<p>I'm interested in hearing from JHU students familiar with the Public Health major/Social Science concentration. What has been your experience with the curriculum and internships? How is it perceived vis-a-vis the Natural Science concentration. I understand that Public Health is a popular major at JHU --- is that a problem for getting into needed or desired classes? What is the approximate split among PH majors between the Social Science and Natural Science concentrations? Is it common for PH majors (in either concentration) to take advanced classes at the Bloomberg School? Do PH undergrads have any special social events or groups? I'm just trying to get a feel for what it's like to be an undergrad with a PH major at JHU.</p>
<p>A student I know ... not a member of College Confidential ... sent me this response to your question:</p>
<p>Wren - Senior at JHU - Public Health (social science concentration)</p>
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Hi! I’m in my senior year as a public health major doing the social science track. It’s a perfect fit for my interests and I love the flexibility of the program. The way it works it that there are a few main classes that all public health majors are required to take and beyond that, each person can tailor things to his or her strengths and interests. Within my social science focus I chose to do concentrations in economics and sociology and now I’m taking some of my classes at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Every public health major gets to take the equivalent of one semester’s worth of classes there! I'm currently studying occupational safety, injury and violence prevention, and humanitarian emergencies. </p>
<p>Public health is one of the three most popular majors at Hopkins but because there’s room for such a variety of interests I never feel like I’m just part of the crowd. As you mentioned in your question, there are two different areas of emphasis: natural science and social science. More people choose the natural science option since it’s a great way to fulfill the course requirements for med school. Natural science is generally seen as a bit more challenging due to all the science classes, but that’s not to say that social science isn’t challenging too. One thing that I really enjoy about the major is being exposed to many different academic areas. I think it’s the best major for getting a well-rounded education while at the same time taking classes that play to one’s own interests (unlike, say, a history major having to take a confusing math class to fulfill the quantitative distribution requirement). At Hopkins in general there aren’t many problems with getting into good cl
asses, and even less so for public health majors since we tend to take a wide range of classes from all different departments. </p>
<p>Outside of classes there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with public health. We have an undergraduate-run public health journal called Epidemic Proportions and the Public Health Student Forum, a group that helps coordinate all sorts of activities (e.g. social events, volunteer opportunities, guest speakers, etc.) for students. Hopkins has over fifty community service groups and many of them are health-oriented. Because we’re so close to the grad school there are tons of research opportunities too. It seems like I get another email every week from my advisor telling me about a new project that could use help from an undergraduate research assistant. Over the past summer I worked as a research assistant for a professor there and learned a lot about how academic research works. We just submitted our paper to a journal so hopefully I’ll be published soon! </p>
<p>I’ve had a very rich experience as a public health major and I highly recommend it. Good luck with your application!
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<p>I also suggest that you might want to connect with one of the students on Hopkins Interactive (Hopkins</a> Interactive). Her name is Jessica and she is also a Public Health (social science concentration) student:</p>
<p>JHU<em>Jessica's Profile: Hopkins</a> Interactive >> Student Profiles >> Jessica K.
Ask JHU</em>Jessica a Question: Hopkins</a> Forums -> Meet JHU_Jessica
Her Blog: Roxi</a> & Jessica: Caught in Between</p>
<p>This is very helpful. Thank you very much!</p>