MPH 2019: Applied, Waitlisted, Accepted!

[kingorange9]

Undergrad School: Boston University (2016)
Undergrad GPA/Public Health GPA: 3.24 / 3.43 (Currently doing Post-Bac Classes)
Major/Minor: Human Physiology / Medical Anthropology
GRE: V: 155 (69%), Q: 156 (61%), W: 4.0 (August 2017)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- 2 years working as a senior medical assistant at prestigious hospital
- 6-Month global health internship in New Zealand studying indigenous population
- Week-long work with Global Medical Brigades in Honduras

LOR: 1. Vice-chair of medical anthropology (Took a class with him), 2. Current supervisor at hospital, 3. Hospital physician who I work closely with.

Interests: MPH in global / community health eventually becoming a physician assistant

Applying: (Verified: 9/16 // Submitted: 8/27) BU, Columbia, Emory, GW, JHSPH, Harvard, NYU, NYMC, Brown, UPenn, Yale, & Duke MSc-GH Program

Accepted: NYMC (10/11), JHSPH - MPH (10/31), GWU (11/19), BU (12/14), Emory (12/17), NYU (12/20), Brown (1/11), Columbia (1/23), Duke (2/12), JHSPH - MSPH (2/21), Yale (3/5)

Rejected: UPenn (1/2), Harvard (2/21)

Attending:

Am I reaching too high? Thoughts on getting accepted?

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[eskiiit]

what are people putting for achievements? like honors college, etc.? don't know how specific or broad to go

 

[SunshineSarahbelle]

Hi all! I have been looking at previous threads for a few months, and decided to make an account since I am applying this cycle! I am super nervous in this whole process, mainly because I went straight to a Cal State school for undergrad without applying anywhere else, so the app process is new to me! I hope some of you can weigh in with advice for me

Undergrad School: lesser known Cal State (Channel Islands)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.92
Major/Minor: BS Biology, Minor in Chemistry
GRE: first attempt - 159 Q (83%), 156 Q (62%), 5 AWA (93%) ; second attempt 158 Q(69%), 155 V (69%) Tried to get my quant score up, but my verbal dropped in the process :/
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- 3 month summer internship at UNM Department of Global Health, researched Ebola Virus for vaccine development

- Publication in Virology journal from that internship

- 2.5 years of biostatistics research and SPSS data analysis on Humpback whale populations (related through the methods we used), teaching myself R for more analysis right now

- current (6 months so far) volunteer at local hospital working with the Infection Preventionist on monitoring disease isolated patients and doing hand hygiene compliance audits (observing RNs, MDs, and staff in each department and calculating quarterly compliance by department)

- 3 years as tutor in STEM center at school, taught instructional workshop for Ochem

LOR: 1 from biostatistics research mentor, 1 from organic chemistry professor and director of our STEM grant that I was employed under(very close, can speak highly of STEM related volunteer service, tutoring experience, and academic success), and 1 from STEM Center boss of 3 years
Applying: University of Washington (general Epi track), UC Berkeley (Epi/biostatistics), UCLA (Epi), Columbia


I am trying to decide if I should retake the GRE for a third time. My dream school is Washington, but I also like Berkeley and their Epi/biostats program has very high GRE scores posted. Good luck to everyone here, you guys are all amazing and have experiences and stats that are so admirable!

 

[MazKanata]

Undergrad School: Boston University (2016)
Undergrad GPA/Public Health GPA: 3.24 / 3.43 (Currently doing Post-Bac Classes)
Major/Minor: Human Physiology / Medical Anthropology
GRE: V: 155 (69%), Q: 156 (61%), W: 4.0 (August 2017)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- 2 years working as a senior medical assistant at prestigious hospital
- 6-Month global health internship in New Zealand studying indigenous population
- Week-long work with Global Medical Brigades in Honduras

LOR: 1. Vice-chair of medical anthropology (Took a class with him), 2. Current supervisor at hospital, 3. Hospital physician who I work closely with.

Interests: MPH in global / community health eventually becoming a physician assistant

Applying: (Verified: 9/16 // Submitted: 8/27) BU, Columbia, Emory, GW, JHSPH, Harvard, NYU, NYMC, Brown, UPenn, Yale

Am I reaching too high? Thoughts on getting accepted?

You will probably get into a lot of solid programs, aim for the sky and research schools that you would be happy with and kill those post-bac classes.

I would also advise you NOT to do the MPH at BU, it is simply too expensive there and there is a lot of controversy surrounding some of the school's positions. The opioid epidemic got going in large part due to a very faulty study of patients at a BU hospital that were given opioids and the researchers didn't see (tongue in cheek) any addiction in the hospital so they concluded in a letter (not a peer reviewed article) in the New England that opioids are safe to use without worrying about addiction and it was quoted probably hundreds of thousands of times, and only relatively recently did the authors recant and the letter is infamous for being actually retracted (they never explain at all how they did their research).

