2021 PHAP (CDC's Public Health Associate Program)

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just had my interview earlier today!
i think it went ok, but i definitely struggled streamlining my answers since i tend to ramble when i get excited haha but i just wanted to echo what everyone has said so far! my interviewer was super nice, very insightful and he laid out the purpose/structure of the interview. they ask 6 behavioral questions (tell me about yourself, tell me about a time when...). there were no surprises thanks to everyone who posted the questions before hand!!! y’all are the real MVP’s. we actually ran over the time limit since i had questions and he really tried to give me solid answers which i appreciated. he also gave me some stats in case anyone is curious:
-it’s a point system. interview is 60 points, essay is 40 points
-they only look at your geographic/field of interest preferences AFTER they decided who are the selected candidates
-4000 applied, 2000 got through to essays, 475 were selected to interview, 200 are chosen and ~125 are matched (i think he said they’re looking to have 125-175 positions but i couldn’t really that hear second number so i could be wrong). i’m assuming the leftover people in that 200 that are not matched are used as backups in case their original candidates say no.

i honestly don’t know what to expect, i think i could’ve done a better job interviewing but that’s always been a weak point of mine :/ but he said it was clear that im passionate about my work and said i did a good job connecting my role to his questions (my current job is more patient centered than project based so it was tricky to tie them). honestly not trippin if i am not selected, it’s an accomplishment in itself to get this far!! good luck everyone!!
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yeah so I just had a mock interview... safe to say I need a lot of practice lol but a lot them were tailored towards my resume and etc but what she told me was:

1. Details.. Details .. Details... CDC looks for details... if you’re not detailed on certain questions than you’re out of luck

2. Pick 3 STAR stories/experiences in hand that has happened to you already and know them by heart and practice and how you can tie that within the question and how it deals with public health.

3. Don’t be vague, be specific... remember they don’t know who you are and are trying to get to know you...

4. Sell yourself during the tell me about yourself and why you’re good candidate.. .. you can also connect personal experiences or for example for me I’m doing global health for my masters because I was born out of the country.... find something they will remember you by or stand out because there are 200+ of us and we all have the same questions...don’t be afraid to TALK a lot but also don’t ramble.

5. Have a cheat sheet on the screen with bullet points of what you want to talk about to kind of glance over or notes since this is a zoom call... we kind of an advantage

6. Speak slow & steady

7. Enjoy yourself and be confident!!

8. Oh yeah, PRACTICE. Practice speaking out loud either to your roommate or yourself on these questions and what you want to talk about. The more practice, the less nervous and more confident you become with your answers.

9. Always appear confident with your answers even if you’re not confident on what you said lol

10. Also remember, they are humans too lol as nervous as we are so treat like you’re having a conversation with them but not too casually lol

Good luck to everyone! Wishing we all get in! And thank you to everyone who helped! This is public health! Helping the community! So thankful for y’all and proud of how far we’ve come! Hope this helps for those who still have interviews! It can go either ways!! These are just some tips I got!
 
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Abbie M said:
yeah so I just had a mock interview... safe to say I need a lot of practice lol but a lot them were tailored towards my resume and etc but what she told me was:

1. Details.. Details .. Details... CDC looks for details... if you’re not detailed on certain questions than you’re out of luck

2. Pick 3 STAR stories/experiences in hand that has happened to you already and know them by heart and practice and how you can tie that within the question and how it deals with public health.

3. Don’t be vague, be specific... remember they don’t know who you are and are trying to get to know you...

4. Sell yourself during the tell me about yourself and why you’re good candidate.. .. you can also connect personal experiences or for example for me I’m doing global health for my masters because I was born out of the country.... find something they will remember you by or stand out because there are 200+ of us and we all have the same questions...don’t be afraid to TALK a lot but also don’t ramble.

5. Have a cheat sheet on the screen with bullet points of what you want to talk about to kind of glance over or notes since this is a zoom call... we kind of an advantage

6. Speak slow & steady

7. Enjoy yourself and be confident!!

8. Oh yeah, PRACTICE. Practice speaking out loud either to your roommate or yourself on these questions and what you want to talk about. The more practice, the less nervous and more confident you become with your answers.

