Low GPA Advice

[TygerTyger]

Hi there all. Thanks for reading. Let's cut to the chase. I have 2 questions. The first being i'm curious of public health programs after taking a few public health classes at my school, doing well and enjoying them. I talked to some people in my city who do public health work, did some informational interviews and i'm 99% sure I want to get an MPH. I'm not asking you to match me, but could you guys, based on the stats below, kinda point in the direction of schools I should be looking at?

 

Local State School

URM and Male

Major/Minor: Psychology(BA), Sociology

GPA: 2.7

"Last 60 credits": 3.5

Major GPA: 3.4

Minor GPA: 4.0

GRE: V:81, Q: 92 A: 5.0

2 psychology research internships

1 year work experience as a teacher 

2 posters [Environmental Science] presentations

*Possible FEMACorps 1 tenure

 

 

My second question is:

Any tip or pointers? 

Edited January 10, 2014 by TygerTyger

[NeurosciMRI]

I'm an African American male, who has been accepted to an MPH program. Some advice that I would give you is that you should apply broadly. There are some schools that accept students with GPA's below a 3.0. I personally have a friend who was accepted to Emory with a GPA less than a 3.0 (also a URM), but he/she had a lot of public health experience and participated in national service programs like AmeriCorps, HealthCorps, etc. so I think you can be accepted to some top schools, but definitely apply to lower tier schools as well. You also have a higher chance to get accepted if you apply to health behavior/promotion/sociomedocal departments rather than epidemiology, biostatistics, EHS or HPM/HMP. Once you are accepted, I am sure you can change departments within the school. You also don't list which departments interest you in your post above.

As far as your second question, I would make sure that you have a well written SOP/PS and stellar letters of recommendation. I think you have some good public health and research experiences but make sure that everything in your application is stellar so that the admissions committee can look past your grades. You have good test scores and I am assuming that the scores you listed are the percentiles that you achieved. That can also help improve your chances because they can see that you struggled early on and your test scores can provide further evidence that you can handle the workload. I would also APPLY EARLY. This is probably the most important thing next to having a stellar application. I think for public health rather than other professional and graduate programs, there is a greater emphasis on passion and interest in the field and less emphasis seems to be placed on grades/scores. Public health is so broad that I think you have a shot just as long as you explain things well to the committee and they will look at your rising trend. Also schools admit over 50% of applicants for their MPH programs so I think you have a good shot to get in somewhere.

I hope this helps.

[123hardasABC]

Neuro basically covered the gist of it. I'm gonna confirm that his post is 100% correct because I was in your shoes this application cycle.

 

I graduated with a lower GPA and scored lower GRE percentiles than you did. I also went to a state university. I had a year of research and half a year of volunteer work in public health up to the point of applying. My best advice is to apply early and to have strong letters. A well-written SOP won't hurt either. Make sure this gets proofread; that's the one thing I would have done differently in my application experience. I personally think experience is more important than grades when it comes to public health. Demonstrate that you have relevant research/volunteer experience; make sure this stands out in your CV.

 

I think you stand a good chance. I also think it's doable to aim high. I was accepted to Icahn and Boston really early. If I can do it, so can you!.

 

 

Good luck.

[dr_hopeful]

Some pointers:

 

- LOR: Make sure you develop a good work/personal relationship with 1-2 professors before you leave university. Take them out for lunch and keep in touch with them. May be volunteer to help them on their research. Try to publish a few articles with them. Anything that would help you stand out. When you are ready for application, make sure your referees write a good story that explains why you got a low GPA. 

 

- GRE: Try to improve your GRE further. A near perfect score will help.

 

-Work Experience: As people have suggested you really need great work experience (Clinton Foundation, Gates Foundation etc).

 

- Volunteer:Start your NGO.

 

- Network: Visit schools. Talk to admissions committee people. 

 

Good luck!

[grad2020]

Most MPH programs aren't that difficult to get into. Maybe not the top places though (Yale, Hopkins, etc.). Furthermore, if you are interested in environmental health, those are among the easier to get into because fewer people are interested in the field and many programs are trying to grow (given you have decent grades in natural science coursework, especially chemistry). BTW... EHS is the BEST!!!!

 

Are you applying now, or for next year?

 

If you aren't applying until next year, take a couple of public health graduate courses and get A's in them. SOPHAS splits up your GPA and they will report that you have a 4.0 graduate gpa. They also split your GPA so that admissions committees will see your progression over the course of undergrad and your higher major/minor gpas. 

 

Good luck.

[weiwentg]

I had middling to poor MPH grades, and I have been accepted to two PhD programs on the strength of my work. So, as Neurosci said, you should play up your work experience. You have experience manipulating data from your psych RAships (I assume), you have actually taught, you have two existing publications. You also have pretty high GPAs in your last two years. I'm not really seeing anything to lose sleep over on your end.

[colby11]

Neuro basically covered the gist of it. I'm gonna confirm that his post is 100% correct because I was in your shoes this application cycle.

