schools realistic for stats?

As long as your GPA is above the minimum the schools absolutely require, I think this is a reasonable list of schools. It's a good mix of more-competitive and less-competitive programs. You might not get into every single one (though you would almost certainly be accepted at some), but I don't think you'd be out of the running off the bat anywhere. Sorry I can't be more specific, but admissions decisions are quirky enough, and I'm not psychic enough to prophesy too much about any particular school. Your background will help you stand out, particularly if you intend to pursue mental/cognitive health as a focus of your epidemiological research. Even if not, it's still great experience, showing that you have a capacity for research and for statistics, both of which are good to see in a prospective epidemiologist! Just try to get letters of recommendation from people who know you well, and do your best with the personal statement. You should be fine. Good luck!

How good am I for MPH programs?

-got a BS in Bio and anthropology
-I have a 3.34 GPA from a 1st tier/2nd tier borderline school
-did HORRRRRILBE on the GREs, as I had less than a month to study and had just recovered from sickness a week prior to exam!!! Got 440V and 630M. I'm retaking them since I know i got at least a 1230 on practice exams (which i heard were harder).
-1 abstract publication for American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
-1 conference presentation for (AFFS)
-2 manuscripts under review for publication-- 1 for American Journal of Forensic Science and the other for Journal of Human Evolution
-working for the last two months at MD Anderson Cancer Center as an Assistant Epidemiologist in the Clinical Cancer Genetics Unit.

Should I retake the GREs??? I really don't have time since apps are due feb 1st!

Am I good enough to apply to these schools:
columbia, emory, univ michigan, univ of chicago, ut-houston, tulane, gw, ucla?

HELP MEEEEE!!

cyperalz said:

How good am I for MPH programs?

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Breathe! Breathe! lets take this one at a time..

-got a BS in Bio and anthropology
-I have a 3.34 GPA from a 1st tier/2nd tier borderline school

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Good! don't see any "problems" there. moving right along..

-did HORRRRRILBE on the GREs...Got 440V and 630M. I'm retaking them..

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Stop right there! Why are you re-taking them? 1000+ is not a bad score, for crying out loud! and, believe it or not, your scores don't count for much! i know people with scores like yours who have gotten into some great schools. anyhow..

-1 abstract publication for American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
-1 conference presentation for (AFFS)
-2 manuscripts under review for publication-- 1 for American Journal of Forensic Science and the other for Journal of Human Evolution

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..and you are worried?! dude, seriously! i haven't gotten any research experience to speak of, let alone presentations/publications..and trust me, this means a lot more than your GRE scores. I'm not saying this is everything, or that GRE Scores are nothing, just that there are other things the admissions committees look at..like "did you get your application in on time?" i would be spending more time thinking about how to tie in the forensics and anthropology experiences with your desire to go for an MPH - the core of your personal statement.

-working for the last two months at MD Anderson Cancer Center as an Assistant Epidemiologist in the Clinical Cancer Genetics Unit.

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WTF!! better stop snivelling!! damn! you are better place than anyone i knew who went the MPH route. what more do you want? why, i ought to smack you upside the head for going into near hysterics regarding your chances..to cut the cr@p- your chances are good. real good.

Should I retake the GREs??? I really don't have time since apps are due feb 1st!

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No. simply put, your app seems quite strong as it is. if you can get the necessary reccos, transcripts and scores into the places you choose by Feb 1st, it will be a miracle..and then there is the Personal Statement. to top it all, you want to spend even more time giving the GRE again, even though it doesn't mean all that much? unless it is an ego issue..or unless you mean to be trying for next year. just get the completed apps in on time, before it is too late to do anything except wait another year..

Am I good enough to apply to these schools:
columbia, emory, univ michigan, univ of chicago, ut-houston, tulane, gw, ucla?

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Not if the deadlines have past. get moving and get those apps in asap!!

HELP MEEEEE!!

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*Smack upside the head*
Just Kidding! Sorry if I sounded a bit mean on this post. your profile looks better than mine, or most people i know who applied with me for MPH. the biggest challenge you face as of now, especially if you want to begin in the fall session is to get your completed apps in on time. think about it. even if you retake the GRE, it will not significantly add to your profile, and will in fact delay your application further. once the deadlines go by, i am sure no program will consider you any more, even if you got brilliant scores this time around. so, my point is, why bother? apply to your best for this coming fall. even if you dont get in (a very slim chance) you can always retake the GREs after you know you have time on your hands..what i would worry about is how you are going to tie in your past work on Forensics and Anthropology with your interest in Public Health..

Good Luck!

LOL you can always count on SDNers for honest advice!

I honestly think both of you sound great for any MPH program. But if you're really freaking out and need to be reassured, apply to Drexel. Not top-tier (yet), but they will give you a great education and great real-world experiences while you're there so you're ready to start working as soon as (and even before!) you graduate. Best of luck!

cyperalz...

Sorry to get back to you late, but the computer ate the message I started to write a couple of days ago...

I agree with uh-oh! on most points - retaking the GRE probably wouldn't buy you much at this point unless you're sure you would do significantly better if you took it again after having more time to study and being less ill. But even if you would, I don't think that that would be what would make or break your application. You'd just be out the $175 or whatever they're charging these days for the test and the several hours it takes to sit for the exam. A really well-thought-out and well-written personal statement would almost certainly make up for a lackluster GRE verbal score.

