UCLA MPH Class of 2012 Thread

Jojo84 said:

Hello all

After seeing the Yale thread I thought I'd go ahead and post a UCLA thread for all the future Bruin MPHers... I thought it might be nice to see how many people decided on UCLA, and to find out with whom I might be working for the next 2 years! Feel free to talk about anything on this thread, be it financial aid or how to get a jumpstart on biostats practice...

Incidentally, I have a question of my own: when I submitted my intent to register with UCLA, they never said anything about a deposit. But I also didn't get any correspondence talking about a deposit waiver. I emailed the UCLA SPH, but no one has gotten back to me. Anyone know what's going on? I want to make sure my seat is there come September!

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I'm also going to UCLA - in the Health Services track. I'm very excited to move back to California this summer!

UCLA waved its deposit this year, so you should be fine as long as you filled out the intent to enroll form. It felt a little weird to not pay a deposit so i know what you're feeling. After I filled out the intent to enroll, I was able to create a log-in for My UCLA and get an official UCLA email address which made me feel more confident that I had done it right.

Hope that helps!

yey thanks for starting a thread! I was kind of nervous because i thought no one would respond if i created one.

In any case, I'm excited to join the health policy and management group this september

Jojo84 said:

Do any of you find it strange that the Grad Division Orientation is on the 17th of September, followed by the Public Health Orientation on the 21st, and the first day of classes on the 23rd? They don't give us much time to enroll in classes, do they!? I remember having my orientation for UCLA undergrad in July! Hopefully we'll get the classes we need... I'm sure they know what they're doing though! HAHA!

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Where did you get info about orientation? I'm trying to figure out when I need to move out there, but I haven't heard anything yet.

I got in Environmental Health. =)

I'm also a little nervous because I haven't gotten any additional information after completing the SIR. But I suppose it's still early yet.

I've been spending my days looking at scholarships and fellowships and housing.

See you all in September!

UCLA take a while to get things out the door. Orientation isn't super healthful, but you'll start to meet people, and at least see a few of the profs speak. Congrats everyone! If anyone has any questions about the program, ask away and I'll see what I can answer.

Whaddup peeps... I'm in Epi.

As for the classes, I'm not too worried about registering... I'm sure I'll take what I need at some point.

Looking forward to the fall!

Registering isn't a big deal. You normally get a time window which tells you when to go online and register for classes. not such a big deal, as you basically have no choice what you take the first quarter. Normal enrollment is towards the end of the prior quarter, something like a month or so before.

Haven't taken any i. disease stuff but I'd assume the difficult varies. There are classes like "Aids in the 21st Century" or "Viral STD Pathogenesis" (both names made up, but similar classes actually exist, just don't know names off the top of my head) and they would clearly have different styles of teaching.

Any other questions?

Your assigned advisor ( for mph programs) is basically to help you with classes, and if possible, to do research with. Some people do research with their advisor, but many ( including myself) don't. I do research with another prof. For PhD programs, people work directly with their advisor on research. No pubs here, but still trying....

More questions! =) This time I thought to post here in case anyone else was curious.

I know during the summer MPH'ers are required/encouraged to do an internship correct? What about winter/spring breaks? Are we free to enjoy the break or do most people work/intern/research?

And I got an email about the Industrial Hygienist program. What's your take on the it? Is it impacted with students because of the covered tuition/stipend? I did a little reading and don't think it's the route I want to go, but I wanted to hear someone else's opinion.

And hearing back so late, I dropped the ball and missed many grant/fellowship deadlines. Off the top of your head do you know of any still accepting? I've done some GRAPE searching and general online stuff, but anything else would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much!

does anyone know what kind of time commitment studying will be? I'm trying to psychologically prep myself

Hi
congrats to those of you who got accepted. i have a quick questions, if you guys don't mind, may i ask what were you guys GPA when you guys applied and what's the average GPA for public health school?
thank you very much

mine was a 3.3

mine was 3.7, the average is 3.58 according UCLA's school of Public Health website

Lot of questions, see if I can answer them all:

IH program- seems really great, if that is what you're interested in. I know basically everyone ( literally, was at their student meeting) who is in the program and it's a great group. They work very hard the first year, but the second year it fairly relaxed. The profs involved are also top notch.

Internship- for MPHers ( Required), done typically in the summer between years, although some become longer. You're basically free to chose anywhere but it will have to be approved. Internship is done in 1 block, as if you were working on the job.

As far as studying, it varies a lot based on the person and the class. Some classes require only an hour or so of reading a week, and then a day before the midterm, others require crazy amount. One class I took I studied basically everyday for an hour, and did 30 hours of studying in 3 days prior to the midterm... A lot of it depends on if you're trying to pass, or ace everything. Expect to be assigned more work than you can accomplish ( so don't be disappointed), and tons and tons of reading.

