MPH Fall 2017: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

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Anyone have any thoughts on UPENN v Emory? Atlanta v Philly? Thanks 🙂
 
starsea88 said:
Hey! Sorry for the late response. Overall, I thought that the open house was helpful. For 2 hours, there were presentations from the director of graduate study, director of student affairs, current students, and the practicum coordinator.

My takeaways:
  • The size of the program is small (around 30 students). 1st year students are paired with 2nd students. The program encourages networking between the two cohorts.
  • The program seems very flexible. Students can focus on one emphasis. In addition, they can take classes from other emphases and across UCI.
  • The professors are interested in working with students on research. There seems to be a collaborative environment.
  • The practicum coordinator closely works with the students to find a practicum site. Usually, the students complete their practicums in Orange County, but some of the students have completed their practicums elsewhere. The program has a list of sites, but the coordinator is open to hearing students' ideas. At the end of the spring quarter, there is a poster session where students talk about their practicum experiences.
  • UCI recently lunched the Global Health Research Education and Translation (GHREAT) program. Students can participate in seminars, research projects, field studies, etc. I was excited to hear about that!
  • The presenters did not talk much about housing. I would have liked to hear more about that.
  • Throughout the presentations, the presenters emphasized involvement in the community and an interdisciplinary focus on public health.
  • In terms of funding opportunities, most students work as TAs and course readers. Examples include the undergraduate public health courses, and science courses. The current students also mentioned loans.
I hope this helps, and let me know if you have questions!
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Thank you so much! This was super helpful! I'm really starting to like their program more and more as I get additional information. I wish I could help you out with information regarding housing nearby but I haven't looked into that either. I did however speak with the financial aid office today and they said that award announcements will come out the first week of April. So still a bit of a wait but at least it's before final decisions have to be made.
 
123publichealth said:
have other people gotten need based aid from columbia?
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Someone posted this exact question today, over on the Facebook page for HPM admitted students. No one has heard from Columbia yet. The fin aid office said they might send the offers late this week, but they've said that before too and they keep postponing it.
 
bugeater2017 said:
How do I go about asking for a travel grant to go to student's day?
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I always just e-mailed the admissions office (replying to my Congratulations e-mail or any e-mail about the visit day) and that worked.
 
MPHer234 said:
Anyone have any thoughts on UPENN v Emory? Atlanta v Philly? Thanks 🙂
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As most will agree, UPenn is an incredible school. The main limitation is that it's a program, rather than a school of public health. As a result, you may not have as diverse a set of research projects, course listings, or certificates to pursue. Nevertheless, you'll have access to a strong alumni network, career services office, and set of faculty. Since the program is also small, you have a chance for closer relationships with faculty. I think Philadelphia is okay for job/internship opportunities, but I may be wrong (don't know too much about the city).

Overall reputation aside, Emory is more established in the field of public health. I'm not going by the US News rankings or anything, but it being a school of public health rather than a program is naturally associated with a higher number of resources available for you. Pros include a ton of research projects, ability to customize coursework (ex: if you want to focus more on infectious disease epi), and the school's close ties with the CDC. For jobs and internships, Atlanta is probably more promising than Philadelphia.

It all boils down to your personal preference. Life in Philadelphia vs Atlanta is quite different. Being in a small vs large cohort is different as well. As many have said on here, what you do in the program ultimately matters more rather than where you go. Emory may have the bigger name in public health, but maybe UPenn is a better fit for you and your career goals. Either way, you have two very good schools to choose from.
 
