A Little guidance would be grand

[HeMustBeMagic]

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Hey guys so here is my situation,

I'm a student who wants to go down the path of an MPH in global health (for sure) but I'm not sure after that if I'll get my PhD, DrPH or just stick with my MPH. I know I want to teach as an adjunct professor, and I want to work for a NGO or government organization in regards to infectious diseases...but I digress. My school is not very MPH centric. I told my adviser I wanted to do an MPH and he was like 'um, what is that?'. Anyway, I kinda need some help with some school suggestions...schools you guys think I can get into, can't get into, schools that are a waste of time applying for, etc.

My stats are
African American Male
GPA: 3.46 GPA
Major GPA: 3.8
Degree: Psychology (B.A.) with clinical and developmental concentrations
Honors: Honors Society Member, Thesis Presentation at Conference, 1 3rd author published neuroscience paper
GRE: (v) 165, (q) 161, (a), 4.5
Additional: 1 summer in a Social psychology lab (Northeastern), 3 semesters in a neuroscience lab
Study Abroad 6 weeks working with an AIDS Foundation in France, 4 weeks working in a clinic in Dominican Republic
Recommendations (I have 4 and thinking of cutting the last one): Supervisor at the amfAR, Neuroscience Research Supervisor, Dominican Republic Supervisor, Social Science Lab Supervisor)

Thoughts? Thanks a lot!

NOTE: Some schools i'm considering are:
Boston University [Global Health Focus]
NYU [global health focus]
Georgetown [global]
Duke [global]
GWU [Global]
Emory [Global Health]
USF [MSPH or PHD}
Vanderbuilt [MPH – Global]
Yale [MPH – Global]
University of Colorado [Global]

 

[364462]

Hey guys so here is my situation,

I'm a student who wants to go down the path of an MPH in global health (for sure) but I'm not sure after that if I'll get my PhD, DrPH or just stick with my MPH. I know I want to teach as an adjunct professor, and I want to work for a NGO or government organization in regards to infectious diseases...but I digress. My school is not very MPH centric. I told my adviser I wanted to do an MPH and he was like 'um, what is that?'. Anyway, I kinda need some help with some school suggestions...schools you guys think I can get into, can't get into, schools that are a waste of time applying for, etc.

My stats are
African American Male
GPA: 3.46 GPA
Major GPA: 3.8
Degree: Psychology (B.A.) with clinical and developmental concentrations
Honors: Honors Society Member, Thesis Presentation at Conference, 1 3rd author published neuroscience paper
GRE: (v) 165, (q) 161, (a), 4.5
Additional: 1 summer in a Social psychology lab (Northeastern), 3 semesters in a neuroscience lab
Study Abroad 6 weeks working with an AIDS Foundation in France, 4 weeks working in a clinic in Dominican Republic
Recommendations (I have 4 and thinking of cutting the last one): Supervisor at the amfAR, Neuroscience Research Supervisor, Dominican Republic Supervisor, Social Science Lab Supervisor)

Thoughts? Thanks a lot!

NOTE: Some schools i'm considering are:
Boston University [Global Health Focus]
NYU [global health focus]
Georgetown [global]
Duke [global]
GWU [Global]
Emory [Global Health]
USF [MSPH or PHD}
Vanderbuilt [MPH – Global]
Yale [MPH – Global]
University of Colorado [Global]

That's a long list - and a lot of application fees. I would narrow it down to 5, maybe 7 at most. With additional info gathering (e.g., talking w/ current students, talking w/ professors, looking closely at the curriculum, etc.), there will really only be a handful of schools that meet your criteria, both personally and professionally.

From your list Yale, Emory, and to a lesser extent, BU have excellent global health programs. The others are adequate, but if you are going to fork over a whole lot of money for your education, "adequate" is not the way to go. I would add Columbia to the list. Despite its storied name, Columbia is not a difficult program to get into it. And if you want to be daring, try Harvard's MSPH. Also, if you are willing to go west of the Rockies, both UCLA and Berkeley have respectable global health programs, though the ones noted earlier will have a stronger curriculum in that regard.

Good luck!

 

[codym]

Your GRE scores are great! I definitely agree with the above poster on applying to Emory, Yale and Harvard. Good luck!

 

[HeMustBeMagic]

okay i'll certainly check out Columbia, thanks!