Does any of that help?

Very helpful! THanks behealthy

Hey all, I plan to apply to UCLA and had a few questions, mainly I'm curious what drew you to your choice of concentrations? All of the programs seem great! I saw that there was even a global health training program (certification) available in addition of MPH programs.

I did remember seeing in the acceptance threads that a few SDN members had applied for one, and their applications ended up being forwarded to a different department, such as Environmental Health Sciences or Community Health. Did that happen to any of you? I think I remember only two posts mentioning it.

It happened to me. I went from EPI->EHS. Basically, you need to just go with what you're interested in. Running a small clinic-> maybe CHS? Genetics/cancer/modeling->EPI. I'm interested in understanding exposures and health but I didn't understand EHS when I applied. Luckily, they were smart enough to switch me, and I can't be any happier!

is anyone planning on vanpooling? I live about an hour away, way too far to drive, but too close to consider on-site housing. Is anyone planning on considering vanpooling? And does anyone know if this would be permissible given the schedule of the MPH track? I'm not sure if there will be regular early or late classes in which I won't be able to come in at a set time of say 8:00am and leave at 5:00pm.

any information on this would be awesome!

Classes vary a lot, but I don't think there are 8 am classes ( I've never heard of one...). My schedule for those interested is

Tu- 9-12, 1-3pm
Wed 9-12
Th 1-3pm 4:30-7:30pm

but last quarter I had 12-4 m/w/f, and 10-12 tu/th

So schedule can vary a lot. An hour commute each way? I hope you're good at working in the car or like being miserable.

Hey guys, congrats on your acceptance! I'm a graduating MPH in Health Services, specialized in Management, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Since several of you are HS, this should help...

First of all, correspondence: You won't get much. Prepare to be living in LA and ready to be on campus for orientations and whatnot at least one week before the first day of class. In HS, you will get an email mid-summer telling you exactly which classes to enroll in for Fall quarter. In HS, one of your four may vary based on whether you choose Policy or Management to specialize in. Several of the required courses are changing this year, so I'm not sure exactly what your list will be, but likely Intro to Health Services 200A, Biostats 100A, Intro to Policy or Organizations and Management, Microecon. At the departmental orientation, they'll show you how to pick classes for the rest of the next 2 years. Only a handful of classes fill up completely, and they are great about getting you in if you need it, so do not worry about enrollment. DO worry about paying your tuition and completing your quarterly data sheets on time! They WILL put a hold on your record/drop your classes if you fail to be prompt. Proactively print your syllabuses (syllabi, if you prefer haha) and look prepared to make the best first impression - it counts! Make friends with Roxy Naranjo, the Student Affairs Officer - she can be super helpful.

Prepare yourselves early on for the fact that very few of you will EVER get ALL your reading done. You'll learn to prioritize certain books/certain classes/certain readings, because you'll ALWAYS have too much. Printing lecture slides ahead of time (I probably don't need to tell you this) is a huge help in many classes, 100% of my classmates do this now. Prepare yourselves to drop $300-500 per quarter on books - Health Sciences bookstore does price-matching with websites like Amazon.com if you bring in a print-out of the webpage. Sharing certain books or checking if they're in the library are great alternatives.

Those of you in HS, you'll get a 2nd year student assigned as a mentor, which you'll receive emails about in August or September. They probably have great resources (used books, old exams, old papers, old posters, old class readers filled with notes) and should be happy to share with you, as I did with my mentee. This year's 1st year class is a great bunch that I've gotten to know, be sure to get to know them and use them for advice!

Internships are a minimum 10 week requirement, 40 hrs/week. You'll get a fair amount of help from the department hearing about opportunities and interviews, but the best thing you can do is ask the 2nd years early on about their experiences. If any interest you, ask them to set you up with informational interviews/coffee/lunch with them and their boss. Saves you a lot of trouble come crunch time! Other breaks/vacations are yours to do what you wish (and are long since finals are often earlier than finals week, i.e. 1.5 weeks for spring break, 3 weeks for winter).

Finally, be warned, I personally was shocked at the amount of work I had during my first year. I was a molecular bio major at UCLA, and I'd say I spent more than twice as much time studying during my MPH as I did then. You'll have more midterms and papers than you think you can handle. You won't sleep much, unless you have ZERO social life. Tools to take advantage of: professor office hours (most of them are MUCH more helpful than they appear to be at first glance), TA office hours (some are more helpful than others), Graduate Reading Room (8th floor of the Biomed Library, has computers/wifi and plugs/macbooks you can borrow, study rooms, food/drinks allowed, armchairs for when you get sleepy and need a nap). Comfort yourselves with the thought that 2nd year WILL be easier, and after that you'll make a great salary

Oh, and pick up a season ticket package for the home football and basketball games over the summer, when they email the offer to you! We had a blast tailgating with everyone this past year, and students who bonded with the 2nd years earlier definitely got more help finding internships, etc...

