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SOSme6658

New Member
5+ Year Member
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Hi everyone!

I would like to receive your input on my pathway to MPH programs/ Admission. I graduated from a big ten school with a degree in geology/ environmental sciences with a low gpa (2.62). In my last year of undergrad, I was taking 18 credit hours of adv sciences for both semesters while working 25+ hours and ended with a 3.0 for that year (was pretty proud despite of the low overall gpa). For the longest time, I had no idea what career pathway I wanted to consider within health, so I had low motivation combined with working more than 20 hours a week all of undergrad. I wasn't very involved in ECs; however, I was very involved in all of my jobs. Now that I am pursuing a nonprofit management fellowship and working at a city government office, I'm more and more interested in MPH (policy/ admin, environmental, and statistics).

Overall, and in addition to the brief story, I would like to know if I am on the right path to fix the following/ gaining more real life experiences?:

-GPA issue: I will retake calc 2 since I have a big fat F on my transcript, and I will take calc 3, linear algebra, and so forth at a community college while working full time until I apply to MPH. I have completed pre-med courses too.

-GRE: I know I need to beast this, so this isn't my main concern on this post.

-Relevant work experience during undergrad:
  • research assistant leading to a coordination role (1 year, no publication)
  • worked with students with disabilities for 2 years
  • AmeriCorps summer program working with people with severe disabilities
  • Office Assistant to a living learning community program on campus
-Professional experience
  • Nonprofit management Fellowship (1 yr) with a placement at a city government office
  • I will soon begin my new F-T position as some coordinator at a nonprofit while taking classes to improve my GPA
  • Served as a jr board member for a nonprofit for 3 months now
  • Network/ learning: I am meeting public health professionals at the City level to discuss their work and my interests, and I have already met professionals at my state's dept of public health.
With everything I have shared, is there anything else I can do to prepare for good MPH programs?

Thank you!
 
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You seem to have a great range of experience. For decent state school's MPH program, I doubt you have any trouble getting in. For top programs, it may help to narrow your focus and tell a solid story of why you want what you want (esp how your experience led you to that decision). Good luck!