What about Georgetown? How does it rank on the list of things you said. This list all started because of Georgetowns program which i honestly fell in love with, which started me expanding the list. I'm not tied to any one location so I'll certainly look at UCLA and Berkeley.

Is Duke not a 'great program'? And my other question is by narrowing it down to those schools (UCLA, Yale, Emory, Boston U, Duke, Berkeley, Georgetown, columbia) isn't that kinda a lot of 'higher tier schools'? I don't know if MPHs are the same but if i had these scores and only applied to those schools for undergrad or phd, i'd get laughed at. are MPHs 'easier' to get into than other programs? Are there some 'safety schools' I should conisder?

 

[kutmasta]

okay i'll certainly check out Columbia, thanks!

What about Georgetown? How does it rank on the list of things you said. This list all started because of Georgetowns program which i honestly fell in love with, which started me expanding the list. I'm not tied to any one location so I'll certainly look at UCLA and Berkeley.

Is Duke not a 'great program'? And my other question is by narrowing it down to those schools (UCLA, Yale, Emory, Boston U, Duke, Berkeley, Georgetown, columbia) isn't that kinda a lot of 'higher tier schools'? I don't know if MPHs are the same but if i had these scores and only applied to those schools for undergrad or phd, i'd get laughed at. are MPHs 'easier' to get into than other programs? Are there some 'safety schools' I should conisder?

I would say that public health schools are easier to get into than just regular graduate school. Your GPA and GRE scores are great and I'd say you have a great shot at Yale, Emory, Columbia, and other top tier schools (Cal, UCLA). If you want to apply to a lot of schools, go ahead. It's your money and apps aren't that expensive, although recently SOPHAS upped their prices and now requires a GRE score to each school they represent.

Would you consider applying to UNC or Tulane as well? I think they have good global health programs, but I'm not sure. Stats-wise, I don't think you have anything to worry about in terms of getting into a school. Just don't bomb your SOP and you'll be fine. Good luck!

 

[HeMustBeMagic]

I would certainly consider UNC and Tulane. I would rather waste a little more money and apply to a large range of school (and have the option) than not apply to the right schools. I suppose the lucky thing is, since applications have such a wide range, I can apply to some of the higher tier schools early and see if I get into them; if I don't then apply to my second string schools. My top choices would be:

Berkley (I LOVE its infectious disease program, but I'm worried i'll be shunned because having no bio classes. I do have 3 semesters of wet lab experience and a publication from that)
Georgetown: I love its MPH program and its in the area of the US I love. Its global disease PHD program is also a major player in my mind.
Yale: Yale's program has always interested me and so has its PHD. Its kinda a dream school in my mind.
Emory: the CDC is where I'd love to end up working so I wouldn't mind going to Emory, It's in a great location, has an amazing reputation and the work is competitive and challenging.
Boston U I dunno what it is about Boston but I love the city and I love the program so that'll be kept
Duke: no other reason that i like the school.
UNC: It's always been on my list but they dont really accept people without 1-2 years of work experience after college. I'm thinking of working at a health clinic for my last 2 semesters for a few hours every week (5 hours a week probably)
Tulane: Great addition!
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about New York City (I know NYU is on that list; I'm taking it off haha). It's a really big city and not really my type. But i'll look into Columbia.

 

[kutmasta]

The thing about schools in big cities like BU or Columbia is that there are tons of public health opportunities, especially since Boston and NY are central hubs for public health. The biggest draw in attending these two schools, besides getting a solid education, is the endless possibilities for practical experience. If you're trying to avoid big cities, then Yale would probably be a pretty good fit...and it's your dream school.

You mentioned you love DC and you're thinking of Georgetown. What about GWU? It' also in DC and has a pretty respectable SPH. I think DC would be absolutely awesome if you're interested in health policy.

Emory is a dream school for many and the prospect of walking across the street to the CDC is unbeatable. Only con I've heard is that the costs of attending that school are really high, but if you're considering Columbia or BU then Emory shouldn't be a problem.

 

[HeMustBeMagic]

I forgot GWU haha. Yeah that's on the list also. I doubt I can get into Harvard and I do understand that draw. I might be willing to sacrifice it. It's only NYC I dont really like. I want a school that masters will help me significantly get into a top 20 or top 10 grad school program.

