MPH Program Guidance Help

Graduate School
1

<p>Top of the morning! Thank you very much for any help you can give.</p>

<p>I'm an international relations major, comparative politics minor who will be graduating in this upcoming fall semester and going to be applying to MPH programs. I was wondering if you could aid me in maybe narrowing down my list or editing it based on my stats and goals? Of course none of us are experts but you are probably more knowledgeable than me about this, so all input is loved.</p>

<p>I do apologize for the long post. </p>

<p>A Little Bit Of Info To Help...</p>

<p>I'm an african american male about 23 years old
I'm graduating, as mentioned from an international relations program with a comparative politics minor
My undergraduate GPA will be probably 3.47-3.55 depending on my grades this semester
If it matters, my major gpa is 4.0
If it matters, my upper division gpa is 3.8
I have GRE Scores of: 159 V, 163 Q, 5.0 A
I have a publication in our school journal about 25 pages dealing with the analysis, and corrective measures that should be taken regarding 'corrective rape' in South Africa. It is First Author
I posses a biological based internship that deals with stress and depression at our local medication school (university of maryland school of medicine). This yielded another publication contribution in a medical journal. I've also presented a poster presentation based on my research for academic research credit. Though not related I started this internship when I wanted to go into biology so I kept it for research experience.
I've taken 5 public health classes; Epidemiology, Field Research Methods, Geography of Disease and Health, Diseases and Health Seminar and Analysis of the Health Care System (the first 4 classes are 300 level). All As.
I'm a member of 2 extra curricular forums based on gender 'privilege and oppression' in society.
I have 3 Great Letters; one from a teacher I've had for 3 classes in the field, one from my lab mentor from Yale and one from another Lab mentor. I'm considering adding one from one of my public health classes.
I have no abroad experience besides recreational travel but I speak fluent Spanish (up to the senior level at school).</p>

<p>As For what I want to go into...I want to get an MPH in fields that have a Global Health Focus. Bonus if they have a disaster and humanitarian emergencies concentration or program. After my MPH I either wanna work for disaster relief or get my PhD in international relations and become a expert on how global diseases and public health affect the flow of international relations.</p>

<p>I'm looking for programs that allow me:</p>

<p>Field experience (3-9 months) in another country
connections to international organizations or NGOs
Thesis paper preferred over capstone project but not picky
fellowships I would be competitive for. </p>

<p>The programs I have in mind are:</p>

<p>Columbia University (MPH in Sociomedical Sciences, Certificate in Public Health and Humanitarian Services)
Washington University (global health Specialization)
Brown (Intend to become a global health scholar)
Drexel (Global Health Certificate
University of Southern Florida (MPH in Global Disaster Management, Infection Control Cert)
Oregon State University (MPH in international Health)
Yale (MPH in Global Health)
Boston University (MPH in International Health, focus in Disasters)
Emory (Global Health)</p>

<p>Am I shooting too low? Too High? Just Right? Any advice at all you can give would be loved.</p>

2

<p>aiming too low, IMO. Drop Drexel, South Florida and Oregon State.</p>

<p>If you want to work internationally, then you need prestige. Start with USNews and work down for a program that would be a good fit.</p>

<p>[Best</a> Public Health Programs | Top Public Health Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings)</p>

<p>I would add Harvard and Hopkins. While neither will provide you with an MPH without work experience, the Master’s program may work just as well (because of the Uni name). Hopkins’ MHS program includes field work. Or, if you like research, they offer a MSPH. Check it out.</p>

3

<p>Dont know how reliable the rankings for MPH programs are from US News (I know the MPA rankings are suspect). I dont know too much about MPH programs but I will weigh in more generally.</p>