9. Always appear confident with your answers even if you’re not confident on what you said lol

Good luck to everyone! Wishing we all get in! And thank you to everyone who helped! This is public health! Helping the community! So thankful for y’all and proud of how far we’ve come! Hope this helps for those who still have interviews!
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I wish I would have had my interview after you posted this lol! I’m just so not confident with how mine went it felt a little rushed because my interviewer had to type out so much of what I was saying and I just felt like I was being rushed :/ I’m hoping maybe I just aced the writing portion and the rest will work out. Interviews have never been a strong quality of mine whereas writing has so :,)
 
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mjex18 said:
I wish I would have had my interview after you posted this lol! I’m just so not confident with how mine went it felt a little rushed because my interviewer had to type out so much of what I was saying and I just felt like I was being rushed :/ I’m hoping maybe I just aced the writing portion and the rest will work out. Interviews have never been a strong quality of mine whereas writing has so :,)
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I’m sorry it took so long.... busy schedules for both of us but don’t stress it!! I’m sure you did great!! Interviews are not my best either because I stutter when I get nervous and then I blank out lol!! But think positive!!
 
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Abbie M said:
I’m sorry it took so long.... busy schedules for both of us but don’t stress it!! I’m sure you did great!! Interviews are not my best either because I stutter when I get nervous and then I blank out lol!! But think positive!!
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Omg no you’re totally okay!! At least it’s advice I can use in the future if things don’t work out!! But thank you :,) you got this too though and at least you have your connection at the CDC and were able to get feedback! Good luck!!
 
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Had my interview today. I think it went well and I feel confident about it. Now the waiting game begins! On a side note, regardless if we get PHAP or not it's an accomplishment in itself to have made it this far. I can tell that everyone on this forum is passionate and interested in public health and we are all destined for greatness!!!
 
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I just had my interview too. I was nervous at first but I think I actually did pretty well. My interviewer said that they'll start emailing people with tentative offers in late May, so keep a lookout!
 
I had my interview today too & it felt like I did a good job answering the questions! did anyone else’s questions last for a shorter time than the Q&A? I’m a little nervous that I rushed my answers but my interviewer didn’t have any follow ups to the initial questions.
 
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chijes said:
I had my interview today too & it felt like I did a good job answering the questions! did anyone else’s questions last for a shorter time than the Q&A? I’m a little nervous that I rushed my answers but my interviewer didn’t have any follow ups to the initial questions.
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The same thing happened to me! The actual interview was about 25 min and then we spent the rest of the time talking about her work and the CDC :)

I was also going to ask if anyone else is pre-med/ looking to go to med school after PHAP? That's my plan as of now but I wasn't sure if medical schools look favorably at this program, even though it is genuinely something that I'd love to do before med school. Thanks!
 
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GoodDays21 said:
I just had my interview too. I was nervous at first but I think I actually did pretty well. My interviewer said that they'll start emailing people with tentative offers in late May, so keep a lookout!
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Late May??? Dang omg maybe they really are running early this year.
 
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debbiecakes447 said:
Interesting my interviewer said June lol
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My interviewer said late May when he was reading the “script” but when I asked a follow up about it, he said they say that but don’t really mean it & that we should expect more mid-june.
 
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chijes said:
I had my interview today too & it felt like I did a good job answering the questions! did anyone else’s questions last for a shorter time than the Q&A? I’m a little nervous that I rushed my answers but my interviewer didn’t have any follow ups to the initial questions.
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That’s exactly what happened with me. But I felt I more had to rush because the interviewer had to type out my answers! But yeah I think the interview was about 20 minutes and then I asked questions for about 25-30 minutes!
 
mjex18 said:
That’s exactly what happened with me. But I felt I more had to rush because the interviewer had to type out my answers! But yeah I think the interview was about 20 minutes and then I asked questions for about 25-30 minutes!
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Same with me! I got a bit worried that my interview was 20 mins and the remaining of the time was used for questions.

I wasn't sure if not using the whole 40 mins was a good things or bad thing :(
 
mchalexx said:
Same with me! I got a bit worried that my interview was 20 mins and the remaining of the time was used for questions.

I wasn't sure if not using the whole 40 mins was a good things or bad thing :(
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Honestly I felt that too. My interviewer pretty much kept saying “don’t feel like you have to use the whole hour”. So I wouldn’t worry about it too much :)
 
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chijes said:
My interviewer said late May when he was reading the “script” but when I asked a follow up about it, he said they say that but don’t really mean it & that we should expect more mid-june.
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Mine said 2-3 weeks after they finished interviewing. Which would be late May or early June.
 
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Had my interview...lol it can go both way tbh! I’m not the best interviewer... My interviewer was not very conversational lol so I don’t know how I did but I answered them to the best of my ability!! Good luck to everyone!!
Also for those answering 6 questions and used the whole 45 minutes... we’re you blabbering ??? lol.. asking for friend LOLL because my interview in total lasted 20-25 minutes...
 