Fast forward to today, and one of the professors at BU, Michael Siegel, has run a very disturbing blog for many years supporting everything about e-cigarettes and accusing JHU, NIH and the CDC (to name a few) about blatantly covering up the "truth" about how people are attacking e-cigarettes for no reason, and sullying the good name of Juul, and he feels that it would be a public health disaster if the FDA regulates e-cigarettes. He is absolutely clear that flavoring must remain in e-cigarrettes because nobody will use them otherwise. He says that e-cigarettes were invented to help adults quit (jury's out on that), and that they weren't invented to be used by kids or to hurt kids. Yeah right, same logic could apply to everything else that kids get into and get hurt from firearms to alcohol and people don't say that those weren't invented in the first place to hurt kids so they can't be regulated. Siegel was a big name in tobacco research, but a lot of these tobacco companies are behind big e-cigarette companies, and he has really pushed to de-regulate e-cigarettes and he seems to have drawn some firm conclusions before the research is in, some of which contradicts his position.

I think that BU is a school built inside an igloo and if you want to work for the CDC or government or for other academic institutions or brand name NGOs, their self-importance and their beliefs are kind of a tangent to mainstream public health thought and they probably contributed to +500,000 opioid deaths and a burgeoning e-cigarette problem, though they take government money to research these issues that they helped to create.

The other problem with BU is that the market for MPHs is oversaturated in Boston, and recently a lot of people were fired at BU, possibly at the job assistance desk or with finding externships for students.

 

[Missaayyyy]

Undergrad School: Small State School (2017)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3 (verified by SOPHAS)
Major/Minor: Psychology/French
GRE: 164 V, 151 Q , 5.0 AW
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

1 year working as a research assistant/analyst in a large global health non-profit
1 research internship at the CDC
3 years as a pharmacy technician during undergrad
3 summers interning for a global State Department program
6 months as a peer heath educator
Full tuition/fees scholarship recipient

LORs: 1 undergrad research professor, CDC research mentor, post-grad manager

Interested in: Global Health, Behavioral Health
Applied: UNC Gillings (12/05), Berkeley (11/27), Emory, Drexel, Brown, Tulane (12/05)
Accepted: Tulane (12/14)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

My GPA was messed up by an awful semester early in my Sophomore year, but my GPA before that and in the last 2 years of college is over a 3.5 every semester. I plan on retaking the GRE the first week of November to increase my Quant score. Any advice? I'm an awful math test taker but I've gotten all A's in my college level maths (pre-cal, calculus, stats 1 & 2).

I can't tell if I'm reaching with my schools?

 

[NDSU.19]

Undergrad School: North Dakota State
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.15/3.60
Major/Minor: Biological Sciences
GRE: 153V (61%) 152Q (46%) 4.5 AW (82%) [retaking in mid-october and am expecting a much higher Q score]
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- Undergraduate lab experience in food pathogens, plant pathology, and vector-borne diseases.
- Summer full-time and current part-time internship with a state health department assisting with various grant activities. Directly under the state epidemiologist and 2 other respected full-time epi's.
- Volunteer leader through the local United Way since 2017.

LOR: One from the State Epidemiologist, one from an oral health epidemiologist (both know me very well through the internship), one from a biology professor that had me in two courses and is now my advisor, and one from my employer at the job working with vector-borne diseases.

Interests: MPH in environmental health or epidemiology --> both relating to my interests in infectious disease

Applying: UMN (Epi and Environmental Health), Colorado School of Public Health (epidemiology), taking suggestions as I'm looking for one or two more programs to apply to.

Thanks!!

 

[Gutterball1234]

Is anyone planning on going to Emory's Destination Public Health next month? I'll be there!

I'm thinking of going, but I live pretty far from Atlanta (Columbus, OH), and I'm not sure how worth it it is to spend all of the money that would be required to get to Atlanta, for basically an open house. I just submitted an application for a travel grant, and if I receive enough, I'll go. In that case, I'll go, and am really excited!

 

[Cassatrass]

I'm thinking of going, but I live pretty far from Atlanta (Columbus, OH), and I'm not sure how worth it it is to spend all of the money that would be required to get to Atlanta, for basically an open house. I just submitted an application for a travel grant, and if I receive enough, I'll go. In that case, I'll go, and am really excited!

They also give out travel grants for Visit Emory in the Spring, and I've met quite a few people who only attended Destination Emory and regretted it once they started school since they didn't meet people or get as much of the post-acceptance information until orientation! Just something to keep in mind-- if you're serious about Emory, I'd probably try to do both or save until Visit Emory!

 

[eb330009]

Does anyone have any idea if applying to two programs at one University is looked down upon? I am looking into both the MHA at UNC and the MPH in health policy at UNC. I was wondering if it would be better to only apply to one, or if applying to both is ok as long as I personalize my personal statement to each? Both would lead me to a very similar place career wise.

Please let me know if you have any advice/tips on this topic!

 

[lt_]

Does anyone have any idea if applying to two programs at one University is looked down upon? I am looking into both the MHA at UNC and the MPH in health policy at UNC. I was wondering if it would be better to only apply to one, or if applying to both is ok as long as I personalize my personal statement to each? Both would lead me to a very similar place career wise.

Please let me know if you have any advice/tips on this topic!