<p>You have fairly good grades, and you seem to have a true passion for the field, this will make your SOP that much stronger. I think you could get into the top programs. Your GRE score is good (although maybe your verbal is a bit lower, not sure what MPH schools will look at, or if they will use the GRE to just see if an applicant is good). Anyway, I agree with the above poster, you are aiming a bit too low. I think, based on your profile (and granted my lack of knowledge on MPH admissions, so I basing this on my knowledge of MPA/MPP admissions). If you want to work internationally, the global recognition of the school (so prestige) will matter. I would remove Drexel from my list. I also dont know about USF and Oregon State (they are ranked by US News, but again dont know how reliable those rankings are), but from my knowledge of the reputation (in general) I would say internationally those two schools are not the greatest. Regardless, the point I am trying to make is that I feel you could get into far better schools.</p>

4

<p>I am a student at Columbia’s SPH (in SMS, in fact). PM me if you want to ask specific questions about SMS and Columbia; I’ll be happy to answer them, as well as any general questions about public health.</p>

<p>Now - almost all of Columbia’s MPH programs in SMS require at least 2 years of work experience in public health prior to matriculation. The only concentration that doesn’t is Social Science Research. But although that program is called “research” it’s flexible enough for professionals. One of my friends completed the program two years ago and works as a consultant in DC. We also have a National Center for Disaster Preparedness here that you could potentially intern with (she interned there as well).</p>

<p>I agree that you are aiming too low - you have a good solid GPA with very high major/upper division GPAs, a first-authored publication, and internships and public health undergraduate coursework (which is uncommon!). I agree that you should drop South Florida and Oregon State; I would also drop Brown. Despite being an Ivy, Brown’s program is new and not well-recognized; it’s also not in an SPH, so you won’t have the resources and research connections like you would at an SPH like Harvard, Columbia, or JHU. Keep Drexel as a “just-in-case” (they have a very good SPH anyway).</p>

<p>I think your list should look like this:</p>

<p>-Columbia (SMS + your cert)
-Yale (MPH in global health)
-Boston U (MPH in international health, focus in disasters)
-Emory (global health)
-Johns Hopkins (MSPH in social and behavioral interventions in the Department of International Health, or MHS in social factors in health. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have the MPH; it’s Hopkins.)
-Tulane (MPH in Disaster Management, or Society, Behavior, and Development). Tulane has a <em>strong</em> focus on global health, especially in resource-poor settings, and I think they may have originated tropical medicine.
-Harvard (Global Health)
-George Washington (Global Health concentration)</p>

<p>I’m biased because Columbia is a wonderful place, and a great place for global health. But I really think your top 5 choices are JHU, Harvard, Columbia, Tulane, and GWU, probably in that order, for global health. It also depends on your concentration/where you want to go and study. Columbia has a lot of research going on in Central Asia and South America, with a bit in Southeast Asia. But if you want to do sub-Saharan Africa - Tulane or Harvard could be the place for that.</p>

<p>Other programs that may interest you
-UCLA (has a certificate program in global health)
-University of Pittsburgh (global health cert)
-Drexel (Global health cert - but I would only attend if you didn’t get into anywhere else, which is unlikely)</p>

<p>I agree that if you want to do work abroad, you want a degree from an internationally recognized university. Going to a top place is also important for doctoral admission, mostly because of the connections (all of the professors at the different SPHs in similar fields know each other).</p>

<p>The rankings from U.S. News are more or less accurate - exact numbered ordering is suspect, but general groupings (top 10, top 20, etc.) are pretty good.</p>

5

<p>Hey everyone thanks so much!</p>

<p>Juillet: you said the Columbia’s program is mainly for people with work experience which I do not have. Will that exclude me from getting into Columbia? I agree, Columbia is my top program (I only cringe at the price). </p>

<p>I love the list you edited for me but a lot of those schools are top of the top, am I putting “too many eggs in one basket” by applying to those top programs? My GPA isn’t very high, so I had those lower schools (usf, Oregon). </p>

<p>What else can you tell meabout Columbia’s program? Id sell my soul for it haha.</p>

6

<p>I was just checking the website to be sure. Health Promotion and SSR in Public Health don’t require work experience, although Health Promotion prefers it. Sexuality in Public Health looks for people with 2 years of experience, and Global Health is designed for people with “some” experience. Urbanism and Aging don’t say. </p>

