crider

Hi! About to graduate with a BA in public policy/public health. Going for grad school isn't in the bank account right now, so I'm planning on taking at least a year to attempt to make some money/get some public health experience. As of right now, I'm leaning towards an MPH in infectious disease epidemiology. So my question is this- anyone have any suggestions for entry level/recent grad jobs that would give me a better idea of what to expect in the field...I'm having a bit of trouble zeroing in on a position to look into

Hi all! Currently a senior about to graduate, but taking a gap year before hopefully pursuing a MPH Fall 2016. Still attempting to narrow down my interests into a concentration as I was lucky enough to do research on a wide variety of topics during undergrad. (gbd of mental health, vaccine-preventable diseases & vaccine policies in general, malnutrition, MERS-CoV in draft animals, weather disasters...literally all over the board.) I did my first 1.5 years as a nursing major and was heavy in the sciences, and then switched over to public policy with minor in public health. GPA first 3 semesters was decent for nursing, but low compared to most (2.9ish). Last 4 semesters haven't gone below a 3.5/3.6. Spent last semester studying public health in DC/India/South Africa/Brazil which just reaffirmed the fact that I want to pursue this. Unfortunately, I'm just not exactly sure what "this" is specifically yet. During the past four-ish years I've spent my free time teaching debate/public speaking/civic engagement/various public health topics with Model UN programs to high schoolers, helping to develop a new weather warning app with CASA tech, interning at a center that works to educate the public on the science of vaccines...as you can see I really don't know how to pinpoint my interests that well. I really find myself drawn to infectious diseases and vaccines, but I'm pretty positive most programs require a more science-based undergrad than what I've done. I also feel like I want to pursue a more tangible and practical MPH than what my undergrad has been (social sciences for the most part,) so I've been taking a hard look at epidemiology. Infectious disease epi is definitely on my short list of interests, but I'm not sure if theres a better fit out there. Anyone have experience in pursuing ID epi out there/any recommendations of concentrations or schools? (Schools I'm looking at right now- McGill,JH,Emory,Tulane,Cape Town,SDSU,USC..UCs..everywhere) THANKS!