Advice needed

[environmentalhopeful]

Hi! (I also posted this on sdn for more opinions if this seems familiar sorry haha)

So I am hoping to eventually go to grad school and get an mph in environmental health. I'm currently finishing up my sophomore year of college and as of right now have a 2.975 gpa which should be slightly above 3.0 by the end of this school year. I am done with the hard science classes and now only have electives/classes for my other major which I've done really well in historically and although it obviously isn't 100% certain I'm very confident I can get at least a 3.7 gpa the remaining semesters of school. This would mean if I am here for four more semesters I can get my gpa up to about a 3.4-5 and if I was here for three about a 3.2-3.

I was looking at study abroad programs and wanted to do a SIT one with a focus on global health. My school does not have any opportunities to take classes related to public health. So far I have somewhat minimal experience in public health (I've shadowed public health vets, microbiologists, and serologists) but I'm hoping to get an internship at the county health department this summer and also do an internship the summer after. In addition I volunteer at a wildlife hospital and I am going to start at a free (human lol) clinic next year.

I am just wondering what the best course of action would be. The study abroad program would give me academic experience as well as a small research experience in public health but would not count towards my gpa (my school would give me credits but not count it in my gpa and sophas would not either). I am not sure if having that experience abroad would be more helpful for my application or if having four more semesters at school and therefore having a .15-.2 higher gpa would help me out more.

Also, if I don't go on the program should I try and take at least one public health related class before applying (I'd probably take it over a summer or after I graduate at Berkeley since it is close to home)? Or do schools not care that much if you have academic experience with public health classes (in which case studying abroad would be pointless for my application right)?

[tac0d00d]

Dude don't worry. Read the sub 3.0 thread and relax

[niihla08]

I'm sure you can get into a medicare school with you stats. But if you want to get into a top school, I'd suggest getting some work experience...valued way ore than your GPA. 

[123hardasABC]

Hi! (I also posted this on sdn for more opinions if this seems familiar sorry haha)

So I am hoping to eventually go to grad school and get an mph in environmental health. I'm currently finishing up my sophomore year of college and as of right now have a 2.975 gpa which should be slightly above 3.0 by the end of this school year. I am done with the hard science classes and now only have electives/classes for my other major which I've done really well in historically and although it obviously isn't 100% certain I'm very confident I can get at least a 3.7 gpa the remaining semesters of school. This would mean if I am here for four more semesters I can get my gpa up to about a 3.4-5 and if I was here for three about a 3.2-3.

I was looking at study abroad programs and wanted to do a SIT one with a focus on global health. My school does not have any opportunities to take classes related to public health. So far I have somewhat minimal experience in public health (I've shadowed public health vets, microbiologists, and serologists) but I'm hoping to get an internship at the county health department this summer and also do an internship the summer after. In addition I volunteer at a wildlife hospital and I am going to start at a free (human lol) clinic next year.

I am just wondering what the best course of action would be. The study abroad program would give me academic experience as well as a small research experience in public health but would not count towards my gpa (my school would give me credits but not count it in my gpa and sophas would not either). I am not sure if having that experience abroad would be more helpful for my application or if having four more semesters at school and therefore having a .15-.2 higher gpa would help me out more.

Also, if I don't go on the program should I try and take at least one public health related class before applying (I'd probably take it over a summer or after I graduate at Berkeley since it is close to home)? Or do schools not care that much if you have academic experience with public health classes (in which case studying abroad would be pointless for my application right)?

 

Hi. OP of one of the sub-3.0 threads floatin' here. You'll be fine. I know it's hard not to be paranoid about things (believe me, I was there), but honestly try not to stress too much. Your grades aren't the be-all, end-all of graduate school. I've been accepted into top programs even with my cruddy GPA. Your personal experience and letters of recommendation will help you more than any perfect academic streak can. In the year off I had from graduating, I volunteered for the American Cancer Society, and worked in a lab funded by the American Heart Association. My letter writers were from people within these organizations. 