HelloSunshine110 said:
Thank you so much! This was super helpful! I'm really starting to like their program more and more as I get additional information. I wish I could help you out with information regarding housing nearby but I haven't looked into that either. I did however speak with the financial aid office today and they said that award announcements will come out the first week of April. So still a bit of a wait but at least it's before final decisions have to be made.
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To add on (will edit post soon since my actual notebook that I took notes in has disappeared):
  • Student to professor ratio is roughly 2:1
  • Currently, there is no gateway program to the PhD program - they say that they are in the process of developing it
  • For the practicum, many stay in the OC area mainly because UCI is the most research-based institution in the OC so a lot of public health institutions are constantly looking for UCI MPH students to have their practicum done there. If you want to go elsewhere, you definitely can. They said that they currently have one student completing her practicum in Barbados (?)
  • The entire program is 5 quarters - you should finish most if not all classes by Fall Quarter of Y2. Winter and Spring quarters are used for your practicum.
  • Summer after Y1, you basically study for the CPH exam. This current year, 100% passed. On average, 96% pass.
  • As stated, the cohort size is really small (I counted about 20 from the graduating class last year). You really get to know your cohort well since there's not a lot of people
  • They really try to send all interested MPH students to the APHA conferences yearly - they give you a stipend (she mentioned ~$400-500) depending on how many are interested. Preference is given to PhD students, but for the past few years, all MPH students who wanted to go were able to. APHA is also a great opportunity for you to network.
  • UCI MPH is still a program and not yet a school. They are working to become a school of public health.
I have a friend who graduated from UCI undergrad and she said finding apartments is not as hard as we think. I personally think this is true as well; I drove around the area since I arrived earlier than the open house and there's a lot of options for housing (though I wasn't really able to differentiate between UCI apartments and off-campus apartments). Also, I definitely do recommend visiting UCI if you can - coming from a large public university in a very populated city, I was very surprised by UCI's community. My undergrad is pretty integrated with the city, but UCI is not - they have their own town that basically only UCI students go.
 
sloth17 said:
As most will agree, UPenn is an incredible school. The main limitation is that it's a program, rather than a school of public health. As a result, you may not have as diverse a set of research projects, course listings, or certificates to pursue. Nevertheless, you'll have access to a strong alumni network, career services office, and set of faculty. Since the program is also small, you have a chance for closer relationships with faculty. I think Philadelphia is okay for job/internship opportunities, but I may be wrong (don't know too much about the city).

Overall reputation aside, Emory is more established in the field of public health. I'm not going by the US News rankings or anything, but it being a school of public health rather than a program is naturally associated with a higher number of resources available for you. Pros include a ton of research projects, ability to customize coursework (ex: if you want to focus more on infectious disease epi), and the school's close ties with the CDC. For jobs and internships, Atlanta is probably more promising than Philadelphia.

It all boils down to your personal preference. Life in Philadelphia vs Atlanta is quite different. Being in a small vs large cohort is different as well. As many have said on here, what you do in the program ultimately matters more rather than where you go. Emory may have the bigger name in public health, but maybe UPenn is a better fit for you and your career goals. Either way, you have two very good schools to choose from.
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I went to Penn for undergrad and took some of their MPH classes, which I enjoyed. I did not apply to their MPH program, however that has more to do with wanting to go somewhere new than with my perception of the program. I work full time now in public health in Philadelphia. The city is a fantastic place to be for public health, and there are a ton of job opportunities between the DPH and the wealth of community-based and institutional organizations. Cost of living is also great - way cheaper than other large Eastern cities such as NYC and Boston. I can't speak from personal experience with respect to Atlanta, but have heard that Emory is a feeder for the CDC, which is great if that's the kind of work you want to do. I have heard that outside of that arena, job opportunities are harder to come by. There definitely is something to be said for attending a school of public health versus a program. Your likely to find more options/flexibility/resources readily available to you. I suspect all of these things are available at a place like Penn, too, you may just have to put in a little extra work in seeking them out.
 
