Miserable B.A., go for Master of public health? Opinion needed! Field change?

[bonny]

Hi everyone, 

 

I am lacking of luck in job search/ education these days and find myself in such tough situation. I would really appreciate it if any of you can give me some opinion as a 3rd person point of view. 

 

I graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A majoring Health Studies and Human Geography in 2014 June. During this 12 months, I spent 3 months for vacation, and 6 months doing courses in order to apply to a Second Entry Nursing Program, meanwhile and the rest of the 12 months, I took on some part-time and temp jobs here and there, as well as applying to jobs in my field. Unfortunately, I have no luck with the nursing program, nor job searching. I did not get a SINGLE interview that is related in my field.  

 

Most of my classmate they faced the same job search issue and switched to other fields,  even though I still would like to pursue healthcare as a career, I wonder if I should just go for whatever job in Canada. Recently I received an offer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong for Master of Public Health (MPH), but after asking all of the people around me (who is already in the field), they said they didn't come across anyone with an Asian master in the job market. That comes to a conclusion that either I take the MPH and be stuck in Hong Kong for life, or I don't take it and continue being Idle in Canada. 

 

My dad said I complicated the situation and frustrated myself because it is a simple decision - "if you really dislike Hong kong, why bother to think of going back". And yes, I dislike Hong Kong, the wage, the culture, the weather.. I just simply prefer Canada. But I am jobless here. 

 

People, from your own point of view, what would you do? Go to Hong Kong knowing that life would be easier, or stay in Canada, continue looking for a job and try to do more certification?

 

A million thanks with your opinion!

 

B

[ketchupnchips]

Hi bonny, I was in a similar situation, in that I graduated with my bachelors but realized that I had to do more schooling to get into the field that I wanted (I actually also applied to accelerated nursing in Canada, but as a backup). Based on what I've read, I think you should give yourself another shot in applying for nursing if thats what you want to do. You definitely don't want to have any regrets! Do you have any idea why you were rejected? (gpa, extracurriculars) Also, I don't know your situation, but perhaps think about applying to multiple nursing programs? I'm not familiar with eastern Canada, but in Vancouver theres UBC accelerated nursing 2 years, BCIT 3 years, and also many colleges that would be 3-4 years but much easier to get into. 

The allnurses website is a pretty good resource as it has a section on Canadian nursing programs.

 

Also it seems that you're considering MPH? Did you try applying to any of the programs in Canada?

Edited June 19, 2015 by ketchupnchips

[Jay's Brain]

Hi everyone, 

 

I am lacking of luck in job search/ education these days and find myself in such tough situation. I would really appreciate it if any of you can give me some opinion as a 3rd person point of view. 

 

I graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A majoring Health Studies and Human Geography in 2014 June. During this 12 months, I spent 3 months for vacation, and 6 months doing courses in order to apply to a Second Entry Nursing Program, meanwhile and the rest of the 12 months, I took on some part-time and temp jobs here and there, as well as applying to jobs in my field. Unfortunately, I have no luck with the nursing program, nor job searching. I did not get a SINGLE interview that is related in my field.  

 

Most of my classmate they faced the same job search issue and switched to other fields,  even though I still would like to pursue healthcare as a career, I wonder if I should just go for whatever job in Canada. Recently I received an offer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong for Master of Public Health (MPH), but after asking all of the people around me (who is already in the field), they said they didn't come across anyone with an Asian master in the job market. That comes to a conclusion that either I take the MPH and be stuck in Hong Kong for life, or I don't take it and continue being Idle in Canada. 

 

My dad said I complicated the situation and frustrated myself because it is a simple decision - "if you really dislike Hong kong, why bother to think of going back". And yes, I dislike Hong Kong, the wage, the culture, the weather.. I just simply prefer Canada. But I am jobless here. 

 

People, from your own point of view, what would you do? Go to Hong Kong knowing that life would be easier, or stay in Canada, continue looking for a job and try to do more certification?

 

A million thanks with your opinion!

 

B

 

 

 

Hi Bonny,

 

Based on your programs I'll take a stab and say you went to UTSC (I did too, and also graduated in June 2014). If not, we're still both UofT alumni! The healthcare field is very saturated these days so it does become quite burdensome looking for ways to further your education. I have a friend, for example, who applied to UofT for nursing and medicine at HKU, and still hopes to stay back here and another friend currently wait listed for the same nursing program. So I understand your plight. 

 

I personally don't think you should give up your interests of pursuing a career in this field, regardless of the competition or the nature of applications. You didn't provide a lot of context to your experiences, both academically and in field-related work, so there's not a lot I can gauge on in terms of advice. However, I do agree with the previous poster that you may want to pursue volunteer/work experiences related to the health sector (clinical assistantships, volunteer in geriatric/palliative care homes, work at medical centres, etc) alongside your odd jobs here and there. Anything related to the healthcare sector is great experience, and it'll motivate you a lot more to know that this is the field you may be interested in pursuing. I suggest also looking at postgraduate diploma programs at your local colleges, those that are shorter in length, that can enhance your skill set when you reapply again. 

