I am ending my freshman year in college and I have recently switched majors and career paths from Neuroscience (planning to go on to Psychology PhD) to Healthcare Management/Public Health.
While I am in no way behind on course work, I feel like I am behind in extracurriculars. What kinds of internships/jobs/volunteer work/research should I be looking to do to best position myself for a Health Policy MPH program?
I have seen a lot of successful applicants study or do volunteer abroad. Would this be something I should make an effort to do even if I would like to focus on U.S. Health Policy not Global Health Policy? I think it would be an amazing opportunity, but its also really expensive.
Finally, I have the opportunity to pick one major and graduate in three years. I was wondering if having one less year of extracurriculars and one less major would be a major detriment to my grad school applications? If I did graduate in 3 years, would you recommend pursuing a Healthcare Management and Policy major or a Public Health major?
For reference: I’m an undergrad student at Saint Louis University and my goal is to get into George Washington University’s MPH-Health Policy program.
Doing a 2-year tour in a developing country as a Peace Corps Volunteer (especially in a position such as Community Health Educator or something related ) would significantly boost your competiveness. In fact, there are several top MPH graduate programs that integrate Peace Corps service into the degree program (or that was the case in the past…you would have to check the current reality). In fact, many MPH programs are so replete with returned PC volunteers that they form a large subculture. (Tulane and UNC come to mind…not sure about GWU but I would say it’s highly likely…)
Having said this, don’t consider Peace Corps service unless it is something that you would like to do for its own sake. Check out the Peace Corps’ website…lots of fascinating information there.
Good luck!
Most MPH applicants benefit from taking some time off (1-3 years) after college to work or intern in the field. The Peace Corps is one way to do that, but is by no means the only way. (The program inthegarden is referring to is the Masters International program of the Peace Corps; the Peace Corps phased that program out in 2016. Some programs may still give you credit for your experience, but that would be on an individual basis.)
Inthegarden is right about lots of MPH students being returned PC volunteers. I went to Columbia and we had a ton of them.
During college, you should look to do summer internships in public health or something healthcare related. There are lots of research experiences for undergrads in health, but if you are interested in the business side you should look for stuff related to that. Part-time jobs during the school year in that area could also help, of course.
Even if you want to focus on U.S. health policy, understanding international health policies is useful - at least in a comparative sense, but also realizing that the health of our globalized world is connected. if you think that would be interesting, look into it - there are scholarships for study abroad.
And if you already feel behind, then yes, graduating in 3 years might put you at a disadvantage if you intend to apply right after college. It’s one less summer and one less year to do things to make you competitive. If you take time to work before applying, then it shouldn’t make much of a difference. Which major you pick should be based on your personal goals.