Help an international student please

[drasthabhatia]

Hi,

I am an international student who is going to complete her MPH from Missouri state University in Spring 2010. I need to start applying for my PHD in public health(any concentration) where I can get funding, preferably in the East schools. I have an undergrad GPA of 3.84, GRE score of 1480/1600 and grad GPA of 3.5(till now). Can you let me know a few schools where I have a chance of getting accepted with these credentials? Also, funding is a major issue for me. Please help!

[ridgey]

Grrr - I just typed a long post and it got lost in the system.

Your numbers (GRE and GPA) are fine. Because you're fully in the acceptable range, admissions decisions will come down to a fit with the expertise available in a department, and possibly what your letter writers have to say. You need to be able to show an admissions committee a genuine interest in doing research on a specific area. If you really don't mind which concentration of public health then I would imagine you'll have a hard time convincing an admissions committee that you're serious.

Once you know what you want to study, your list of schools narrows considerably.Information about the availability of funding for interantional students is readily available on most schools' websites, and is easy to get by contacting schools if it is not online.

[drasthabhatia]

Thanks Ridgey for the reply. I am basically interested in Epidemiology but I have heard that the admissions in this field are highly competitive. What do you think?

[ridgey]

I don't really know much about epi applications. It wouldn't surprise me if it's the most competitve of the public health fields though. There might be more money around than in other fields - if you can stomach it, drug companies might be an alternative source of funding to the NIH, through which we internationals can't be funded.

I still think you need to be able to be more specific about your interests. Not to the point of a diss proposal, but something narrower than "epi". Even if you could narrow it to chronic/infectious/social you'd be better able to research schools and target your SoP accordingly. Ideally, I think you want to be able to identify either a specific health issue or methodology when you craft your application. Again, though, I'm not in epi - amybe someone else will chime in.

Also, the ASPH website (www.asph.org) allows you to search for schools by your interest, then links you to the program's website. There is also a PDF list somewhere on the site of every accredited program (the search is only of accredited schools).

[Stories]

As an international student, you're going to be at a distinct disadvantage applying to any NIH (government) funded fellowships. NIH fellowships are given only to US-citizens. Many schools have fellowships/training grants available, and you'll often be considered for one if you're a good fit for the requirements of that training grant. Sometimes you'll have to submit a separate application. It really varies.

As for getting into an epi program--most schools want to see a focus on whatever you're trying to get into. Whether it's demonstrated interest by past work history, past research work, or past class papers that show your interest in that area. A MPH is almost a certain requirement for the vast majority of PhD programs, particularly epi where there are a TON of applicants. I know for sure that Yale and BU (both schools which I attend/ed) had acceptance rates in the 5-10%. Other schools which publish data on this (Emory) also reports a 5% acceptance.

Hope this helps you get started.