Advice Needed For A Prospective PH Student

[ReadRun]

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I graduated college last December with a 3.1 with a double in Biology and English. I've yet to take the GRE and am currently doing a 2-year internship at the EPA. The internship has sparked an interest in public health, particularly health policy. I also have an interest in global health, as I've always wanted to do something on an international level.

I've considered taking grad classes at UNC, which is within driving distance of my house. I was hoping to take classes in order to off-set my low GPA and get one or two good recommendations from professors. I contacted the school and they suggested that for students not quite ready to make the leap to a grad program that an online certificate program, which comprises the five core classes of any grad program, is a good option. Has anyone taken this certificate program? If not, do you think this certificate program would help my chances at admission? I'm most interested in UNC (can't beat in-state tuition!), but also plan on applying to other schools on the East coast.

Also, in addition to the internship and grad classes, does anyone have any suggestions on volunteering that would pertain to health policy? I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital, but wasn't sure how applicable that was to health policy.

 

[JMM051]

I wouldn't think that an online cert. program would hurt your chances ..BUT I think that one of the best aspects of taking a class on campus would put you in touch with professors on a face to face basis which is going to really give you the leverage for admission. From taking a class you would get the chance to know the professor and hopefully volunteer to assist them with projects/research/etc. If an MPH is your goal I would take a class in person to get your foot in the door. Volunteer experience in any PH arena is always looked at favorable.
I was at the Chapel Hill open house last month and what I took away from the Policy program was that they are really looking for experience and how you are contributing to the PH field now. Your internship definitely helps with that and some solid volunteer experience will not only give you valuable experience but some solid contacts and rec. later on.

Check out/get in contact with Toxic Free NC..I have looked into programs with them before. "Toxic Free NC is a private, non-profit organization that has been working for health, justice and sustainability in NC for over 20 years" They have a good deal of volunteer/internship opportunities in the Raleigh/Durham area and seem to deal a lot with policy.
Good luck! 🙂

 

[Nibor6000]

I am finishing the graduate public health certificate from the University of Arizona in a few weeks. I have to say that it was a great use of my time. I would concentrate on taking epi, biostats, and the intro policy course to show you are capable of doing the work and to counterbalance your GPA.

You can develop relationships with professors online, and if you are nearby, you can always meet them for office hours. I took the policy course online and then asked the prof if she needed any help with any research, which has turned into a forthcoming publication if all goes well.

Take the classes, study for and take the GRE, and continue gaining experience in the field. Then apply. The stronger your application, the more success you will have. It took me a year and a half to get my materials in order, but I think it's going to be worth it.

Good luck!

 

[cocobobo]

I agree with Nibor. I had originally taken the certificate of public health from The University of Texas - Houston before being admitted to the MPH program. My stats were worse than yours, GPA < 3.0.The online courses were really helpful in boosting my stats, and I got to know the professors very well, in part by communicating with them, and also posting like crazy on the class website discussion board (with pertinant info and comments of course). I did not have any "public health" experience prior, only working in a genetics lab and volunteering in an ER.

 

[FutureKDEpi]

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[ReadRun]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it! =)

It seems like certificate programs are a good option, but I'm still a little on the fence, mainly due to time and expense. I know UNC is a competitive school, so I'm definitely not excluding other schools from my list, but not having to uproot with the hubby in order to go to grad school would just make life easier (but if I don't get in, I don't get in, no use crying over spilled milk =). Thanks for the Toxic Free NC recommendation, JMM051! I will definitely check it out!

Out of curiosity, if I were to do the certificate program and not get into UNC, does anyone have any idea if the online classes would transfer to another grad program? The certificate comprises basic public health courses: Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Education, Environmental Health, Health Policy, Biostatistics.

Again, thanks for all your help!

 

[Stories]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it! =)

It seems like certificate programs are a good option, but I'm still a little on the fence, mainly due to time and expense. I know UNC is a competitive school, so I'm definitely not excluding other schools from my list, but not having to uproot with the hubby in order to go to grad school would just make life easier (but if I don't get in, I don't get in, no use crying over spilled milk =). Thanks for the Toxic Free NC recommendation, JMM051! I will definitely check it out!

Out of curiosity, if I were to do the certificate program and not get into UNC, does anyone have any idea if the online classes would transfer to another grad program? The certificate comprises basic public health courses: Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Education, Environmental Health, Health Policy, Biostatistics.

Again, thanks for all your help!

More likely than not, you can have maybe 2 classes transferred in, but you're not going to be able to get all of them transferred in because MPH programs are pretty short in general and they don't want you getting all your credits elsewhere. But you can probably get exempted out of those classes and substitute them for other electives.