 

[364462]

I would certainly consider UNC and Tulane. I would rather waste a little more money and apply to a large range of school (and have the option) than not apply to the right schools. I suppose the lucky thing is, since applications have such a wide range, I can apply to some of the higher tier schools early and see if I get into them; if I don't then apply to my second string schools. My top choices would be:

Berkley (I LOVE its infectious disease program, but I'm worried i'll be shunned because having no bio classes. I do have 3 semesters of wet lab experience and a publication from that)
Georgetown: I love its MPH program and its in the area of the US I love. Its global disease PHD program is also a major player in my mind.
Yale: Yale's program has always interested me and so has its PHD. Its kinda a dream school in my mind.
Emory: the CDC is where I'd love to end up working so I wouldn't mind going to Emory, It's in a great location, has an amazing reputation and the work is competitive and challenging.
Boston U I dunno what it is about Boston but I love the city and I love the program so that'll be kept
Duke: no other reason that i like the school.
UNC: It's always been on my list but they dont really accept people without 1-2 years of work experience after college. I'm thinking of working at a health clinic for my last 2 semesters for a few hours every week (5 hours a week probably)
Tulane: Great addition!
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about New York City (I know NYU is on that list; I'm taking it off haha). It's a really big city and not really my type. But i'll look into Columbia.

I think you are also highlighting an important factor: the personal. I am not a fan of DC or "the South," which takes a swath of schools off the list. I prefer the Northeast and the West Coast. Like you and others, my living environment is an integral component of my decision-making process. If you are thinking about a doctoral program, this is even more so, since you may potentially be in one place for quite some time. (I currently live in Boston and have been here for psychology training in the last 2 years. I do not regret my decision, Boston is an excellent place for studies. As noted above, the healthcare sector is really teeming here, for all the obvious reasons. Would I live here longer? Nope. Not a chance.)

Again, with continued exploration and reflection of your personal and professional needs, the list will narrow - and quite frankly, should narrow. Duke is a great school. No question there. But in my opinion this is not sufficient reason to go to Duke. Will it offer what you want? Will you offer it what it needs? For instance, within the field of public health, certain programs will be better in certain areas than others. I am interested in health policy, which narrowed (for me) the list to Harvard, UCLA, Berkeley, and Columbia. Then, knowing I wanted to focus on mental health policy, in particular, this left me with UCLA and Columbia. I did my undergraduate in New York, I am done with the city (for now). So, I chose UCLA. Better fit, better weather.

Global health is a broad field, and increasingly, many programs incorporate aspects of global health within existing areas of focus (without a separate track/concentration) in part because public health is global health. As such, I recommend reflecting on what aspects of global health you wish to explore. You may be interested in infectious disease. Does this mean the infectious disease track of the epidemiology concentration, w/ a smattering of global health courses on the side? Or does this mean an entirely separate global health concentration? You may be interested in working with NGOs. But in what capacity? Policy analysis? Knowledge translation? Technical assistance?

 

[HeMustBeMagic]

It's probably still broad and like you said I'll narrow it down but if I think what I'd ideally like to do.

My goal, I suppose you could say end goal would be to be able to work in a upper level capacity in an NGO or government organization, overseeing a team or group of teams that deal with infectious disease programs and collaboration with other international organizations. I want a good amount of leadership and responsibility but i want (at least on the way up) to keep the 'getting my hands dirty' part. I want to be able to travel to countries with my team/representing my team or my organization, go to international health summit meetings, and contribute from a leadership role and scientific intellectual goal. So if i had to say it would be infectious diseases with a epi concentration with a good breadth of global health courses with some leadership aspect.

I'd love to teach on the side.

 

[364462]

It's probably still broad and like you said I'll narrow it down but if I think what I'd ideally like to do.

My goal, I suppose you could say end goal would be to be able to work in a upper level capacity in an NGO or government organization, overseeing a team or group of teams that deal with infectious disease programs and collaboration with other international organizations. I want a good amount of leadership and responsibility but i want (at least on the way up) to keep the 'getting my hands dirty' part. I want to be able to travel to countries with my team/representing my team or my organization, go to international health summit meetings, and contribute from a leadership role and scientific intellectual goal. So if i had to say it would be infectious diseases with a epi concentration with a good breadth of global health courses with some leadership aspect.

I'd love to teach on the side.