 

I graduated with a lower GPA and scored lower GRE percentiles than you did. I also went to a state university. I had a year of research and half a year of volunteer work in public health up to the point of applying. My best advice is to apply early and to have strong letters. A well-written SOP won't hurt either. Make sure this gets proofread; that's the one thing I would have done differently in my application experience. I personally think experience is more important than grades when it comes to public health. Demonstrate that you have relevant research/volunteer experience; make sure this stands out in your CV.

 

I think you stand a good chance. I also think it's doable to aim high. I was accepted to Icahn and Boston really early. If I can do it, so can you!.

 

 

Good luck.

 

Congratulations on getting into BU. I also have a low GPA and not stellar GREs; but I am employed as a research assistant for the public health department at a consumer's medical resource company in Massachusetts. And have worked in biomedical research previously while getting my undergrad.

I am really hoping I can get in to at least one of the schools I've applied to and I hope that's BU.

 

 

Applied: 5  (BU, UMass Amherst, U Pittsburgh, U Minnesota, U Miami)

Withdrew:0/5

Accepted: 0/5

Rejected: 1/5 (U Pittsburgh)

Waitlisted: 0/5

[123hardasABC]

Congratulations on getting into BU. I also have a low GPA and not stellar GREs; but I am employed as a research assistant for the public health department at a consumer's medical resource company in Massachusetts. And have worked in biomedical research previously while getting my undergrad.

I am really hoping I can get in to at least one of the schools I've applied to and I hope that's BU.

 

 

Applied: 5  (BU, UMass Amherst, U Pittsburgh, U Minnesota, U Miami)

Withdrew:0/5

Accepted: 0/5

Rejected: 1/5 (U Pittsburgh)

Waitlisted: 0/5

 

 

Thanks! It hasn't been without rejections though....but the key is to not let those get to you! I hope you report back with good news.

[syl.tutu]

Any advice on these stats? I just realize I have a quite low major/cumulative GPA to be competitive but I'm not applying until next year so I'm spending another year raising them, right now this is a realistic number by the time I'm done

 

Cumulative GPA: 3.5

Major GPA (Public Health): 3.3-3.4

Minor (International studies) GPA: 3.892

 

Going to take the GRE but I'm not the greatest test-taker so most of my test scores will probably average or a little lower than average.  I have a lot of international experience which is nice for my emphasis of global health in MPH but they're all quite short since they're over breaks (sustainability studying abroad in ecuador 2 wks, summer youth coordinator for HIV/AIDS non-profit in vietnam 2 months, volunteer for clean water installation/education in honduras 1 week, teacher assistant of cambodian orphanage where I taught english and healthy living 1 month).  I have also volunteered with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life for 4 years, currently a volunteer for Social Advocates for Youth to do community outreach for the Affordable Care Act and hopefully gain an internship next semester.  I hold president/vice president positions for 2 of the organizations I'm involved on campus which are affiliated with public health.  I have a lot of volunteer work under my belt aside from those listed but not much of other professioral work/experience so I'm a little concerned if the admission people would decide to accept me as an applicant.  I do have a research porfolio from my minor but that was just a mock research done in 2 countries so I'm afraid it has little significance.  Planning to apply to Tulane, UI Chicago, UCLA for now but will look into more programs.  Mainly going for community health sciences and programs planning/implementation.  PLEASE HELP!!!

Edited March 31, 2014 by syl.tutu

[themmases]

I think these boards can give the impression that getting into MPH programs is very competitive, but honestly it isn't. Acceptance rates are well above 50% at most schools. More schools are gaining accreditation all the time, and accredited ones are growing. It's still nervewracking to choose where to apply, do all that work, and then wait, and wait, and wait... But I honestly don't think people with truly low (sub-3.0) GPAs need to worry. Also, I got into all MS programs with a 3.3 in a totally irrelevant major, and wouldn't consider it low.

 

Work experience is very important in public health admissions, as is some type of experience or perspective that can show you're interested in public health specifically and understand how it is different from, say, medicine. The posters here have really good work and volunteer experience, and I don't think you guys need to worry-- just emphasize that in your SOP and how it relates to your interest in public health and the school.

 

Also, since this is a professional degree consider strongly where you want to work. If you get some good help editing your SOP, you have a solid chance of going somewhere you'll be very happy with. So devote a good chunk of your school research time to finding out whether you like the schools in the city and region where you want to end up living. The MPH often involves an internship, so also look into where students at each school tend to intern. If you want to work in a public health department but a school sends most of its students to its own medical center, that might not be a great fit. If you're applying somewhere far from where you want to work, the school should be helping you out in some special way like a great research fit or an opportunity to intern at an organization you're very interested in. Not only will this help you once you're job searching, you'll make a stronger case for your acceptance in your SOPs, and improve your chances of admission.

 

Best of luck to everyone!

