personal statement and writing sample???

[brynn7]

so i am about to apply.. the deadline for the school i want to go to is not until june 1st!!! so i still have a little time. i am a little confused about what i should submit for a writing sample. the only term paper i wrote this semester that is not a lab report is a history paper (a critical analysis of a book). it's 12 pages long and i got a 95 on it so it's a good paper and stuff. would that be ok?

also....what should the personal statement include. i wrote one for medical school applications, but that was all about how i know i want to be a doctor and stuff. i don't think the same kind of sentiment works for getting an MPH. when i was younger i did not know what a master's degree was. should i just write about how it's important that anyone in the healthcare field has a good understanding of how it actually works. particularly in today's world of managed care and politics???

any advice would be sooooooooooo appreciated!!!!

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[HannahX1]

so i am about to apply.. the deadline for the school i want to go to is not until june 1st!!! so i still have a little time. i am a little confused about what i should submit for a writing sample. the only term paper i wrote this semester that is not a lab report is a history paper (a critical analysis of a book). it's 12 pages long and i got a 95 on it so it's a good paper and stuff. would that be ok?

also....what should the personal statement include. i wrote one for medical school applications, but that was all about how i know i want to be a doctor and stuff. i don't think the same kind of sentiment works for getting an MPH. when i was younger i did not know what a master's degree was. should i just write about how it's important that anyone in the healthcare field has a good understanding of how it actually works. particularly in today's world of managed care and politics???

any advice would be sooooooooooo appreciated!!!!

Hi, here is something I found extremely helpful:
Read the publications of your MPH school's faculty members. You should find a list of publications under faculty biographies featured on the school's web page. Then you can look up the articles at www.pubmed.com or ISI Web of Science. Reading these papers really gave me a feel for what public health is all about. It got me even more excited about the MPH degree (and future doctoral studies)!

Find a paper that you really like, and comment on it in your essay. I wrote briefly that Professor X's work was a prime example of why I wanted to do epidemiology. I did a brief critique of the paper, and how I thought it was very relevant to improving the health of the public.

If you have any experience working in a hospital or lab setting, try to tie it in with your desire to work for public health.

Hmmm, that's about it. I would say a good dose of enthusiasm and optimism in the essay would help too.

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

so i am about to apply.. the deadline for the school i want to go to is not until june 1st!!! so i still have a little time. i am a little confused about what i should submit for a writing sample. the only term paper i wrote this semester that is not a lab report is a history paper (a critical analysis of a book). it's 12 pages long and i got a 95 on it so it's a good paper and stuff. would that be ok?

also....what should the personal statement include. i wrote one for medical school applications, but that was all about how i know i want to be a doctor and stuff. i don't think the same kind of sentiment works for getting an MPH. when i was younger i did not know what a master's degree was. should i just write about how it's important that anyone in the healthcare field has a good understanding of how it actually works. particularly in today's world of managed care and politics???

any advice would be sooooooooooo appreciated!!!!

Hihi!

I'm not sure what to say about a writing sample, but if you've done any kind of publishable-level research papers, those are definately at the top of the list (that's what I did). As for your personal statement, it should include the following things: 1) Why are you applying for Public Health? 2) What got you interested? 3) What subfield are you wanting to apply for and why that particular one? 4) What experiences have you had which might help your application? 5) What are your career plans with this degree?

The personal statement is supposed to give information about you which isn't reflected in your application otherwise. I think most adcoms want to see that you have a sincere committment to public health. I would avoid telling them you're doing this for medical school - some adcoms don't like that (although some don't mind at all). Otherwise I think you're set to go. If you need anything else write back!