ellb39 said:
I went to Penn for undergrad and took some of their MPH classes, which I enjoyed. I did not apply to their MPH program, however that has more to do with wanting to go somewhere new than with my perception of the program. I work full time now in public health in Philadelphia. The city is a fantastic place to be for public health, and there are a ton of job opportunities between the DPH and the wealth of community-based and institutional organizations. Cost of living is also great - way cheaper than other large Eastern cities such as NYC and Boston. I can't speak from personal experience with respect to Atlanta, but have heard that Emory is a feeder for the CDC, which is great if that's the kind of work you want to do. I have heard that outside of that arena, job opportunities are harder to come by. There definitely is something to be said for attending a school of public health versus a program. Your likely to find more options/flexibility/resources readily available to you. I suspect all of these things are available at a place like Penn, too, you may just have to put in a little extra work in seeking them out.
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Oops, my bad. Thank you for correcting me regarding opportunities in Philadelphia!
 
Kpb130030 said:
Hey! I am also going to Yale and am looking for a roommate. I am female, 22, and have a 35 pound border collie. I will be studying Health Policy. I will be in New Haven for Admitted Students Day on April 3rd!
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Nothing of note to say here except I love BCs.
 
boomer2017 said:
Has anyone received need-based financial aid from Emory? I haven't received any financial aid emails at all.
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I haven't. I check my OPUS account for updates occasionally but they haven't posted any updates and my to-do list hasn't changed.
 
nikkster627 said:
I haven't. I check my OPUS account for updates occasionally but they haven't posted any updates and my to-do list hasn't changed.
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Called Emory yesterday and they said they're still working on financial aid. We're supposed to hear back within the next week or so.
 
Just booked my flight to New Haven to visit Yale on the 3rd! I've narrowed my choices down between Columbia and Yale, and I'm definitely torn. Loved Columbia during their Admit Day, but Yale's financial aid offer will be tough to turn down, so I'm excited to visit their program too!
 
nikkster627 said:
I haven't. I check my OPUS account for updates occasionally but they haven't posted any updates and my to-do list hasn't changed.
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I sent an email to the financial aid office earlier this week, and they said throughout this week awards for financial aid would be updated on OPUS. I just check mine and the scholarship I was notified about last week is there as well as the result of my federal financial aid package.

Now it's time to sit down and crunch numbers to decide how much of the loan money I actually should accept!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
jassaj said:
I sent an email to the financial aid office earlier this week, and they said throughout this week awards for financial aid would be updated on OPUS. I just check mine and the scholarship I was notified about last week is there as well as the result of my federal financial aid package.

Now it's time to sit down and crunch numbers to decide how much of the loan money I actually should accept!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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I just checked and it's there! Nothing huge, but I did get the Rollins Earn and Learn grant! Yay!
 
Does anyone know where to find the student ID number and application number to fill out the form to respond to Emory's admission offer? I can't seem to find them anywhere on OPUS.
 
My financial aid link also appeared today

sev321 said:
Does anyone know where to find the student ID number and application number to fill out the form to respond to Emory's admission offer? I can't seem to find them anywhere on OPUS.
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Your studentID is the # next to your name on OPUS. As for the AppID, I only saw that on the congratulatory email.
 
Annnd my final decision came through today. Waitlisted by Harvard. (Email to check portal). Now I understand this waitlist limbo feeling.
 
sloth17 said:
As most will agree, UPenn is an incredible school. The main limitation is that it's a program, rather than a school of public health. As a result, you may not have as diverse a set of research projects, course listings, or certificates to pursue. Nevertheless, you'll have access to a strong alumni network, career services office, and set of faculty. Since the program is also small, you have a chance for closer relationships with faculty. I think Philadelphia is okay for job/internship opportunities, but I may be wrong (don't know too much about the city).

Overall reputation aside, Emory is more established in the field of public health. I'm not going by the US News rankings or anything, but it being a school of public health rather than a program is naturally associated with a higher number of resources available for you. Pros include a ton of research projects, ability to customize coursework (ex: if you want to focus more on infectious disease epi), and the school's close ties with the CDC. For jobs and internships, Atlanta is probably more promising than Philadelphia.

