Do I have a chance in getting into a Public Health program?

[colby11]

Hello,

 

I've been a follower of gradcafe for a while. I graduated in May 2013 with a BS in Public Health and have been working as a research assistant in clinical research ever since. Due to circumstances such as having to adapt to the US education system, having to learn in a second language and having to work my butt off while going to school full time I was not able to finish college with strong grades. I graduated with a cumulative GPA of 2.72 and a major specific GPA of 3.0. Also, since I'm not a good tester when it comes to standardized tests I did awful in the GRE's (verb 145, quant 138 and wr 3.5). I would like to continue my education as I dream of becoming an infectious disease epidemiologist. However, having extremely low GPA and GRE can be seen as huge red flags by admission officers. On the other hand, I have been doing research ever since I've been a junior in college and have been hired as a research assistant by a reputable company. Also, I took a graduate level biostatistics class at a research university this past summer, earning a final grade of A-. I am very active at the Society for Epidemiology Research and I participate at different conferences and workshops.  I have nothing, but excellent LORs and I think I make a pretty good case for why I want to be an epidemiologist on my SOP. I guess my question for you my fellow applicants is the following, should I even bother applying to schools with the credentials I just mention? The admission process is said to be holistic, but is that really true?? Any comments on this?

Thank you for your time.

[MadtownJacket]

I'm not applying to MPH schools, but I'm applying to MHA programs which are similar.  The admissions process is considered to be holistic, so you're correct on that, but that only applies after you meet the bare minimum requirements (ex: minimum GPA is 3.0).

 

It wouldn't hurt to try applying to graduate school, but honestly with your stats, I would work extra hard at raising those GRE scores up and getting more experience.  That would separate you from your uGPA.  In fact, my GPA was barely above 3.0, but no one blinked twice at it after seeing my work experience that I gained just from taking 1.5 years off.

[hj2012]

There isn't much you can do about your uGPA. However, the GRE (though a huge pain) is a highly learnable test. With your interest (and qualifications) in the field, I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not giving it another try.

[colby11]

Thank you for your honest responses. I am retaking the GRE this coming Friday. My plan is to ace the quant section. We'll see how it goes.