Advice for future MPH applicant?

[animl12]

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Hello!

I'm currently a junior undergraduate at a small liberal arts college, and I'm planning start the application process this fall to MPH programs. My top choices right now are Emory and Tulane. I'm specifically interested in their global environmental health programs.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on the application process? I still have a year left in school to take any necessary courses, are there any that anyone would recommend beyond the basic year of bio, year of chem and some social sciences? Is there anything I can do in this last year to really make my application stand out?

Thanks!

 

[ebp]

I'm not sure what you have done outside of classes, but look into public health work outside of class. Specifically look into work that relates to the program you want to be in. If you want to stand out, it seems to me that's probably a better way than just focusing on classes. You want to show the program that you are committed to that particular work.

Just my two cents, but my relevant work experience was probably the best part of my app.

 

[splashnchaos23]

I wouldn't stress too much, but I think the most important things to focus on are your academic record and your ability to demonstrate interest in public health.

Academics
Even if your overall GPA is solid, SOPHAS does several GPA calculations that you might not be expecting (my final GPA report included 13 GPAs!). SOPHAS requires you to classify each course you've taken into the following categories: Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Life Sciences, Business, Math/Stats, Social/Behavioral Science, or Other. They then calculate a GPA for each category. You might want to have a look at your transcript and get a feel for how your grades will look when grouped that way. If your grades in math courses have been a little low, for instance, you might take an elective that will bring up your GPA in that category. And have you taken a stats course? If not, you might want to consider it.

Demonstrated Public Health Interest
If you haven't already, you might want to start defining your interests. What drew you to global environmental health? Any particular research interests? What sorts of job functions do you see yourself performing after you complete the degree? Putting some ideas down on paper about what you see yourself doing in the field of public health will help you to write your Statement of Purpose and figure out which programs fit you best. I'll echo ebp in recommending that you focus on getting some public health experience under your belt. Have you been involved in any activities related to public health or the environment? Try to get some volunteer experience (i.e. clerking at a free clinic, getting involved in a public health education project) or research experience (i.e. lab assistant on a project related to biology, sustainable development, or something similar). Having a couple of relevant experiences will help you to stand out and, perhaps more importantly, give you something interesting to write about in your personal statement.

Do you have any international experience? Have you taken any language courses? If you definitely want to work abroad & have some electives left, it might be worth it to take a language class.


Hope this helps!

 

[nietzsche754]

Having gone to a liberal arts school as well I'd recommend taking more math and science then you are required to take. Biology and statistics in particular would be a great help to you in the admissions process although I got in without having ever taken either (but I wish I had!).

 

[mezmerized7]

Also to show public health interest, you can maybe think of doing an independent study in your area of interest. I went to a liberal arts college and at that time, there were no public health courses and I did an independent study with a professor at the time (for credit). I think that definitely helped my application seeing that I applied to Masters programs straight out of college.

Ensure to have volunteer experience as well, as other posters stated before. This would of course help much more if it is in your public health area of interest.