One particular aspect of the graduate training that is important to consider is the practicum/field work requirement. You are more competitive in the longer term (as you described) if you have international experience at the graduate level. In my opinion this gets BU out of the running (based on your existing list). BU is an excellent school for public health, but a quick review of their practicum placement shows that only a handful of students acquire global health related sites. Many secure local sites, not international ones. (Many. I am not saying all.) Top-tiered schools almost always will have the kind of networking opportunities that some "lower" tiered schools do not. Yale is an excellent place for epidemiology, but in my opinion, only adequate (read: subpar) in global health. Emory is better, so are Hopkins, Harvard, and Columbia. Also, some programs will have greater ties in certain parts of the world. I chose UCLA in part because it has excellent connections in Asia (where I ultimately hope to secure fieldwork).

 

[HeMustBeMagic]

Alright, so make sure to get a program that has field work in the process. Won't I get that, in the long run (or possibly) in my PHD? I guess my list is kinda narrowed down anyway also. I was concerned i still wouldn't be competitive enough to get into a good program but that seems to be false. Thanks!

 

[EpiBird]

I think you have a strong application, and obviously have a shot at all of the schools listed. You have a varied amount of clinical/research experience, though from your post I get the gist that the Global Health/Infectious Disease world is what you're looking at. I would say:

1. If you're planning for graduate school, I would look at your dream graduate schools, look at where the grad students (in your field of interest) did their MPH, in order to get a feel for feeder MPH schools. You might be surprised, but you might also identify some interesting research at a certain public health school which would dovetail with research in graduate school.

I think that terminal MPH folks don't need to look at the research factor, but if you are thinking PhD, then I would carefully select the MPH based on research as in a year you might well be applying to PhD schools and you'll likely be saying, "I want to continue to explore/learn more about subject x which I got interested in at school y."

2. I don't think Boston/New York has anything over Atlanta versus D.C., or Tulane or a number of other schools for the simple reason that Boston has 4 (?) public health schools, New York has a ton, and there is just so much one can experience while working on an MPH!

3. Worry about cost. I know, its a bummer of a thing to say, but working for a year is a good idea, to save up $, and of course it would provide that much more work experience to make your application that much better, and perhaps get you into a school with a lower tuition or a merit scholarship. As you are African American, I would research what scholarships might be available, though obviously you are competitive for a merit scholarship based on merits alone. It makes sense to advise any applicant to do whatever they can to keep the costs down.

4. Avoid overly expensive schools with mediocre reputations, or which don't excite you.

I would guess that BU would accept you in a heartbeat as they accept applicants with lower gpa's, lower test scores and limited experience, and you'd probably be head above shoulders there. BU's tuition is very high and there are so many students it could be easy to get lost in the herd, their global health program isn't nearly as enriching as many other schools.

Columbia has a high price tuition, a good reputation in some quarters, but I personally wouldn't be very excited to go there just because they don't seem to be very student friendly.

 

[EpiBird]

Alright, so make sure to get a program that has field work in the process. Won't I get that, in the long run (or possibly) in my PHD? I guess my list is kinda narrowed down anyway also. I was concerned i still wouldn't be competitive enough to get into a good program but that seems to be false. Thanks!

The issue of when to pursue a global health experience is really critical, especially if this is something you expect to be able to do. Realize that 'global health' encompasses, technically, work being done in the US as well as abroad, though it entails an understanding of how, for example, a single disease affects people on a global basis.

Some strong global health programs, Tulane, Emory, and other top public health schools like UNC, Hopkins, have integrated experiences and resources to provides such experiences. In fact, some global health programs like to see some international experience before applying. It pays to do the research, and to go with the big players, and some schools just arrange electives, which may or may not be a meaningful experience, and don't really integrate the experience as part of the curriculum.

Working substantial international experience into any career can be difficult, and it may entail working for a year after the MPH with an NGO, but you could get a head start during the MPH and make the connections which will make said experience more productive and easier to arrange. There are some interesting combined MPH/Peace Corps experiences, for those who are able to do two years abroad.

 

[EpiBird]

BU is an excellent school for public health, but a quick review of their practicum placement shows that only a handful of students acquire global health related sites.

It really pays to do your research, especially if you know a specific area of the world that you are interested in, then you can see which schools actually place students there. Some schools are simply "travel agent" schools where part of the cost of high tuition pays for a travel agent, i.e. an administrator with limited contacts, to setup an experience which you could probably arrange yourself, not that the school has deep connections with a community, or even a country.