Columbia MPH chances

[zmkelchn]

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I have been debating on doing a dual MD(or DO)/MPH degree, although think it may be best to do a MPH first and see where that takes me. The reason for this decision is because I have become very involved in the medical response after the earthquake in Haiti, and am the director for my region in central PA for the Haiti response. I also am student director of an effort to send medical and educational resources to Africa, India, South America, etc (through IOCD and the UN)

Stats: Should be applying with a 3.5 overall gpa/3.4 science
Yet to take MCAT or GRE

I also am involved in a undergraduate honors program researching new potential clinical approached to the later stages of ovarian cancer, which I put 20 hours a week into. I should have a publication and thesis completed by the end of next year. I also run NCAA D2 track and cross country, and am an All-Academic All-American. Three years of clinical experience at a gastroenterology center, and also two years of work experience as a resident assistant.

I am particularly interested in the Environmental/Molecular Toxicology track at Columbia.

I would potentially still apply to a MD/DO school after getting this degree, although I am not certain. My hope is that they will not see that I am simply getting this degree for an academic enhancer, as I have a relatively low GPA for med schools. I feel my reasons for wanting to enter this program are valid (Haiti, IOCD/UN work, cancer research).

The other drawback is I have two course repeats and a few Ws on my transcript. Will MPH programs take the higher of the two grades or average them?

Thanks!

 

[SJD24]

Here's my two cents...first, something I posted in another similar thread topic relating to MPH before MD/DO. You can read the whole thread here:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=700037&highlight=mph+md

Hi guys,

I will be the first to admit, my ultimate goal is to practice medicine. However, when considering the options (MD/MPH or MPH prior/after med school), I chose to pursue a full length 2-year program before med rather than a condensed/professional MPH degree that is usually offered between years 2 and 3 of medical school. The reason I chose this, albeit a bit more pricey, is because I felt I would gain the most complete MPH experience possible and not be rushed while trying to study for STEP 1 with one foot in med school and the other in MPH land. Furthermore, two colleagues I spoke to who chose to do an MPH during med school told me they wished they had done it prior/after because they didn't like having to adjust back and forth between med/MPH and wished they would have focused strictly on med for 4 years. Of course, everyone is different but I see the logic here. Not sure I would want the "MPH break".

Ultimately, I want to practice medicine with an international/public health focus and I felt that a 9-month program would not adequately prepare me like a two-year traditional program. Plus, I figured that in two years, I could make lots of great contacts, work in some more international experience, get a good feel for another part of the country, and solidify the MPH concepts that I will ultimately use in the future. Not to mention a 2-year program would allow more time to publish and allows for perhaps more flexibility if there was a great job opportunity I really wanted to pursue for a year or two prior to med school. I am in no hurry...there will always be public health issues to tackle and med schools to take my tuition money 😉

Another reason I chose to pursue an MPH prior to Med School is because I really wanted to experience a top-tier private school education (I love school!)...especially after completing a B.S. /M.S. both at the same large mediocre public university where I was always just a number in giant auditoriums. Furthermore, I know I will never get into a Yale, Harvard, etc for Medicine, so this is my only chance to see how I stack up and to get a more personal experience 😛 At the moment, I am almost certain I will accept at Yale for Epi. of Microbial diseases (thought you would appreciate that Stories 😉)

Lastly, I totally agree that getting an MPH will not necessarily help you get into med school, but it certainly wont be looked at unfavorably. If there was a golden ticket to med school, I think the SDN community would be all over it by now, ha. However, I think any graduate degree will help your case...but, like others have said, not all grad degrees are created equal (hard sciences vs. soft sciences).

As a side note: In case anyone was wondering, in all of my MPH essays I mentioned that I ultimately wanted to practice medicine and still got a positive response (in at Yale, Emory, PITT, GW, BU, and UIC). I don't think anyone should hide their goals even if MPH is only one part of the bigger puzzle.

Anyone else out there choosing a similar path? Any other pros or cons you can think of?

It certainly doesn't sound like you will have any trouble getting into a competitive MPH program. It is nowhere near as daunting as med school acceptances are these days. Also, I don't think MPH admins will think you are using the MPH as a GPA booster because you are clearly interested in public health. I imagine someone with no public health background would set off red flags. Lastly, to reiterate something in the quote above, in my personal mph essay I wrote about how I wanted to go to med school at some point in the future and how the MPH would be extremely beneficial to my future goals. I feel as though (purely speculating) mph admins understand that not everyone is using the MPH as a terminal degree and the better you can explain what you want to do in the future and where the MPH fits...the more receptive they are to your honesty. Best of luck...I didn't actually apply to Columbia but I am sure someone will chime in here if they know about how Columbia views W's and retakes.