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Abbie M said:
Had my interview...lol it can go both way tbh! I’m not the best interviewer... My interviewer was not very conversational lol so I don’t know how I did but I answered them to the best of my ability!! Good luck to everyone!!
Also for those answering 6 questions and used the whole 45 minutes... we’re you blabbering ??? lol.. asking for friend LOLL because my interview in total lasted 20-25 minutes...
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I thought I was the only one whose interviewer was pretty quiet!! So you're definitely not alone in having a shorter interview because mine was the same way :.) but I'm sure you did awesome!!
 
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Abbie M said:
Had my interview...lol it can go both way tbh! I’m not the best interviewer... My interviewer was not very conversational lol so I don’t know how I did but I answered them to the best of my ability!! Good luck to everyone!!
Also for those answering 6 questions and used the whole 45 minutes... we’re you blabbering ??? lol.. asking for friend LOLL because my interview in total lasted 20-25 minutes...
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Mine was the same lol
 
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Just had my interview, and as ppl said above, could really go both ways. She was pretty hard to read lol and we didn't have much of a conversation until I asked about her advice/work with the CDC. Otherwise, the interview was very direct (i.e., she asked me the next question immediately after I finished answering).

Anyways, she read from her script that we should expect to hear an offer mid-June and July! And they're taking 120-135 ppl
 
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Just had mine! Honestly, my interviewer made me feel very comfortable and he shared so much of his own experiences with me. We had a few technical issues on his end- but that luckily didn't stop us. I think it went well- he mentioned that my answers were very clear and he enjoyed hearing about my life and experiences, and we actually ended up going over the hour because we had a lovely conversation! I was super lucky and my field of interest is the field that he's worked in and had a LOT of experience in, so we got to talking about those. I feel a bit nervous that I may have repeated some things a little bit, but we ended the interview after around 30/35 minutes and I had time to ask him about 3/4 questions. He did mention he clearly saw I was very passionate and regardless of what would happen, he encouraged me to continue pursuing my passion.

I'm still super nervous, but, we'll see! I hope everyone else has a great interview and that everything goes well!
 
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arsy1198 said:
Just had my interview, and as ppl said above, could really go both ways. She was pretty hard to read lol and we didn't have much of a conversation until I asked about her advice/work with the CDC. Otherwise, the interview was very direct (i.e., she asked me the next question immediately after I finished answering).

Anyways, she read from her script that we should expect to hear an offer mid-June and July! And they're taking 120-135 ppl
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Same my interviewer was so direct lol...like it was pulling teeth to make the conversation like not awkward lol I had to ask so many questions until I ran out of questions but it’s funny I did find out because I work with the public health department...she told me she also had the same job before coming to the CDC but worked in another district that’s the only thing we had in common lol idk like I said there’s so many good candidates this year it’s literally 50/50 chance for everyone!! Wishing the best for everyone!!
 
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hi everyone! congrats on interviews!! today's the last day yay
I had mine yesterday and the guy interviewing me definitely did not give anything away hahaha I feel soo good about it though!! thank you to everyone who posted the questions that they got, not a single one was a surprise which was very nice!! I hope we start hearing back closer to beginning of june just so I can decide whether or not I should pursue my mph or not.
has anyone else had an mph program lined up for the fall? have you decided whether or not you would take the position instead?
or if anyone wants to share their thought process on which would be more helpful to furthering a career?
 
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Maybe during the last week of may we hear something...That's what I have read on previous threads and they have been very quick this year it seems
 
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Now that the interviews have ended- I hope everyone’s interviews went well and that we’ll all hear something soon!!! Everyone here is so sweet and clearly passionate about public health, so regardless if we get the role or not, I’m proud of us!!!
 
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Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone has a phone number we can reach to to ask about our application status. I got accepted into another fellowship and was told to let them know about my decision in 4 days.

However, I am really leaning towards the CDC fellowship.

Any help is appreciated!
 
mchalexx said:
Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone has a phone number we can reach to to ask about our application status. I got accepted into another fellowship and was told to let them know about my decision in 4 days.

However, I am really leaning towards the CDC fellowship.

Any help is appreciated!
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PHAP number: (404) 498-0030 | it was in one of our emails back in March!! Are you withdrawing from the PHAP program?

they probably won’t tell you much but to wait until the end of the month or beginning of June...

My tip: weigh out the Pro & Cons of both programs and see which one will benefit your professional career in the long run!! Like seriously think hard before making any spontaneous decision! Good luck and congrats!
 