I am applying to two MPH programs at University of Washington. I wrote the program coordinator for one of the programs asking this exact question, and she wrote the director of the program who said that it is not looked down upon to apply to multiple programs, as long as you can explain why you are a good fit for each program in your personal statements. She did, however, say that I should be aware that there will be internal discussion about which program I am a better fit for. Again, this is just University of Washington, but I hope this helps. If you are worried about it, I would reach out to one or both of the programs.

 

[pharmamph]

APPLYING FOR SPRING 2019

Undergrad School: Ohio State c/o 2017
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 2.81 (sophas verified)
Major/Minor: Pharmaceutical Sciences
GRE: 144V 148Q 4AW
Experience/Research (Most experience is Pharmaceutical related)
Quality Control Chemist
▪ Responsible for performing routine testing on raw materials in compliance with cGMPs.
▪ Execute wet chemical and analytical methods to assess the purity, potency and stability of drug substances.
▪ Assist in the identification of synthetic impurities and potential degradation products utilizing various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.
Compounding Technician I
▪ Formulate effective and sterile pharmaceuticals in accordance with company SOPs, policies and cGMPs.
▪ Responsible for accurate manufacturing and product quality as states in the process description.

LOR: One from supervisor, one from my work lead, one from a pharmacology professor and one from my professor that i took a grad class with in undergrad

Interests: MPH in epidemiology --> both relating to infectious diseases

Applying (sophas verified 9/17) : LSU (8/17), GW (8/17), GSU (8/17), UT Houston (8/17), Cincinnati (9/15), Rutgers (8/17), Tulane(8/17), UAB (8/17)

Accepted: LSU (9/24), Cincinnati (9/27) Memphis (10/12) Rutgers (10/31) GSU (11/15) UAB (11/16)

Attending: GSU!!!

 

[eb330009]

I am applying to two MPH programs at University of Washington. I wrote the program coordinator for one of the programs asking this exact question, and she wrote the director of the program who said that it is not looked down upon to apply to multiple programs, as long as you can explain why you are a good fit for each program in your personal statements. She did, however, say that I should be aware that there will be internal discussion about which program I am a better fit for. Again, this is just University of Washington, but I hope this helps. If you are worried about it, I would reach out to one or both of the programs.

Thanks so much!! I reached out and they actually allow you to apply to up to three programs!

 

[Gopher15]

Undergrad School: University of Minnesota
Undergrad GPA: 3.44
Major/Minor: Global Health and Mobile Populations, Minors in Public Health and Political Science
GRE: V: 165 (96%), Q: 152 (46%), W: 5.0 (92%) (July 2018), V: 157 (76%), Q: 161 (77%), W: 4.5 (82%) (August 2018)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- Study abroad program with one course in Danish Healthcare Delivery/Prioritization, and one course in public policy.
- 3 years working in my university's disability resource center, providing accommodations for students, staff, and visitors
- One semester directed research in a microevolution lab
- One semester paid research in an Alzheimer's clinical trial

LOR:
-Professor I had for an undergrad introductory public health course who is a member of the epidemiology faculty
-Supervisor from my on-campus job
-Instructor from my quantitative analysis course

Interests: MPH in Epidemiology

Applying (submitted): All verified 9/17 - Minnesota (9/7), UIC (9/7), Columbia (9/8), UT-Houston (9/8), Michigan (9/8), BU (9/8), Emory (9/8), GWU (9/8), Tulane (9/8), UCLA (9/8), San Diego State (9/9)

Accepted: Tulane (9/27), GWU (10/26), Emory (12/12), BU (12/14), Minnesota (1/15)

Other: UT-Houston (11/)-Asked for a 4th letter of recommendation and a transcript with fall semester grades before they will make a decision.

 

[Nb30]

Hey everyone. How much do you think the GRE score matters? I've been taking practice tests and I haven't improved in two weeks. I'm at 151 Quant and 144 Verbal. My test is in eight days and it's $50 to reschedule.... I don't know what to do.

The schools I'm looking at aren't top tier. SDSU, OHSU, Colorado SPH, and others.

 

[eb330009]

I took the GRE once on in early September. I am not pleased with my scores and will be retaking it on Oct 16th. Should I hold off on submitting any SOPHAS applications until after I retake the GRE, or does it not matter much? Thanks for your help!

 

[wwmmkk]

Hey everyone. How much do you think the GRE score matters? I've been taking practice tests and I haven't improved in two weeks. I'm at 151 Quant and 144 Verbal. My test is in eight days and it's $50 to reschedule.... I don't know what to do.

The schools I'm looking at aren't top tier. SDSU, OHSU, Colorado SPH, and others.

If your GPA and other parts of your application are decent, I don't think you'll have a major problem at those schools with those scores. If you haven't improved in two weeks, you probably need to change the way you're studying rather than study more. I'd put a few more hours of studying in on verbal over the next week and take it as planned.

 

[wwmmkk]

I took the GRE once on in early September. I am not pleased with my scores and will be retaking it on Oct 16th. Should I hold off on submitting any SOPHAS applications until after I retake the GRE, or does it not matter much? Thanks for your help!

If any of your schools have rolling admissions, hold off until you retake and SOPHAS receives your new scores. If they have hard deadlines, the applications won't be reviewed until after that deadline anyway, so there's no harm in submitting it now and sending your new scores later.