 

[zmkelchn]

Yeah I'm not sure how Ws and my two repeats will be calculated. Columbia also offers various concentrations, which I like. If anyone has been through the Columbia MPH program and is working and/or in med school and has any advice I would greatly appreciate any feedback!

 

[premad]

Yeah I'm not sure how Ws and my two repeats will be calculated. Columbia also offers various concentrations, which I like. If anyone has been through the Columbia MPH program and is working and/or in med school and has any advice I would greatly appreciate any feedback!

Hey, I'm a Columbia MPH alum and will be starting med school this fall. I did not know that I wanted to go to med school when starting (had gone back and forth on the idea, wasn't sure about choice of medicine vs. public health) but knew that I wanted a complete MPH. When you do an MD/MPH, you're totally right, you really just get a very condensed degree without the opportunity to fully engage with public health. You definitely save time and money, though, so something lost/something gained. I'm very happy with my path, though. I have a great foundation in public health and am happy to be starting medical school with that overview of how health care delivery works from a macro level, major threats and interventions in public health, good epi/biostats skills, etc.

Your chances at Mailman (Columbia) should be good. It's really not uber competitive. Your GPA is fine, you have lots of great activities, so you'll just have to pull a decent GRE and have some good recs.

Med schools definitely don't see the MPH as an academic enhancer, since the coursework really isn't related to most of what you learn in med school. Further, most med schools do a preliminary screen of your application based on your undergrad GPAs (cGPA and sGPA, which includes any post-bac work) and your MPH grades won't be included there. So, you'll basically be applying with the same academic record before and after and MPH. One potential benefit to your application could be health-related activities that you're able to engage in because of the MPH program. For me, internships and student groups turned out to be really significant activities during my MPH and definitely helped my med school application overall.

 

[zmkelchn]

Hey, I'm a Columbia MPH alum and will be starting med school this fall. I did not know that I wanted to go to med school when starting (had gone back and forth on the idea, wasn't sure about choice of medicine vs. public health) but knew that I wanted a complete MPH. When you do an MD/MPH, you're totally right, you really just get a very condensed degree without the opportunity to fully engage with public health. You definitely save time and money, though, so something lost/something gained. I'm very happy with my path, though. I have a great foundation in public health and am happy to be starting medical school with that overview of how health care delivery works from a macro level, major threats and interventions in public health, good epi/biostats skills, etc.

Your chances at Mailman (Columbia) should be good. It's really not uber competitive. Your GPA is fine, you have lots of great activities, so you'll just have to pull a decent GRE and have some good recs.

Med schools definitely don't see the MPH as an academic enhancer, since the coursework really isn't related to most of what you learn in med school. Further, most med schools do a preliminary screen of your application based on your undergrad GPAs (cGPA and sGPA, which includes any post-bac work) and your MPH grades won't be included there. So, you'll basically be applying with the same academic record before and after and MPH. One potential benefit to your application could be health-related activities that you're able to engage in because of the MPH program. For me, internships and student groups turned out to be really significant activities during my MPH and definitely helped my med school application overall.

Thanks! Yeah the only worry I have is the price. It's great to have all of these degrees, and I am lucky enough to not be coming out of undergrad with any loans to pay off, and am still young (20). However, it's daunting to have accumulated so many loans Is there any particular way most who do both degrees are able to handle the high loans comfortable after they graduate?

 

[premad]

Thanks! Yeah the only worry I have is the price. It's great to have all of these degrees, and I am lucky enough to not be coming out of undergrad with any loans to pay off, and am still young (20). However, it's daunting to have accumulated so many loans Is there any particular way most who do both degrees are able to handle the high loans comfortable after they graduate?

I would say that from a strict monetary point of view, the loans from an MPH aren't worth it if you're taking all or most loans at a place like Columbia when compared with loans for an MD. So, money wise, it's likely going to be a much better deal to to MD with the condensed MPH. If you get a 'good deal' on an MPH and/or a 'good deal' on med school, it could be fine as long as you keep total loans around what most people take out for med school alone. Otherwise, you'll definitely have lots of loans, and I imagine it will be difficult to pay them back in residency, and still difficult during your early years of practice, and perhaps easier later depending on specialty. I have moderate MPH debt that I've started to pay back and will be taking out moderate med school loans, so I can't tell you how it all works out. 🙂 Definitely something to seriously consider, as you're doing.

 

[djtiesto14]

I got accepted into Columbia Epi with one non-passing grade and no W's. 3.6gpa
So, you should be fine.

 

[zmkelchn]

I got accepted into Columbia Epi with one non-passing grade and no W's. 3.6gpa
So, you should be fine.

Congrats!! Hope to see you there!

 

[zmkelchn]

also, anyone in the PHD or DrPH programs there? I may also be applying to those as well