MPH / MSPH 2021: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending

[futureapppsy2]

Hi all,

Here is your annual application process/stats thread! Good luck to everyone!

Optional template:

Undergraduate School/School type:
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA:
Major/minor:
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE(including date taken):

Experience/research:

Letters of Rec:

Interests:

Applied:
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

---

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[ejwill]

I feel so strange being the first one to post on this thread! I feel like I have been watching these threads for so long now lol. I'm applying to programs both in the US and in the UK and Ireland and I'm interested to hear if any of you may be doing the same! For most of my US schools I'm applying to MPH/MPA dual degree programs, but for UK schools I'm applying to taught MSc programs.

Undergraduate School/School type: Large, public university in the west
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.84
Major/minor: Double majors in Health, Society and Policy (a mouthful) and Psychology
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE(including date taken): Taken 11/17/2019, Verbal: 159/83%, Quant: 157/64%, Writing: 5/92%. I know GRE is optional at most schools for this app cycle but I think I will be submitting, my only concern is my quantitative score. I think it might hurt me at Columbia specifically.

Experience/research:
- 1 year AmeriCorps term
- 1 year full-time public health experience
- 2 years volunteering at a free HIV test site, the last 1.5 years as an HIV prevention counselor (which is a certification administered by the department of health)
- Phi Eta Sigma honor society
- 3 years working at a grocery store (I know it's not health-related but I did this full time for several years to put myself through my undergrad)

Letters of Rec: professor from my health major capstone course, a professor from a food sustainability class which we got to know each other very well, I did some of my best work in her class and she will write me a great letter, my supervisor at the HIV test site, who knows me very well and I have been working with for two years now. He has reached out to me for special projects and has written recommendations before for me. I also can get one from my Americorp supervisor. Should I replace one of my other recs with this?

Other factors: first-generation college student

Interests: sexual and reproductive health education and outreach, specifically in low and middle-income countries, or in refugee and immigrant populations

Applied (all submitted by 11/19, had some hiccups with recommendations) : Columbia (SMS, gender and sexuality cert.), Brown (MPH/MPA), NYU (MPH/MPA), University College London (MSc Global Health and Development), King's College (MSc Global Health and Social Justice), Trinity College Dublin (MSc Global Health)
Accepted: Kings College (1/20), Columbia (1/20) + $40k (4/16), Tufts (1/26), UCL (1/30), NYU (3/1) +$30k (3/12)
Rejected: Brown
Waitlisted: Trinity College (3/15, interviewed 3/12)
Attending: Columbia!

 

[penpenclown]

How SoL do you think I'll be if I can't take the GRE? I was planning on taking it over the summer but COVID messed that up. I can't do it online because my internet access is...unreliable and I don't want to take it in-person because I work with super vulnerable people (seniors in assisted living, people in group homes) and want to avoid increasing the risks as much as possible. I know a lot of schools are waiving the GRE, but I'm concerned because some don't specify and my GPA is only okay (3.63) so I'm concerned it might put me at a big disadvantage. I guess I can try to take it in the next few months but I'm doing 23 credits and working 50+ hr/week so I don't exactly have a ton of free time to study hah.

 

[Eyedontknowanymore]

How SoL do you think I'll be if I can't take the GRE? I was planning on taking it over the summer but COVID messed that up. I can't do it online because my internet access is...unreliable and I don't want to take it in-person because I work with super vulnerable people (seniors in assisted living, people in group homes) and want to avoid increasing the risks as much as possible. I know a lot of schools are waiving the GRE, but I'm concerned because some don't specify and my GPA is only okay (3.63) so I'm concerned it might put me at a big disadvantage. I guess I can try to take it in the next few months but I'm doing 23 credits and working 50+ hr/week so I don't exactly have a ton of free time to study hah.

I know that some schools aren’t taking them into consideration this cycle like UMich!

 

[spoitier]

Undergraduate School/School type: Private Catholic university in the Midwest
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.50/3.85
Major/minor: Anthropology / biomedical sciences; health studies
Grad GPA (if applicable): 4.19
Grad studies (if applicable): M.A. Medical Anthropology + Graduate Certificate in Public Health
GRE(including date taken): taken 07/2016 - V157 Q158 W4.0

Experience
- 2 years volunteering in HIV counseling and testing at a free STD clinic
- 6 months teaching sex ed, substance use prevention, financial literacy, adult prep curriculum (part-time)
- 5 months of public health education as a Peace Corps Volunteer (had to leave early due to medical issues)
- 1 year of AmeriCorps VISTA - substance use and HIV/STI prevention curriculum development and evaluation, resource management, Narcan education and distribution - focus on rural populations, Alaska Native youth
- 2 months (full-time summer internship) of mosquito and tick collection, vector-borne disease surveillance
- 2 months (full-time) COVID-19 response with AmeriCorps VISTA: case investigation, contact tracing, resource coordination

Research:
- 3 years as an undergraduate research assistant on projects about mortality from enteric disease, tuberculosis, congenital syphilis, childbed fever
- senior thesis on enteric disease mortality
- senior capstone project - ethnography of HIV clinic
- 2 months (full-time summer program) conducting research on schistosomiasis diagnostic methods
- 2 years as a graduate student researcher on a project studying health disparities related to transportation and food insecurity

Letters of Rec: 2 professors in my current department (including my thesis research advisor), 1 professor from my current university's school of public health

Interests: infectious disease epidemiology, health disparities, social epidemiology, urban health, NTDs

I am only planning on applying to Georgia State University and Emory right now because I'd like to stay in Atlanta for the time being (I think lol). I'm a current student at GSU with an assistantship that would cover tuition for at least one year of my MPH (I'm also getting a PH grad cert right now meaning I could graduate with an MPH in as little as one year), and if that funding runs out then I'd get in-state tuition. Emory, on the other hand, is so insanely expensive it makes my heart hurt BUT as someone living and working in Atlanta, I know Emory's name carries a lot of weight and has more connections. Emory also has more classes focused on ID epi, social epi, and IDs in general so I'd get a lot of depth in those areas. GSU only has one ID epi and one [rarely taught] social epi course, even though they do have other super interesting electives that would give me more breadth.

Applied: Georgia State University (MPH-Epi), Emory (MPH-Global Epi)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

 

[MPHSeekerrr]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large Private Research Uni in NE.
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42/3.85 (3.8+ jun/sen years)
Major/minor: Health Science, minored in Public Health
GRE: Didn't take it. (time and energy said no lol)

Experience/research:
In College:

• Summer interned for the Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city.
• Co-taught an undergrad introductory biology lab.
• Co-taught an undergrad organic chemistry prep course.
• Interned for a State Health and Human Services department.
• Interned at a U.K. NIH partner organization during study abroad.
• Served as a patient advocate and benefits liaison for a non-profit located within a major health system.

Post College:

• 2 year post grad fellow at a Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city.
  • Year 1 in an HIV department.
  • Year 2 in a Substance Use department.
    • Transitioned to the COVID-19 response team doing direct patient contact field work for 4 months.
• Currently at the Health Department in a new position working on health disparities initiatives and harm reduction campaigns.

Letters of Rec:
Undergrad Public health professor/mentor: 3 courses (A, A, A-).
Undergrad Public health/Epi professor/faculty advisor: 2 courses (B+, A).
Undergrad Public health professor: 1 course
Professional: Department director.

Interests: Epi infectious diseases, geospatial analysis, health disparities. Applied to all MPH Epi programs (+MSPH at Hopkins).
Other Factors: 1st Gen American & WOC

Applied: Boston U (11/16), Columbia (12/1), Drexel (11/16), Emory (11/15), GW (11/19), JHU MPH (11/29) MSPH (12/27), Yale (11/23).
Accepted: GW (12/11), Drexel (12/22) +22K, Yale (1/6) +30k (1/13), Columbia (1/20), JHU MPH (2/3) MSPH +MTS (3/18), Emory (2/3), BU +30% (2/7)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Applications were for Epi. Verified 11/18. Full SOPHAS app complete 11/23.
Good luck to everyone applying! I hope you all have as close to a stress-free experience as possible!

 

[Eyedontknowanymore]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large Private Research University in the Northeast
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42/3.85
Major/minor: Health Science, minored in Public Health
GRE: Still debating if I should take it since many schools have waived the requirement and I don't really have time to study.

