Which Public Health schools are you applying to?

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want2bDr

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I was premed for sometime but after taking a few courses and having an amazing internship I think I would really like to go to Public Health school. I was curious as to where people are applying... I know this may be early for some but if people it would be nice for people to share.

As of now I am thinking of Emory, GW, and I am not sure of where else yet. Thanks!
 
I'm in the same boat as you, want2bDr! I'm taking this year off to do more MPH related activities before I go to grad school =)

So far, I want to apply to Emory as well, and UVA, UC Berkeley, UWashington, Boston U, and University of Texas. Probably gonna change my mind ten times a day until i finally apply, though!
 
Ha ha yes, still trying to decide and also crank out this GRE in time. I didn't know that UVA had a program, I will definitely look into that. I think I would like to apply to Boston as well. Are the California schools difficult to get into if you are not a CA resident?
 
The California schools are difficult to get in to. Period. California residents included. It's not impossible though and there were a bunch of acceptances as well as rejections last year. The best rule of thumb is to apply to many of the schools you are interested in.
 
want2bDr said:
Ha ha yes, still trying to decide and also crank out this GRE in time. I didn't know that UVA had a program, I will definitely look into that. I think I would like to apply to Boston as well. Are the California schools difficult to get into if you are not a CA resident?
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Yeah, a bunch of schools like UVA have small MPH programs but not whole separate schools for Public Health, which is why SOPHAS doesn't have them in its directory. If you want the complete list of universities offering programs go here: http://ceph.org/pdf/Master_List.pdf (a list by category on ceph.org's site)

It organized the universities first by the ones that have whole schools of PH and then those that just have the programs. Sucks though because that means they need separate apps >_<
 
Columbia, Health Policy & Management (HPM)
UCLA, HPM
Harvard, MS in HPM (80credit)
Hopkins, MHA
Yale, MPH in Health Mgt
NYU, MPA in HPM
 
Yeah I figured the CA schools were hard to get into, but thanks for the info. Also thanks for the link.
 
HBHE at UNC and Emory; Community Health at UCLA.

I was going to apply to JHU, but after staying in Baltimore for a week, I can do without the city for the rest of my life.
 
Regression said:
HBHE at UNC and Emory; Community Health at UCLA.

I was going to apply to JHU, but after staying in Baltimore for a week, I can do without the city for the rest of my life.
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After actually moving to Baltimore to attend Hopkins, I can say that the city is quite acceptable, and the Hopkins MPH program is absolutely superb. I would gladly attend Hopkins no matter what the city is like. One or two years in Baltimore is a very small investment for a Hopkins education. It should also be mentioned that you'll be so busy here with school work that there is very little time to do anything else anyway.

Each person has his/her own set of priorities, and I can see easily how one might place a greater emphasis on living environment. I've spent all of my life in cities, so living in Baltimore doesn't seem like a totally new experience.
 
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Regression said:
HBHE at UNC and Emory; Community Health at UCLA.

I was going to apply to JHU, but after staying in Baltimore for a week, I can do without the city for the rest of my life.
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What don't you like about it?

I'm applying to JHU, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale (1 year MPH programs).
 
I stayed in the Inner Harbor, which is beautiful, but venturing out into the other parts of the city wasn't.

I went towards the Mount Vernon area by Lexington Market and it's full of crackheads every which way. Police presence is also the highest I've ever seen and I was born and raised in East LA.

I went to East Baltimore where JHU is located and it's not much different there--East Baltimore is also said to be where the biggest concentration of violent crime in Baltimore is localized to.

I went to a few bars in Federal Hill and by 2am four guys were arrested for getting into fights.

I was driving to BWI at 4am to catch a 6am flight and a car ran a red, got t-boned by a taxi driver, and the three guys in that car proceeded to beat the taxi driver at least until my car took the license plate information and drove off.

Of all the cities and sketch neighborhoods I've been to or lived in, I've never felt as defenseless in Baltimore.
 
