MPH QUESTIONS for Fall 2015!

[sphinx945]

Hey all,

I have a couple (couple?? Lot!) of questions regarding public health, the degree, procedure and what not and I am sure so do many of you out there. I am starting this thread so that we can help each other out and clear any misconceptions or doubts whatsoever.

Bring it on here, and let's have them answered - for a flawless application procedure!

Thanks!

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[sphinx945]

I have done my undergrad in Biotech (4 years) after which a post-graduation diploma in cellular and molecular diagnostics (1 year). Currently interning at a pharmaceutical company's biotech division as an R&D intern with the Analytical Development Team (6 months), and have no other previous health related experience.

I was wondering if this internship would be counted as experience while being considered for admissions into top public health schools, such as JHU (MSPH), Emory, UCB, Tulane, UMich, U of Minnesota? I have taken MOOC classes in Epi and Biostats (1 each) and done reasonably well on them(95%+). Would not having a real public health work or voluntary experience be a drawback? Some of these courses mention that they accept fresh undergrads or students looking to change/start their career in public health.

I am looking to concentrate in either Epi or Biostats, or a combination of the two as offered by UCB (MPH epi/Biostats).

Please help and advice me on how I could make my profile more favourable!

Thanks!

 

[Fedaykin]

Are you applying PhD or MS level?

 

[Pdesai8]

I have done my undergrad in Biotech (4 years) after which a post-graduation diploma in cellular and molecular diagnostics (1 year). Currently interning at a pharmaceutical company's biotech division as an R&D intern with the Analytical Development Team (6 months), and have no other previous health related experience.

I was wondering if this internship would be counted as experience while being considered for admissions into top public health schools, such as JHU (MSPH), Emory, UCB, Tulane, UMich, U of Minnesota? I have taken MOOC classes in Epi and Biostats (1 each) and done reasonably well on them(95%+). Would not having a real public health work or voluntary experience be a drawback? Some of these courses mention that they accept fresh undergrads or students looking to change/start their career in public health.

I am looking to concentrate in either Epi or Biostats, or a combination of the two as offered by UCB (MPH epi/Biostats).

Please help and advice me on how I could make my profile more favourable!

Thanks!

You should be fine if you're applying to epi/biostats concentrations. Those programs often admit students straight from undergrad. Unlike Health policy & mgt which usually requires a few years of work experience.

 

[inupdateeve]

agree,Those programs often admit students straight from undergrad. Unlike Health policy & mgt which usually requires a few years of work experience.thanks

 

[sphinx945]

Are you applying PhD or MS level?

Master's level for now.

Also I took the gee and managed to get just a 301 (V:148, Q: 153, AWA:4). I want to get into one of the above mentioned schools, and it is too late to retake the GRE now. What should I do?

 

[Fedaykin]

Master's level for now.

Also I took the gee and managed to get just a 301 (V:148, Q: 153, AWA:4). I want to get into one of the above mentioned schools, and it is too late to retake the GRE now. What should I do?

First, sign up for the first GRE date you can sign up for. You can always cancel later if it turns out to be too late. Are you sure it's too late? MS acceptances usually start in late winter/early spring. How far out is the GRE booked?

Anyway, it's about the right time to contact programs and start courtship rituals. Let them know who you are, say you want more info about their program, ask if you're competitive given GPA/GRE/anything else compelling on your application. If your GRE isn't competitive, they'll let you know and there's nothing you can reasonably do short of retaking it and getting a better score. GREs are usually a very hard cutoff- no one cares how high or underneath the cutoff you are, just which side of it you're on.

 

[NeurosciTMS]

Master's level for now.

Also I took the gee and managed to get just a 301 (V:148, Q: 153, AWA:4). I want to get into one of the above mentioned schools, and it is too late to retake the GRE now. What should I do?