 

[Jc2356]

Undergrad School: UW-Madison (2017)
Undergrad GPA: 3.14 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/Minor: Major: Economics with Math Emphasis; Minor: Mathematics and Global Health
GRE: V: 152 (56%), Q: 154 (55%), W: 4.5 (82%) (July 2018)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- Summer fieldwork in Spain and Morocco on Human Trafficking, which ended with a research paper and presentation
- 250+ hours volunteer experience with a local non-profit. Through the org, I helped organize two community health fairs in which I brought in doctors to provide blood pressure screening, diabetes screening, and mental health consultations for immigrants in the area. Also did other volunteering services such as tutoring.
-Went to Haiti with my school and a NPO in 2012 for a week after the earthquake to distribute necessities like food and clothing
-100 hours of volunteer experience at a org during summers of 2012-2015 in Bangladesh to distribute necessities such as food and clothing

LOR: 1. Professor who I went to the study abroad trip with in Spain and Morocco. 2. Professor who was a UW Madison poli sci undergraduate advisor. I took a class in which he was my instructor, 3. NPO administrator who I worked closely with to help organize the community health fairs.

Interests: MPH in health promotion/policy and management/community health/mental health/immigrant health

Applying: BU, Emory, GW, Harvard, Tulane, Rutgers, UT, USF, Minnesota, UCLA, Yale (submitted all on 08/30; verified on 09/16)

Accepted: UT Health (10/01), Tulane (10/08), USF (10/15), GW (10/25), Rutgers (11/02), Emory (12/12)

 

[as1167]

Hello! I'm super excited to be attending Emory this fall despite my realllly low gpa and avg GRE scores. I am only posting this to encourage those with dauntingly low GPAs and late applications to not give up their MPH dreams and apply even when the odds are against them. If you have a strong passion and clear vision for your grad school career definitely put most of your time into your recommendations and personal statement. Maybe you won’t get into Harvard and Yale but you might swing a top ranked program nonetheless. Don’t give up!

Do you mind me asking what your GPA was? I am very interested in Emory but nervous about my GPA!

 

[Dmohr21]

Do you mind me asking what your GPA was? I am very interested in Emory but nervous about my GPA!

I got into Emory with a 3.3. I also got into Yale. My GRE scores weren’t the best. So stats aren’t everything.

 

[lkm49]

Hi everyone, I decided very recently to apply to grad schools. Let me know what you think of my chances of getting in!

Undergrad School: Big State University, Ranks Top 15 out of all public universities
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.8 cumulative / 3.9 major / 4.0 minor
Major/Minor: Public Management and Policy / Public Health
GRE Full length practice test results: V: 155, Q: 150, W: 4.0 (I take the GRE for real next month.)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-will have 1 year of professional work experience involving finance and Medicaid (at a very reputable consulting company) by date of matriculation
-2 year research fellowship in public health
-6 internships throughout college in the Senate, health policy, healthcare analytics, and nonprofit work with underserved community
-presented a research poster on the intersection of business and hospital readmissions technology
-3.5 years side hustle as a writer for a magazine with over 15 articles published online (might be a factor that makes me stand out?)

LOR: one from the Founder of my fellowship program, one from a professor in my graduate certificate program in health informatics, and one from a supervisor at a policy think tank where I interned

Interests: health policy and management
Applying: UW in Seattle (MHA and MPH in Health Services), UT Health (MPH Health Management), UIC (MHA), Columbia (MHA), Emory (MPH), Ohio State (MHA)

My goal school is UW hands down. I want to know what type of GRE score should I aim for to get accepted. The above scores are from a full-length practice I took with 0 preparation. My weakness will always be quant, but I know for a fact I will be able to raise verbal.

Please lemme know what you think!!

 

[php2019]

Does anyone know if it will look bad to not have a LOR from a former professor? I have been out of school for over two years and I've been working at the State health department in multiple roles. I can get very strong letters from State epidemiologists, as well as from a former PhD student who I worked closely with in undergrad who is now a professor.

I'm afraid a letter from a former professor wouldn't be as helpful as a letter from someone who knows me well, but I know some schools recommend having at least one LOR from an academic professor. Please let me know what you think!

 

[kimyunhee990]

Hi all,
I have just decided to apply to grad schools! I am just a bit worried as I do want to have full month to study for the GRE. Meaning that I would be taking it sometime in November and would likely not make the December priority deadlines. What is the general opinion on applying in January? Will it affect my chances of getting in (I'm looking at Brown and Columbia mainly).

Also, would it be better to apply in January anyway? -- my GPA is currently a 3.57, but by the end of the semester I will probably have a 3.67!

Let me know what you think + thank you for your time folks!!

 

[Nb30]

Hi all,
I have just decided to apply to grad schools! I am just a bit worried as I do want to have full month to study for the GRE. Meaning that I would be taking it sometime in November and would likely not make the December priority deadlines. What is the general opinion on applying in January? Will it affect my chances of getting in (I'm looking at Brown and Columbia mainly).

Also, would it be better to apply in January anyway? -- my GPA is currently a 3.57, but by the end of the semester I will probably have a 3.67!

Let me know what you think + thank you for your time folks!!