It all boils down to your personal preference. Life in Philadelphia vs Atlanta is quite different. Being in a small vs large cohort is different as well. As many have said on here, what you do in the program ultimately matters more rather than where you go. Emory may have the bigger name in public health, but maybe UPenn is a better fit for you and your career goals. Either way, you have two very good schools to choose from.
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Thanks for the detailed response! Im looking into both programs now and gathering as much data as I can
 
ellb39 said:
I went to Penn for undergrad and took some of their MPH classes, which I enjoyed. I did not apply to their MPH program, however that has more to do with wanting to go somewhere new than with my perception of the program. I work full time now in public health in Philadelphia. The city is a fantastic place to be for public health, and there are a ton of job opportunities between the DPH and the wealth of community-based and institutional organizations. Cost of living is also great - way cheaper than other large Eastern cities such as NYC and Boston. I can't speak from personal experience with respect to Atlanta, but have heard that Emory is a feeder for the CDC, which is great if that's the kind of work you want to do. I have heard that outside of that arena, job opportunities are harder to come by. There definitely is something to be said for attending a school of public health versus a program. Your likely to find more options/flexibility/resources readily available to you. I suspect all of these things are available at a place like Penn, too, you may just have to put in a little extra work in seeking them out.
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Did you feel safe in the city? Additionally what areas would you recommend living in/would living near campus add anything special as a grad student v an undergrad? Thanks thanks for your thoughts/"expertise" 😉)
 
Rejected from Harvard! And that wraps up my admissions decisions. Glad that the waiting is finally over. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but hey, got a great offer from an equally great school, so it's not really a loss to me 🙂
 
MPHer234 said:
Did you feel safe in the city? Additionally what areas would you recommend living in/would living near campus add anything special as a grad student v an undergrad? Thanks thanks for your thoughts/"expertise" 😉)
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I have never felt unsafe in Philadelphia, and have lived in neighborhoods that many might consider "unsafe." Philly has the same risks of any big city. My philosophy is generally, "don't be stupid." If something sounds unsafe (i.e., walking home alone in a secluded area very late at night), it probably is, regardless of the city. Penn, in my opinion, paints certain areas of Philly as menacing when they're simply not - just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. Popular places to live for grads and undergrads include University City (which is essentially right by campus, $$$ with the exception of student-oriented off campus housing which is usually more affordable though not the nicest), Graduate Hospital/Devil's Pocket ($$$, very nice, neighborhood-y, families, mostly grad students), and West Philadelphia (super cheap, mix of grads and undergrads, hodge podge of housing options). I recommend living in West Philly, in the 40s and 50s blocks. It's quite close to campus (walkable, bikeable, train/bus-able), generally super cheap, and generally an interesting place to live. Lots of beautiful old houses, lots of co-ops, lots of families and schools and parks, eclectic shops and restaurants, etc.
 
Hi! First time poster here.
I'm about to graduate from undergrad this upcoming April/May. I was going to apply to MPH programs for this upcoming fall but chickened out. My GPA is at about a 2.8-2.9 and my major GPAs are close to 2.5 (Biology how I hate you) and 3.2 (Political Science). My GRE scores were both 152 and writing was a 3-3.5. I haven't gotten around to getting to much experience but this is something I'm super passionate about.
What have been experiences of people with lower GPAs? I'm sorry there were so many pages on the thread I didn't get to!
 
trainwreck12 said:
Hi! First time poster here.
I'm about to graduate from undergrad this upcoming April/May. I was going to apply to MPH programs for this upcoming fall but chickened out. My GPA is at about a 2.8-2.9 and my major GPAs are close to 2.5 (Biology how I hate you) and 3.2 (Political Science). My GRE scores were both 152 and writing was a 3-3.5. I haven't gotten around to getting to much experience but this is something I'm super passionate about.
What have been experiences of people with lower GPAs? I'm sorry there were so many pages on the thread I didn't get to!
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I actually ended up with your exact GPA and GRE scores lol I have about 4 years of experience in the Public Health field so that really helped me like when I talked about in my essay. I applied to like 7 schools and I have two back so far. I can honestly tell you dont give up on yourself like I felt so bad about how people had higher GPA and GRE but realized we all have a different background and unique in our own way and what is great about MPH is that they look at the whole picture. You just have to give it a chance and see what happens 🙂
 
