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Hello,
I am a non-traditional URM in undergrad as a working student. My major is biology. I am soon to graduate and have a current cGPA of 3.0. My ultimate goal is to work in global medicine for an organization like the CDC or NIH. My interests include immunology, neglected tropical diseases and virology. I have applied to the Peace Corps, because it is something that I have always wanted to do and will be valuable experience in my field.
My short term goal is to demonstrate a better performance in my remaining courses and get a competitive score on the MCAT and to complete a masters. Tulane interests me because of the Malaria and HIV research and the parasitology courses. (My parasitology textbook was written by a Tulane professor and I looked up his online lecture notes). I know there are SMPS such as the ACP program at Tulane and the Georgetown SMP among others but I'm wondering if a good performance in this program (Tulane MS microbio.) would also help me. I've also looked into the MSPH in Tropical Medicine from Tulane, but it is very expensive & would take longer. I contacted admissions for the MSPH and they said they view applicants holistically; that other strengths could compensate for a low gpa.
Additionally, I have about 180 volunteer hours & one year of research experience. I will soon be working in a parasitology lab for course credit. My gpa is low because I have not been able to focus on my education. I work 30 hrs per week with my volunteering and research and coursework. I was self-taught in high school because I was homeschooled in high school for religious reasons. Although I love science, there were major deficits in my education that were not addressed prior to starting college. I worked two jobs for a year to save for community college and transferred to a state university. This last semester was rough, I landed in the hospital, having been diagnosed with a panic attack and later 'persistent daily headache'.
These are not excuses; this is my story. I'm very proud of how hard I have worked. Neither of my parents has a college degree and within a few months, I will have a BS. I'm concerned that my struggles with financial issues, time management and life in general will be viewed as laziness or incompetence.
Any constructive advice will be appreciated.
http://tulane.edu/som/departments/microbiology/education/ms.cfm
I am a non-traditional URM in undergrad as a working student. My major is biology. I am soon to graduate and have a current cGPA of 3.0. My ultimate goal is to work in global medicine for an organization like the CDC or NIH. My interests include immunology, neglected tropical diseases and virology. I have applied to the Peace Corps, because it is something that I have always wanted to do and will be valuable experience in my field.
My short term goal is to demonstrate a better performance in my remaining courses and get a competitive score on the MCAT and to complete a masters. Tulane interests me because of the Malaria and HIV research and the parasitology courses. (My parasitology textbook was written by a Tulane professor and I looked up his online lecture notes). I know there are SMPS such as the ACP program at Tulane and the Georgetown SMP among others but I'm wondering if a good performance in this program (Tulane MS microbio.) would also help me. I've also looked into the MSPH in Tropical Medicine from Tulane, but it is very expensive & would take longer. I contacted admissions for the MSPH and they said they view applicants holistically; that other strengths could compensate for a low gpa.
Additionally, I have about 180 volunteer hours & one year of research experience. I will soon be working in a parasitology lab for course credit. My gpa is low because I have not been able to focus on my education. I work 30 hrs per week with my volunteering and research and coursework. I was self-taught in high school because I was homeschooled in high school for religious reasons. Although I love science, there were major deficits in my education that were not addressed prior to starting college. I worked two jobs for a year to save for community college and transferred to a state university. This last semester was rough, I landed in the hospital, having been diagnosed with a panic attack and later 'persistent daily headache'.
These are not excuses; this is my story. I'm very proud of how hard I have worked. Neither of my parents has a college degree and within a few months, I will have a BS. I'm concerned that my struggles with financial issues, time management and life in general will be viewed as laziness or incompetence.
Any constructive advice will be appreciated.
http://tulane.edu/som/departments/microbiology/education/ms.cfm
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