Question for current MPH students

[anon222]

Hello,

I have a question mainly geared towards current students, but all opinions are welcome.

I have taken a core Public Health course, and have the option of waiving the requirement. (This is not a credit transfer, but a waiver, i.e. I will still have to take another course to make up for the credit).

I am fairly proficient with this subject and it is fresh in my head, so one of the benefits that I anticipate with re-taking, would be an easier workload in my first term.

A negative to this would be any missed opportunities to take another course that interests me.

Keep in mind that my focus is to do really well GPA-wise, with the hopes of continuing on with a doctorate.

So, do you have any advice as to whether I should waive the course, or take it "again"? Will re-taking this course equate to an easier workload, or would I be better off taking an elective that I am interested in (and possibly less academically-intense since it is not a core course)?

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[E24Gose]

I think its a personal decision based on the grade you received and the one you want. If its less than a B, I'd retake it.

On another note, you cannot waive core courses. Each school is required to have each student take the five core courses. No accredited school is allowed to waive these. I have taken four of the five courses and still need to retake them in order to receive the MPH.

 

[anon222]

Thanks E24Gose,

I'll look into that, although this accredited school does state that core waivers are available, through a test.

In your experience, did you find that your first term was less academically rigorous, compared to say, your classmates? (Were you able to achieve the grades that you wanted, more easily)?

 

[E24Gose]

I dont mean to disappoint, but Im not an MPH student yet. I have my MS in Health Science from a state school, which is where I took these courses. I spoke with an advisor at Brown (which is where Im going this fall). I was told the waiver policy only applies to electives. He said this is a blanket rule for every accredited MPH program. I didnt ask about taking any tests, but it it probably the equivalent of showing competency at your school, which is why everyone has to take the core courses to begin with.

In my MS, the courses I took were difficult, but not impossible. I was completely comfortable with each of them (biostats, epi, global, and community). I did well in each of them. I am waiving two others, which would apply as electives, in order to take some different courses.

Even though I havent had my first term yet, I would expect it to be less stressful, as I will be taking a few of these courses.

 

[HAV000]

Hello,

I have a question mainly geared towards current students, but all opinions are welcome.

I have taken a core Public Health course, and have the option of waiving the requirement. (This is not a credit transfer, but a waiver, i.e. I will still have to take another course to make up for the credit).

I am fairly proficient with this subject and it is fresh in my head, so one of the benefits that I anticipate with re-taking, would be an easier workload in my first term.

A negative to this would be any missed opportunities to take another course that interests me.

Keep in mind that my focus is to do really well GPA-wise, with the hopes of continuing on with a doctorate.

So, do you have any advice as to whether I should waive the course, or take it "again"? Will re-taking this course equate to an easier workload, or would I be better off taking an elective that I am interested in (and possibly less academically-intense since it is not a core course)?

It's really hard to say whether the elective really will be less academically intense w/o saying which elective it is and what core subject could be waived (Oh and why the vagueness?). You know your priorities best. Do you want a relatively guaranteed A, or the possibility of getting a lower grade taking another class to learn a potentially valuable skill (e.g. program evaluation, GIS, etc.).

Depending on the subject (e.g. epidemiology), you could take the class, study minimally if there are no papers and get an A while taking another class you're interested in at the same time.