Anastasia HF

I actually decided on UBC. Good luck in the fall, everyone!

Agreed. I just got off the waitlist at UBC, and now I'm considering it all over again. Part of that is my frustration with SFU's process. I mean... I got into UVic last week and got official forms in the mail this week. After I'd declined the offer. I'm making loads and loads of pro and con lists to try and figure out what to do. Until I have to sign forms and make a deposit for SFU, I feel like I have the right to change my mind.

Agreed. That's such a general question it can't be answered. Are you interested in research, practice, or somewhere in between (like surveillance in a community)? Government, private, or NGO employers? What area--global health, chronic disease, infectious disease, access to services, etc? Obviously, there are going to be options for all of these, in places all over Canada. As a start, Here's the Public Health Agency of Canada's page on Health Promotion, which has a lot of their initiatives listed: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/index-eng.php There's also this list of programs within PHAC's Office of Public Health Practice: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/about_apropos/branches-eng.php

From SFU's FAQs: Can I have my admission deferred? All requests for deferrals should be directed to the graduate program coordinator. In the past, the granting of deferrals has depended on the recommendation made by the admissions committee, and is based in part on the number of admissions and quality of applications I didn't see anything when I glanced at the UBC site... but i'm sure it's similar--a case by case sort of deal.

Sorry to worry you! I was accepted to the Population Health stream. I'm sure others will come out soon. It was a totally generic letter. We just need to inform by April 27.

We did it! Just got mine! 5 minutes before that, I got an email from UVic saying that they still haven't made any decisions. Did anyone else apply there? Did you find their bureaucracy totally insane?

Hey kid, Technically, you are not considered to have graduated from an accredited school in that case, but if your school was accredited within 3 years of your graduation you still receive one of the main practical benefits, in that you are allowed to take the NBPHE test for public health professionals and get credentialed, which is otherwise restricted to graduates of accredited schools only. Holy run-on sentence, batman! Here's the statement from the NBPHE FAQ at nbphe.org: " My School Was Accredited After I Graduated, Can I Still Take the Exam? You can take the exam if you graduated up to three years before the CEPH–accreditation date of your school or program. (Example: University of Alabama at Birmingham was accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health [CEPH] in 1978. If you graduated in 1975 or thereafter, you are eligible to take the exam.) "

@ SFU4MPH and SFUFTW Thanks for all of the input. I'm finishing my undergrad at McGill, so I've had trouble learning about the finer points of the two programs since everyone over here is less familiar (they're all confused as to why I didn't apply to Toronto and leave it at that...). All I've been working on is course lists, Macleans, and knowing that SFU is accredited and that UBC has no intention to apply. In fact, the main reason I've been favoring SFU is actually unrelated to the MPH. I'm finishing up a BA Geog, and SFU is really well known for their Geography program--especially as being cutting edge with applied Geographic Information Sciences (mapping, spatial analysis, etc.). SFU has been my front-runner because I made it clear in my app that I'd want to continue studying GIS and working in spatial epidemiology. I guess I was just trusting that, with an MPH from an accredited school and the intra-industry prestige of having done GIS at SFU in my electives, I'd be fine looking for jobs after. It's just really good to hear that the FHS also has a good reputation. I was probably going to go for SFU anyway, but you've made me feel a lot better about my decision. ... now if only they'd send out the damn acceptances!

Hey SFU4MPH, I have a friend who got accepted to the new MScPH @ McGill, and has taken the offer. I know someone else who got waitlisted there and is waiting to hear back. My friend who chose McGill said that one reason why she made the choice was that she was told that they're applying for accreditation (and once it's approved, it's valid for graduates up to 3 years back). Also, if you don't mind me asking (I just got an email from UBC saying that I may receive a spot in the next few days), what tipped you towards SFU over UBC? I'm leaning that way as well, but since it's kind of hard to find info about the programs beyond the general FAQs, I'm still a little bit tentative. Same question, I guess, for anyone else making that choice.

Hey, Looking for a place around Commercial Drive (East Van). My roommate is going to be at UBC, so we're finding a place between.

I'm in the same spot! I got the same email you did in mid-March, and I've been waiting to hear back since. I'm planning on accepting to SFU, so I'm glad to know that I'm in... but in the meantime deadlines are passing for my other opportunities for next year. I've already had to turn down programs at Alberta and BCIT. It'd be great to get something formal and have some peace of mind. I'm making all of these arrangements to move this summer and I'd like to work out student aid and whatnot... but I'm not actually a student yet? I emailed the FHS yesterday to ask about it. I'll update if I hear back.

You're right about CEPH. UdeMontreal and SFU are the only CEPH certified programs in Canada (though Alberta should be in Fall 2012, meaning anyone graduating after that is good. Going to an accredited institution just means that when you're applying for jobs, potential employers can be certain that you received a certain curriculum so you should know everything you need. Also, in order to take the test for CPH (Certified in Public Health), you need to have graduated from an accredited school. That certification isn't a huge deal not since it's relatively recent, but they hope it will be so that public health professionals have a real certification program.

Trying to get this discussion up and going again. I applied to SFU, UBC, UofA and UVic. During the course of applying I had a lot of trouble finding forums about Canadian programs, so let's put up some thoughts for next year's cohort. My first choice: Simon Fraser. It's accredited by the CEPH (the body that accredits US schools), meaning that once you graduate you're eligible to get certified as an advanced-degree public health practitioner (really only relevant if you may try to work in the US). The only other accredited school in Canada is UdeMontreal, and that program is French (though UofA is in the application process and expects to be certified fall of 2011). I chose the Population Health concentration because I'm interested in access to services and policy. In all honesty, I'm kind of shooting in the dark about a lot of stuff, as I wasn't able to visit any of the schools I applied to. I get the impression that SFU is the right fir for me in particular, but I'm still considering UBC since it's more of a 'big name' school. Alberta's program seems pretty great. I only applied to schools that have a practicum option instead of a thesis, and those mainly ended up being out west. I know that McGill and Queens started programs recently, but I haven't heard much about them.

I just got into SFU MPH and I'm 90% sure I'll be headed there in the fall. I'll also be taking GIS classes from the Geography Dept.