Congrats again, especially if you actually finished this entire rambling message!

Hi everyone.

I was accepted by the EH&S MPH at UCLA and will be attending this coming Fall.

I'm assuming some others here have gotten the email about the Industrial Hygiene program?


Is this midterm time at UCLA?

Hi guys!

I'm an entering Epi public health student, and i am currently looking for a clean and courteous girl roommate who wants to live in westwood close to campus (i might consider south of wilshire if all else fails) Please get in touch with me if you are interested. I'm excited to start school, and to meet everyone, go UCLA!

IH is a great program, but tons of work.

(EDITED)

has anyone received their eFAN yet? Or know when we should receive it?

Has anybody heard anything about getting a campus parking permit? I have heard that parking at UCLA is kind of a nightmare...

i just saw the notice on the financial aid page that eFANs are going out mid-july!

Hi all!

I've been lurking this thread for a while and finally decided to post.

I will be attending UCLA for the MPH in Epi (lifelong dream to go there) in the fall and had some questions, mainly concerning housing.

I am very new to renting. Is it a bad idea to rent an apartment without ever visiting it? I am from Illinois and would love to not waste a ton of money going back out there (I attended the open house). Also, I understand that UCLA grad housing is a long shot, but I applied anyways to Weyburn Terrace and the other grad apartments off campus. If I haven't been notified yet should I assume I didn't get one?

Also, when should I start trying to get an apartment? I've looked extensively at the vacant listings on the community housing website, but it seems a little too early to start applying because there isn't that many listings available in mid September.

Palms seems to be the cheapest area, is it an OK area?

Also, what happens if I get an internship that is not in LA? I don't know if I will do one, but I am just wondering how it would work with my apartment?

If anyone knows anything concerning these topics it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

Ohboy360 said:

Hi all!

I've been lurking this thread for a while and finally decided to post.

I will be attending UCLA for the MPH in Epi (lifelong dream to go there) in the fall and had some questions, mainly concerning housing.

I am very new to renting. Is it a bad idea to rent an apartment without ever visiting it? I am from Illinois and would love to not waste a ton of money going back out there (I attended the open house). Also, I understand that UCLA grad housing is a long shot, but I applied anyways to Weyburn Terrace and the other grad apartments off campus. If I haven't been notified yet should I assume I didn't get one?

Also, when should I start trying to get an apartment? I've looked extensively at the vacant listings on the community housing website, but it seems a little too early to start applying because there isn't that many listings available in mid September.

Palms seems to be the cheapest area, is it an OK area?

Also, what happens if I get an internship that is not in LA? I don't know if I will do one, but I am just wondering how it would work with my apartment?

If anyone knows anything concerning these topics it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

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Hi! I went to UCLA for undergrad and lived in the Palms area my senior year. During my stay, I found that a lot of grad students lived there - one of my o-chem TA's lived just down the street from me! I liked the area a lot because it was fairly quiet and close to major grocery stores and the Super 12 Blue Bus line that runs directly to campus. Even though I enjoyed the neighborhood, I thoroughly hated my landlord and the apartment I lived in. To sum things up, we had a flea infestation and gas leak to deal with once we moved in. I admit it was partly our fault for not doing enough research, but still!

So, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting before signing or having a friend in the area check out the place for you, especially if the complex is fairly small and/or you've found it on Craigslist or something. As for when to look, I'd say early to mid-July should be fine.

Hope this helps!

dsrt said:

Hi! I went to UCLA for undergrad and lived in the Palms area my senior year. During my stay, I found that a lot of grad students lived there - one of my o-chem TA's lived just down the street from me! I liked the area a lot because it was fairly quiet and close to major grocery stores and the Super 12 Blue Bus line that runs directly to campus. Even though I enjoyed the neighborhood, I thoroughly hated my landlord and the apartment I lived in. To sum things up, we had a flea infestation and gas leak to deal with once we moved in. I admit it was partly our fault for not doing enough research, but still!

So, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting before signing or having a friend in the area check out the place for you, especially if the complex is fairly small and/or you've found it on Craigslist or something. As for when to look, I'd say early to mid-July should be fine.

Hope this helps!

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Thanks for the input! I may have to visit, because I don't know anyone west of the Mississippi. Lol. It is good to know that Palms is a fairly nice area. I was worried the rent was lower there for a reason. I don't need a super nice apartment, but one without a flea infestation would be desirable. Lol. Also, thanks for letting me know when to start my search.

Ohboy360 said:

Thanks for the input! I may have to visit, because I don't know anyone west of the Mississippi. Lol. It is good to know that Palms is a fairly nice area. I was worried the rent was lower there for a reason. I don't need a super nice apartment, but one without a flea infestation would be desirable. Lol. Also, thanks for letting me know when to start my search.