I also agree with uh-oh! that your experience and publications should show that you have demonstrated the capacity to do well in a research environment.

A couple of caveats: UCLA's deadline is long past, and I could find no evidence of the University of Chicago (private) offering public health training to anyone outside their med school. Were you thinking of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC, public), which has a full school of public health? I think people get them confused a lot, particularly since U of Chicago is known for its med school, so people assume that's where the public health school is. UIC is known for strengths in environmental/occupational health, among other things.

Good luck with everything!

never mind.

You are sooo sweet. Can I email you anytime I'm down even tho it may not be related to public health??? HEHE. Thank you so much for the motivational reply!

Unfortunately, my apps were submitted on feb 2nd- a day after deadlines! don't ask. i have too much on my plate now w/ work, independent research, and class. And i didn't realize just filling out the apps would take me days!

Anyways. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again, I really needed to hear your positive words. You ROCK!

I forgot to mention the way I tied my forensic anth experience to MPH. This may actually help many of you write your personal statement.

Anyway, many have asked me why MPH since I have a great track in forensic anth. Let me say first though that I sincerely want to study public health, even though I have great offers in forensic anth. Also, I tried to answer this question positively by explaining that the great thing about research are its fundamental basics: the design of studies; the collection and analysis of data; the interpretation of empirical findings; and the development and maintenance of these findings in a legal context. With this said, you can see how any experience in professional research will translate well into other fields of research. One just has to first learn the language of the new field.

Thus the technical skills I've gained through my forensic work at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, especially in statistics, have prepared me well to undertake the study of PH, particularly Epi (concentration i've applied for). I sent in a publication to serve as evidence.

For my personal statement--I first elaborated on my interest to study PH (which was sparked by community service for a nonprofit organization that conducted health care in international countries) , then how my forensic experience translates to epi (see above), discussed my experiences at MD Anderson as an Assistant Epi., and finished it off with my interest in infectious diseases (such as AIDS, SARs, etc.) and potential places of employment (I WOULD LOVE TO WORK FOR ORGS LIKE IAVI; check it out at www.iavi.org).

It was much longer than 500 words (like 720 words), but man, 500 words is to o limiting! Anyway, I hope I do well and get admission! I ended up only applying to Columbia, UT Health Science Center at Houston, Emory, Tulane, and GW. I'll keep you guys posted. Good luck to all of you as well.

Sounds like you did a nice job of pulling everything together in a time crunch. Good luck with everything!

So I got into..... *drumrolllllllll*

1. Columbia- Epi
2. UT Health Science Center- Epi

*I also applied to Emory but they say that they NEVER got my transcript and therefore couldn't consider my application! Since I already found out about Columbia, I didn't care to send another transcript!

4. Also I was considering this interesting Human Biology program at University of Indianapolis. They only accept 2 or 3 people a year, and I got in! YAY

Didn't apply to any other schools. But Columbia it is! Am actually considering a transfer to the Population and Family Health Dept from Epi.

But those of you who told me that admission greatly takes into account other things beside GRE scores, you're abs right! As you may recall, my scores were abysmal (1070) !!!!

But a note to prospective applicants: Don't get fooled by my case! Doing well on the GREs is very important. I strongly believe that I only got in due to my publications, conference presentations, and job as an Assistant Epidemiologist. But it's also for these reasons I was so busy and didn't get to study for the GREs and did poorly. And I mentioned this in my application packet, asking admissions to not let my poor GRE scores represent my skills and qualifications (i know it sounds lame, but hey, it was the truth and def brought my special circumstance into light!).

Main point: Even if you do poorly on an exam, as long as you have other substantial evidence of great skills and qualification (ie: work experience, publications, conference presentation, strong volunteer work, etc) then you're good to go. If not, then either work on these things if you have time in college, OR make sure you get awesome scores, OR take a year off and get some work experience.

Can't wait to see Columbia!!!

cyperalz said:

So I got into..... *drumrolllllllll*
1. Columbia- Epi
2. UT Health Science Center- Epi
4. Also I was considering this interesting Human Biology program at University of Indianapolis. They only accept 2 or 3 people a year, and I got in!

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Awesome News!!

Agree with you about the GRE stuff..And, Another moral of your story : things aren't always as bad as they first seem

Well done, and Good Luck!

You rock uhoh!

Anyways so after reading a lot of forums, I came upon one which asked people if they were male or female. Are you male or female? You sound like a male, but a very enthusiastic one!!!

uhoh! said:

Awesome News!!

Agree with you about the GRE stuff..And, Another moral of your story : things aren't always as bad as they first seem

Well done, and Good Luck!

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cyperalz said:

You sound like a male, but a very enthusiastic one!!!

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WTF!!
Male, albeit rather enthusiastic..

Its just nice to see people you kind of root for do well..A pleasant change from the regular shafting life tends to hand out from time to time.

Back to the phobophile me from now on..

I can say that Dartmouth will take jsut about anyone willing to write the check...

Highclimber said:

I can say that Dartmouth will take jsut about anyone willing to write the check...

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is that really true??