Post-Bacc For MPH?

[csc123]

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.Hi All,.

.Does it make sense to go through a post-bacc program if my end goal is an MPH focused on global heath / health management?.

.I graduated three years ago with a BA in economics with honors from a top 25 school and have been working in finance (tech and healthcare investment banking - mergers and acquisitions) since graduation..

.I’m looking to hear some advice / suggestions as I have not taken any science courses (i.e. programs require a year of chem / bio / physics to even apply)..

.In the meantime, I have had clinical exposure through volunteering and have done past research involving healthcare economics for my university honors thesis. I also have three recommendations from tenured professors at my university that are also head of the department, head of graduate program and head of research.. Work recommendations are also easily attainable.

.As I look to pursue a MPH degree and transition into healthcare, I will be leaving my investment banking / finance job to pursue this. Would a post-bacc program (i.e. HES) help as I fulfill the course / sciences requirements? During the program I expect to continue with clinical volunteering, gain research experience in a lab / or gain experience through a global health/healthcare management internship, and other extracurricular that will aid in my story/transition into healthcare. .

.Any insight and advice would be great..

.Thank you..

 

[IvanNikolaevich]

Wait, what MPH program requires chem/bio/physics? If there are some out there that do, I would say the vast majority do not and you would be fine to apply to the MPH program now. If you're into global health and management, you could check out Tulane. They recently merged their international health/development department and the health systems management department into "global health systems" or something, which might be a good fit for you. The finance background would be very useful, I would think. I doubt you'd need much clinical volunteering or lab experience either (at least to get into the MPH program), although it wouldn't hurt and might be useful for future job apps.

 

[csc123]

Thanks for the response. In response to your note, I believe Yale requires chem/bio/physics.

"All applicants for the MPH program must have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree or the foreign equivalent. In reviewing your record, we look for one year of science (biology, chemistry, physics) and one year of math (calculus, statistics, biostatistics)."

I feel that my lack of public health / healthcare experience will definitely hurt if I were to apply in the Fall of 2012, but please correct me if I am wrong here. I would be applying for a healthcare management concentration. With my recommendations, the professors who are writing them know that healthcare/mph has been my goal since graduating with banking/finance as an interim step (as ibanking analyst programs are 2-3 years).

While I do have investment banking / mergers and acquisitions experience, most of my coverage has been on technology based companies (I do have a few healthcare related transactions as we cover that space at my current firm).

Any additional insight to better position myself would be great.

Also for admins - not sure if this thread belongs in the MPH forums or not.

Thanks again.

 

[bgoldman]

I went to Tulane for my MPH and a lot of people did not come from a science background. For everyone who did not have a strong science background, a biological basis class was required. Unless your heart is set on Yale, I wouldn't worry about taking extra classes and would apply for this upcoming fall if not too late.

 

[csc123]

Thanks.

Does lack of traditional healthcare experience hurt in the admissions process? While I do have investment banking experience, I lack direct public health / healthcare experience.

My thinking is that a postbacc will allow me to get the science courses under my belt, gain direct healthcare experience, and then be in a stronger position to apply in a year or two.

If I could be competitive in the application process by just applying now - that would save me a year or two of time.

Any additional insight / advice would be great.

 

[bgoldman]

What do you have to lose by giving it a shot and applying now? You're talking about how your finance background is a negative, talk about it in the positive light and how you view yourself utilizing your finance skills in the future. Again, my class had a VERY diverse background.

 

[gwhiz12]

Hello, I'm in a similar situation and have been following this thread hoping to get some insights from others about the possibility of getting a post bac to strengthen my application for an MPH. Before I go into too much details here are my stats to give you guys an idea:

School: Emory University
Major: Psychology & East Asian Studies
GPA: 3.65 overall
GRE: will test
Other: I've held leadership positions for various clubs on campus, worked as a Chinese teacher at a prestigious program, received a scholarship from the Chinese government to study in China, and volunteered regularly with various organizations.

That said, I don't have a strong background in science or health and not experience in health-related research or internships. Furthermore, throughout my undergraduate years I worked a lot to support myself and so I didn't have an opportunity to develop a close relationship with my professors. I know that the recommendations are very important and now that I am starting to consider applying I am running into the problem of not knowing who to ask to write my recommendation letter.

My thought is that if I get a post bac, not only will I be able to get the science background I need, but being a student again will also give me access to internship and research opportunities that I would otherwise not be qualified for because my inadequate science background. Finally, I now know the importance of networking and getting to know my professors so this time around I'll definitely work harder for that.

Anyway, does anyone have any insights, thoughts, or advice about what I should do to strengthen my application for an MPH? Would getting a post bac be a good method to accomplish my goal? If so, does anyone have any thoughts about which post bacs?

Your responses are much appreciated.