 

I went to Berkeley, and didn't find public health as a calling until after I graduated, so I didn't take any relavant courses. The only public health classes I took were PH 162A, Public Health Microbiology; and MCB C102, Bacterial Pathogenesis (cross-listed as PH C102). I only took these courses because they were required or highly recommended for graduation.

 

My recommendation to you is to go on that study abroad program if you feel like it. The experience will certainly help, but if it's something you'll be miserable doing, don't do it. And if you don't do it, it's not necessary to take PH courses. Go find labs, hospitals/clinics, and/or organizations that reflect your public health interests and put in some volunteer work with them. It's a good way to gather experience and form connections with the professionals in your field of interest (also, letter writers!!). 

 

 

if you have any questions regarding public health applications or Berkeley, shoot me a PM. I'm more than happy to help out. As I said, I've been there with a less than ideal GPA. I just want to help others out of the rut now. Sorry if I'm all over the place with my answer. 

[environmentalhopeful]

Thanks so much for the help guys! I've decided not to do it even though you've comforted me a lot about eventually getting in haha. I might do it in the winter semester if I find a program I like more but most likely I'm probably just going to spend one month abroad either this summer or next summer depending on if I get an internship I've applied for this year. I think if I stay here I might be able to do an internship one day a week in the fall with a public health department and definitely plan on working a few years before applying. Thanks again guys!

Also just since I feel it's not a substantial enough question to make it's own topic and it's also not too important that someone sees if and I get an answer so I'll just ask here on the off chance someone looks: is volunteering at a wildlife hospital going to count for anything in the app process? I volunteer hands on treating patients alongside vets. The animals definitely do come in with communicable diseases sometimes but it's more often just injuries. I love doing it so I'm not planning on stopping even if the answer is no but I was just wondering if that type of experience is viewed as favorable.

Edited April 1, 2014 by environmentalhopeful

[niihla08]

Thanks so much for the help guys! I've decided not to do it even though you've comforted me a lot about eventually getting in haha. I might do it in the winter semester if I find a program I like more but most likely I'm probably just going to spend one month abroad either this summer or next summer depending on if I get an internship I've applied for this year. I think if I stay here I might be able to do an internship one day a week in the fall with a public health department and definitely plan on working a few years before applying. Thanks again guys!

Also just since I feel it's not a substantial enough question to make it's own topic and it's also not too important that someone sees if and I get an answer so I'll just ask here on the off chance someone looks: is volunteering at a wildlife hospital going to count for anything in the app process? I volunteer hands on treating patients alongside vets. The animals definitely do come in with communicable diseases sometimes but it's more often just injuries. I love doing it so I'm not planning on stopping even if the answer is no but I was just wondering if that type of experience is viewed as favorable.

Good call on getting some work experience! It'll not only help to get you into a better MPH program, but will make you more competitive when looking for jobs afterwards. 

 

I think volunteering is helpful if you can talk about the experience in your personal statement. For example, I volunteer at a free clinic in Chicago. If I had just put it on my resume, I don't think it would have done much. But I referred to it in my personal statement and talked about their sustainable model and my interest in making specific processes more efficient. So yes, if you can comment about your work there from a public health perspective, then I think it is certainly helpful!

[themmases]

Volunteer work at a wildlife hospital can definitely help. There are public health angles to vet practice (some of the application processes you'll read about when you research schools will lump vets in with MDs and DDSs as a category of applicant) even if you personally are mostly treating injuries. Talk to some of the people you volunteer with about your interest in public health-- they can probably tell you a lot about their contact with public health agencies and how the program you volunteer for might fit in. They might even make good references. Also, any work experience is good for getting you into a masters program and getting you employed after you graduate. It helps you show that you know how to act in a professional environment (and work around health professionals in particular) and were building on career experience with your degree.

 

Good luck!