123publichealth said:
i got an email. i was confused if this means i didn't get a merit scholarship, this seemed only need based.
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Thank you for the clarification. Maybe it is just the need based part? Mine is not there yet, sorry I'm no help!
 
trainwreck12 said:
Hi! First time poster here.
I'm about to graduate from undergrad this upcoming April/May. I was going to apply to MPH programs for this upcoming fall but chickened out. My GPA is at about a 2.8-2.9 and my major GPAs are close to 2.5 (Biology how I hate you) and 3.2 (Political Science). My GRE scores were both 152 and writing was a 3-3.5. I haven't gotten around to getting to much experience but this is something I'm super passionate about.
What have been experiences of people with lower GPAs? I'm sorry there were so many pages on the thread I didn't get to!
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My GPA was lower than yours (2.7) but I got a lot of work experience and managed to get into 5/9 programs that I've applied to so far (still waiting). I think work experience really helped me show the schools that I can be a strong candidate (and myself). How well you showcase your passion through your experiences and especially in your personal statement is also reviewed so that is where you can really shine. I'm sure you can get do it, just have to try or you'll never know.
 
My last post!

GPA 3.95 | Medical Doctor | MCAT 95%ile | Applicant: MPH - Policy and Management
Applied: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Michigan, NYU, Berkeley
Rejected:
Accepted: Michigan, NYU +30K, Columbia +full tuition, Berkeley, Harvard, Yale
Attending: Harvard vs Columbia
 
Can anyone give feedback on Harvard's health management program? Thank you in advance!
 
ellb39 said:
I went to Penn for undergrad and took some of their MPH classes, which I enjoyed. I did not apply to their MPH program, however that has more to do with wanting to go somewhere new than with my perception of the program. I work full time now in public health in Philadelphia. The city is a fantastic place to be for public health, and there are a ton of job opportunities between the DPH and the wealth of community-based and institutional organizations. Cost of living is also great - way cheaper than other large Eastern cities such as NYC and Boston. I can't speak from personal experience with respect to Atlanta, but have heard that Emory is a feeder for the CDC, which is great if that's the kind of work you want to do. I have heard that outside of that arena, job opportunities are harder to come by. There definitely is something to be said for attending a school of public health versus a program. Your likely to find more options/flexibility/resources readily available to you. I suspect all of these things are available at a place like Penn, too, you may just have to put in a little extra work in seeking them out.
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I second this post! Philly is a cool city. I lived near Atlanta and don't get the appeal. Not much to it outside of the school bubbles, the aquarium, and the Coca Cola factory haha. Also, the CDC headquarters tends to attract a lot of MPH applicants, but take away that building and opportunities are slim. You can work directly for the CDC in so many other cities as well! The CDC is hiring students in NYC for trainee positions in public health that pay crazy well (you can find those on USA Jobs).

Will also add that Emory is an amazing school to attend. I just don't think someone should decide to go there because of the CDC.
 
sev321 said:
Just booked my flight to New Haven to visit Yale on the 3rd! I've narrowed my choices down between Columbia and Yale, and I'm definitely torn. Loved Columbia during their Admit Day, but Yale's financial aid offer will be tough to turn down, so I'm excited to visit their program too!
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Also torn between Yale and Columbia (my top choices) but didn't get aid at either which throws Brown (where I did get $$) into the mix.
 
Is it pretty easy to get internship/summer work at Columbia? Emory looks tempting bc of it's location in Atlanta and ties to the CDC, but I was wondering which was a better option in terms of opportunities.
 
