Am I a good candidate for a MPH?

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sloth17

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Hi there! I also finished my undergrad with a degree in Microbiology, so I understand the difficulty of your program. I became an MSPH Epidemiology candidate at Emory immediately after finishing college, so hopefully my situation parallels yours.

I want to first say that it's really impossible for me to tell you definitively whether or not your competitive, because the admissions process is so holistic. Even someone with a 3.9 GPA and 170 section GRE scores may not be admitted, if their personal statement or experiences are lacking. However, I do think you have a ton of potential. The best application is the most balanced. Again, this is just an opinion- so approach the application process using your personal judgment!

The most important thing to emphasize in your application is a passion for public health. That will be evident through both your personal statement, LoRs, and previous experiences. Do you necessarily need to have been a Peace Corps volunteer or a practicing health professional? Of course not (I wasn't). But gaining some additional experience under your belt is only going to improve your application. Have you considered gaining a public health internship during your last year in school? A lot of cities offer these through the citywide health department, and it will help you understand what it's like to be a practicing public health professional. Just a suggestion, but by no means necessary. You are doing public health research regularly, which is great!

As for your GPA- it is perfectly fine for admission to most public health programs, but might be slightly low for some of the programs you are considering. However, most of them require a 3.0 GPA or above, which means you're ahead of the game. Getting a stellar GRE score will certainly mitigate a slightly lower GPA. Study hard and you shouldn't need to worry too much. Be sure to diversify the public health programs you are applying to just so that you can ensure admission into an MPH program, especially if you're feeling uncertain about your current selection. Also consider applying for Environmental Health MPH programs- you seem to be very interested in environmental microbiology, and these programs may offer a curriculum more suited to your interests! Emory has an excellent program, just for your consideration :)

Program-Specific advice: definitely apply to Yale if you like their program, but be forewarned that they are BRUTAL in admissions. Very very few people get admitted (I didn't even try to apply). I'd consider this a reach school, if I were in your position.

General advice: Don't compare yourself to anyone else. The application process is HOLISTIC, and many people exaggerate their credentials on admissions forums like these. Just focus on putting your best self out there for admissions, and I'm sure you'll get a positive result!
 
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Hi there! I also finished my undergrad with a degree in Microbiology, so I understand the difficulty of your program. I became an MSPH Epidemiology candidate at Emory immediately after finishing college, so hopefully my situation parallels yours.

I want to first say that it's really impossible for me to tell you definitively whether or not your competitive, because the admissions process is so holistic. Even someone with a 3.9 GPA and 170 section GRE scores may not be admitted, if their personal statement or experiences are lacking. However, I do think you have a ton of potential. The best application is the most balanced. Again, this is just an opinion- so approach the application process using your personal judgment!

The most important thing to emphasize in your application is a passion for public health. That will be evident through both your personal statement, LoRs, and previous experiences. Do you necessarily need to have been a Peace Corps volunteer or a practicing health professional? Of course not (I wasn't). But gaining some additional experience under your belt is only going to improve your application. Have you considered gaining a public health internship during your last year in school? A lot of cities offer these through the citywide health department, and it will help you understand what it's like to be a practicing public health professional. Just a suggestion, but by no means necessary. You are doing public health research regularly, which is great!

As for your GPA- it is perfectly fine for admission to most public health programs, but might be slightly low for some of the programs you are considering. However, most of them require a 3.0 GPA or above, which means you're ahead of the game. Getting a stellar GRE score will certainly mitigate a slightly lower GPA. Study hard and you shouldn't need to worry too much. Be sure to diversify the public health programs you are applying to just so that you can ensure admission into an MPH program, especially if you're feeling uncertain about your current selection. Also consider applying for Environmental Health MPH programs- you seem to be very interested in environmental microbiology, and these programs may offer a curriculum more suited to your interests! Emory has an excellent program, just for your consideration :)

Program-Specific advice: definitely apply to Yale if you like their program, but be forewarned that they are BRUTAL in admissions. Very very few people get admitted (I didn't even try to apply). I'd consider this a reach school, if I were in your position.

General advice: Don't compare yourself to anyone else. The application process is HOLISTIC, and many people exaggerate their credentials on admissions forums like these. Just focus on putting your best self out there for admissions, and I'm sure you'll get a positive result!

Thank you for writing such a thorough response!

I actually haven't thought about doing a public health internship for this coming year, but it's a great idea. I don't think I will be able to make that happen in the Fall (very busy course schedule) but I will definitely look into it for the Spring, and maybe something in the Summer. As for diversifying my selection, I initially had a long list containing a number of target schools, but later removed them for this reason: Hypothetically, if I am accepted to 1 school and rejected by the rest, would I still be happy with the one acceptance? Unfortunately, the answer was no for those target schools I initially listed, and I know I'm taking a significant gamble by applying to 6 very competitive programs. It may not exactly be the most prudent approach to applying to graduate school, but I would honestly be ecstatic to be accepted by any of them.

Last thing, where have you heard about Yale's MPH program being brutal in admissions? I'm not doubting you, I have just been looking for admission stats for the program all over the place, and have been far from successful. Again, thank you for your helpful response!
 
Thank you for writing such a thorough response!

I actually haven't thought about doing a public health internship for this coming year, but it's a great idea. I don't think I will be able to make that happen in the Fall (very busy course schedule) but I will definitely look into it for the Spring, and maybe something in the Summer. As for diversifying my selection, I initially had a long list containing a number of target schools, but later removed them for this reason: Hypothetically, if I am accepted to 1 school and rejected by the rest, would I still be happy with the one acceptance? Unfortunately, the answer was no for those target schools I initially listed, and I know I'm taking a significant gamble by applying to 6 very competitive programs. It may not exactly be the most prudent approach to applying to graduate school, but I would honestly be ecstatic to be accepted by any of them.

Last thing, where have you heard about Yale's MPH program being brutal in admissions? I'm not doubting you, I have just been looking for admission stats for the program all over the place, and have been far from successful. Again, thank you for your helpful response!

I think you're doing right by pursuing your career the way you choose. Good luck with your applications! :)

As for Yale, there aren't any admission stats posted by the school itself, but when I was going through the admissions cycle MANY people who were applying were being rejected. I don't think I saw a single person get accepted (but it is an admissions forum, so it only represented a fraction of the population applying). In truth, Yale is not the most highly ranked Epi program, so I've always been surprised by how strict they are with admissions. It's a great school in general, but you're better off applying to schools like Hopkins or Columbia if you want a higher tier Epi program. Pitt and Tulane are also wonderful programs!
 
I think you're doing right by pursuing your career the way you choose. Good luck with your applications! :)

As for Yale, there aren't any admission stats posted by the school itself, but when I was going through the admissions cycle MANY people who were applying were being rejected. I don't think I saw a single person get accepted (but it is an admissions forum, so it only represented a fraction of the population applying). In truth, Yale is not the most highly ranked Epi program, so I've always been surprised by how strict they are with admissions. It's a great school in general, but you're better off applying to schools like Hopkins or Columbia if you want a higher tier Epi program. Pitt and Tulane are also wonderful programs!

I'll keep looking at admissions forums for ideas, then. Thanks for the help!
 
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