I've been in Baltimore for about a month now, and honestly, my experience has been much better than I anticipated. I understand that of course everyone has their own opinions and experiences, I'm not trying to be oppositional. I just want people to get a variety of opinions so they can make the best decision for them. Here's a summary of my experience thus far (as a tiny, white ex-suburbanite):

-There are clear boundaries of where you should/should not go. Areas get sketchy quickly... as a petite, white girl, I haven't had a single issue walking around during the day. However, I absolutely would not walk alone at night anywhere in the city. I have also taken the metro from Charles Center to Johns Hopkins Hospital during the day and haven't had a problem. The public buses can be really sketchy, but I have also taken them during the day without an issue. *Note the time references here, I would not go anywhere in the middle of the night (or 4am)... you'd be asking for trouble.

-Yes, there are tons of sketchy looking people around... I think it's a matter of getting used to the demographic of the city. I was terrified at first, and was convinced that I was going to get robbed/stabbed/shot etc. but usually people keep to themselves. Of course you do always need to have your wits about you though.

-The Hopkins Medical Campus is very safe. Yes, the area it's in is pretty bad (if you venture into the surrounding neighborhood), but there are off-duty police sitting in booths on every corner (Hopkins pays them to patrol). They also have security at every entrance to the school, as well as the hospital and other buildings on the campus. Again, there are always creepy people hanging around, but Hopkins does take every precaution to ensure the safety of faculty, students, and staff.

-Lastly, the crime rates. You can absolutely scare the wits out of yourself if you do too many google searches on "crime in baltimore" (I did it to myself before I moved here). However, it's important to realize that there is an abundance of crime in any major city in the U.S... also, the majority of crime here in Baltimore is gang or drug related, so if you avoid those two venues (and the areas in which these events go on), you should be okay. This is not to say that random acts of violence do not occur, but if you remain aware of your surroundings you can keep yourself relatively safe.

So far, I am really enjoying Hopkins. As someone who did not want to come to Baltimore at all, I feel like the education I am getting is well worth living in the area. The faculty are truly the best in their fields and are very approachable (at least the ones I have been in contact with). Oh, and lastly, Baltimore definitely has its charms. There is a ton of stuff to do (and lots of student discounts!). It's really not as bad as people make it out to be. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the extensive info about Hopkins that was very helpful.
 
Regression, I had a feeling you were going to bring that up. As someone who was there, I think that the situation was handled very well. I was alerted to the event right away, and the building was put on lockdown immediately. If you knew the details of the incident, you would know that the shooter was not from Baltimore (he was from Virginia). The shooting was not a random act of violence, the man was distraught as he received bad news regarding the care his mother had been receiving at the hospital. People can bring guns anywhere. I spoke to people who have been at Hopkins for decades (faculty), and they all said that there hasn't been a major incident here (until Thursday) in 20+ years. Think about other events like this that have happened in the past ten years... none of them have happened in Baltimore (think Virginia Tech, the recent Budweiser plant shooting in CT). It's unfortunate, but violence can (and does) happen everywhere. Regression, I'm not trying to discount your opinion, I just think that people should know what actually went on so they can make their own judgments. I still think Hopkins is a great place that is full of wonderful opportunities. If anyone has any questions, feel free to send me a PM 🙂
 
swaffles said:
Are those the programs for students who already hold professional degrees?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, all of those programs require professional degrees with the exception of Hopkins.
 
I'm applying Dartmouth, Yale, Tufts, USC, NYU and Emory
 
I'm applying to JHU, Harvard, BU, GWU, U Mich & Yale . for MHS / MPH degrees.
 
chriskyk said:
I'm applying Dartmouth, Yale, Tufts, USC, NYU and Emory
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do NYU , Yale & Dartmouth require substantial work experience for their MPH programs?

