MPH in UK

[temp7]

Hi!
I'm hoping to get into an MPH program in 2 / 3 years.
I'm European so it seems to make more sense financially for me to stay in Europe, since scholarships in the US for internationals seem very scarce. So ideally in the UK, in London, at LSHTM . I'm very much drawn towards LSHTM, I like everything I've read about it, and it seems that the other London unis have good public health programs as well.

I'm posting hoping for advice on admissions. I have read the official requirements, but since they are the minimum requirements only I'm not sure how competitive entrance really is. I've heard LSHTM is very competitive.
Is there a place where you can find the stats of previous candidates for LSHTM ? I've seen some for US unis but couldn't find any on LSHTM's website.
I'm also confused regarding the work experience requirements, since they don't state it as a necessary requirement, but i've read that that's one of their main criteria for selecting students and that you need a lot of it... which I don't really have, I only have summer internships, some community service... nowhere near a lot of the things I've read on this forum for example (like published papers during undergrad).
So it's getting me worried, and since I have some time before applying, I was hoping for advice on how to increase my chances. I imagine it's not all about quantity, but is there a minimum amount and type of work experience required to be a suitable candidate for an MPH?
A lot of people seem to have research experience with their professors. It's not something I've heard of where I am, so I'm not sure how to approach them and ask, but it seems like something that I would really benefit from (both personally and for my application!).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

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[temp7]

I forgot to mention I am a pharmacy student with an interest in global health.

 

[wanderlust2013]

I can't be much help I'm afraid, but maybe I can address some of your concerns. LSHTM has a great reputation in the field, and I've heard nothing but good things about the quality of teaching. It is definitely cheaper than US schools (of the same "prestige" anyway, eg. Harvard and Hopkins, although you could definitely find state schools in the US that are cheaper than LSHTM). That being said, the style of teaching/learning in the UK vs. US tends to be very different. The US education style promotes more active learning/classroom engagement/critical thinking throughout the year, whereas I've heard (maybe someone can confirm?) that UK programs are more lecture-based and push all exams to the end of the school year. I personally prefer the US method as a way of retaining knowledge, but most of my European friends are used to the UK style and prefer it. Just something else to think about!

I wouldn't worry about not having publications or years of work experience. I was accepted to LSHTM, and although I've had some work experience, not a lot has been directly in public health. I haven't published research either. I can't tell you the true admissions stats on work experience, but from the admitted students Facebook page, it seems like around 30% are coming straight from undergrad. That could very well be a biased estimate (sorry, I'm epi!) in that younger applicants tend to be on Facebook. I've heard anecdotally that they accept a wide range of applicants, straight from undergrad to many years of experience. You might try emailing the registry to get a better sense of how competitive admissions is.

My hunch is that you could get accepted with a solid enough academic background and some extracurricular volunteer experience that's related to your field of interest. They do take seriously the statement of purpose, so definitely spend time tailoring that to your program and explain why the degree is needed to get you where you want to go. I know the essays are read by program directors, as I had someone reach out to me asking for clarification on a few points.

Sorry for the lengthy response, but hopefully this can also help future applicants who are interested in the school! It's so hard to get information...

 

[temp7]

I can't be much help I'm afraid, but maybe I can address some of your concerns. LSHTM has a great reputation in the field, and I've heard nothing but good things about the quality of teaching. It is definitely cheaper than US schools (of the same "prestige" anyway, eg. Harvard and Hopkins, although you could definitely find state schools in the US that are cheaper than LSHTM). That being said, the style of teaching/learning in the UK vs. US tends to be very different. The US education style promotes more active learning/classroom engagement/critical thinking throughout the year, whereas I've heard (maybe someone can confirm?) that UK programs are more lecture-based and push all exams to the end of the school year. I personally prefer the US method as a way of retaining knowledge, but most of my European friends are used to the UK style and prefer it. Just something else to think about!

I wouldn't worry about not having publications or years of work experience. I was accepted to LSHTM, and although I've had some work experience, not a lot has been directly in public health. I haven't published research either. I can't tell you the true admissions stats on work experience, but from the admitted students Facebook page, it seems like around 30% are coming straight from undergrad. That could very well be a biased estimate (sorry, I'm epi!) in that younger applicants tend to be on Facebook. I've heard anecdotally that they accept a wide range of applicants, straight from undergrad to many years of experience. You might try emailing the registry to get a better sense of how competitive admissions is.

My hunch is that you could get accepted with a solid enough academic background and some extracurricular volunteer experience that's related to your field of interest. They do take seriously the statement of purpose, so definitely spend time tailoring that to your program and explain why the degree is needed to get you where you want to go. I know the essays are read by program directors, as I had someone reach out to me asking for clarification on a few points.

Sorry for the lengthy response, but hopefully this can also help future applicants who are interested in the school! It's so hard to get information...

Thank you for your reply!
I am glad to hear that undergraduates are accepted.

Since I would pay home (EU) fees in the UK and international in the US, I figured it would be much cheaper than most schools in the US (I'm actually an international on both continents, but qualify for EU fees). The US teaching style does appeal to me more, but I am used to the European one so I should manage.

I think I would enjoy a job with a lot of travelling because I grew up that way. My ideal setting would be UN, WHO, CDC type jobs, or similar smaller scale governmental organizations. I speak several languages and enjoy multicultural environments. Would you say LSHTM would be a good fit in regards to this, and a good choice to aim for?
Also, do you know if the MPH course in surrounding universities (Imperial, Kings) are as competitive or less ? Would they be good 2nd, 3rd choices ? Is there a big gap between them and LSHTM reputation-wise ? How do they compare to US unis ?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for your reply

 

[IntriguedStudent]

Thank you for your reply!
I am glad to hear that undergraduates are accepted.

Since I would pay home (EU) fees in the UK and international in the US, I figured it would be much cheaper than most schools in the US (I'm actually an international on both continents, but qualify for EU fees). The US teaching style does appeal to me more, but I am used to the European one so I should manage.

I think I would enjoy a job with a lot of travelling because I grew up that way. My ideal setting would be UN, WHO, CDC type jobs, or similar smaller scale governmental organizations. I speak several languages and enjoy multicultural environments. Would you say LSHTM would be a good fit in regards to this, and a good choice to aim for?
Also, do you know if the MPH course in surrounding universities (Imperial, Kings) are as competitive or less ? Would they be good 2nd, 3rd choices ? Is there a big gap between them and LSHTM reputation-wise ? How do they compare to US unis ?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for your reply

As I'm a US student, I can't speak much to the UK. I'll try to provide the input that I can, though! US and UK teaching styles are definitely very different. However, LSHTM has a great reputation and is considered to be one of the top, if not the top, schools of public health in the world. If you have the chance to go there, I'd definitely suggest you do so. And as you said, it would be relatively inexpensive for you. Considering your interests, I think that LSHTM would be a very good fit.

Although I do not know much about the public health programs in the surrounding universities, I will say that both Imperial and Kings have excellent reputations in general. However, you should really be looking at fit rather than reputation. Look at each program independently to figure out if they offer the coursework/specializations that you're interested in. It's great to go to a school with a reputation like LSHTM, but you need to consider how it will help you meet your career goals.