Experience/research:
In College:
- Summer interned for the Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city. Gained programmatic and policy experience.
- Co-taught an undergrad introductory biology lab.
- Co-taught an undergrad organic chemistry prep course.
- Interned for a State Health and Human Services department analyzing and referring student disability applications.
- Interned at a U.K. NIH partner organization where I assisted in drafting patient safety protocols and creating clinician safety trainings.
- Served as a patient advocate and benefits liaison for a non-profit located within a major health system.

Post College:
- 2 years at a Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city as a post grad fellow. During both years, met with the health commissioner monthly for policy discussions.
----Year 1 in an HIV department working on policy research and program planning.
----Year 2 in a Substance Use department where I worked on prevention and data projects as well as in the field on Narcan distribution and surveying.
------Year 2 altered by COVID-19. I transitioned to the COVID-19 response team doing direct patient contact field work for 4 months.
- Currently at the Health Department in a new position working on health disparities initiatives.

Letters of Rec:
1 from my undergrad professor/mentor with whom I took 3 courses (A, A, A-) and continue to communicate with.
1 from a former supervisor.
1 from my department director who I directly reported to for a year.

Interests: Epi, infectious diseases, geospatial mapping and global health. I'll be applying to Epi programs.

Applying: Berkeley (maybe), Boston U, UCL, Columbia, Drexel, Emory, George Washington, Hopkins, UPENN, Pittsburgh, Temple, Tufts, Tulane, U. Washington, Yale(maybe)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Any advice on if I should take the GRE? I really don't want to lol. I'm holding out that more schools will waive the GRE (ahem Columbia, Hopkins UPENN and Wash). I know my GPA isn't great, but my transcripts show an upward trajectory: all A's and A-'s junior and senior years when I took almost all public health course.

Honestly, my main goal is to get as much data experience as possible while taking out as little loans as possible. I know some of the above schools don't have great epi programs, but I'll try to use any money awarded as leverage for other schools. My #1 program has always been Columbia, but they're not known to give out money and I refuse to pay anywhere close to full tuition. I'll sooner go to one of my decent, but not great state schools than do that.

Also, can someone please explain the obsession with Brown?

Good luck to everyone applying! I hope you all have as close to a stress-free experience as possible!

Hey I’m in the same boat as you in regards to not having the time or desire lol to take the GRE. UW is one of the schools I’m applying to and as of 2019 they don’t require the GRE.

 

[MPHSeekerrr]

Hey I’m in the same boat as you in regards I’m not having the time or desire lol to take the GRE. UW is one of the schools I’m applying to and as of 2019 they don’t require the GRE.

I...that just made my night. I spent like 20 minutes trying to figure out if they required it. Whew. 1 down, 3 more to go.
Lol I also have 0 desire to even open the prep book. I wish every school would just get rid of it

 

[Eyedontknowanymore]

I...that just made my night. I spent like 20 minutes trying to figure out if they required it. Whew. 1 down, 3 more to go.
Lol I also have 0 desire to even open the prep book. I wish every school would just get rid of it

“Due to the impact COVID-19 is having on testing access, GRE scores will not be a part of the UW Department of Epidemiology application for those applying for Fall 2021 entry.”

Besides UW cause they have their own application. A lot of the schools will have it on SOPHAS that due to COVID they made the GRE optional like tOSU, and others have decided to no longer require it like UMich, Drexel, Temple, and UMN.

 

[blondepremedd]

Advice about where to apply would lowkey be stellar? Not the best GPA, but pretty alright experiences & will hopefully have a solid GRE (TBA).

Undergraduate School/School type: Big 10 in the Midwest
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42 (womp womp)
Major/minor: Dual degree in History and Biomedical Science with a minor in Science and Society (pre-med convert which semi-explains the lower gpa)
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE(including date taken): Taking at the end of September, need to show I can do the math so will hopefully nail the quant

Experience/research:
- 4 years of lung immunology research
- Presented research at a big conference in Chicago & won an award, 1-2 published papers in the works
- 2 years as an OChem lab TA
- 2 years as a career path peer advisor
- Co-founder and president of a pre-health group on campus
- Political intern for a local state representative
- 3 years as a volunteer for my school's sexual assault center
- 2 years member of our pro-choice student group on campus
- Recently began volunteering for Planned Parenthood (clinic escorting, phone banking, etc.)
- 6 months as a Crisis Text Line volunteer
- 6 months as a ESL Engllish practice group facilitator
- 1 year clinical study coordinator
- 2 months surveying patients post-surgery (quit quickly because doing phone calls all day was incredibly boring)
- MIGHT get selected for a virtual internship this semester with the Indian Health Service (fingers crossed)

My experiences are kind of all over the place? We'll see how I end up pulling them together in my statement.

Letters of Rec: My lab PI, lab MD, OChem professor/boss, maybe a PP advisor?

Interests: Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Health/Rights, Health Policy

Applied: Planning on JHU (global disease Epi and control), UofM (global health Epi, regular Epi, maybe a dual MPH/MPP), BU (Epi), Harvard (MS Epi), Columbia (Epi), Emory (global health Epi, normal Epi), Washington (Epi), Minnesota (Epi), Colorado (Epi), maybe UW Madison (epi), maybe Yale. These costs ain't cute.
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

My goal is to probably be an epidemiologist and do a lot of work abroad for a bit, hopefully do policy work for a bit after that, and then hopefully dip into teaching when I'm nice and ripe. I'm mildly salty that I wasted so much time in undergrad being pre-med. I feel like my expereinces could have been a lot stronger and more MPH-relevant, and I woulda had a better shot at global health programs. Anyway Hakuna Matata, I suppose. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Question for anyone who might know -- is it difficult to get into a top MPH program when you are already in medical school (taking a leave of absence)? It's hard to gauge a sense of my competitiveness since my stats/experiences are a little bit different from someone who isn't getting an MD as well. My main focus is refugee and immigrant health, and I have a decent amount of experience in that, along with your typical medical stuff.

Not sure why you would do that--just look for a post-residency fellowship that will pay you to get one.

 

[rap15]

Advice about where to apply would lowkey be stellar? Not the best GPA, but pretty alright experiences & will hopefully have a solid GRE (TBA).

Undergraduate School/School type: Big 10 in the Midwest
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42 (womp womp)
Major/minor: Dual degree in History and Biomedical Science with a minor in Science and Society (pre-med convert which semi-explains the lower gpa)
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE(including date taken): Taking at the end of September, need to show I can do the math so will hopefully nail the quant

Experience/research:
- 4 years of lung immunology research
- Presented research at a big conference in Chicago & won an award, 1-2 published papers in the works
- 2 years as an OChem lab TA
- 2 years as a career path peer advisor
- Co-founder and president of a pre-health group on campus
- Political intern for a local state representative
- 3 years as a volunteer for my school's sexual assault center
- 2 years member of our pro-choice student group on campus
- Recently began volunteering for Planned Parenthood (clinic escorting, phone banking, etc.)
- 6 months as a Crisis Text Line volunteer
- 6 months as a ESL Engllish practice group facilitator
- 1 year clinical study coordinator
- 2 months surveying patients post-surgery (quit quickly because doing phone calls all day was incredibly boring)
- MIGHT get selected for a virtual internship this semester with the Indian Health Service (fingers crossed)

My experiences are kind of all over the place? We'll see how I end up pulling them together in my statement.

Letters of Rec: My lab PI, lab MD, OChem professor/boss, maybe a PP advisor?

Interests: Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Health/Rights, Health Policy

Applied: Planning on JHU (global disease Epi and control), UofM (global health Epi, regular Epi, maybe a dual MPH/MPP), BU (Epi), Harvard (MS Epi), Columbia (Epi), Emory (global health Epi, normal Epi), Washington (Epi), Minnesota (Epi), Colorado (Epi), maybe UW Madison (epi), maybe Yale. These costs ain't cute.
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

My goal is to probably be an epidemiologist and do a lot of work abroad for a bit, hopefully do policy work for a bit after that, and then hopefully dip into teaching when I'm nice and ripe. I'm mildly salty that I wasted so much time in undergrad being pre-med. I feel like my expereinces could have been a lot stronger and more MPH-relevant, and I woulda had a better shot at global health programs. Anyway Hakuna Matata, I suppose. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I had a 3.39 GPA and good GRE scores (V 161, Q 160, AW 4.0) and I got into GW (starting there this fall), UNC online, and University of Maryland online. I know none of those schools are on your list, but my point is that a 3.42 GPA isn't "womp womp," especially if you can really nail your GRE! Take the practice tests to figure out what math you don't remember how to do! I wish you good luck

My only other advice would be to really consider what schools you apply to. My list was originally much longer, but once I realized that some schools on the list were places I wouldn't ever imagine choosing, I cut them, and ended up saving my self hundreds of dollars.