I completed undergrad this year and recently started working with an NGO based in Wash. DC . (By the time applications are due I would have been here only a few months) My only other work experience comes fro two summer research programs.
 
intlhealth2010 said:
do NYU , Yale & Dartmouth require substantial work experience for their MPH programs?

I completed undergrad this year and recently started working with an NGO based in Wash. DC . (By the time applications are due I would have been here only a few months) My only other work experience comes fro two summer research programs.
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Hey, I don't think work experience is required for any of those schools listed. I'm in the same situation. I got an internship that starts in Jan 2011, with 2 years of research experience and part time work experience.

Do you know if Dartmouth still has rolling admissions?
 
chriskyk said:
Hey, I don't think work experience is required for any of those schools listed. I'm in the same situation. I got an internship that starts in Jan 2011, with 2 years of research experience and part time work experience.

Do you know if Dartmouth still has rolling admissions?
Click to expand...

Thanks. I read that for NYU they expect you to already hold a professional degree ? I might be wrong, but from their website i got the impression that their MPH is for doctors who wish to broaden their understanding of practicing health. Yale was even more vague.

to be honest, i was previously unaware dartmouth had an accredited MPH program. I'm not really sure what their admissions policy is. Does anyone else know?

since the only degree i hold is a BS in biology, and i lack 2 years of work experience, I'm a bit hesitant to applying to MPH programs. My top choice programs are MHS (which do not require work experience and are designed for those holding a bachelors degree) and MPH at U Mich and BU which also don't require work experience.
 
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intlhealth2010 said:
Thanks. I read that for NYU they expect you to already hold a professional degree ? I might be wrong, but from their website i got the impression that their MPH is for doctors who wish to broaden their understanding of practicing health. Yale was even more vague.

to be honest, i was previously unaware dartmouth had an accredited MPH program. I'm not really sure what their admissions policy is. Does anyone else know?

since the only degree i hold is a BS in biology, and i lack 2 years of work experience, I'm a bit hesitant to applying to MPH programs. My top choice programs are MHS (which do not require work experience and are designed for those holding a bachelors degree) and MPH at U Mich and BU which also don't require work experience.
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Well the way I interpret it is that if the school doesn't specify work experience then it is not required. Then, of course, having work experience would add your chance of getting in.

There are 2 MPH programs in NYU, one is Global Health and the other is Public Health. Global health program requires a previous graduate degree and work experience while public health doesn't, it just said prior work would be given extra consideration. In other words, I think we are both good to go!
 
chriskyk said:
Well the way I interpret it is that if the school doesn't specify work experience then it is not required. Then, of course, having work experience would add your chance of getting in.

There are 2 MPH programs in NYU, one is Global Health and the other is Public Health. Global health program requires a previous graduate degree and work experience while public health doesn't, it just said prior work would be given extra consideration. In other words, I think we are both good to go!
Click to expand...

oh ok, that makes sense. I only checked out Global Health on their website and dismissed NYU because of the requirements. I'll give Public Health another look through!
 
BU, Tufts and Brown are definate. After visiting all of the schools, I fell in love with Brown. I know that Brown is stll a relatively new program and is not ranked nearly as high as other programs out there, but I believe that there is wonderful reseach/learning opportunity there and I love the feeling of the campus/neighborhood/Providence. I was wondering if anyone out there has an opinion one way or another.
 
I wish there were more people applying to Columbia. It's a great, great school. You guys should apply here as well. Feel free to ask questions, as I am a student here.

Good luck.
 
Hey djtiesto,

I actually very quickly visited Columbia and Mailman, but I never got to tour the building or see classrooms or anything. What's your daily schedule like? I know the Mailman school is not in the main campus area but does that take away from the graduate school experience? Do you live near the main campus and commute? Or do you live near Mailman area?

Also, what concentration are you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking into HPM there but I'm not sure if they are looked at differently applications-wise compared to a traditional straight MPH student. How were your grades and letter of recs?

