Burkis

Depends on where you want to work and what you want to do. Your employment options will always be limited if you have no/limited work experience. MPH programs provide an opportunity to gain real life experience through a practicum and this is especially helpful for those with limited experience. I've worked alongside folks with MSc, MPH, etc at international organizations and none of them have suffered financially because of their degrees. I haven't received my public health degree yet but I recently interviewed for a public health position with a starting salary range of $85,000-$105,000 so definitely think about what you might like to do after you graduate and decide which degree will best prepare you for that role.

Last year I heard back ~beginning of May. Not certain which round that was but tuition + stipend was offered (perhaps everyone receives full funding???).

That doesn't sound good Perhaps it's best to defer for a year (as was suggested to another poster), save up and go to your dream school (with loans in tow) rather than saddling up with a program you dislike. You may feel resentful throughout the program if you dislike it from the start.

2. University sites usually provided this info~ Oxford mentions this info. Most US schools require you to submit GRE scores and outline any extra steps required for "international" applicants to be accepted to their programs. 3. There are some funding opportunities open to Canadians but it depends on what you want to study, where you want to study (which university) and what your grades are like.

What an inspiring and helpful thread! My story: When I graduated with a very low, sub-3.0 GPA from McGill I pretty much felt devastated. My grades made a perfect "U": strong at the start, weak in the middle and strong again at the end once I switched programs. Most advisors made me feel like a leper once they looked at my transcript and never bothered to ask what happened. One advisor even laughed and said, "I guess science isn't your strong suit" in a room filled with other students. I applied to an MA program at an OK school, made a great connection with my POI, had my travel costs paid so that I could visit, but was rejected in the end due to my marks and received a rude letter from the program's coordinator. My POI told me that my only hope would be to complete another bachelor degree. I relocated to my hometown, completed a funded-MA at a local, no-name university, and pretty much thought that might be the end of things. However, since graduating from undergrad four years earlier I had managed to rack up significant experience in my field through research work, UN positions, and government opportunities while completing my MA. I took the GREs, did horribly, applied to two PhD programs and was rejected, but I had applied mainly to my dream schools and not programs where my research interests were a good fit so I wasn't entirely surprised. Despite my poor undergraduate GPA I knew that I still wanted to attend programs at well regarded, internationally recognized universities. I gave things another shot last year, spent a great deal of time researching schools, wrote more refined and honest research proposals/statements including an explanation of my poor grades, secured stronger references, and made contact with POIs. I secured interviews for good doctoral programs at universities such as LSHTM and Oxford and in the end I was accepted to 3 out of the 5 programs that I applied to, including one school which only accepted 36 out of 330 applicants. Bottom line: If you have a low undergrad GPA, do not give up hope. 1. Try to rack up some relevant work experience, 2. spend time researching schools/programs, 3. reach out to POIs, 4. write a killer statement of purpose/proposal, and 5. secure strong LoR.

I doubt that they will take into account your age. As long as your qualifications are good and you submit a great application you shouldn't have a problem.

Agreed. UBC sends out first round unofficial acceptances as early as two weeks after the deadline (~Valentine's Day in 2012) so applicants should start to hear back soon. Good luck to all of you

That's unfortunate to hear Thank you for sharing this information with others; I am sure they will find it helpful to know. I hope you are getting at least some enjoyment from the programme though (interesting classes?).

UBC has a great program though its quite competitive! I was accepted at UBC last year and McGill is my alma mater. Best of luck with the outcomes of your applications.

Your best bet is to make contact with a LSHTM prof whose research interests you and ask his/her opinion. Best of luck!

OK, scratch what I just said. Just finished drafting an article as first aurthor. A prof did a bit of "editing" afterwards. Same prof just invited some other prof to place his name on the paper as well even though I previously objected to that idea because that prof has contributed nothing to the write-up of the article and his name will not lend anything to it. Writing sucks.

Sounds awful. I'm currently collaborating on an article with a prof at Dal and she made it clear from the onset that I would be first author. We've run into other headaches since then but order of authorship has remained firm. Best of luck.

Best of luck!

Yup, costs are certainly crippling I am applying again this year with the hope of securing funding this time around from a variety of sources.

Yes, but I will be declining my spot.

Declined UBC, UofA and will be declining UWO too so spots will be opening up for someone on the waiting list. I am starting a DPhil next year and will spend the rest of this year working. Good luck with your programmes! This has been a great thread.

Congrats! I wouldn't worry about it if the end result was still an offer of admission.

That's great! Did you manage to secure funding?

OK, I see. I also asked for an extension because I just had an interview with my top choice and am waiting to hear back. Best of luck with waiting it out!

Did you receive the scholarship offer after you formally accepted their offer (Alberta) ?

Glad to hear it! You're on a roll. Best of luck.

Same here. 10 minute interview with UofA. Good Luck to us!

Not such a strong GPA but a few years of relevant work experience with international organizations + really good references.

Sorry, I should have specified that you should contact your potential supervisor at Oxford, if you've already lined one up. Looks like things are working out well for you though; $23, 000 from UofT is awesome!