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No prob. Btw, I realized I wrote "early to mid-July." I should have written "early to mid-August" if you're planning to move in September. Good luck!

dsrt said:

No prob. Btw, I realized I wrote "early to mid-July." I should have written "early to mid-August" if you're planning to move in September. Good luck!

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Ok early August it is. I am just paranoid because I'm scared I won't be able to find something and school will be starting and I will have nowhere to live. Lol. So I've been worrying about it too early, apparently.

Any CHSers out there?

You gotta look at an apartment before you rent it. If you're a bit clever, you can line up a bunch of places to see before you fly in, and spend 3 days searching and get a place asap. Might even be able to get preapproved, so all you do is show and, say you like it, and boom, it's yours. I would use westside rentals, not craigslist. (No way affiliated).

Palms, West Hollywood, Brentwood, West LA, Santa Monica, Culver City- the places you want to live.

behealthy said:

You gotta look at an apartment before you rent it. If you're a bit clever, you can line up a bunch of places to see before you fly in, and spend 3 days searching and get a place asap. Might even be able to get preapproved, so all you do is show and, say you like it, and boom, it's yours. I would use westside rentals, not craigslist. (No way affiliated).

Palms, West Hollywood, Brentwood, West LA, Santa Monica, Culver City- the places you want to live.

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Thanks for the info! I was very weary of craigslist anyways, but I will look into Westside Rentals. I am trying to find a place slightly under 1000 bucks a month. I don't need a large place or a super nice one. Lol. I need to survive off the 19,000 UCLA gives for housing, though, and a lot of the places I've seen are like 1300 bucks a month.

Hi guys!

Congrats to all of you who got in! I had a few questions if you don't mind me asking, I was looking at the UCLA website and saw most mph are 60 units long, does that translate into a yr or more than a year to complete the program? and how competitive would you say it is to get into an mph program in CA?

I was wondering because I wanted to see if it would be a good option to consider before applying to medical school. My undergrad degree was in public health, but I changed so late into the cycle I feel like I didn't get to absorb as much as I wanted to from it.

Oh and last question, when mph programs ask for work experience, what exactly does that include? I feel at a loss when it comes to work experience. I've volunteered in hospitals, clinics, and a research lab, but it wasn't very "public health" oriented, at least from the idea I have of what ph work experience should be.

Anyway, if you could let me know I would really appreciate it

Thank you!

Mzeep said:

Hi guys!

Congrats to all of you who got in! I had a few questions if you don't mind me asking, I was looking at the UCLA website and saw most mph are 60 units long, does that translate into a yr or more than a year to complete the program? and how competitive would you say it is to get into an mph program in CA?

I was wondering because I wanted to see if it would be a good option to consider before applying to medical school. My undergrad degree was in public health, but I changed so late into the cycle I feel like I didn't get to absorb as much as I wanted to from it.

Oh and last question, when mph programs ask for work experience, what exactly does that include? I feel at a loss when it comes to work experience. I've volunteered in hospitals, clinics, and a research lab, but it wasn't very "public health" oriented, at least from the idea I have of what ph work experience should be.

Anyway, if you could let me know I would really appreciate it

Thank you!

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For what it is worth, I got in at UCLA and had literally no public health experience. I was a biology major and worked in a molecular evolution lab and got some good letters of recommendation from them, though. So you already are ahead of me in public health experience with your public health major and volunteer work.

I know that I was blown away by those at the open house, however. Many are already MDs and several others had been to Africa and such. I felt a little intimidated, to be honest. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Mzeep said:

Hi guys!

Congrats to all of you who got in! I had a few questions if you don't mind me asking, I was looking at the UCLA website and saw most mph are 60 units long, does that translate into a yr or more than a year to complete the program? and how competitive would you say it is to get into an mph program in CA?

I was wondering because I wanted to see if it would be a good option to consider before applying to medical school. My undergrad degree was in public health, but I changed so late into the cycle I feel like I didn't get to absorb as much as I wanted to from it.

Oh and last question, when mph programs ask for work experience, what exactly does that include? I feel at a loss when it comes to work experience. I've volunteered in hospitals, clinics, and a research lab, but it wasn't very "public health" oriented, at least from the idea I have of what ph work experience should be.

Anyway, if you could let me know I would really appreciate it

Thank you!

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I had very little public health experience and i got into UCLA. I was a psychology major in undergrad and worked for a professor that did some public health research, but none of the projects that I worked on with her were directly related to public health. Since graduating I have worked at a non-profit that runs professional development seminars for journalists, some of which are on public health topics.

If you can explain how your experience has lead you to want to pursue a graduate degree in public health from UCLA, that is what matters.