Thanks for everything in advance... I know this is a lot haha!
 
I have 15 units (5 classes).

One class meets only 4 weekends (once per month. It is the executive format). All my other classes meet only once a week for 3 hours, except one class which is statistics, and they meet twice a week for 80 mins. With that said, you have so, so, so much free time that you can do a lot of things on the side. You should have no reason not to do well. I am actually working at a few different places to use up the time that I have.

I live on the medical campus. It is a 5 min subway ride to the undergrad campus. My apartment building is 50-100 yards to the actual classroom. Rent is $953 a month and it includes everything. I have the view of George Washington Bridge and Jersey Shore.

I said to apply broadly because I had a 3.6, 680Q, 320V, 3.5A, and got into Columbia and UMich, but rejected at Emory and Ohio State and Yale.

So you really don't know what they are looking for. I got rejected by much lower tier schools, but got accepted to top tier.

Good luck
 
I wouldn't say Emory and Yale are "lower tier." At all.
 
You are right about Emory, but it is known in the public health community that Yale has a fairly weak public health program, and I also agree with this. Every school has their strengths and weaknesses so I cannot judge. If Yale is the school that fits you best, then it will be the place you succeed the most.
 
djtiesto14 said:
I wish there were more people applying to Columbia. It's a great, great school. You guys should apply here as well. Feel free to ask questions, as I am a student here.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I was interesting in Columbia's MPH in International Health. I have a 3.23 GPA BS in Biology from a top ranked public university 660 Q 640 V 5.5 W with experience in Clinical Research and a current internship with an American based NGO.

I heard Columbia has a rather high acceptance rate. but, Since I haven't ever worked internationally I was discouraged from applying here. Also the only public health based work experience I have is an intern position i just started by the time apps are due I will have only been working here a couple of months.

I'm taking the GRE's in November and hoping my quant score will go into the 700's. Writing should be a 6 (or maybe 5.5 again) and i'm actually studying for the verbal so hopefully it'll go up a bit too. I took the GRE's on a whim my first time with only a a few days of actual preparation.

My GPA is rather low which also makes me hesitant to apply to top tier programs like Columbia, i was in the honors Chemistry program as a freshman/sophomore and 2 years of barely passing grades as a lower-classman in general chem, O-chem and bio-chem honors series really screwed me over. I recovered after changing my major to Biology and getting all A and A- grades (spare 2 B+'s) in Physiology, Molecular & Cellular Bio, Physics & a number of other Biology Electives.

My upperdivision GPA is significantly higher than 3.23 with my senior year GPA being nearly 4.0. The difference between my grades as a junior/senior is a huge elevation from my grades a freshman/sophomore.

I also have only taken two public health related courses, with no background in stats.

I don't know if this helps me at all, but I'm a very strong writer as I minored in Third World Literature (with an A or A+ grade in each of my lit classes) I have confidence that my personal statement will stand out among others.

Do you think I should perhaps wait and apply to Columbia only after I've worked at an international level? Any feedback would be much appreciated!
 
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It is true that certain departments have higher acceptance rates than others, but overall, it is pretty competitive to get in here.

Do you want to do Global Health? What are you applying for?

I wouldn't wait. Just apply.
 
Can anyone tell me more about Yale's admission facts? I was told that they look much heavier on work experiences than GPA/GRE?
 
djtiesto14 said:
It is true that certain departments have higher acceptance rates than others, but overall, it is pretty competitive to get in here.

Do you want to do Global Health? What are you applying for?

I wouldn't wait. Just apply.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying, I'm very interested in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Global Health Track (MPH). I remember reading that international work experience is expected of applicants. This is my primary reason for not including Columbia / Mailman among the schools i'm applying to, as I lack any sort of international work experience. Would you know of any current students in the Global Health Track who did not have substantial work experience?

