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breezyisaa

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Everything posted by breezyisaa

  1. Well thank you to you both. That makes sense. I guess the thing that made me think Epi is that I've been working in environments where the less your education is a specific and traditional science (e.g., biology, psychology), the less opportunity you have. I wanted to get away from anything perceived as 'squishy' or a soft science. Time and time again, I've seen people with basic science degrees waltz into Administration and management acts like this person is a genius and a model for the rest of us, whether the person is skilled in administration or not. The extreme example is a nurse who heads the Office of Research where I worked and while she's super talented at brown nosing her boss, all the physicians hate her and the department is a mess primarily because she knows absolutely nothing about grants. Basically there's a lot of emphasis placed on degrees in universities, not surprisingly. While my primary reason for pursuing a grad degree is that I want to do the work that interests me, there is also a part of me that doesn't really want to be viewed as the glorified secratary. So that's part of my reasoning. However, health services research, public health, or even public policy degrees are probably better fits for what I want to do. Thanks for the reminder!!
  2. Hey Kaneisha~ thanks so much. I've been in my career for about 10 yrs now. I don't know what would be considered significant accomplishments, but I doubt any of mine qualify. I have had an upward career trajectory, gaining more responsibility. I spent 6 years as a univesity Program Manager of a research project and managed federal and state grants. But I was PI on only one state grant, the rest I was administrator on and cruched the data and wrote the findings reports. Then I was a Signing Offical with UC for med. programs. I've been consientious and received perfect evaluations every year, but no, I haven't been lobbying congress, had multiple community organization campaigns, or won major awards. I mean, my office was in an abandoned housing project for two years and then an old morgue so I could work where the underserved could get to us easily...not exactly glamorous or high-powered! Funny, yes, but anyhow I don't mind because that's the population I want to work with. Frankly I spent a lot of time keeping the program running, which meant applying for grants that fit our program well and getting data that showed we were effective and lobbying anyone with a voice or a little bit of clout to keep our doors open so that kids who had nowhere else could count on this place for an education and a safe haven. That kind of took up all my time and I guess in the process I forgot to do something impressive. Oops. Oh well, I wouldn't take it back and if HKS isn't the right fit some other place will be. Thanks again!
  3. Just wanted to get general feedback about the benefits and drawbacks of HKS MPP vs MC/MPA. Not quite sure where I might be a better fit. Besides the obvious, what kind of applicant profile would you attribute to each?
  4. I was talking to someone who attended Berkeley and they were saying that certain schools (like Berkeley) put weight on certain types of backgrounds, mostly diverse backgrounds that include hardships. This person thought I should highlight these things, but I don't know. I hate focusing on these type of things and it would feel like whining or an attempt at manipulation, but I'm not objective. If I just look at my sorry background then I'm a multi-racial (white, asian, native hawaiian) female, first person to graduate from college in my family, daughter of an immigrant/veteran/laborer, grew up in a barrio with gang violence/shootings, and had a violent home with mental illness...yeah. But do I really want to talk about these things? Not really. I guess I overcame some stuff, but like most people my life has not been so one-sided. There were good things, too. My biggest hurdle has really been being the first person to navigate college. My parents thought it was great that I was going to college so they had no advice and no insights. And no one else ever told me anything. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently (but who wouldn't?). Anyhow, thoughts about this? Any experience with this kind of thing?
  5. I'm interested pursuing Public Health or Epidemiology, but I'm wondering if public policy is a better fit for my goals. Here's my background: BA Social Science from a middling public university GPA 3.43 overall, final two yrs 3.74 1st practice GRE: v 162 q 150 (I stopped half way through this section since I just need to study) Graduated early at age 20 and worked in public colleges and universities for 8 yrs 6 yrs as Assistant Program Director of research project of public university. Researched drug, violence, and adjudication prevention and interventions strategies for at-risk youth, as well as health interventions. I managed grants from DHHS, DOE, OJJDP, as well as state and private grants. 2 yrs as Signing Official with UC Office of Research. Reviewed and approved NIH and NSF grants for Emergency Med, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, and Surgery dept's. What I'd like to do is either implement/advocate health services for under-served populations within government (city or state level) or manage health intervention research projects, with a focus on social influences. Based on my background and goals, are there are any programs you suggest looking at? I'm thinking epidemiology is the route that leaves the most options open. What are your thoughts?
  6. When I was 15 I started going to college part-time while continuing high school. When I graduated from high school I had completed 30-something lower division units and about 6 units from AP exams. I didn't do terribly (mostly Bs, a few As, one C), but it was a challenge which is what I was looking for at the time. Each successive year of college, my grades improved with my final year being a 4.0. That first 30 units, however, brings down my GPA considerably. My overall GPA is 3.40, while my GPA for my final two years is 3.71. Does anyone else have experience with a similar situation? How was your GPA viewed? I'm wondering if there's a way I can offer an explanation just so it's clear what the situation was.
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