<p>I don't know if this is in the right thread (so I'm posting in two), but here we go: </p>
<p>I am really interested in applying to the MPH program at UIC, focusing on Community Health or on Policy (so not epidemiology, etc.), especially since I know that UIC is ranked #15 according to usnews for their program, and because Chicago is my base. </p>
<p>I have an undergraduate degree in International Relations/Political Science from Loyola University Chicago, where I had a 3.4 average. I took Health Care Ethics while I was there and got an A, but that's really the only health related class I took. I have no doubt in my mind that I can get a 1200+ on the GRE. </p>
<p>What I am really banking on is my work experience. I worked in a hospital for three years during college as an ER receptionist, which doesn't really have anything to do with Public Health, but I hope illustrates my interest in the health care field. More importantly, after college I joined the Peace Corps and moved to Panama, to work as an Environmental Health extensionist. As such, I promoted water purification techniques, the reasons that people should drink water/use latrines, lots and LOTS of sexual health/HIV-AIDS seminars, close work the Panama's Ministry of Health, etc. I had to cut my Peace Corps experience short, but afterwards I stayed in Panama and have been helping out with said Ministry of Health as much as I can, working with politicians around here to promote healthy eating/nutrition/water drinking, etc. I seriously love it. So I figure when I get to applying to UIC (probably for the fall of 2011), I will have approx. 4 years of experience working in public health. </p>
<p>Will this experience make up for the fact that I didn't take calc/bio/chem etc. in college? Do I have a shot at getting in at all? Any anecdotes you want to use to try and calm me down?</p>