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Abbie M said:
PHAP number: (404) 498-0030 | it was in one of our emails back in March!! Are you withdrawing from the PHAP program?

they probably won’t tell you much but to wait until the end of the month or beginning of June...

My tip: weigh out the Pro & Cons of both programs and see which one will benefit your professional career in the long run!! Like seriously think hard before making any spontaneous decision! Good luck and congrats!
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Great - thank you for your advice!
 
Hi everyone,

Just a heads up - the first round of acceptance letters will be most likely sent by the end of next week. I called the office and they mentioned that the first batch of accepted applicants will be informed by either Thursday or Friday.

Good luck everyone!
 
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mchalexx said:
Hi everyone,

Just a heads up - the first round of acceptance letters will be most likely sent by the end of next week. I called the office and they mentioned that the first batch of accepted applicants will be informed by either Thursday or Friday.

Good luck everyone!
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oh wow, that's earlier than usual right? happy if that's the case but also thought i wouldn't have to think about it when i'm about to graduate 😭 but good luck everyone! ive been enjoying this very active thread and yall seem like great candidates so crossing my fingers for everyone. 😊
 
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mchalexx said:
Hi everyone,

Just a heads up - the first round of acceptance letters will be most likely sent by the end of next week. I called the office and they mentioned that the first batch of accepted applicants will be informed by either Thursday or Friday.

Good luck everyone!
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My birthday is next week so that would be a great time to find out!
 
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mchalexx said:
Hi everyone,

Just a heads up - the first round of acceptance letters will be most likely sent by the end of next week. I called the office and they mentioned that the first batch of accepted applicants will be informed by either Thursday or Friday.

Good luck everyone!
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That was FAST! They are certainly moving faster than in previous years.

In previous threads, they emails were sent at the end of JUNE and July
 
folklore said:
That was FAST! They are certainly moving faster than in previous years.

In previous threads, they emails were sent at the end of JUNE and July
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Again, I'm not sure if we will be receiving our results this week for sure. I was told that it was very likely that the first group will be notified by the end of the week but again, I'm not sure if it will happen.

I hope we do though!
 
Hey everyone!! I'm just wondering if anyone has advice or any place I can look for online with other public health career opportunities? I graduated in 2020 so I'm starting to not qualify for certain fellowships anymore. At this point I really want my options open depending on the outcome of this fellowship! I'm strongly considering grad school after deciding that I wasn't going to let money get in the way of that :) but I definitely want to know if there's other fellowships out there and where to find them!
 
mjex18 said:
Hey everyone!! I'm just wondering if anyone has advice or any place I can look for online with other public health career opportunities? I graduated in 2020 so I'm starting to not qualify for certain fellowships anymore. At this point I really want my options open depending on the outcome of this fellowship! I'm strongly considering grad school after deciding that I wasn't going to let money get in the way of that :) but I definitely want to know if there's other fellowships out there and where to find them!
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I know I’m just being a bit impatient but ahhhh this waiting game sucks!!! Does anyone know how they determine the first round of acceptance letters? Is it by when you interview or by score or something? Do they send rejection letters?
 
qtfighter said:
I know I’m just being a bit impatient but ahhhh this waiting game sucks!!! Does anyone know how they determine the first round of acceptance letters? Is it by when you interview or by score or something? Do they send rejection letters?
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I heard there are no rejection letters. Only the selected individuals will be notified. Basically endless waiting for an announcement that may or may not come during June - July
 
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qtfighter said:
I know I’m just being a bit impatient but ahhhh this waiting game sucks!!! Does anyone know how they determine the first round of acceptance letters? Is it by when you interview or by score or something? Do they send rejection letters?
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It's based on a combination of your essay and interview scores.

The ones who got the highest will be contacted first
 
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Just to let you all know I saw someone on the forum last year say they were not notified until September - definitely know the waiting can be nerve racking, but just a heads up :)
 
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This waiting game is so nerve wrecking! Anyone else starting to feel anxious?
 
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There are threads where some got their acceptance emails during late may, while other threads show June. Let’s hope for the best!


I do think that the interviews were done a little earlier than before
 
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Did anyone else's portal change from "Ready to Interview" to "Confirmation Matching?"
 
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marissanicole said:
Did anyone else's portal change from "Ready to Interview" to "Confirmation Matching?"
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Mine still says ready to interview, but that's sooooo exciting you must have been accepted!!! Congrats!!!!!! :)
 
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keyofspade said:
Mine did, but the location area is empty. My heart is beating very fast. I hope this is a good sign.
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It definitely sounds like a great sign! Mine still says “Ready for Interview”- so congrats!!!
 
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