Admissions -- what do they look for?

[lonelily22]

Hi everyone! I really could use some advice.

I graduated last Fall from UCSD with my B.S. in Human Biology . Upon graduation, I turned down a pretty big corporate job (and sadly a nice paycheck) as an analyst to pursue my interests in health research. I now volunteer part time as a research assistant for a professor and her PhD students in a study on health risk factors in obese populations (I have to waitress in my free time to make ends meet). Despite the lack of pay, the work is very interesting and I enjoy it.

Anyway, I plan to apply to graduate school next year and focus on health promotion & behavioral science. My question is- will graduate schools look down on the fact that I'm not work a single full time paid position? I learn a lot through as an assistant and it relates very well to what I'd like to do in the future. Plus, I can get some great recommendations from the professor and her students. But still, I'm worried that schools might be looking for more "professional" experience.

If I could get a full-time paid position in public health, I would. Sadly those entry level opportunities are fairly nonexistent for students who don't have higher degrees.

Feedback/suggestions would be HIGHLY appreciated!!

[ridgey]

Hi everyone! I really could use some advice.

I graduated last Fall from UCSD with my B.S. in Human Biology . Upon graduation, I turned down a pretty big corporate job (and sadly a nice paycheck) as an analyst to pursue my interests in health research. I now volunteer part time as a research assistant for a professor and her PhD students in a study on health risk factors in obese populations (I have to waitress in my free time to make ends meet). Despite the lack of pay, the work is very interesting and I enjoy it.

Anyway, I plan to apply to graduate school next year and focus on health promotion & behavioral science. My question is- will graduate schools look down on the fact that I'm not work a single full time paid position? I learn a lot through as an assistant and it relates very well to what I'd like to do in the future. Plus, I can get some great recommendations from the professor and her students. But still, I'm worried that schools might be looking for more "professional" experience.

If I could get a full-time paid position in public health, I would. Sadly those entry level opportunities are fairly nonexistent for students who don't have higher degrees.

Feedback/suggestions would be HIGHLY appreciated!!

If I were on an admissions committee, I would be impressed that someone was willing to work in the field for free. It demonstrates commitment to the field, which is absolutely essential.

Keep your ears open inthe department you're working in, and make sure you make small talk with the people from other groups over morning tea and lunch. It's very likely that someone has some (paid) short-term work - data entry/cleaning, recruiting for a study, etc. Don't quit your main project to do it - it sounds like your genuinely involved and contributing which will be valuable for your apps - but it might be a nice break from waitressing and will give you more exposure to the field as a whole.

Good luck!

[lonelily22]

Thank you for the response. That makes me feel a lot better! Yes, I love the work and really don't want to trade it in for a desk job.

[Stories]

Well, if you're going for a MPH, I think what you're doing is perfect. Keep it up and you should no issues with getting into a MPH program if you have decent grades and GREs.

If you want to get into a PhD program, especially without a MPH (or MS) before hand, you definitely need to get involved with the heavy duty research side of things. The primary reason is that a very large proportion of folks entering into PhD programs come in with a MPH (or other master's degree). Heck, many schools require a master's in public health or related field to even be a competitive applicant.

For number tossing sake: 15 folks come to the interview day at Yale. 14 of them had a MPH or equivalent MS.