Hi! I just wanted to weigh in here. If you're applying to schools for any deadline Dec. 1-15, you will have to send your transcript and SOPHAS will calculate your GPA without your fall semester grades. Your fall grades wont be taken into account into your SOPHAS GPA and schools wont see them either. I actually asked this questions to an admissions rep today and they said having a 0.2 increase on your GPA is not going to be the deciding factor in your admissions acceptance so it really doesn't matter that SOPHAS doesn't include your fall classes to your GPA. Hope this helps! The December deadline is crucial for scholarships and funding.

You still have time to make the December deadline with a November GRE. It takes ~2 weeks to send scores so as long as you take it before Nov. 15 it should be fine!

 

[jes3dz]

For posterity's sake, I'll keep editing this post so future applicants (especially those with similar profiles) can see what the process/timeline was like.

Undergrad School: UVA 2015
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.27 (SOPHAS Verified)
Major/Minor: Biology, French
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 05/2018 - 162V (91%), 161Q (77%), 4.5AW (82%)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

Post-grad
- 3 years as a lab tech in a pathology/immunology wet lab (ELISAs, rodent experiments, etc.) specifically looking at alloimmunization in response to blood transfusions (will have 4 by matriculation)
- contributed to several grants, on a few abstracts, and one paper as 2nd author (will have a couple more papers by matriculation)
- 2 years as a volunteer at my local free clinic working as an interpreter/ doing general odds and ends for them
- 1.5 years as a volunteer at my local health department where we do regular community outreach and have preventative health fairs, etc.
- a few months with free clinic finance director and an accounting class at local community college
- taken a few courses in SAS, R, and Python (looking to develop these skills more over the coming year)

Undergrad
- 1 year as a undergraduate researcher in an atherosclerosis lab
- 1 year as a volunteer teaching recently arrived immigrants/refugees conversational English

Rec letters: PI from undergrad research, current PI, director of medical clinic operations at my local free clinic

Special factors:
- Latino, 2nd-gen immigrant
- first-gen college student
- native spanish-speaker, advanced in French

Interested in: Particularly interested in Epidemiology of Infectious Disease and doing field work at first through local health departments, CDC, or WHO. Down the road would like manage or oversee these projects so I am also interested in health economics and cost-effectiveness models.

Applied: JHU, UVA, WU, and GWU submitted on 9/16 verified on 9/26. Emory on 9/24 verified on 9/26. Yale on 10/1 verified on 10/3. UNC on 10/19 verified on 10/20.
JHU (MPH/MBA), Emory (MPH-GLEPI), GWU (MPH - GHEDC), UVA (MPH - RiP), Washington University (MPH - Epi & Biostats), Yale (MPH - Epi of Microbial Disease), UNC (MPH - Applied EPI)
Accepted: JHU MPH-ID (11/2), GWU MPH-GHEDC (11/19), WU MPH-Epi/Biostat + $ (12/13), Emory MPH-Epi (12/20)
Rejected: N/A
Waitlisted: N/A

Hopkins situation was unique. They called me on Friday (11/2) and said that I had been accepted into both the MPH and MBA separately, but not both programs together and that I had to pick one or the other.

Washington University in St. Louis contacted me on 11/8 to interview for scholarships. Completed interview on 12/2 and received admissions decision by 12/13. On 12/20 I received a call indicating I had been offered a scholarship.

Emory situation was also unique. Routed me for review on 12/14. Emailed me on 12/20 stating that I had not been accepted to GLEPI program, but that they were extending an offer to the EPI program instead.

GW emailed me on 2/7 indicating I had been offered a scholarship.

 

[Nb30]

Undergrad School: UC
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.36 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/Minor: Biology
GRE: 149V, 154Q A: 4.0
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
(all undergrad work)
- public health research/study abroad on latin america's migration crisis
- 2 years as research assistant at a research 1 university, studying plant disease and epidemiology (not human science/public health but I think it relates)
- presented research poster at conference
- 2 years as caretaker for sick and elderly

LOR:
- professor and PI, research supervisor, study abroad internship head and professor

Special factors:
- first gen college student
- extremely low income family
- college athlete
(do any of these things matter in a masters application?)

Interests: MPH in Epidemiology or Global Epi

Applying: Tulane (Epi) 10/31, OHSU (Epi) 12/1, GWU (GHEDC) 12/15, Emory (GLEPI), Colorado SPH (GH-Epi),
Accepted: Tulane 11/26

 

[blb95]

Do you mind me asking what your GPA was? I am very interested in Emory but nervous about my GPA!

I got into Emory with a 3.0 GPA from my undergrad! It's a holistic process, so GPA isn't everything.

 

[Dmohr21]

Would anyone be kind enough to tell me my chances of admission to the schools I listed, given my stats? I'm not set on these school by any means. Thank you in advance.

Undergrad School: Top 10 public university
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.27 (not verified)
Major/Minor: Biology
GRE: 149V, 154Q A: TBA
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
(all undergrad work)
- public health research/study abroad on latin america's migration crisis
- 2 years as research assistant at a research 1 university, studying plant disease and epidemiology (not human science/public health but I think it relates)
- presented research poster at conference
- 2 years as caretaker for sick and elderly

LOR:
- professor and PI, research supervisor, study abroad internship head and professor

Special factors:
- first gen college student
- extremely low income family
- college athlete
(do any of these things matter in a masters application?)