[tac0d00d]

I think these boards can give the impression that getting into MPH programs is very competitive, but honestly it isn't. Acceptance rates are well above 50% at most schools. More schools are gaining accreditation all the time, and accredited ones are growing. It's still nervewracking to choose where to apply, do all that work, and then wait, and wait, and wait... But I honestly don't think people with truly low (sub-3.0) GPAs need to worry. Also, I got into all MS programs with a 3.3 in a totally irrelevant major, and wouldn't consider it low.

 

So true. I am living proof that stats are irrelevant haha

[olamiss]

So true. I am living proof that stats are irrelevant haha

 

Where are you headed to?

[syl.tutu]

I think these boards can give the impression that getting into MPH programs is very competitive, but honestly it isn't. Acceptance rates are well above 50% at most schools. More schools are gaining accreditation all the time, and accredited ones are growing. It's still nervewracking to choose where to apply, do all that work, and then wait, and wait, and wait... But I honestly don't think people with truly low (sub-3.0) GPAs need to worry. Also, I got into all MS programs with a 3.3 in a totally irrelevant major, and wouldn't consider it low.

 

Work experience is very important in public health admissions, as is some type of experience or perspective that can show you're interested in public health specifically and understand how it is different from, say, medicine. The posters here have really good work and volunteer experience, and I don't think you guys need to worry-- just emphasize that in your SOP and how it relates to your interest in public health and the school.

 

Also, since this is a professional degree consider strongly where you want to work. If you get some good help editing your SOP, you have a solid chance of going somewhere you'll be very happy with. So devote a good chunk of your school research time to finding out whether you like the schools in the city and region where you want to end up living. The MPH often involves an internship, so also look into where students at each school tend to intern. If you want to work in a public health department but a school sends most of its students to its own medical center, that might not be a great fit. If you're applying somewhere far from where you want to work, the school should be helping you out in some special way like a great research fit or an opportunity to intern at an organization you're very interested in. Not only will this help you once you're job searching, you'll make a stronger case for your acceptance in your SOPs, and improve your chances of admission.

 

Best of luck to everyone!

Thank you! This sounds very comforting.  I'm just worried that my lack of research and work experience make it difficult if my stats aren't high rocket

[123hardasABC]

Any advice on these stats? I just realize I have a quite low major/cumulative GPA to be competitive but I'm not applying until next year so I'm spending another year raising them, right now this is a realistic number by the time I'm done

 

Cumulative GPA: 3.5

Major GPA (Public Health): 3.3-3.4

Minor (International studies) GPA: 3.892

 

Going to take the GRE but I'm not the greatest test-taker so most of my test scores will probably average or a little lower than average.  I have a lot of international experience which is nice for my emphasis of global health in MPH but they're all quite short since they're over breaks (sustainability studying abroad in ecuador 2 wks, summer youth coordinator for HIV/AIDS non-profit in vietnam 2 months, volunteer for clean water installation/education in honduras 1 week, teacher assistant of cambodian orphanage where I taught english and healthy living 1 month).  I have also volunteered with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life for 4 years, currently a volunteer for Social Advocates for Youth to do community outreach for the Affordable Care Act and hopefully gain an internship next semester.  I hold president/vice president positions for 2 of the organizations I'm involved on campus which are affiliated with public health.  I have a lot of volunteer work under my belt aside from those listed but not much of other professioral work/experience so I'm a little concerned if the admission people would decide to accept me as an applicant.  I do have a research porfolio from my minor but that was just a mock research done in 2 countries so I'm afraid it has little significance.  Planning to apply to Tulane, UI Chicago, UCLA for now but will look into more programs.  Mainly going for community health sciences and programs planning/implementation.  PLEASE HELP!!!

 

Dude. Relax. You'll be fine. I graduated with a 2.84 GPA. Your GPA is leaps and bounds better than mine. You also have significantly more volunteering experience than I did. I had maybe 10 months with a research group and 6 months with the American Cancer Society. My GREs were in the 80% percentile ranges, so not super stellar. On paper, I would be considered "noncompetitive" but I've gotten acceptances from Boston and Emory. 

 

Admissions is more than your stats. A lot of it falls under your SOP and your letters of recc. With a good essay and writers to vouch for you, I feel like anything is possible with public health schools. 

 

Good luck

[syl.tutu]

Dude. Relax. You'll be fine. I graduated with a 2.84 GPA. Your GPA is leaps and bounds better than mine. You also have significantly more volunteering experience than I did. I had maybe 10 months with a research group and 6 months with the American Cancer Society. My GREs were in the 80% percentile ranges, so not super stellar. On paper, I would be considered "noncompetitive" but I've gotten acceptances from Boston and Emory. 

 

Admissions is more than your stats. A lot of it falls under your SOP and your letters of recc. With a good essay and writers to vouch for you, I feel like anything is possible with public health schools. 

 

Good luck

Thank you The research/field experience really get to me as I'm approaching my senior year and have yet to have any. I tend to suck at SOP too so we'll see how that goes.  Good luck on your endeavors!