Columbia's Global Health track really appeals to me because of the work they do in India/Pakistan, a region of the world that I am quite knowledgable about. It's for the same reason I'm applying to Harvard and JHU. On paper I feel my interests really do match with the current work faculty members are doing. I would love to apply to Columbia , but if I feel that if I don't meet a set requirement (having work experience) it would be pretty pointless for me to do so.
 
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chriskyk said:
Can anyone tell me more about Yale's admission facts? I was told that they look much heavier on work experiences than GPA/GRE?
Click to expand...

Hey chriskyk,

I saw your stats on another thread and I think you should be fine for Yale. Keep in mind that Yale is ranked rather low for Public Health and many shining applicants probably choose other schools over it. If you feel like you are lacking in any area, you shouldn't worry, in order to retain applicants they need to admit candidates that will most likely accept an admissions offer. There is also no official GPA/GRE listed on their website. Any admissions facts about Yale you learn on here would be purely anecdotal. I don't know about anyone else but I take this to mean they are most likely on the lower side.

I'm applying to Yale/GWU/BU as schools I think I have a more than decent chance of getting into. And JHU/Harvard as schools that I would give and arm and a leg to go to but will be a stretch for me.

In order to make yourself more competetive, you might want to take the GRE one more time and improve your V to above 550 and increase your writing score to at least a 5. (Your Quant Score is excellent, I hope to match it when I re-take the GRE's in a month!)
 
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djtiesto14 said:
I have 15 units (5 classes).

One class meets only 4 weekends (once per month. It is the executive format). All my other classes meet only once a week for 3 hours, except one class which is statistics, and they meet twice a week for 80 mins. With that said, you have so, so, so much free time that you can do a lot of things on the side. You should have no reason not to do well. I am actually working at a few different places to use up the time that I have.

I live on the medical campus. It is a 5 min subway ride to the undergrad campus. My apartment building is 50-100 yards to the actual classroom. Rent is $953 a month and it includes everything. I have the view of George Washington Bridge and Jersey Shore.

I said to apply broadly because I had a 3.6, 680Q, 320V, 3.5A, and got into Columbia and UMich, but rejected at Emory and Ohio State and Yale.

So you really don't know what they are looking for. I got rejected by much lower tier schools, but got accepted to top tier.

Good luck
Click to expand...

Thanks DJ for the quick reply. That actually sounds really cool and I would be up for the city life as well. After all is said and done, would you say you are happy at the school and NYC in general? Could you see yourself working full time after graduation in the area?
 
intlhealth2010 said:
Hey chriskyk,

I saw your stats on another thread and I think you should be fine for Yale. Keep in mind that Yale is ranked rather low for Public Health and many shining applicants probably choose other schools over it. If you feel like you are lacking in any area, you shouldn't worry, in order to retain applicants they need to admit candidates that will most likely accept an admissions offer. There is also no official GPA/GRE listed on their website. Any admissions facts about Yale you learn on here would be purely anecdotal. I don't know about anyone else but I take this to mean they are most likely on the lower side.

I'm applying to Yale/GWU/BU as schools I think I have a more than decent chance of getting into. And JHU/Harvard as schools that I would give and arm and a leg to go to but will be a stretch for me.

In order to make yourself more competetive, you might want to take the GRE one more time and improve your V to above 550 and increase your writing score to at least a 5. (Your Quant Score is excellent, I hope to match it when I re-take the GRE's in a month!)
Click to expand...

Hey Intlhealth2010 for the advice!

Think I'll just keep this GRE score since I checked that Yale looks pretty much just looks at the quantitative score. It emphasizes that competitive applicants must have at least 50th percentile.

I hope I'll get into Yale/NYU. These 2 are my dream schools.
 
beckerboy21 said:
Hey djtiesto,

I actually very quickly visited Columbia and Mailman, but I never got to tour the building or see classrooms or anything. What's your daily schedule like? I know the Mailman school is not in the main campus area but does that take away from the graduate school experience? Do you live near the main campus and commute? Or do you live near Mailman area?

