about other programs will only get you so far. The amount of research output and citations also comes with its limitations. I don't know if there are rankings based on student perceptions for public health grad programs, but even those data would come with a certain degree of self-selection. My point is, for doctoral training, the totem pole is not so well defined, and who is to say that the ok program will not provide as good or better training than the top program. 

My approach is to see if the faculty are engaged in research that I like; if it seems well aligned with my interests. Then to see if there seems to be a good fit with a potential mentor at the school. Can u see yourself doing good work here? 

What are the red flags, and are they deal breakers? 

Finally, what is your level of acceptable risk with regard to funding? For me, I have a very low risk tolerance as I am an international student from a developing country who will be taking a dependant with me. I can't afford to move across the world on the hope of securing funding year to year, so full funding is my choice. Your level of acceptable risk could be different which should also be considered.

Good luck!

[FrozenFreshMeat]

Just off HSPH waitlist…No funding info though.

Now I have 3 days to decide?

Any funding info/school visit feedback/suggestion is much appreciated!!!!

 

[DraPHt2016]

Has anyone heard anything from LOUISIANA STATE (LSUHSC - Community Health Sciences) or FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (FIU - Health Promotion and Disease Prevention)????

[melanotaenia]

On 4/4/2018 at 12:44 PM, AsaN said:

Hello everyone, 

I'm trying to decide between Albany and umass public health PhD program. Any information about both programs in terms of ranking, faculty etc, will be appreciated. 

I went to Albany for my MS.  I was pleased with some of the faculty, particularly the biostats department.  However, if you have not visited the Albany area before I would STRONGLY suggest making a trip there.  I found it to be a depressing city with little to do, particularly in the colder months.  Additionally, I was very dissatisfied with the administration at the public health school; they seemed to give little attention to the need of the students. 

[gallimimus]

3 hours ago, PhMe said:

The difference between a "top" and "OK" program can be a bit messy. US News rankings, based on a limited sample of academics' opinions about other programs will only get you so far. The amount of research output and citations also comes with its limitations. I don't know if there are rankings based on student perceptions for public health grad programs, but even those data would come with a certain degree of self-selection. My point is, for doctoral training, the totem pole is not so well defined, and who is to say that the ok program will not provide as good or better training than the top program. 

Agreed. When it comes to programs, I think the rankings are influenced more heavily by the masters programs, which I think are generally more quantifiably "good" or "bad". For doctoral training, I based my decision most heavily on mentorship and research fit rather than the quality of the program.

[eek_]

4 hours ago, FrozenFreshMeat said:

Just off HSPH waitlist…No funding info though.

Now I have 3 days to decide?

Any funding info/school visit feedback/suggestion is much appreciated!!!!

 

CONGRATS! Are you between Harvard and USC still?? I would contact Harvard ASAP about funding.

[FrozenFreshMeat]

12 hours ago, eek_ said:

CONGRATS! Are you between Harvard and USC still?? I would contact Harvard ASAP about funding.

Thank you!! Called them yesterday and confirmed that there is a funding package.

I am now more towards Harvard ????

 

OMG 2days left!!