 

[blondepremedd]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large Private Research University in the Northeast
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42/3.85
Major/minor: Health Science, minored in Public Health
GRE: Still debating if I should take it since many schools have waived the requirement and I don't really have time to study.

Experience/research:
In College:
- Summer interned for the Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city. Gained programmatic and policy experience.
- Co-taught an undergrad introductory biology lab.
- Co-taught an undergrad organic chemistry prep course.
- Interned for a State Health and Human Services department analyzing and referring student disability applications.
- Interned at a U.K. NIH partner organization where I assisted in drafting patient safety protocols and creating clinician safety trainings.
- Served as a patient advocate and benefits liaison for a non-profit located within a major health system.

Post College:
- 2 years at a Department of Public Health in a major U.S. city as a post grad fellow. During both years, met with the health commissioner monthly for policy discussions.
----Year 1 in an HIV department working on policy research and program planning.
----Year 2 in a Substance Use department where I worked on prevention and data projects as well as in the field on Narcan distribution and surveying.
------Year 2 altered by COVID-19. I transitioned to the COVID-19 response team doing direct patient contact field work for 4 months.
- Currently at the Health Department in a new position working on health disparities initiatives.

Letters of Rec:
1 from my undergrad professor/mentor with whom I took 3 courses (A, A, A-) and continue to communicate with.
1 from a former supervisor.
1 from my department director who I directly reported to for a year.

Interests: Epi, infectious diseases, geospatial mapping and global health. I'll be applying to Epi programs.

Applying: Berkeley (maybe), Boston U, Columbia, Drexel, Emory, George Washington, Hopkins, London School of Hygiene, UPENN, Pittsburgh, Temple, Tufts, Tulane, U. Washington, Yale(maybe)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Any advice on if I should take the GRE? I really don't want to lol. I'm holding out that more schools will waive the GRE (ahem Columbia, Hopkins UPENN and Wash). I know my GPA isn't great, but my transcripts show an upward trajectory: all A's and A-'s junior and senior years when I took almost all public health course.

Honestly, my main goal is to get as much data experience as possible while taking out as little loans as possible. I know some of the above schools don't have great epi programs, but I'll try to use any money awarded as leverage for other schools. My #1 program has always been Columbia, but they're not known to give out money and I refuse to pay anywhere close to full tuition. I'll sooner go to one of my decent, but not great state schools than do that.

Also, can someone please explain the obsession with Brown?

Good luck to everyone applying! I hope you all have as close to a stress-free experience as possible!

MY GPA is exactly the same as yours and I'm taking the GRE to sorta "prove" that I can still do like math and stuff. I'd recommend it if you can.

 

[blondepremedd]

I had a 3.39 GPA and good GRE scores (V 161, Q 160, AW 4.0) and I got into GW (starting there this fall), UNC online, and University of Maryland online. I know none of those schools are on your list, but my point is that a 3.42 GPA isn't "womp womp," especially if you can really nail your GRE! Take the practice tests to figure out what math you don't remember how to do! I wish you good luck

My only other advice would be to really consider what schools you apply to. My list was originally much longer, but once I realized that some schools on the list were places I wouldn't ever imagine choosing, I cut them, and ended up saving my self hundreds of dollars.

I've def been considering GW! Thank you for your reply! It's def difficult switching from a pre-med mentality where everything under a 3.8 is unacceptable. Working on it though haha

 

[jenstephenson2]

Undergraduate School/School type: Small Private Research University in the Southeast
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.53
Major/minor: B.S. Health Sciences
GRE: Not taking it since it is waived for all the programs I am applying to.

Experience/research:
In College:
- 2 years of community-based participatory research evaluating nutrition and physical activity policies in early childcare centers (ages 3-5)and implementing policy, system, and environment interventions in under-resourced EC centers
- Taught nutrition and wellness lessons for one semester to under-resourced communities using "Eating Well as a Prescription" program resources
- Collected data from over 40 EC centers for research
- Interned for SNAP-Education for a summer through scholarship fellows program
- Collected food waste data to assess Summer Nutrition Program waste at summer feeding sites
- Gained teamwork and collaboration skills as a collegiate DI cross country/track runner for a top 10 national program program
-Trained in exercise testing of maximal VO2 tests and body composition measurements (BodPod, skinfolds, etc.)

Post College:
- Currently serving 1 year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty where I build the capacity of creating Hunger Free Community Coalitions appropriate for sustainable solutions to hunger in TX.

Letters of Rec:
1 from my undergrad professor/adviser/research supervisor
1 from my SNAP-Ed internship supervisor
1 from either my AmeriCorps supervisor or Public Health Nutrition professor

Interests: Public Health Nutrition, sustainable food systems, chronic disease/dual burden of disease

Applying: UNC Chapel Hill (MPH nutrition); George Washington (MPH Nutrition), Johns Hopkins (MSPH International Health- Human Nutrition), Tufts (MS Nutrition Intervention, Communication and Behavior Change/MPH Epidemiology), Tulane (MPH Nutrition), Harvard (SM-80 Epi), Colorado (MPH Nutrition)
Accepted: Tulane (11/18) Johns Hopkins (11/24) GW (11/25) UNC (12/14) Tufts (01/15) Colorado (02/06)
Rejected: Harvard (03/04)
Attending: Johns Hopkins + 75% MTS (2nd year)

I wish everyone the best of luck in preparing for graduate school!

 

[llaammaa]

Hello everyone! I can't believe I finally get to post after a couple of years lurking. I was advised to re-take the GRE, but since a lot of schools are making it optional, do you think it would help? Any feedback or advise would be great, actually!

Undergraduate School/School type: State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3/3.8
Major/minor: Health Sciences
GRE(including date taken): 156V (72nd), 154Q (51st), 4AWA (55th) as of 7/4/2020

Experience:
3 months internship with a community outreach team at a local hospital

• Researching health issues and policies for community outreach presentations
• Assisted in facilitating training sessions for patients to become volunteer health advocates in their communities
• Creating presentations, videos, flyers for community outreach

3 years full-time work at a small nonprofit doing community outreach

• Recruiting bone marrow and stem cell donors
• Conducting outreach and education events (presentations, tabling)
• Working with patients/their families to create campaigns to raise awareness about the need for more donors
• Designing education materials for specific targeted audiences
• Translating of educational material
• Training interns and volunteers
  
  
• Co-taught a health sciences class at my alma mater
• Leading our partnership with the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program

Letters of Rec:
1 from undergrad professor/advisor
1 from executive director who I report to directly
1 from previous internship manager (knows me well) or another undergrad professor (doesn't know me that well)

Advice on who I should go with? I was told to ask my professor, but my gut says to ask my previous manager.​

Interests: Health disparities, multicultural health, social determinants of health

Applied: Berkeley, UCLA, USF, USC, GWU, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, BU for Community Health/Behavioral and Social programs
Accepted: USF, GWU + $, Emory, UC Berkeley
Rejected: UCLA
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Good luck everyone!

 

[futureapppsy2]

Hello everyone! I can't believe I finally get to post after a couple of years lurking. I was advised to re-take the GRE, but since a lot of schools are making it optional, do you think it would help? Any feedback or advise would be great, actually!

Undergraduate School/School type: State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3/3.8
Major/minor: Health Sciences
GRE(including date taken): 156V (72nd), 154Q (51st), 4AWA (55th) as of 7/4/2020

Experience:
3 months internship with a community outreach team at a local hospital

• Researching health issues and policies for community outreach presentations
• Assisted in facilitating training sessions for patients to become volunteer health advocates in their communities
• Creating presentations, videos, flyers for community outreach

3 years full-time work at a small nonprofit doing community outreach

• Recruiting bone marrow and stem cell donors
• Conducting outreach and education events (presentations, tabling)
• Working with patients/their families to create campaigns to raise awareness about the need for more donors
• Designing education materials for specific targeted audiences
• Translating of educational material
• Training interns and volunteers
  
  
• Co-taught a health sciences class at my alma mater
• Leading our partnership with the All of Us Research Program

Letters of Rec:
1 from undergrad professor/advisor
1 from executive director who I report to directly
1 from previous internship manager (knows me well) or another undergrad professor (doesn't know me that well)

Advice on who I should go with? I was told to ask my professor, but my gut says to ask my previous manager.​

Interests: Health disparities, multicultural health, social determinants of health

Applied: Berkeley, UCLA, USC, GWU, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, BU for Community Health/Behavioral and Social programs
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Good luck everyone!