<p>I had a 3.4 when I applied to Columbia’s MPH and PhD programs, and I got into both. MPH programs are not about very high GPAs, but about professional experience and passion for public health demonstrated by activities. If you check out our class profile in our FAQs, you’ll see that the average GPA of admitted students for 2011 was a 3.4, and the average GRE was 158 verbal and 152 quantitative. Columbia’s SPH admits about 62% of applicants to its MPH programs. It’s not about the numbers. To be quite frank, the MPH is a cash-cow program for Columbia because most students pay their entire way through loans, so although the program is high-caliber it’s not extremely selective. Most MPH programs admit more than 50% of their applicants.</p>

<p>I would only apply to one of them if they are your in-state choices or offer significant merit aid - whatever state you’re from, if it has an SPH I would apply there. If you are going to go to a lower-tier school, at least let it be affordable or offer you some money. Conversely, I wouldn’t pay $100K+ for any school not in the top 15ish - it’s simply not worth the money.</p>

<p>What else do you want to know about Columbia’s program?</p>

7

<p>Hi Juillet</p>

<p>Sorry to interrupt InfectiousCraze but I am actually applying to Columbia Mailman SPH as well for MPH - Healthcare Mgmt. </p>

<p>My GPA is not high either and I didnt publish any articles. </p>

<p>I been wanting to talk to someone who is from Mailman SPH but so far no luck.</p>

8

<p>Send me a PM.</p>

9

<p>Unfortunately, Since I am new here to this forum, I cannot allowed to PM at this time. Sorry about that</p>

10

<p>Okay that makes sense. University of Maryland has an MPH ill add that to my list as a safety school since it is my in state school.</p>

<p>What are some things you enjoy the most about your program and what do you dislike the most? What do you want to do and do you think you are prepared/becoming prepared? Have you done any internships or unique experiences you’re especially proud of?</p>

11

<p>I figure I would bring this thread back to life, since my thread seems to be dead. I have very similar interests to the OP and a strong passion for helping vulnerable communities. My passion has been exhibited through my current and past positions as development professional for many top nonprofit health brands, such as the American Heart Association and Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Aside from my professional experience, I held numerous leadership roles in college and organized a fundraiser through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Although I am involved in planning events and fundraising for great health-related causes, I am hungry for my higher level degrees, as I would like to eventually do global health consulting, focusing on developing, implementing and improving programs in places and health practices to make under served countries more sustainable. </p>

<p>My short list as of now is: Johns Hopkins, Emory, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UCLA. I wanted to know if anyone knows anything about USC’s program? They keep sending me emails about their online MPH program, though I would want a full-time program. </p>

<p>Furthermore, I am interested in pairing my MPH with an MBA to make me a more desirable and marketable candidate for positions after college. I’m not entirely sure I want to stay in nonprofit and work for a international development and health focused organization like FHI 360, International Rescue Committee, PATH, and other notable organizations. I’ve been researching a lot about a career in consulting, and working for Deloitte, PWC, McKinsey, and other consulting and advisory firms, mainly in their Public Health and Global Health Advisory divisions. </p>

<p>Qualifications:

  • 3.3. Overall Cumulative GPA for undergraduate
  • GRE Score – Still haven’t taken them. How much weigh do these have on admission decisions?
  • 2+ Years of professional experience working in development and marketing for nonprofit health brands such as a bone marrow foundation and Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
  • Individually fundraised more than $20,000.00 through planning and participating in numerous fundraisers such as St. Baldrick’s Day, Relay for Life, Walk for Life, and others.
  • Developed an online community for cancer survivors </p>

<p>What are your thoughts?</p>

12

<p>Fwiw, I had very similar interests to you and thus chose to go in to a very flexible program in order to accommodate my interests. I was accepted into several Global Health and Disaster Preparedness programs but am choosing to pursue my MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education at Michigan. I am pursuing a certificate in both Risk Science and Global Health. </p>

<p>What attracted me most to Michigan’s program is that I have so many electives. Several of the schools I got into, like Columbia, allowed very little flexibility. Which is great for some people, just not myself. Just something to think about :).</p>