MPH Thoughts On Berkeley SPH

[medception]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has had experience applying to Berkeley's MPH program, as well as how competitive their HPM program is. I initially cut them off my list because I read an article several weeks ago saying that they were considering slashing their Public Health school entirely, and their application is obnoxiously long. UC Berkeley also doesn't have any affiliated medical center, so I'm still trying to figure out why their school is so highly regarded

Thoughts?

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[625233]

I'm applying this cycle, and I also cut them off my list because of that BS additional essay, which is equivalent to submitting 2 personal statements. Also, they have the lowest acceptance rate at 26%, and emphasize full-time post-bacc work experience. Those factors compounded on one another enough to deter me from wasting my time and money on a school exploiting their name brand, which doesn't even match that of other MPH schools and programs.


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[environmentalhopeful]

I'm not applying this cycle, but I personally view not being affiliated with a medical center as a plus which is one of the reasons I would like to go to Cal. For HPM it might be more important but I like that the focus isn't on the medical school/medical research and instead on population based things (Also, they do have some affiliations with UCSF). In addition, Cal is a research powerhouse for chemical/biological research so lack of medical center doesn't make a difference in terms of "hard science" public health research. Their program seems awesome and only deterrent to me is the budget cuts (same reason I didn't go to a UC for undergrad). I doubt they'll entirely cut the school but I think some programs might not get as much funding

 

[TheRealOzzyOsbourne]

You might want to also consider Yale School of Public Health's HPM program. It's as competitive as Berkeley (though unpublished, a couple emails will tell you that the acceptance rate for the program hovered between 20-23% last year). It's well-placed and you get to take a number of courses in both the business (some mandatory MBA courses) and law school (as electives). You might enjoy it, you never know. But it'll definitely cast a larger net on your network.

 

[equipoise7]

The Berkeley SPH is not disappearing. They were considering cutting the Public Health undergrad major, but not the graduate school. We are even getting a new building next year. Overall, my experience with the Mph program has been great. You are not going to find the job opportunities of the Bay Area anywhere else, particularly if you're interested in healthcare, technology, etc. They do a pretty good job in placing people in paid internships during the summer and many continue working during the 2nd year. You're also allowed to take classes everywhere, including the Haas School of Business and the Goldman School of Public Policy. And nothing beats Berkeley's quality of life.