You might also want to look at Portland State/OHSU. They have a big social determinants of health initiative: The Social Determinants of Health Initiative | Portland State University

 

[McLao]

Hi everybody!

Can anybody give me feedback on my chances of getting into the schools I'm applying to? I don't have any research experience and my transcripts show a downward trajectory in grades thanks to untreated depression and anxiety disorders. My mental health also caused me to leave my job recently as well. Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I mentioned any of these struggles in my personal statement?

Undergraduate School/School type: Large West Coast Public University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA/SOPHAS GPA: 3.47/3.44/3.55
Major/minor: BA in Molecular and Cell Biology/BS in Nursing
GRE(including date taken): Planning on taking it on 9/13 (Unsure whether to include it depending on the score)

Experience/research:

- About 2 years working full-time as a Public Health Nurse at the county level for a welfare program (honestly didn't do much fieldwork, but I gotta leverage it somehow, right?)
- 6 months working part-time as a paid student nurse extern at a large teaching hospital on a Med-Surg unit
- 6 months volunteering at an after-school program for children with autism
- A week-long experience as a camp counselor for children with muscular dystrophy
- Served as treasurer for a student nursing club

Letters of Rec:

1 from my academic advisor/community health nursing professor
1 from my community health clinical instructor
1 from my former supervisor
1 from the head of the department I worked at

Interests: Epidemiology, infectious diseases, biostatistics

Applied: UC Berkeley (12/1), UCLA (12/1), UC Davis (12/1), USC (10/29)
Accepted: UC Berkeley (1/22), UCLA (1/27), USC (2/18)
Rejected:
Waitlisted: UC Davis (2/17)
Attending:

Does anybody have tips on what to include on the resume? Should I leave out clinical rotations from nursing school? Since I don't have research experience, I'm assuming a resume would be more appropriate than a CV.

Thanks!

 

[llaammaa]

You might also want to look at Portland State/OHSU. They have a big social determinants of health initiative: The Social Determinants of Health Initiative | Portland State University

Thanks! I’ll definitely look into it.

 

[sap033]

Undergraduate School/School type: Mid-Size Jesuit University in the Northeast
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Major: Political Science
Experience/research:
-Internship with legislative aide focusing on policy
-Current volunteer position that focuses on Health Forecast Scenarios
-Secretary/Primary Member of Executive Board in university organization promoting female empowerment/health on campus
-Part of initiative that successfully appealed to the university along with a task force in order to install trash receptacles for feminine hygiene products in the all stalls of the women’s bathrooms on campus
-Campaign internships
-Paid undergraduate research position researching how survivors and allies of #MeToo movement express themselves through digital artwork on social media
-Internship teaching Model United Nations to an underserved Philadelphia-area public school
-Semester abroad in Prague
-Multiple on-campus leadership positions and member of two well-known college honor societies
-President of PoliSci Honor Society and VP of Jesuit Honor Society

Letters of Rec: All from professors since I am applying right out of undergrad, two PoliSci, one from health systems, and one who led my paid research position

Interests: Women's Health, Reproductive Health, Maternal and Child Health, Incorporating Women's Issues into Health Policy

Applying: Boston U (Maternal and Child Health), GW (Maternal and Child Health) Brown (Maternal and Child Health), UNC Chapel Hill (Maternal and Child Health), UPenn (Generalist), Tulane (Maternal and Child Health), Emory (Global Health w/concentration in Reproductive Health; also applying for their competitive MCH certificate program)
Applied: Boston U, GW, Brown, UNC Chapel Hill, Tulane, Emory (applied to all on 12/1), UPenn (12/26)
Accepted: GW (12/23)+$30k, Tulane (1/7)+$10k, Emory (1/21), UNC Chapel Hill (2/3), Boston U (2/11)+25% (scholarship was increased to 30% on 3/29), Brown (2/19), UPenn (3/2)
Interviewed: UPenn (2/26)
Rejected: None
Waitlisted: None
Attending: UNC CHAPEL HILL!!!!

If anyone has any insight on any of these programs lmk! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially for someone applying right out of undergrad I'm also open to learning about new schools to apply to that fit my interests if anyone has any ideas!

Also if anyone has any insight on how well some of these schools fund their students that would also be greatly appreciated

 

[MPHSeekerrr]

Hi everybody!

Can anybody give me feedback on my chances of getting into the schools I'm applying to? I don't have any research experience and my transcripts show a downward trajectory in grades thanks to untreated depression and anxiety disorders. My mental health also caused me to leave my job recently as well. Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I mentioned any of these struggles in my personal statement?

Undergraduate School/School type: Large West Coast Public University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.47
Major/minor: BA in Molecular and Cell Biology/BS in Nursing
GRE(including date taken): Planning on taking it on 9/13 (Unsure whether to include it depending on the score)

Experience/research:

- About 2 years working full-time as a Public Health Nurse at the county level for a welfare program (honestly didn't do much fieldwork, but I gotta leverage it somehow, right?)
- 6 months working part-time as a paid student nurse extern at a large teaching hospital on a Med-Surg unit
- 6 months volunteering at an after-school program for children with autism
- A week-long experience as a camp counselor for children with muscular dystrophy
- Served as treasurer for a student nursing club

Letters of Rec:

1 from my academic advisor/community health nursing professor
1 from my community health clinical instructor
1 from my former supervisor
1 from the head of the department I worked at

Interests: Epidemiology, infectious diseases, biostatistics

Applied: Planning on applying to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, USC, Emory, and Yale
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Does anybody have tips on what to include on the resume? Should I leave out clinical rotations from nursing school? Since I don't have research experience, I'm assuming a resume would be more appropriate than a CV.

Thanks!

I think your experience is more suited for a resume. I definitely think you should include your clinical experience as it is still health experience. You could also tie it into your interests, especially infectious diseases.

 

[thompson0803]

Hi Everyone! any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Undergraduate School/School type: George Washington University (GWU)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.20/ 3.45
Major/minor: Public Health and minor in Emergency Health Services
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE(including date taken): 154v 148Q 4.5 AW . taken 7/15
Will not being submitting thought, due to my quant. Score. Honestly, wanted to retake it but with online school, COVID, and the fact that they are waiving the requirement, I decided not to

Experience/research:
- 1 Year as Research Assistant for Rheumatology Studies and Department Research; Collecting patient demographics and preforming data entry. Studies Included GW Lupus, STOP scherladerma, and WE-Heal
- 9 months as online English, math and writing tutor through Non-profit organization
- 5 Months as emergency department technician Intern
- 1 years as undergraduate teaching and Lab Assistant for Biology Department
- 6-month total campaign volunteer for State Senator in Louisiana
- 3 months On-site COVID testing and lab volunteer
- 1 year community member for public health service learning initiative to address socioeconomic and health disparities in D.C.
- 9 month total (three summers) Community volunteer with fire department in Louisiana. Focusing on fire safety and health education for the fifth ward community and provided information an accessing local primary care services.


Letters of Rec:
2 from my public health professors, 1 from the PI and Doctor I performed research under 1 From the State Senator who I campaigned and canvased for.

Interests: Minority Health, Social Determinants of Health/ Health Disparities, Social Epidemiology, Community-Oriented Primary care

Applied: Columbia, NYU, GWU, BU, Mount Sinai, Tufts, Harvard, Brown and Yale
Accepted: Mount Sinai ( 9/19) , GWU ( 10/22) , NYU (11/10), Tufts (12/21), Yale (12/22), Columbia (1/26), Brown ( 2/19), BU (3/12)
Rejected: Harvard (3/2)
Waitlisted:
Attending: Columbia!!

I am really drawn to Columbia and NYU for their curriculum as well as internship/ research opportunities around New York and abroad.
I have already finished and submitted my apps and they were verified on 8/24!

 

[zubear]

Hi all! I am new to SD and not sure if this is the right forum. I saw that "What are my chances" thread was pretty old and thought I would post here.

I am looking for advice and someone to knock some sense into my head, to make sure I am thinking this straight.

Below are my stats -

Undergrad School: Engineering
Graduate School: M.S in Management from Top 25 business school, MBA from top 10 business school.
GRE: Not taken yet but averaging: 155Q: 155V on Magoosh.
Experience/Research:

- 20 years of varied experience - Initially in technology(5 years) and then moving into strategy and management consulting (5 years), and finally ending up doing people-related strategies (last 10 years).