Also, what concentration are you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking into HPM there but I'm not sure if they are looked at differently applications-wise compared to a traditional straight MPH student. How were your grades and letter of recs?

Thanks for everything in advance... I know this is a lot haha!
Click to expand...

How did you like the campus? I am actually in NYC right now and was hoping to pass by the campus tmrw. I am also applying to the HPM program as well.

I have a BS in health care, 3.9 major GPA, 3.74 overall, 5 yrs experience in health care, and good letters of rec.

I applied to an MHA program last yr and got accepted, but decided to defer and apply more widely. My top choices for an MPH in HPM would be Harvard, Columbia, and UCLA. I'm also applying to the MHA program at Hopkins and Michigan.
 
Hi djtiesto14,

I am actually very interested in Columbia's Health and Sexuality track but can't decide if I should apply to sociomedical sciences or population and family health. Do you have any insight as to the differences between the two departments or the typical profile of students that are accepted into either? Thanks!
 
djtiesto14 said:
I wish there were more people applying to Columbia. It's a great, great school. You guys should apply here as well. Feel free to ask questions, as I am a student here.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I am confused as to whether Columbia has a 1 year MPH program. I am only applying to 1 year programs and I hear Columbia has one, but I can't find any info about it on their websites. Can you verify?

Thanks in advance.
 
want2bDr said:
I believe the program you are referring to is the Masters of Science in the Institute of Nutrition. Some premeds do it as an "smp" anyway here is the link.
http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/ihn/programs/ihn_programs0001.html
Click to expand...


Columbia's MPH actually can be done in a year in the General Public Health track. It is open only to those with doctoral degrees or significant health experience. Rather than applying to a department, one applies to the GPH track. All of the courses are electives, except for the core courses required at all schools of public health. Although the program can be completed in a year, the number of credits required are the same as for 2-year students, so it's a great deal of work - around 7-8 courses per semester. Some Columbia medical students do the program between their 3rd and 4th years. I was accepted to the program and almost attended, but Hopkins better met my needs for a number of reasons, including the fact that the Hopkins MPH is an 11 month program running from June through the following May, so it synchronizes perfectly with the medical year (July-June).

I know that there were a couple of participants on this board last year who joined the Columbia GPH track, and maybe they can comment on their experiences, it they are still reading these discussions.

Here is the General Public Health link:

http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/...uction/general-overview/general-public-health
 
espre said:
Columbia's MPH actually can be done in a year in the General Public Health track. It is open only to those with doctoral degrees or significant health experience. Rather than applying to a department, one applies to the GPH track. All of the courses are electives, except for the core courses required at all schools of public health. Although the program can be completed in a year, the number of credits required are the same as for 2-year students, so it's a great deal of work - around 7-8 courses per semester. Some Columbia medical students do the program between their 3rd and 4th years. I was accepted to the program and almost attended, but Hopkins better met my needs for a number of reasons, including the fact that the Hopkins MPH is an 11 month program running from June through the following May, so it synchronizes perfectly with the medical year (July-June).

I know that there were a couple of participants on this board last year who joined the Columbia GPH track, and maybe they can comment on their experiences, it they are still reading these discussions.

Here is the General Public Health link:

http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/...uction/general-overview/general-public-health
Click to expand...

Yes, this was the program I was looking for. I emailed Columbia about their 1 year program and no response, so it is good to know the 1 year program exists. If anyone has gone through the program I would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks for the info!
 
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I'll be applying to GWU's Global Health program this year. I'm currently in a PhD program in clinical psychology but will be leaving with my MA in January. I've decided the academy isn't for me and I've never been interested in being a clinician, but I wanted to be an epidemiologist since I was a kid, so I've decided to go for it with an MPH. What sort of unofficial entrance requirements does GWU's Global Health program have? The website is pretty vague. Would a 3.5UG/3.7G/700V/690Q be competitive for this program?
 
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