Interests: MPH in Epidemiology or Global Epi

Applying: Emory (Gl-epi), Tulane (Epi), GWU (GHEDC), CSPH (GH-Epi), UofA (Epi), UNC (Applied Epi), SDSU (Epi)

I had a similar GPA though slightly higher GRE scores and was accepted to Emory, GWU, and Tulane as well as some other top ten programs.

 

[Missaayyyy]

I had a similar GPA though slightly higher GRE scores and was accepted to Emory, GWU, and Tulane as well as some other top ten programs.

Could I ask what your GREs were? I'm applying to Emory and Tulane with a similar GPA and have been going back and forth about whether my GREs are good enough or not

 

[Dmohr21]

Could I ask what your GREs were? I'm applying to Emory and Tulane with a similar GPA and have been going back and forth about whether my GREs are good enough or not

I took the GRE twice:
Q157 V154 AWA 5
Q159 V151 AWA 5.5

 

[Fl0ssyP0p]

Is anyone planning on going to Emory's Destination Public Health next month? I'll be there!

I'll be there!

 

[Fl0ssyP0p]

Hey Yall!

Is anyone familiar with how long it takes SOPHAS to calculate grades after receiving transcripts if you opted for the professional entry?

 

[kingorange9]

Just got accepted to NYMC!

 

[x0n]

Hey Yall!

Is anyone familiar with how long it takes SOPHAS to calculate grades after receiving transcripts if you opted for the professional entry?

Could take up to a week or two, at this time since many people could be at this stage with SOPHAS now. But it could be less

 

[el.mo19]

Just accepted to Tulane!

 

[Nb30]

Just accepted to Tulane!

congrats What emphasis/emphases??

 

[el.mo19]

congrats What emphasis/emphases??

Health education and communication! They also told me who my advisor will be in the acceptance letter.

 

[mini312]

Undergrad School: UW-Madison (2017)
Undergrad GPA: 3.14 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/Minor: Major: Economics with Math Emphasis; Minor: Mathematics and Global Health
GRE: V: 152 (56%), Q: 154 (55%), W: 4.5 (82%) (July 2018)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- Summer fieldwork in Spain and Morocco on Human Trafficking, which ended with a research paper and presentation
- 250+ hours volunteer experience with a local non-profit. Through the org, I helped organize two community health fairs in which I brought in doctors to provide blood pressure screening, diabetes screening, and mental health consultations for immigrants in the area. Also did other volunteering services such as tutoring.
-Went to Haiti with my school and a NPO in 2012 for a week after the earthquake to distribute necessities like food and clothing
-100 hours of volunteer experience at a org during summers of 2012-2015 in Bangladesh to distribute necessities such as food and clothing

LOR: 1. Professor who I went to the study abroad trip with in Spain and Morocco. 2. Professor who was a UW Madison poli sci undergraduate advisor. I took a class in which he was my instructor, 3. NPO administrator who I worked closely with to help organize the community health fairs.

Interests: MPH in health promotion/policy and management/community health/mental health/immigrant health

Applying: BU, Emory, GW, Harvard, Tulane, Rutgers, UT, USF, Minnesota, UCLA, Yale

Accepted: UT Health (10/01), Tulane (10/08)

Congratulations on your acceptances! Did you receive any funding from Tulane?

 

[atl2dmv2atl]

Hello all I am applying for Fall 2019 admission to MPH programs. Would anyone like to comment on my chances of getting in to some of these programs?

Undergrad School: medium-sized private university in the south (Fall 2019 graduation)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.54
Major/Minor: Biology/ Anthropology minor
GRE: V: 159 (83%), Q: 156 (61%), W: 4.0 (August 2018)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- summer public health internship at CDC doing whole genome sequencing of salmonella and E. coli
- (1 year) lab assistant in a HIV research lab
- Global Medical Brigades trip to Honduras
- currently: research assistant in a microbiology lab
- Biology Lab TA
- leadership roles in two campus organizations

LOR: one from a former teacher/ major advisor, one from my CDC internship mentor , and one from my former PI

Interests: MPH in epidemiology or global health ; Global EPI

Applying: Emory, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, George Washington University, University of Georgia, Georgia State (Columbia and JHU are my reach schools)

Accepted: UMD; George Washington (global health epi); UGA; Emory (epi); Columbia (epi w/ global health concentration); Johns Hopkins (MSPH International Health: Global Disease Epidemiology & Control)
Rejected: N/A
Waitlisted: N/A
I'm a little nervous because of my GPA and GRE. I also will be straight out of undergrad so I lack the years of experience older students might have but I am passionate about public health

 

[annie51]

Undergrad School: top 30 research university
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.65/3.91
Major/Minor: International Relations/Business
GRE: v: 166, q: 155, aw: 5
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