- Extremely limited experience in PH - Got exposed to public health through some wonderful work, partnering with Harvard, a couple of years ago, and maintained the interest.

- I am currently going through a graduate certificate program and getting myself grounded in foundational courses at a decent PH school.

- I am looking at doing a PhD or a DrPH and have had conversations at HSPH, JHU, UNC, and a couple of others.

Interests: Research or become a change agent working on mental health and worker well-being issues. I can complement my years of human capital experience and bring diverse thought-leadership.


Questions:

1) What are my chances of getting into one of the leading part-time programs - JHU/UNC.

2) While I may have a fairly good chance of getting into the local state univ and pay resident fees, is it worth going for the top ones and paying the exorbitant amount (20K for state school vs 70K)?

3) I am unclear about what I want to do with PH and open to senior leadership roles as well as research. Any thoughts on which is "better" Ph.D. or DrPH?

4) Given that I can most likely do only a part-time program, is the MPH-Epi at HSPH a good option?


Thanks in advance.

Z.

 

[vzr05]

Hi all! I am new to SD and not sure if this is the right forum. I saw that "What are my chances" thread was pretty old and thought I would post here.

I am looking for advice and someone to knock some sense into my head, to make sure I am thinking this straight.

Below are my stats -

Undergrad School: Engineering
Graduate School: M.S in Management from Top 25 business school, MBA from top 10 business school.
GRE: Not taken yet but averaging: 155Q: 155V on Magoosh.
Experience/Research:

- 20 years of varied experience - Initially in technology(5 years) and then moving into strategy and management consulting (5 years), and finally ending up doing people-related strategies (last 10 years).

- Extremely limited experience in PH - Got exposed to public health through some wonderful work, partnering with Harvard, a couple of years ago, and maintained the interest.

- I am currently going through a graduate certificate program and getting myself grounded in foundational courses at a decent PH school.

- I am looking at doing a PhD or a DrPH and have had conversations at HSPH, JHU, UNC, and a couple of others.

Interests: Research or become a change agent working on mental health and worker well-being issues. I can complement my years of human capital experience and bring diverse thought-leadership.


Questions:

1) What are my chances of getting into one of the leading part-time programs - JHU/UNC.

2) While I may have a fairly good chance of getting into the local state univ and pay resident fees, is it worth going for the top ones and paying the exorbitant amount (20K for state school vs 70K)?

3) I am unclear about what I want to do with PH and open to senior leadership roles as well as research. Any thoughts on which is "better" Ph.D. or DrPH?

4) Given that I can most likely do only a part-time program, is the MPH-Epi at HSPH a good option?


Thanks in advance.

Z.

I can’t answer all of your questions but I do want to address 2 of them:

for question 2; if you’re planning on getting an MPH as a stepping stone to a DrPH or PhD program, I can’t see how paying an exorbitant amount for a top school makes sense. If you do well at a state school, find your public health passion and keep costs low, I would think that would be a gateway to a top DrPH/PhD program where they’ll financially support you through the program. Especially considering you already have 2 master’s degrees.

For question 3, and someone can correct me or provide extra feedback but: from what I understand a PhD is a PhD, research and academia based, whereas the DrPH is more practice-based and specifically geared towards leadership in public health orgs. I don’t think one or the other is necessarily better, and I believe in PH they are almost interchangeable, it just depends on how you want to narrow your focus and what kind of PH roles you want to gave post-doc. I would honestly reach out to professors and students of the programs you’re considering, both PhD and DrPH to see how they are in practice and get an idea of the goals of the students and professors in their given programs.

Hope that was a little helpful!

 

[She-Hulk]

I can’t answer all of your questions but I do want to address 2 of them:

for question 2; if you’re planning on getting an MPH as a stepping stone to a DrPH or PhD program, I can’t see how paying an exorbitant amount for a top school makes sense. If you do well at a state school, find your public health passion and keep costs low, I would think that would be a gateway to a top DrPH/PhD program where they’ll financially support you through the program. Especially considering you already have 2 master’s degrees.

For question 3, and someone can correct me or provide extra feedback but: from what I understand a PhD is a PhD, research and academia based, whereas the DrPH is more practice-based and specifically geared towards leadership in public health orgs. I don’t think one or the other is necessarily better, and I believe in PH they are almost interchangeable, it just depends on how you want to narrow your focus and what kind of PH roles you want to gave post-doc. I would honestly reach out to professors and students of the programs you’re considering, both PhD and DrPH to see how they are in practice and get an idea of the goals of the students and professors in their given programs.

Hope that was a little helpful!

I think that the DrPH is different from a PhD as the DrPH is more policy based and is for people who want to do policy work, not necessarily research, as such I think that DrPH positions aren't universally funded, which normally is a red flag for doctoral level graduate work if you are expected to pay huge tuition dollars. I think some people with experience try to skip the MPH and go straight for the PhD in Epidemiology if they have the experience.

People have commented in the past that if you go to a name brand school (might be more expensive), then one of the advantages is that helps with academia if you get an MPH from a stellar school like JHU, one of the few instances where getting an expensive MPH degree might make sense (all else being equal) . . . but you make a good point about keeping tuition costs low, which is probably the top concern for most students. Definitely if there is a good state program, and they offer a good DrPH, something to think about, though I think a lot of people move around to different institutions just to get that different experience of knowing different people, expanding your network.

I don't know about a PhD in public health, but I think more commonly you have a PhD in Epidemiology or a related field.

 

[She-Hulk]

Applied: Columbia (SMS, gender and sexuality cert.), Brown (MPH/MPA), NYU (MPH/MPA) , Colorado School of Public Health (MPH/MPA), NYU (MPH/MPA), University College London (MSc Global Health and Development) (MSc Women's Health), King's College (MSc Global Health and Social Justice), also considering Penn if anyone has any info or thoughts on their program
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Wow, that is a really diverse and interesting group of school you applied to! Good luck!

 

[She-Hulk]

Also, can someone please explain the obsession with Brown?

Brown got their public health program CEPH approved several years back, and they sort of have a Ivy league feel, and a really nice campus (one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US), and their current dean was the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, and they previously had a great reputation for global health, health disparities research and other areas, you get all the advantages of being the major public health school in Providence, but this is also really close to Boston if you want to network there and they have a good reputation in Boston for post-graduate jobs. Plus Emma Watson, who played Hermione in Harry Potter, went to college there, so it might as well become the Hogwarts of public health! I think there is a 100% full-tuition scholarship for underreprsented students too, so Brown walks the walks, versus just talking a good game like some other schools, probably the second best public health school in the region, they just have a clear purpose and ethos associated with their school. It's not about which school has the highest rank based on NIH funded research you'll never get to do, but which school has a relaxing atmosphere, great connections and more than a theoretical commitment to graduate level education. Brown just got CEPH in 2016 or so, and they amazingly debuted as #17 on the rank list, (a lot of which is subjective and biased for schools that cluster in a given city), so they will probably rise in the coming years and become even more popular.

 

[zubear]

Hi folks,

Not sure if it was posted anywhere on SD, but I found an excellent list of schools that are waiving the GRE for Fall 2021:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j-7-kThlYphF9D0HX1aSNFYl8ksFrIgD68Qz0njHYAY/readsheets/d/1j-7-kThlYphF9D0HX1aSNFYl8ksFrIgD68Qz0njHYAY/

Z.

 

[MPHSeekerrr]

Does anyone know how difficult the transition from European Msc/MPH (UK specifically) back to the US is job wise? I've read that getting a govt. job is more difficult because they aren't CEPH accredited; however, I've also heard that because the schools are such highly ranked international programs it isn't too difficult. Thoughts?

 

[wolverinegirl15]

Hey everyone! I applied to MPH programs laSt fall and committed to University of Michigan’s MHSA but decided to defer to Fall 2021 Durban to COVID.

I’m planning on reapplying to Harvard and Yale for the MPH in healthcare management. I applied last year to both and wasn’t accepted but with GRE scores not being required, I feel like I may have a shot since that was the weakest part of my application (152V, 149Q, 4.5AW).

I have a masters in social work and have been working as a social worker for the past 3.5 years. I got my undergrad and grad degree at University of Michigan. Undergrad GPA is 3.61 and grad 3.88. I took statistics and intermediate algebra last summer at my local community college and got an A in both. I’ve taken a couple research methods classes in undergrad and grad school and did independent research projects where I collected data, coded and did statistical analysis to infer data.

