Where should I apply? Mid-range?

[watereverywhere]

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Hi everyone,

To be straightforward, I don't want to apply to really high-level schools and get into none, but I also don't want to apply to a lot of low-level schools that I have no interest in going to.

So far I'm applying to the following:
Hopkins (International Health)
Yale (Chronic Disease Epid)
Umich (Epid)
MIT (for Env. Engineering)
UNC (for Env. Engineering)


Does this look like a good range? are there any mid-range schools I should look into?

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[pbutter]

What's your stats like?

 

[watereverywhere]

Here are the stats:

>3.0 GPA
Research 2+ years (working on thesis)
Some extracurriculars
Taking the GRE next Thursday - should get pretty high quantitative, verbal is probably 600-700 range.

 

[travoltage]

i think you should have no problem assuming you score above a 1200 on your gre.

i have a 3.4overall, graduating this year with a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology, GRE over 1200, 2 years research in parasitology, tons of community health volunteering, etc. and my advisor said i should have no problem. granted im a premed who didnt make it into med school this year, she said is should have no problem and im applying to same schools you are. i hope she is right. the reason why i say a 1200+ is because ive read from schools websites such as columbia and michigan which are ranked at the top, their students average gre scores are aroudn 1200. its always safe to be higher than the average. thats my 2cents

 

[watereverywhere]

Travoltage -

Thanks for your response! I'm sorry to hear about the medschool 🙁 Sometimes, an MPH is a better fit - to each their own, I suppose! Just keep on trekkin!

I wonder how much the GRE scores weigh, as I did horribly in organic chemistry, and most of my biology classes.

 

[travoltage]

Travoltage -

Thanks for your response! I'm sorry to hear about the medschool 🙁 Sometimes, an MPH is a better fit - to each their own, I suppose! Just keep on trekkin!

I wonder how much the GRE scores weigh, as I did horribly in organic chemistry, and most of my biology classes.

well gre is just verbal and mathematical skills so the organic and biology wont hurt you if you did poorly in them. since there really isn't any prereq major required for any of these programs, just a bs/ba in any degree, i dont think that would hurt you since they are fairly hard courses. now, if you were to take the mcat, that would be a completely different story.

 

[watereverywhere]

Well - took the GRE - got a 1400

 

[pbutter]

I think your GPA is high enough. Browsing through some past admissions threads on this forum it seems as long as your GPA is >3.0, >1200 GRE, good recs and experience you are good to go!

Also, I believe MPH programs have relatively high admit rates (30-40% for some top programs). Harvard and Yale I have no idea, they don't release any info haha

 

[travoltage]

the acceptance rate for ivy leagues is still low, that is only because their class sizes are soooo small. i think harvards is like 20 or something. sure they dont have too many applicants comparing to other programs, but they also dont have the seats. the big state schools have much more flexibility when it comes to this matter. but yes, the acceptance rate for programs like these are far higher than others...that is only because mph is still unknown. i mean, how many people do you meet who even know what an mph degree is? so its good for us!

 

[ratonlaveur]

Admittance rates are on the ASPH's web site (http://www.asph.org/userfiles/ADR2007.pdf). They look fairly high in general and I guess you could always apply to Drexel as a backup with their whopping 96.2% acceptance rate.

 

[futureepi]

Thanks so much for the ASPH file, ratonlaveur! I've been trying to find that kind of information everywhere!

 

[honeysuckle]

Am I the only one who finds those acceptance rates completely baffling? How does Tulane end up with a 70% acceptance rate, and UIC with a 34.7% acceptance rate?? Someone mentioned small class sizes, but, REALLY. Is UIC really that selective and competitive? It's not even ranked in the top 10.

I'm totally freaking out. I wish I had looked at that report BEFORE I finished my applications....

 

[aspiringmph]

honeysuckle, don't freak out! If your applications are already in, just try to sit back and relax. 🙂 If it makes you feel better, you can think about acceptance rates not only as a gauge of how selective a school is, but also as an indicator of how many inappropriate applications it attracts.

For example, some schools have work requirements but undergrads apply anyways, so they might get rejected right off the bat. (Of course, I'm sure some undergrads have summer work experience or internships that would get them in the door.)

 

[travoltage]

that doesnt make to much sense about uic to me. theyre a public school with the largest nih grant funding in the state. im sure there is some sort of discrepancy or error. i know that they dont require work experience so im not sure why its so selective. maybe they just highly prefer instate students.