Good luck to everyone still waiting on schools-- and those still deciding! Soon enough, I'm sure we'll all have clarity on where we'll be next year.

#help, plz:
I'm currently deciding between Harvard's MPH in Global Health (65 credit) vs Hopkins' MSPH in International Health (Health Systems). Leaning towards Harvard but would love people's thoughts! It seems that Harvard has tons and tons of MDs in its program.. which is cool and all but I'd find it more personally valuable to be with fellow PH practitioners/analysts/etc.
 
globalhealthnerd said:
Good luck to everyone still waiting on schools-- and those still deciding! Soon enough, I'm sure we'll all have clarity on where we'll be next year.

#help, plz:
I'm currently deciding between Harvard's MPH in Global Health (65 credit) vs Hopkins' MSPH in International Health (Health Systems). Leaning towards Harvard but would love people's thoughts! It seems that Harvard has tons and tons of MDs in its program.. which is cool and all but I'd find it more personally valuable to be with fellow PH practitioners/analysts/etc.
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Hopkins' MPH program is almost half MD or MD's in training. I think the MSPH programs may have a smaller percentage of MDs, as the students tend to be younger and fewer years of work experience - but if a higher % of MDs is not a positive factor for you, it might be valuable to reach out and ask JHU 🙂 They tend to be pretty receptive!
 
jaiyen13 said:
Can anyone give feedback on Harvard's health management program? Thank you in advance!
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also accepted! And would love to hear feedback as well
 
globalhealthnerd said:
Good luck to everyone still waiting on schools-- and those still deciding! Soon enough, I'm sure we'll all have clarity on where we'll be next year.

#help, plz:
I'm currently deciding between Harvard's MPH in Global Health (65 credit) vs Hopkins' MSPH in International Health (Health Systems). Leaning towards Harvard but would love people's thoughts! It seems that Harvard has tons and tons of MDs in its program.. which is cool and all but I'd find it more personally valuable to be with fellow PH practitioners/analysts/etc.
Click to expand...


From what I understand, the 65 unit programs are actually designed to usually NOT be for MDs -- they go to the 45 unit program. I would reach out to the GH program director to get a clearer idea of this.
 
trainwreck12 said:
Hi! First time poster here.
I'm about to graduate from undergrad this upcoming April/May. I was going to apply to MPH programs for this upcoming fall but chickened out. My GPA is at about a 2.8-2.9 and my major GPAs are close to 2.5 (Biology how I hate you) and 3.2 (Political Science). My GRE scores were both 152 and writing was a 3-3.5. I haven't gotten around to getting to much experience but this is something I'm super passionate about.
What have been experiences of people with lower GPAs? I'm sorry there were so many pages on the thread I didn't get to!
Click to expand...

Hi! I am a first time poster in this thread, but I just wanted to say a few encouraging words. So, my GPA is not above a 3 and GREs just average.. but when I went to GWU's Open House back in November 2016, I did not feel discouraged because with the MPH application process, they take a holistic approach. They take in account all parts of the application, not filtering out applicants just by GPA and GRE numbers. Another responder to your post mentioned it already, but everyone is unique and has something else to offer -- not just high GPA and GRE scores. Since you did not apply this time around, maybe spend time getting experience and possibly retake your GREs? I had read people suggest a higher GRE can "make up for" a lower GPA. Best of luck! Don't give up.
 
bugeater2017 said:
Is it pretty easy to get internship/summer work at Columbia? Emory looks tempting bc of it's location in Atlanta and ties to the CDC, but I was wondering which was a better option in terms of opportunities.
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It's extremely easy to find a job/internship/practicum in New York City. Ridiculously easy. Right now, I'm a tutor at the undergrad campus, also working as a programmer assisting a researcher on the medical campus, and I'm doing my practicum now at the New York City Department of Health. There are so many opportunities here that the most difficult part of the job search is telling myself I can't do everything haha
 
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