I’m not sure if I have a better chance at getting in because the GRE is waived. Can anyone give me insight on if I’m competitive or what Harvard and Yale looks for in applicants?

Also for Harvard I was going to apply to the MPH 45 vs MPH 65 because I already have a masters but would I have a better chance applying to MPH 65? Thanks!!!

 

[She-Hulk]

University of Michigan is an excellent school for sure. There are actually a lot of good public health schools, and I feel that regional reputation matters so for some it pays off to do the MPH in the area where you want to live. Harvard looks at a cut-off of 3.5 for the MPH, so I think you would qualify, but probably they also look at career goals and why you want to go to that school. Since you've worked in social work, I'd look at what you want to do with the MPH/MHSA and see what schools would help you get there and then expound upon that in the application. I think Yale is pretty research heavy, and they look at people who want to do that, so definitely research them. But again, there are tons of great public health schools, the rankings mean less than what skills you get coming out. The Harvard 45 makes sense. It seems like you proven that you can get through a masters program, so that is a plus. Probably take courses that prepare you further if you can such as research methods if that interests you.

Hey everyone! I applied to MPH programs laSt fall and committed to University of Michigan’s MHSA but decided to defer to Fall 2021 Durban to COVID.

I’m planning on reapplying to Harvard and Yale for the MPH in healthcare management. I applied last year to both and wasn’t accepted but with GRE scores not being required, I feel like I may have a shot since that was the weakest part of my application (152V, 149Q, 4.5AW).

I have a masters in social work and have been working as a social worker for the past 3.5 years. I got my undergrad and grad degree at University of Michigan. Undergrad GPA is 3.61 and grad 3.88. I took statistics and intermediate algebra last summer at my local community college and got an A in both. I’ve taken a couple research methods classes in undergrad and grad school and did independent research projects where I collected data, coded and did statistical analysis to infer data.

I’m not sure if I have a better chance at getting in because the GRE is waived. Can anyone give me insight on if I’m competitive or what Harvard and Yale looks for in applicants?

Also for Harvard I was going to apply to the MPH 45 vs MPH 65 because I already have a masters but would I have a better chance applying to MPH 65? Thanks!!!

 

[wolverinegirl15]

University of Michigan is an excellent school for sure. There are actually a lot of good public health schools, and I feel that regional reputation matters so for some it pays off to do the MPH in the area where you want to live. Harvard looks at a cut-off of 3.5 for the MPH, so I think you would qualify, but probably they also look at career goals and why you want to go to that school. Since you've worked in social work, I'd look at what you want to do with the MPH/MHSA and see what schools would help you get there and then expound upon that in the application. I think Yale is pretty research heavy, and they look at people who want to do that, so definitely research them. But again, there are tons of great public health schools, the rankings mean less than what skills you get coming out. The Harvard 45 makes sense. It seems like you proven that you can get through a masters program, so that is a plus. Probably take courses that prepare you further if you can such as research methods if that interests you.

Thanks so much for your insight! I appreciate it

 

[LiveTheMoment98]

Hi Everyone, I applied during the last cycle and got into Mailman, but decided to defer for a year as the situation was a bit mad. If I can help anyone with the application process for this year please let me know

 

[mph_applicant43796]

Lol the level of irony in applying to MPH programs in the middle of a pandemic! Hello fellow MPH applicants. Happy Application Season!

Undergraduate School/School type: Large public research university in VA
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.47/3.74 – strong upward trend my final 2 years
Major/minor: Community Health, concentration in Global Health, double minor in Nutrition and Health IT
Grad GPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE(including date taken): Didn't send scores
Experience/research:

College (in no real order):

-4 months working as an overnight residential safety and emergency management specialist at my college

-4 months interning at a global reproductive health nonprofit

-5 months interning at a food safety trade association

-4 months as a research assistant for vaccination data trends in VA

-7 months interning at a global health tech consulting company

-One semester on Student Health Advisory Board

-Registered volunteer at my local health department, took VA opioid overdose training

-Helped organize a Model World Health Organization conference at my school, junior and senior year

-VP and then President of Eta Sigma Gamma, Health Honor Society during my senior year

Post College (and currently):

-1 year of working full time as a contractor at the U.S. EPA, within ORD assisting epidemiologists, toxicologists, and statisticians with environmental health risk assessment and pollution research. Will be 2 years at the start of the program, hopefully.

Special factors: Low income background, first gen, woc.

Letters of Rec:
-Current supervisor, one past supervisor, and capstone professor

Interests:
-epidemiology, global health, environmental health, nutrition, sustainability, health disparities, health informatics, geospatial analysis

Applying: GWU, JHU, Boston U, UT Health Sciences @ Houston, UMich, UIC, Drexel, and Emory
Accepted: GWU (12/22 + $$ on 2/4), UT Health (12/22), UIC (12/23), Drexel (1/12 +$), UMich (2/5), Boston + 35% (2/7), Emory (2/15 + merit$$ on 2/17), JHU (3/15)
Rejected: NONE! by some miracle 😭
Waitlisted: none
Attending: EMORY 💙🦅🤍

Edit: All apps were sent 11/23. Except JHU, which was submitted 12/21.

 

[cmph17]

Hi everyone! Spent this time last year checking this page way too often and then ended up deciding to hold off on applying for a year, so this post has been a long time in the making. I'm really excited to be applying this cycle!

Undergraduate School/School type: Large public research university in VA
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.71/3.87
Major/minor: Public Policy & Leadership
Grad GPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE(including date taken): V: 168 Q: 159 AW: 4.0 (July 2019)

Experience/research:

• 3 years of post-undergraduate research experience (by fall 2021)
  • spent 1.5 years as a research assistant at a small policy research firm, focusing on health and education for federal clients
  • recently started a position as a public health analyst at a larger well-known research organization (will have ~1.5 years there by fall 2021)
• My work projects focus on HIV intervention for adolescent girls in Africa, evaluation of state policy implementation of a federal substance use disorder program, nationwide initiative to increase colorectal cancer screening, and guide of best practices to encourage prosocial behavior in elementary school students.
• 1.5 years as a volunteer for a national sexual assault hotline (by fall 2021)
  
  Letters of Rec:

-College professor of global health (from 3 years ago...we'll see how that goes!)
-Former supervisor, who I'm still close with
-Current supervisor

Interests:
-behavioral/mental health, substance use, injury and violence prevention, stigma, health systems, health communications, health behavior change

I had always planned on applying to health policy concentrations, but have recently been considering health behavior/social and behavioral sciences concentrations as well. I'm interested in some of the key features of many health behavior concentrations- program design/implementation/evaluation, health communications, and behavior change. But I'm also interested in health policy- strengthening health service delivery, policy development and analysis, and addressing systemic barriers to health care access. I know that your concentration doesn't determine your exact path and I'm definitely overthinking this, but my interests seem to be right in the middle of these two concentrations. I'm interested in learning how to apply behavioral and social science to policy, and my ideal future position would probably be a program analyst/advisor/director at a federal agency or NGO related to behavioral health or injury prevention. If anyone had any advice related to choosing concentrations, I would appreciate it!

I chose programs that have high research activity in behavioral health and injury and violence prevention policy. if I'm missing any programs you know of, would welcome any knowledge related to that as well! I know my list is kind of top heavy at the moment.

Applying: Johns Hopkins, UNC, Emory, Harvard, GW
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

 

[nwabiafra]

Undergraduate School/School type: a University of California
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.57 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/minor: major: psychology minor: public health (may or may not complete it)
Grad GPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE(including date taken): not taking it

Experience/research:

• 5 years interning at a pediatric medical clinic in a low income neighborhood (started when I was in high school)
• 5 years volunteering in medical missions. I would put together personal hygiene supply kits and pass them around in Eastern Nigeria. This was done under the supervision of two medical doctors and I also shadowed them giving free treatment (started in high school)
• Intern at a hospital in Eastern Nigeria (for about a month each year I visited)
• Research assistant in the lab for a DrPH candidate (started early September)

Letters of Rec:

• Public health professor who is also the presidential chair of a public health specialty at my university
• Lab PI/Public health professor
• My mentor, Emory graduate and current CDC employee

Interests:
Health disparities, particularly in low income and minority neighborhoods
Applied: Emory, Rutgers, Duke, UCSD, USFCA, Claremont Grad U, MCPHS
Accepted: MCPHS (10/01), EMORY🙏🏾❤️ (01/25) + $20k (04/13), UCSD (01/27), University of San Francisco (02/03) + ~7k, Rutgers (02/22), Claremont Graduate University+ $16k/year fellowship (02/23), Duke (02/26) + 15% off tuition and $7k fieldwork grant
Rejected: NONE🙏🏾❤️
Waitlisted:
Attending: EMORY❤️ ❤️