- 2 years experience working for a public policy research firm, worked on a project focused on preventing unintended pregnancies and poor birth outcomes. Included a strong quant component including program evaluation and statistical analysis, which I plan to highlight on my CV and SOP.
-1 year Americorps experience including designing a curriculum and teaching sex education to high school students
-1 year volunteer work in sex education at a well-regarded local nonprofit
-wrote an undergraduate thesis for which I conducted original research (not PH related, however)

LOR: three very strong LOR- 2 from former professors with whom I conducted research and had strong relationships, 1 from a supervisor with whom I have worked on PH-related fieldwork

Interests: health education, specifically regarding healthy sexual relationships; designing and evaluating effective curricula to promote healthy sexual behavior

Applying: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, BU, GWU, Brown (all SBS/HSB concentrations)

Accepted: N/A
Rejected: N/A
Waitlisted: N/A

 

[wwmmkk]

Undergrad School: top research university
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.65/3.91
Major/Minor: International Relations/Business
GRE: v: 165, q: 148, aw: 5.5 (is it worth retaking to improve a below average q score? or could the other parts of my app make up for that)

...

Applying: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, BU, GWU, Brown (all SBS/HSB concentrations)

The retake question is tricky here because you are certainly aiming high with Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, especially if you would like scholarship consideration. I believe Columbia uses a strict GRE cut off for merit scholarships, but that could be outdated information so you should check with someone in admissions.

Do you feel like the 148 represented your best efforts, or is it likely you would do better on a retake? Did you study in the most effective way for you? (You don't actually need to answer, these are just questions for you to think about.) I would say you need to be nearer to the 50th percentile on quant (so ~153; 148 is the 30th percentile based on the chart I found online) to be competitive for those programs, but that would require a pretty big jump.

There are plenty of other great SBS programs out there that place less emphasis on GRE scores. BU and GWU are among them. I'd consider keeping one of the Harvard/Yale/Columbia set and replacing the other two with other schools (Drexel and Emory come to mind) if you choose not to retake or don't manage to raise your scores.

 

[annie51]

@wwmmkk many thanks for taking the time to weigh in on my application! I have decided to take the GRE again, as I feel I can definitely do better on the Q section with a little more practice.

 

[Nameless MD]

I have a question please. Will it be wise to add my usmle step one score to my CV? I understand some schools frown at foreign medical doctors using the MPH as a means to an end, but I really desire the degree and the knowledge and opportunities that comes with it. After much considerations, I've narrowed down my schools to Harvard, Hopkins and University of Kentucky. So should I add my score or drop it. I did really well in the exam (243) and think it could speak well for me in a school like Hopkins, but I'm not sure.

 

[eb330009]

School: University of Washington
GPA: Cumulative and Major 3.77/3.84
GRE: 155V 160Q AWA 5.0
Major: Double major in Public Health and Communication
Experience (professional or otherwise)
-3 mo research assistant doing literature reviews for environmental health non profit as summer internship
-6 mo working at non-profit for homeless youth (part of capstone project)
-1 yr sorority executive board experience-- focus was on philanthropy and raising $30k for Ronald McDonald House Charaties
-9 months Transplant Donor Coordinator with local donation agency
-7 mo care coordinator at cancer center (will have this job for approx 17 mo by the time I go to graduate school)

Special Factors: Graduated from undergrad in 3 years, first generation American, fluent in Polish

Applied: UNC (MPH-Policy), UMinn (MPH-Public Health Policy & Management), UMich (MPH-Health Management), Emory (MPH-Health Management), Tulane (MPH-Health Management). (Also applying to UNC (MHA) and Trinity (MHA))
Interview: UMinn (declined), UMich (1/8)
Waitlist:
Rejected:
Accepted: Emory (12/12) UNC (1/16) UMich (1/18)
Attending:

Looking for maybe 1-2 schools to apply to, if anyone has any recommendations, I'd appreciate it!!

 

[wwmmkk]

Hey all,

I've been getting a lot of PMs lately that are asking some of the same basic questions. The summer before I started my MPH, I wrote this Master Post of Advice, and I just wanted to link to it here since I think it could really benefit a lot of first time SDN public health users. It's been in my signature ever since, but idk if those show up on mobile.

Happy applying! I'm struggling through PhD apps now, so I feel your pain.

 

[Jc2356]

Congratulations on your acceptances! Did you receive any funding from Tulane?

I did not. But I did submit my FAFSA application so hoping I get some through that.

 

[rnostdnt]

Undergrad School: State School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.703 (overall)/3.782 (major)
Major/Minor: Public Health with a minor in Psychology
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V 158 (80%), Q 151 (42%), Writing 4.0 (59%) taken on 10/8
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

- Neural Society for 4 years
- Research Assistant for a Memory and Brain Lab for 1 year
- University Ambassador for 3.5 years (project leader for a few committees)
- Office Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Events Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Health Educator for the Campus Health Center for 2 years
- Epidemiology Teaching Assistant for 1.5 years
- Access to Care and Ryan White Program internship for 10 months

Letter of Recommendations:
Epi Professor that I took and TA for, Internship supervisor, AIDS/HIV Professor that recommended me for internship