I personally didn't have too much "public health" experience other than a year long epidemiological research internship (three months of the research was conducted abroad). I did, however, have a lot of biomedical science research as an undergraduate and took a gap year to participate in AmeriCorps. I think I had good research experiences, but most importantly, I was able to articulate why public health is essential to my career goals as a future physician investigator. I think your GRE scores can hurt you especially if you are applying to top schools of public health. I took the MCAT and scored HORRIBLY on the verbal section, however my science scores were pretty decent which apparently demonstrated that I was capable of succeeding in epidemiology. There is a thread on SDN about 2014 MPH applicants. Maybe you can get a better sense of where you stand in terms of your grades/scores and experiences from it.

If you can't take the GRE, then I would make sure the other parts of your application are stellar (letters of recommendation from people who know you and a well written statement of purpose). I would also recommend applying as early as possible. I applied in September for SOPHAS and was complete in early October for Johns Hopkins since they have a separate application if you are applying to a non-MPH masters program. I didn't hear back from Hopkins for about 5 months, but it was well worth the wait.

 

[andrean930]

What does a qualified candidate look like to top MPH schools? I've done my research, and have ruled out John Hopkins, UNC, and Harvard since it requires a higher degree. On the other hand, I still want to apply to Columbia, Drexel, NYU, UC Berkley, and Rutgers (I'm from NJ, this is my safety).

I graduated in May 2013 from a local school with a BA in Biology and Writing with a GPA of 3.8. I was a active member in the Biology Club, Community Service Club, and volunteered at local food drives on my own. I'm planning on taking the GREs in October, and I've received 164 Quantitative, 157 Verbal, and 4.8 Writing. I have worked for two years as a full-time Research Assistant at an urban hospital focusing on quality improvements in the NICU and am coordinating a study associated with Columbia University's Nurture Science Program.

Will I be a good candidate for the listed schools? What else should I do to boost my application?

Also, I've contacted the head of my local DoH for volunteer experience. I'm still awaiting a response for him.

 

[Pdesai8]

I think you would be a good candidate for most MPH programs. Hopkins has an 11-month MPH program which requires a min of 2 years work experience OR a professional degree, so you can apply to that. JHU is a very research heavy school which seems to go well with your background.

Regarding UC Berkeley, depends on the concentration. I don't think you'd be a great fit for the health policy and management (hpm) concentration (the one I'm in). While the HPM officially only requires 2 years of experience, that really is the bare minimum and most of my colleagues have at least 4 years of experience if not more . Also it's a small concentration..only 10 of us, so it is very competitive. Berkeley puts more value on work experience than academic. However, other concentrations here (like health and social behavior) may be a better fit as there is not as much of a work experience emphasis.

 

[jbs125]

Can anyone fill me in on the "courtship" rituals involved in applying to an MPH program? What should I be doing other than simply filling out my application, getting my letters, and studying for the GRE?

 

[Pdesai8]

Can anyone fill me in on the "courtship" rituals involved in applying to an MPH program? What should I be doing other than simply filling out my application, getting my letters, and studying for the GRE?

I would suggest reaching out and asking them to put you in touch with a current student. Also, visiting and speaking with the admissions or student services office if you can. I met with the Diversity office when I was visiting and I found out later that they told the admissions committee to look for my name when they came across my application...and I'm pretty sure ended up getting a 20k diversity scholarship because of that!

 

[jbs125]

Thanks for the heads up! Any tips on how to do this electronically if I'm far from campus?

 

[tasoylatte]

I had the same background as you (working primarily in quality control and R&D for biotech/pharma companies) and got into most of the MPH programs I applied for. Since my work was in microbiology and I was interested in infectious diseases I applied to programs that had faculty working on different infectious disease research and programs.

I agree with the above - if you can't take your GREs again make sure you have strong LORs and shape your statement of purpose to explain why your current experiences lend well to studying epidemiology and biostatistics. Working in biotech/pharma can be considered as public health experience - you just need to write your LORs to reflect that.