 

[emjay04]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large Public University (SE)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.73 / 3.6
Major/minor: Biology / Chemistry & Anthropology
Grad GPA (if applicable):
Grad studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken): V 155; Q 153; AW 4 (Feb. 2020)

Experience/research:

• Nine week research project conducted in Ghana on preventative health education (topics: sexual health, reproductive health, and infectious diseases)
• Board of Directors member of a private healthcare facility as a Client Representative (2019-20)
• Three months as an undergrad research assistant in a biomedical microbe lab revolving around bacterial resistance
• Undergraduate research program my entire freshman year that dealt with analyzing qualitative data coding

Letters of Rec:

• Research PI from my on-campus lab
• CEO of the private health care org I served on
• Upper division professor that I knew very well

Interests: Infectious disease epidemiology (malaria, HIV, etc.); health disparities in chronic illnesses; public health policy and health administration

Applied: Emory (epi), JHU (epi), GW (epi), Columbia (epi), UF (epi) (verified 9/2)
Accepted: UF (11/3), GW (11/17), JHU (w/ the Masters Tuition Scholarship!) (12/11)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending: JHU (12/29)

 

[rap15]

Came here to offer insight on GW, if anyone wants to message me. I have just started my first year there in the Health Policy program. We are remote so I can’t really comment on the campus but I have lived in DC for 2+ years so I can answer questions about the area.

 

[viviannneeee]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large research university in the south
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.635/3.850 (not SOPHAS verified yet)
Major/minor: Politics with an International Relations concentration
GRE(including date taken): Not taking

Experience/research:

• 3 month internship with a non-profit in the field development department, responsible for donor relations and drafting media releases among other things
• Research assistant in the school of medicine attached to my university doing literature reviews, data entry and transcription on a project investigating fatal encounters with police
• 1 year as a copy editor on the college newspaper

Letters of Rec: One from an old boss, and two from professors who know me well

Interests: Health policy, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health

Applying: Emory (Health Policy and Management), Colorado (Health Systems, Management & Policy), Boston (Dual MPH/MSW), University of Georgia (Dual MPH/MWS), Oregon (Dual MPH/MSW), Yale (Health Policy), Vanderbilt (Health Policy), UNC (Health Policy), University of Iowa (Policy), University of Michigan (Health Management and Policy)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Anyone have any insight as to whether I am setting my sights too high/ any recommendations for other schools? I feel like I have a good mix of reach and safety schools, but then again, what do I know? I am applying directly from undergrad, which I know is probably a disadvantage.

 

[Pippamylove]

Undergraduate School/School type: Washington University in St. Louis
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/minor: Double major in Anthropology (concentration in global health and environment) and Psychology

GRE(including date taken):

-July 2019: V: 160, Q: 154, AW: 5.0
-April 2019: V: 161, Q: 153, AW: 5.5

Experience/research:

-Currently an AmeriCorps VISTA at a substance abuse referral service
-Internship at a women and children’s counseling organization
-Internship at the Botanical Gardens
-Studied abroad in Denmark and completed practicum at a Danish international elementary school
-Member of Alpha Phi Omega at my university
-Volunteered at an HIV/STD clinic through an organization at my university

Letters of Rec: I have not asked yet, but I am planning on asking my current supervisor, previous supervisor, and a professor

Interests: I think I am leaning towards community health sciences or healthcare administration, but I am considering policy

Applying to: University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Maryland, Boston University, UAB, and UNC Chapel Hill


I know I don’t have that much full time experience and did not have that great of a gpa. Could anyone let me know what they think my chances are? Am I aiming too high?
Also, could anyone tell me their opinion on joint degrees in terms of expanding job opportunities? I’m considering an MPH/MPA or MPH/MBA… I keep going back and forth and I’m running out of time

 

[viviannneeee]

Hi, I think you are right in assuming your lack of full time/public health experience will put you at a disadvantage, especially because you're also not taking the GRE, but a lot of people still get in without it. For some schools, 25-30% of the class come straight from undergrad. While a lot of schools don't have a full time employment requirement, some (example: Yale) do like to see public health experience. Your political degree could help with health policy concentrations. I don't see how your experience or degree relates to social work, but I'm not too familiar with MSW requirements. I think your best bet is to write a stellar personal statement that highlights any type of health/public health experience/mentorship/research, basically anything that will tie you to the field. Also be direct in your decision to purse these degrees and how you will tie in your non PH experience. Schools want to know what you will bring to the classroom. Hope that helps!

Thank you for your response! I came to the realization that I would like to pursue public health a little later in my college career, which explains my lack of experience. at first, I thought I wanted to work in communications or media for non-profits, but after actually doing that I realized it was not what I wanted after all. The research I am currently involved in is public health-related so I am going to be leaning on that in my statements, I think. Hopefully someone lets me in! I've added Indiana and Case Western in the hopes of evening out my list a bit.

 

[LiveTheMoment98]

Any suggestions of where to look for scholarships for international students?

 

[yougotnojams]

Hi all!
In your opinion, aside from GWU, NYU, Columbia, and U of Minnesota, what are good community health / health promotion programs and schools?

 

[She-Hulk]

Hi all!
In your opinion, aside from GWU, NYU, Columbia, and U of Minnesota, what are good community health / health promotion programs and schools?

I think this is a local/regional aspect of a given public health school. I think JHU offers some good opportunities, I'm interested in this aspect and I think it pays to research a school to find those that are actually interested in engaging in community health AND have bonafide good programs to prove this. Also, various school have niche programs, research something that you would enjoy doing yourself, might be different for different students. Great question.

 

[qcl1009]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large Private University on the east coast
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.64 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/minor: BS in Neural Science/Public Health
Grad GPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE(including date taken): N/A (all programs I'm applying to are waived due to COVID)

Experience/research:
- Currently an intern (now team lead) for a data project related to COVID-19
- 1.5 years as intern working for a women's health study at my university's department of health (conducted follow-ups)
- 6 months as clinical research assistant in VA hospital (responsible for recruiting, consenting, etc.)
- 5 months as undergrad admissions student intern for my university
- Semester abroad in London

Letters of Rec:
- supervisor for health study
- ethics professor (taking 2nd course this semester)
- epi professor

Interests: Global health, Infectious Disease Epi & Modeling, and Neuroepi

Applied: JHU (Epi) - 1/30, UNC-Chapel Hill (Applied Epi) - 12/1, Columbia (Epi) - 11/27, Emory (Epi) - 1/4, UW (Epi) - 11/30, Yale (Epi in Microbial Diseases), - 12/15

Accepted: Emory (1/20), UW (2/5), UNC (2/9), JHU (2/11) + 75% (MTS), Columbia (2/16), Yale (3/22 - got off waitlist) + 20k
Rejected:
Waitlisted: Yale (3/12)
Attending: JHU!!!

I ended up finalizing my programs, and though they are definitely top-heavy, I am certain that I'd be happy with any one of these programs if they choose to accept me. If not, I will take a gap year in hopes of getting more experience and reapply the next cycle! Any feedback/advice would be appreciated!!

 

[mrcb]

Hi guys! I'm feeling very lost in the application process and I'd really appreciate some honest views about my chances of getting into my top choice programs. My mentors are amazing but they're giving me more of a 'shoot for the stars' perspective rather than a realistic view of the admissions process:

Undergraduate School/School type: Small liberal arts college in PA (<2300 students)
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.81
Major/minor: public health, psych concentration
Grad GPA (if applicable): n/a
Grad studies (if applicable): n/a
GRE(including date taken): was scoring around the 163(Q) 150(V) mark in practice tests but didn't end up taking the test because I was getting so anxious over it, none of my programs are requiring the GRE.

Experience/research:
2 years as the college's nutrition intern - meal accommodations/dietary consultations for students through the office of disability services and campus-wide promotions, very unique role, kind of hard to describe

3 semesters of research (medical sociology) with 3 conferences, 1 grant award, and 1 active journal revise and resubmit from a highly reputable journal. This project used qualitative methodology rather than quantitative and aligns well with my longterm goals but I feel like a lot of people look down on research that doesn't include a quant component.

