Gradu8

Thanks for your response. Could you please explain what you mean when you say "pigeon holed" by admissions?

Sorry for the late response. I graduated in June from undergrad, and I am still job hunting. In fact, I had a big interview today.

Hi everyone. I am applying to MPP/MEM programs for Fall 2022. My interests are at the intersection of environmental and health policy. I just graduated in June 2021, so my work experiences are all internship-based. Schools Applying To: Harris MPP, UCB-Goldman MPP, UMichigan MPP, UWashington MPP, Duke Sanford MPP, USC MPP, UCLA MPP, Duke Nicholas MEM, Yale MEM, USC MEM Undergraduate institution: University of Chicago Undergraduate GPA: 3.4 (Junior and Senior year-3.7) Undergraduate Majors: Biology and Public Policy GRE- not submitting Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): <1 Years of Work Experience: 4 summer internships Describe Relevant Work Experience: My first two summer internships were in environmental microbiology research (Rutgers and Marine Biological Laboratory). I worked with an international health NGO in evaluating their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) department. I also worked with an economic consultant on environmental and transportation policy for all summers. For 2.5 years, I led a campus organization that raised awareness of health and social disparities and their connection to environmental conditions. My undergraduate public policy thesis on the impact of location and jobs on transport-based emissions received departmental honors. Quant: Calc 1 and 2. Quantitative methods for Biology, Economics for Public Policy, Statistical methods, and Quantitative methods for Public Policy, Biological modeling with ODEs in R and Python. UChicago DSEER bootcamps in Computing with Python and Statistical Methods with R. Strength of SOP: It focuses on my interest in bringing together my two undergraduate majors, biology and public policy, especially environmental and health policy. I am interested in looking at integrating environmental health factors in economic frameworks. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Two strong recommendations from two professors, one possibly strong recommendation letter from my thesis preceptor, and one strong recommendation from a former supervisor. Language skills: English, German (intermediate) and Spanish (elementary) Questions/concerns: My GPA is not great, but by UChicago standards it is pretty good. I had an upward trajectory with my GPA, with my last 2 years having a 3.7 average. My Public Policy major GPA was 3.7. My work is limited to internships, though I feel like I did substantial work in them. How much will these factors hurt my chances in these programs? Also are there programs that I am applying to that may be too much of a reach, or programs that I am overlooking?