lincoln.hawks

Hi Halpy, 2.9 is actually not a terrible GPA. Don't discount your opportunities before looking into them. I like Theory of A Bug's idea to start with the certificate program. Programs generally don't want to accept students who they aren't certain can be successful in their program. So taking a couple certificate classes will show you can do grad-level work. It doesn't make any sense to take more undergrad classes if they are not pre-reqs for your desired program. I also recommend meeting in person with some of the admissions staff of the programs you want to attend and get their honest opinion about what you need to do to be a good candidate for the program. Be able to clearly explain why you need an MPH. Follow-up and stay connected with them to update them on your progress. Everyone appreciates perseverance. Even if GRE's are not required, a good score can help you overcome poor grades. They aren't fun, but not as tough as people think. Prepare and rock the test. Really be honest as to why you think you underperformed in undergrad. Once you identify the issue(s), create a plan to overcome it/ them. No excuse to make the same mistakes again. -- It is quite possible to succeed after a terrible (which yours is not) undergraduate experience. I am in my first year of a DrPH program and am proof it can be done. I struggled with serious mental health problems, and was kind of an a**hole, in undergrad - barely graduated with a 2.27 GPA (bottom 10% of my class and major). Came up with an 8 year plan: Join the Army, be awesome at it, find a career path, buy a house, meet the woman of my dreams, and complete a Masters program. Worked out quite well. Completed the MSW at a top-25 program, worked a few years more, and applied to the DrPH program in 2017. I was not accepted the first time around and the admissions committee gave me specific action steps to complete. Knocked those out. Applied and was accepted this past spring. -- Please let me know if I can be of assistance, you want to talk out your plan, or just bounce ideas off of me. Be awesome,

So here is an article I found that may be of some use: https://www.roadsnacks.net/worst-neighborhoods-in-denver-co/ another: https://www.urbanistinsider.com/articles/the-10-most-dangerous-denver-neighborhoods/1153 and another: https://www.du.edu/housing/resources/neighborhoodguide.html Not sure of what your situation is, but close to the University of Denver is good. Avoid living close to Sheridan st. and Avoid city of Englewood. I also recommend avoiding anything close to I-70 in Denver and east. Tried to share a map, but it didn't work. I recommend googling "Judgmental Maps Denver" and checking out what comes up. It's pretty mean-spirited and offensive, yet provides some information.

Social worker in Denver here and graduate of Umaryland. When talking with co-workers who went to DU, no one has said it was worth the cost. While the program is decent, for what it is worth, it is simply too expensive to be worth it. With new grads making $42K or so out of school at a community mental health agency and much less at other nonprofits, there is no way it makes sense to pay $47K per year in tuition. If you want to live in Denver, consider Metro State's MSW program. It has a similar reputation and is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost.

It will be impossible to find a 2 bedroom for that price in a decent neighborhood for that price. $1800+ is probably more realistic.

Hi BrittD, Congrats on your acceptance and welcome to Denver. Finding anything with a yard that isn't in Aurora (you don't want to live there) under 300k will be hard or impossible. If you come out here to house-hunt, come pre-approved and be ready to write and offer the same day. Most of the 'walkable' neighborhoods and suburbs are going to have entry points at $350k + for anything that is not a condo. I suspect you guys don't want to live in a terrible neighborhood. If that's the case, consider renting. You can probably find a 2br/1ba in a decent neighborhood for less than 2k, Washington Park might be one neighborhood to check out or Edgewater, a city on the western edge of Denver. This is an expensive city. best of luck. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.

Ceteri - I've lived in the Denver suburbs for the past 4 years or so and am also looking at relocating to the city to be closer to school and have a better quality of life. One of the common topics of conversation is how expensive it is to live here. I thought your budget for a place in a decent neighborhood sounded low so I did some poking around. Median 1-br apartments are $1362 according to rentcafe.com: https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/co/denver/ I am a married working professional with no kids and have some side-hustles with a total family income of about 90k a year total and find money tight. We don't go on vacations, have a fancy life, or have much in student loan debt. I moved here for work (at a community nonprofit so not rich here), and understand why people pay a premium to live here. Lots to do, though less so if you are on a tight budget and/or don't have a car. The fabled outdoors needs a car to be accessed. There are a decent music and culture scenes, after all, it is the biggest city within 600+ miles. Highly-educated people, generally liberal. Of note, the weather is fabulous. Sunny nearly every day which make the winter days not feel too bad. Glad to answer any questions if you have them or point you in the right direction as far as neighborhoods to look at. Best of luck