Interested in: Epidemiology, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Surveillance
Applied/Applying (include the date of application): Boston University (Epi), GWU (Epi), Emory (Epi), UofA (Epi), Yale (EMD), and University I attend (Epi).
Accepted: Boston University (Epi)+$ 1/2, Emory (Epi)+$1/9, GW (Epi) +$, Yale (EMD), UofA (Epi)
Rejected: NONE
Waitlisted:

 

[n3t]

Undergrad School: State School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.703 (overall)/3.782 (major)
Major/Minor: Public Health with a minor in Psychology
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V 158 (80%), Q 151 (42%), Writing 4.0 (59%) taken on 10/8
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

- Neural Society for 4 years
- Research Assistant for a Memory and Brain Lab for 1 year
- University Ambassador for 3.5 years (project leader for a few committees)
- Office Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Events Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Health Educator for the Campus Health Center for 2 years
- Epidemiology Teaching Assistant for 1.5 years
- Access to treatment and Barriers to treatment internship for 6 months

Letter of Recommendations:
Epi Professor that I took and TA for, Internship supervisor, AIDS/HIV Professor that recommended me for internship

Interested in: Epidemiology, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Health Disparities
Applied/Applying (include the date of application): Boston University (Epi), GWU (GHEpi&DC), University of Washington (Epi), UIC(Epi), University I attend (Epi), and Berkley (epi),
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I know my Quantitative score isn't that good so I doubt I will have a shot at a school like UW or Berkeley. My professor that I TA for said I should apply to Berkeley. I am not sure if I should add or remove a few schools from my list. Does anyone have any ideas of other good schools I should apply to or research more. I am hoping my experience, verbal score, and GPA help me a little since the quantitative is a little low. I also am not retaking the GRE again. This was my second time and can not do it for a third. Any advice or help would be amazing. I am a first gen student and am going through a lot of this alone without help. Also anyone know about any funding or scholarships? I am so excited I found this thread and now have the possibility to communicate with others also going through this! Good Luck Everyone!

Based on your interests, I would check out the Yale Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases (EMD) program. You could add a concentration in Global Health, and the EMD department has some great faculty working with health disparities. In my opinion, your stats look good for the program (even the quant score you are worried about)! It is a great program when you have specific interests in epidemiology for infectious diseases and is definitely worth looking into.

 

[Cassatrass]

Undergrad School: State School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.703 (overall)/3.782 (major)
Major/Minor: Public Health with a minor in Psychology
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V 158 (80%), Q 151 (42%), Writing 4.0 (59%) taken on 10/8
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

- Neural Society for 4 years
- Research Assistant for a Memory and Brain Lab for 1 year
- University Ambassador for 3.5 years (project leader for a few committees)
- Office Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Events Assistant for 3 years (not relevant because not health related)
- Health Educator for the Campus Health Center for 2 years
- Epidemiology Teaching Assistant for 1.5 years
- Access to treatment and Barriers to treatment internship for 6 months

Letter of Recommendations:
Epi Professor that I took and TA for, Internship supervisor, AIDS/HIV Professor that recommended me for internship

Interested in: Epidemiology, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Health Disparities
Applied/Applying (include the date of application): Boston University (Epi), GWU (GHEpi&DC), University of Washington (Epi), UIC(Epi), University I attend (Epi), and Berkley (epi),
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I know my Quantitative score isn't that good so I doubt I will have a shot at a school like UW or Berkeley. My professor that I TA for said I should apply to Berkeley. I am not sure if I should add or remove a few schools from my list. Does anyone have any ideas of other good schools I should apply to or research more. I am hoping my experience, verbal score, and GPA help me a little since the quantitative is a little low. I also am not retaking the GRE again. This was my second time and can not do it for a third. Any advice or help would be amazing. I am a first gen student and am going through a lot of this alone without help. Also anyone know about any funding or scholarships? I am so excited I found this thread and now have the possibility to communicate with others also going through this! Good Luck Everyone!

Emory might be another good fit! Getting a CDC internship is pretty common, and there are a wide array of infectious disease projects there. Emory also has a very strong HIV research group and has the Task Force for Global Health which is strong in neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases.

Though you'll have a shot at getting in to many of the good schools with your experience and GPA, I think it's rather unlikely that you'd get a scholarship with a low quant GRE score. I'd recommend retaking it to give yourself a better shot!

 

[jucb3]

Hi everyone! I've been reading these threads for a while and I'm excited to be applying myself! Here are my stats:

Undergrad School: BU (graduating in May)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.83/3.771
Major/Minor: Political Science/Public Health
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V 158 (80%), Q 162 (80%), W 4.5 (82%) (October 2018)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-summer internship in local government
-6 months as president of my school’s public health association (been involved for 2 years)
-2 ½ years volunteering for Relay for Life/American Cancer Society
-working on honors thesis on the development of social policies
-current research assistant for an epi study (started at the beginning of this semester)

LOR: one from my thesis professor, one from my PI, one from my internship supervisor

Interests: epidemiology, noncommunicable diseases, health disparities, social determinants of health
Applying: BU (epi/biostats), GW (epi), Yale (chronic disease epi), Drexel (epi), Pitt (epi), Brown

I'm a little worried because I don't have a lot of experience, especially since I'll be straight out of undergrad. Am I reaching? Do I have a chance at any scholarships? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!