Several published articles in college magazines and academic reviews, editor on the academic review

2 service-learning trips (1 in PA, 1 in TX)

7 semesters on Dean's list, graduated with high honors

Letters of Rec: One LOR from the head of the public health department, one from my boss in my internship, and one from my research professor

Interests: behavioral sciences, a career in mixed methods research and implementation sciences

Applied: finalizing my applications for Brown, Yale, Tufts, BU, and Northeastern - Brown and Yale are my top choices but I'd also be happy with Tufts
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

My biggest concern is that I'm missing the quant background that these programs are looking for. I took stats by freshman year and it's the worst grade on my transcript (B-) and most of my other stats training was weaved into other coursework rather than in stand-alone quant courses.

Does anyone have any advice about applying to schools when out of work? I graduated in May of 2020 and I'm applying for Fall of 2021, I'm currently in the middle of some promising interviews for research positions but I'm not sure how long I should wait before submitting my apps.

And a super annoying question: I held leadership roles in my sorority (recruitment information, warden) and did a lot of volunteer work with local organizations through greek life, is it worth it to include this on my CV? Some people love seeing greek life on CVs and others hate it, I never know if I should include it or not.

 

[reformedpremed]

Hi everyone! This page has been a massive help to me in tempering my expectations and understanding when certain schools release decisions. I want to make sure that my experience can be used for reference like others' that I have relied on so heavily-- especially regarding when students anxiously apply as early as I am. A huge thank you to all of the MPH students and graduates that still come on here to help guide applicants. I'm really excited to see where I end up in this process!

Undergraduate School/School type: Big Ten
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.48/3.97
Major/minor: Healthcare Administration; minors in Neuroscience and Public Policy
GRE(including date taken): 9/5 V: 163 (92%), Q: 159 (69%), AW: 5.5 (98%)

Experience/research:

• EMT: 2 years
• Medical Assistant at an urban walk-in clinic for public insurance beneficiaries: 2 years
• Developmental Disabilities Policy and Data Analysis Intern: 1 year and ongoing
• Hospital Administration Intern: 1 year
• University Tour Guide: 3 years
• A service organization, musical organization, and student-alumni association: 4 years (on exec of each for 2 of the 4 years)
• Operations leader in a COVID-related nationwide emergency public health program: 3 months (with ~1000 hours committed to it)
• Research publication comparing the governmental approaches to healthcare in 7 countries: looking at public opinion, access to care, cost control, and quality measures

Letters of Rec:

• Lead of the emergency public health program- worked closely with her- also an Emory MPH grad and current health policy analyst
• Director of policy for the developmental disabilities state agency I interned at
• Director of my major- Had multiple classes with her that I got A's in- Have grown very close to her professionally
• Academic Advisor/professor- Have grown incredibly close to her through my program as well- Earned 2 A's in her classes
  
  Interests: Healthcare financing reform, health economics, cost-access barriers to care, policy analysis, ACA and Medicaid expansion evaluations, cost control, sustainability of the US healthcare financing and delivery systems, global health systems comparison
  
  Applied:The dates in parentheses are when the app was verified
• JHU MSPH-Health Policy (9/23)
• Yale MPH- Health Policy (9/21)
• Emory MSPH- Health Policy and Health Systems Research (9/27)
• University of Washington MPH- Health Services and Policy (10/26)
• Columbia MPH- Health Policy and Management (10/5)
• Boston University MPH- Health Policy and Law (9/21)
• UNC MPH- Health Policy (9/27)
• George Washington MPH- Health Policy (9/21)
• University of Minnesota MPH- Public Health Administration and Policy (9/21)
• Colorado SPH MPH- Health Systems, Management and Policy (9/27)

Accepted: Minnesota (10/16) + MN State Scholarship (in-state tuition), JHU (10/27) +75% 2nd Year MTS, GWU (11/2) + 8k, UNC (11/17), Yale (12/16) + 60k Horstmann, Emory (1/21)+ full tuition 5k 1 semester stipend 10k REAL and 2k APE, BU (1/26) + 30% off tuition, Columbia (2/2), Colorado (2/3)
Rejected: University of Washington (2/17)
Waitlisted:
Attending: Yale

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Good luck to everyone applying! It's definitely a wild time to be applying for grad school in public health

 

[molarbear9270]

how long is it taking SOPHAS to verify applications?

 

[She-Hulk]

Hi everyone! This page has been a massive help to me in tempering my expectations and understanding when certain schools release decisions. I want to make sure that my experience can be used for reference like others' that I have relied on so heavily-- especially regarding when students anxiously apply as early as I am. A huge thank you to all of the MPH students and graduates that still come on here to help guide applicants. I'm really excited to see where I end up in this process!

Undergraduate School/School type: Big Ten
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.48/3.97
Major/minor: Healthcare Administration; minors in Neuroscience and Public Policy
GRE(including date taken): 9/5 V: 163 (92%), Q: 159 (69%), AW: 5.5 (98%)

Experience/research:

• EMT: 2 years
• Medical Assistant at an urban walk-in clinic for public insurance beneficiaries: 2 years
• Developmental Disabilities Policy and Data Analysis Intern: 1 year and ongoing
• Hospital Administration Intern: 1 year
• University Tour Guide: 3 years
• A service organization, musical organization, and student-alumni association: 4 years (on exec of each for 2 of the 4 years)
• Operations leader in a COVID-related nationwide emergency public health program: 3 months (with ~1000 hours committed to it)
• Research publication comparing the governmental approaches to healthcare in 7 countries: looking at public opinion, access to care, cost control, and quality measures

Letters of Rec:

• Lead of the emergency public health program- worked closely with her- also an Emory MPH grad and current health policy analyst
• Director of policy for the developmental disabilities state agency I interned at
• Director of my major- Had multiple classes with her that I got A's in- Have grown very close to her professionally
• Academic Advisor/professor- Have grown incredibly close to her through my program as well- Earned 2 A's in her classes
  
  Interests: Healthcare financing reform, health economics, cost-access barriers to care, policy analysis, ACA and Medicaid expansion evaluations, cost control, sustainability of the US healthcare financing and delivery systems, global health systems comparison
  
  Applied:The dates in parentheses are when the app was verified
• JHU MSPH-Health Policy (9/23)
• Yale MPH- Health Policy (9/21)
• Emory MSPH- Health Policy and Health Systems Research (9/27)
• University of Washington MPH- Health Services and Policy (Pending)
• Columbia MPH- Health Policy and Management (Pending)
• Boston University MPH- Health Policy and Law (9/21)
• UNC MPH- Health Policy (9/27)
• George Washington MPH- Health Policy (9/21)
• University of Minnesota MPH- Public Health Administration and Policy (9/21)
• Colorado SPH MPH- Health Systems, Management and Policy (9/27)

Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

I definitely recognize that my list is VERY top heavy, especially considering my lower GPA. The way I began to look at it was that I want to go to a school I'm really excited about. It just so happened that out of the many schools I researched, I loved the work done in health economics and public insurance reform at these schools. I am not sure yet if I want to do policy analysis work or go into academia and do economics and policy research, but I know that the focuses of faculty at those schools set me up well for both, and I am HYPE about them. If it doesn't work out for me with admittance or finances, then I guess I was just meant to work in a job less specifically catered to my interests for a little bit and reapply in 2-3 years *shrug.* I'm really nervous and excited to see how it all turns out.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Good luck to everyone applying! It's definitely a wild time to be applying for grad school in public health

I think you'll definitely get in several places! I think your gpa is average, or slightly below average for most accepted students at these schools, if not all, of these schools, but your experience and good GRE scores will balance that out. I think that with COVID there are simply less applicants to MPH programs, overall MPH programs aren't super competitive, as you are interested in federal policy levels, definitely makes sense to apply to George Washington, they are conveniently located, brand name schools like JHU make sense, might as well add Harvard as they do policy. Colorado and BU are sort of outliers that I don't associate with being strong policy wise and I'm on the fence about Yale which I feel is more about research. Cost is definitely an issue, look at tuition and living costs if it comes down to a handful of schools.

 

[718347212]

how long is it taking SOPHAS to verify applications?

I really want to know this as well, because I submitted my application pretty late (on 09/30) for Winter 2021 admission, and am still over here sweating. Aware that it can take 4 weeks to verify but, based on discussions in previous threads, noticed that my application may be considered as meeting the deadline. I mean, technically, I clicked submit before the deadline... right...?!

So, I applied to the #1 ranked school of public health, though my app wasn't verified. Seems that using the transcript entry service was a big blunder, and I really just want to crawl into a hole right now... very worried that the program may auto-reject me on October 15th all because I couldn't submit earlier!