Going back to school to prepare for grad school

[kutmasta]

I finished my undergrad several years ago, but my GPA was pretty damn low. I've been working ever since, but I've always had the desire to go to graduate school for public health. I'm planning on going back to take classes at my university through an open campus program, where I can take undergrad/grad courses without formally enrolling at the school. I'm doing this to raise my GPA, show future school admissions committees that I'm serious about graduate study (assuming I do well in the courses), and to get to know a few profs so that I can ask for a LOR in the future.

Has anyone had any experience similar to this and had success?

And if so, what classes did you take? There doesn't seem to be any courses specific to PH at my university, so should I retake the classes I did poorly in or look for classes that could pertain to PH. How about graduate level classes?

Any input and thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks you.

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[OneDay81]

What was your undergrad in and what do you want to focus on with your future mph?

 

[kutmasta]

My undergrad was in Human development. I would be interested in focusing on HPM or epi for an MPH.

 

[JMM051]

It depends on how low is low. There are many people on this board in competitive MPH programs with low (under 3.0) GPA's. They countered this part of their application with high GRE scores and relevant experience.

If you are completely set on taking classes graduate courses are going to be the ones that demonstrate your ability to handle graduate level work. That said, the courses should be relevant and without knowing the courses offered it's hard to suggest what to take.

 

[kutmasta]

My GRE is decent. 600V 740Q. I've also been volunteering at a hospital while doing a stint with CalPIRG in Sacramento, CA as a health policy campaign intern. Before this, I was a research associate at a biomed company doing developmental research on cardiometabolic diseases, focusing on type-2 diabetes.

I know taking these classes won't raise my GPA much. I mainly want to show the adcoms that I'm serious about graduate study. Is this a worthy endeavor? How many quarters do you think is enough to do this?

 

[OneDay81]

You may want to look into doing a PH focused graduate certificate, or even just some non-degree grad level courses.

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[thereal19]

My school (University of South Florida) offers graduate certificates in PH online. I believe there is one in HPM. That might be a better option than takin random courses that aren't necessarily PH related at your school nearby.

 

[kutmasta]

Thanks for the feedback so far! I checked out some of the grad certificate programs that are online, such as the one @ USF, and they look fairly interesting.

I also looked up some of the graduate courses that I could be taking from UC Davis' open campus program and there are graduate groups in Epi and Biostats. If I'm unable to take those courses, because the profs won't sign off or I don't have the prereqs finished (don't want to take courses I'm not ready for and fail), I could also take some upper division courses in stats, nutrition, or business management/accounting/econ. This way, the courses I chose wouldn't be random, but would be related to PH.

 

[MsMPH12]

I was worried about my GPA as well, but I got into every school that I applied to (which was 7). I think they look at your LORs, work experience, and a large part of your personal statement. So I guess it depends on how low your GPA was in undergrad. But I wouldn't waste money on taking classes if you don't have to.

 

[Anna86]

Try contacting the programs that you are interested in to see if you can sit down and meet with some in person or over the phone. I'd straight up ask what you can do to make yourself a stronger applicant. They should be able to tell you.

 

[roger0770]

it really depends on what program and what school you're looking into. i, too, didn't have a super high gpa nor a gre score, but i still managed to get into some pretty good schools. i really do think letters of rec, personal statement, and work experience make a huge difference. i also searched the schools to see what their basic requirement is for admission. open campus at davis is pretty expensive. but nevertheless, go aggies!

 

[kutmasta]

Thanks for the additional input! I'm looking into HPM. I'll also contact schools to see what can make me a better candidate!

@ roger0770: Yes, unfortunately open campus @ Davis is mindbogglingly expensive ($500 per unit). Go Aggies!

 

[RAMPA]

Thanks for the additional input! I'm looking into HPM. I'll also contact schools to see what can make me a better candidate!

@ roger0770: Yes, unfortunately open campus @ Davis is mindbogglingly expensive ($500 per unit). Go Aggies!

If you are looking at HP&M, then I suggest you take courses in microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting.

Good luck

 

[kutmasta]

Thanks. I'm looking to sign up for an applied statistics class, accounting class, and a sociology of health care class.