Delay UG or graduate?

[Vespasian]

I'd like to get some opinions on my situation. I have two options;

1. Apply to graduate in Fall '14, end UG with a 3.506, BS in PH. Take GRE end of Sept. beginning of Oct., apply for grad school Spring/Summer.

Pros: Less UG debt, potential to begin grad school earlier.
Cons: Take GRE sooner (less studying), slight crunch on LORs, slightly lower GPA.

2. Add a minor, graduate in Spring '15, end UG with a 3.54, BS in PH (Infection Control minor), take GRE toward end of year/beginning of '15. Apply for grad school Summer/Fall.

Pros: More GRE study time, more time to gather LORs, slightly higher GPA.
Cons: Little more UG debt (~$2k more), limited to Summer/Fall admission for grad school.

I'm averaging about a 150-160 on the QR/VR sections. Looking at USF (epi), FSU (MPH), FIU (epi), UF (epi) and Tulane (TM), UGA (epi), and UWF (MPH).

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[WHOdriscoll91]

Honestly I don't think the extra semester would help your already good chances of acceptance to all of those schools. However, waiting to apply in for next fall would open up more options in terms of school. If your a senior now I'd wait that extra semester. In the grand scheme of things 2k isn't really that much.

 

[sak91]

The difference between the two GPAs is so minuscule, that it shouldn't even be considered a pro. I think the fact that you will be in more debt is a reason enough to graduate sooner rather than later...

Also, GRE/GPA don't matter as much in MPH admissions. As long as you have a solid score you'll be fine (and 150-160 is good enough). Admissions is more about relative experience in the public health field. Do you have internships? Research? Volunteer experience? That will all matter a lot more. Personally, i'd graduate early and then use that extra semester to boost up my application by getting a job or doing research or something. Then apply for the fall.

 

[588211]

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[hughesn2]

Your undergraduate minor will mean practically nothing if you get an MPH in that. By the time you apply for jobs once you get your Master's degree those companies may not give a crap about your minor from undergraduate.
Like JQH said, you would be able to find an entry level job or paid internship during that Winter/Spring semester and help with that debt.

I had a lab partner that took all of his credits to get his B.S. degree by the end of his senior year. He was applying to D.O. school and he had already taken his MCAT. When I asked him why he wasn't graduating he said he was going back to get his minor in some interdisciplinary health studies. Then I saw him back in November and was asking if he wanted to go out to the bars with a group of friends before we graduate, assuming that he was graduating in the December semester like me. He then told me that he had one more semester left. It puzzled me because I took my Biochem and Physio classes one whole year after he took his and he was far ahead of me, but he decided to spend $13K extra in tuition simply so he could get a minor. Yes, maybe for him it helped to take some simple classes to raise his GPA for med school. Unless he finished both of those extra semesters with a 3.6 to 3.7 GPA it would be worthless to just to get a minor in something that will mean absolutely nothing at all when he graduates med school.

And for the GRE, it isn't like taking the MCAT where you need at least two months of studying to be prepared. I know friends/classmates who were taking the GRE just for PA school and would take it during the semester and barely studied at all for it and still did well enough to get interviews at several PA schools. For many programs, the GRE is just a requirement and as long as you don't bomb it they barely look at it. This is what I have been told by some counselors up at school.

You also say "Delay UG" like you wouldn't get your Bachelor's Degree, but really it is just that you are graduating.

 

[themmases]

Most schools of public health only accept applications to start in the fall, with the application season opening the fall before. For example, to start class tomorrow I spent September-December 2013 on applications. Some schools accept applications all the way through spring and summer for the following fall, but many close between November and January. The point is, if you're planning on applying in the spring and summer your choices will be pretty thin. You should be sure that schools you want to attend would be taking applications or credit non-degree students at that time, or have a job lined up. Otherwise you won't have much to do graduating in the fall.

On the other hand, work or volunteer experience will probably make more difference to your chances than the difference in your GPA would. You're unlikely to get any funding for an MPH. If you can find a relevant job (or a remunerative job and relevant volunteer work) and like your options for schools still accepting spring/summer applications, then it's worth it to graduate early and work instead. If you find a relevant enough job given your public health major, your employer may even help you pay for an MPH.