The "MSW" caught my attention. MSW here too: I looked at the Berkeley program and ended up skipping it because the admissions requirements stated MPH or 2 yr of PH experience post-masters. http://sph.berkeley.edu/areas-study/doctor-public-health Hopefully that is your situation. Best of luck

Ceteri- I had an interview for the DrPH CBH program on Feb 12. There were interviews the week after as well and I learned on Friday 3/2 that I was accepted. I know Epi trails CBH a bit, but I expect its probably 2-3 weeks from the first interview for the PhD in Epi to the acceptance letters (emails) to go out. Best of luck!

I received an acceptance letter to CSPH CBH DrPH program today. Rejection emails apparently came out as well.

@emjaycoJust saw your post from earlier this week (seems like forever ago). I applied to CSPH last year and had an interview then rejected. The director of the CBH DrPH concentration/ chairwoman of the admissions committee informed me that the CBH concentration received 30 or so applications, interviewed 7, and ended up with 2 (or 3, I forget) students that enrolled in the fall. It seems like the program is different from the bigger east coast programs as each student that is offered admission has to be linked up with a professor, who only has one advisee at a time (I think). It's a newer program. I had identified my potential advisor last year and we stayed in touch. The CBH director also suggested I take MPH classes to ensure that PH is really the right discipline for me (I am a social worker right now) and apply again this year. I had the advantage of working on several projects and committees with faculty members related to my job so had some exposure that was hard for others to match. My focus on mental health and veterans happened to be very timely for the school's plans over the next few years. Let me know if I can be of any assistance and best of luck with your decision.

Just received my Acceptance email to CSPH CBH program today. They offered me $5,000 in funding for the first year, which is about half of the tuition cost based on an 18 credit/year. Wishing everyone the best. This has been among the more stressful 2-week periods in my life.

I echo Emjayco's post. I am transitioning from social work to PH. There are reasons for this and I tried to emphasize this in my application, interview, and conversation with professors. The schools are going to need to know why you are transitioning to PH. I would also recommend taking a multi-year approach. See if you can get advice from faculty members of schools you want to attend and build relationships. The advice I received from faculty after I was rejected from the DrPH program at CSPH last year was to take some PH coursework to make sure PH was really the path I wanted to be on. I took 3 classes in the fall and taking 3 this spring. When I reconnected with the faculty members I talked with last year they were very happy that i followed through on their advice. Definitely, take some stats/ research courses. Good luck

I am a current MPH student at CSPH and applied to their DrPH program. Bottom line: the 'reputation' of the program matters less than your work and research. CSPH is a newer school, but there are opportunities to work with professors that may not happen at some of the larger programs. Give it strong consideration. I happen to live and work near Denver and wasn't going to move to attend an MPH program, so didn't have a lot of choices. My experience has been very positive. My interests (veterans, mental health, suicide prevention) happen to align well with research interests of some of the professors. I like the 3 campus collaboration. Denver/ Aurora is my home campus and I attended a course in UNC in Greeley (50 mi from Denver) because it was a better fit in my schedule. I considered applying to other DrPH programs but decided to forego them this year with hopes of getting into the Colorado program. I made a hail mary application to the DrPH last year, got an interview and a phone call rejection from the head of the admissions committee. It's worth noting that Colorado is a great place to live. I spent a few years living blocks from the Hopkins campus and the grittiness got to me. 300+ days of sun is fantastic. Glad to answer any questions about the MPH program or Colorado

New to this forum. Applied to Colorado School of Public Health's Community and Behavioral Health DrPH program. Had an interview 2 weeks ago. Waiting game right now. It's been the longest 2 weeks of my life. My understanding is that the decision letters will come out next week. Besides Emjayco, anyone else applying to this program? Fingers Crossed. Best of luck to all