 

At this point, you want to enhance your application to show you are committed to this field. It may take a bit of time, and I can relate that parental pressures are always an added issue, but if you're persistent I'm sure you can do more to improve your existing profile and reapply again.

 

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Good luck!

Edited June 19, 2015 by Jay's Brain

[bonny]

Hi bonny, I was in a similar situation, in that I graduated with my bachelors but realized that I had to do more schooling to get into the field that I wanted (I actually also applied to accelerated nursing in Canada, but as a backup). Based on what I've read, I think you should give yourself another shot in applying for nursing if thats what you want to do. You definitely don't want to have any regrets! Do you have any idea why you were rejected? (gpa, extracurriculars) Also, I don't know your situation, but perhaps think about applying to multiple nursing programs? I'm not familiar with eastern Canada, but in Vancouver theres UBC accelerated nursing 2 years, BCIT 3 years, and also many colleges that would be 3-4 years but much easier to get into. 

The allnurses website is a pretty good resource as it has a section on Canadian nursing programs.

 

Also it seems that you're considering MPH? Did you try applying to any of the programs in Canada?

Thanks for your reply  

 

I talked to all the schools, mostly it was my gpa that is not as competitive as others, I applied to many schools however a couple of them i am still lacking 1-2 pre-req ( i came across this program late but i was thinking, even i am lacking of some courses i still want to give it a shot). I applied to York, trent, UofT and Humber.  Before my undergrad graduation, I applied to MPH programs knowing that my BA is not sufficient in the healthcare field, however the competition is just too high and couldn't get in, one day i was frustrated and applied to the MPH program offered by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and got an offer, however worried that it is not transferrable in North America.

[bonny]

Hi Bonny,

 

Based on your programs I'll take a stab and say you went to UTSC (I did too, and also graduated in June 2014). If not, we're still both UofT alumni! The healthcare field is very saturated these days so it does become quite burdensome looking for ways to further your education. I have a friend, for example, who applied to UofT for nursing and medicine at HKU, and still hopes to stay back here and another friend currently wait listed for the same nursing program. So I understand your plight. 

 

I personally don't think you should give up your interests of pursuing a career in this field, regardless of the competition or the nature of applications. You didn't provide a lot of context to your experiences, both academically and in field-related work, so there's not a lot I can gauge on in terms of advice. However, I do agree with the previous poster that you may want to pursue volunteer/work experiences related to the health sector (clinical assistantships, volunteer in geriatric/palliative care homes, work at medical centres, etc) alongside your odd jobs here and there. Anything related to the healthcare sector is great experience, and it'll motivate you a lot more to know that this is the field you may be interested in pursuing. I suggest also looking at postgraduate diploma programs at your local colleges, those that are shorter in length, that can enhance your skill set when you reapply again. 

 

At this point, you want to enhance your application to show you are committed to this field. It may take a bit of time, and I can relate that parental pressures are always an added issue, but if you're persistent I'm sure you can do more to improve your existing profile and reapply again.

 

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Good luck!

wow yes haha I am from UTSC. I graduated with a 3.04 GPA and i guess that is why I am not going into any programs.. feeling like it is a gamble, if i take more courses, would I even be able to pump it up and compete with others that graduated with a high gpa? I do not have many work experience in the related field, I have one summer internship as a program coordinator with a community organization for health promotion. and volunteered with the campus clinic for sexual health. And that's it ... 1-year master in CUHK seems very tempting however, who knows if it is widely accepted in north america

[nugget]

Have you considered applying to nursing schools in the US? There are far more schools in the US compared to Canada, with varying levels of competitiveness. ie: 1st tier, 2nd tier, 3rd tier... whereas I don't think we even have 3rd tier in Canada. With so many more choices in the US, there ought to be a BSc. program you could get into.

 

If you attend a 3rd tier university and return to Canada to work, most Canadians don't even know which schools have 2nd and 3rd tier programs, imo, so I don't think it would matter much. (I don't mean academics, they certainly would know, but hospital HR people and other nurses wouldn't typically know the difference). You just need to make sure the college of nursing would accept your degree from a given school in order to become a registered nurse.

 

In the meantime, you could try finding work as a personal support worker to gain practical experience. Try a group home or temp agency. Getting a PSW certificate, if possible, would help too and would allow you to work at a hospital, long term care facility or other setting.

 

Good luck!

Edited June 21, 2015 by jenste

[RunnerGrad]

I know plenty of people who completed a second undergraduate degree in order to be competitive for health care programs in Canada. At least one third on my cohort had two undergraduate degrees. Others choose to complete a college program and then apply to one of the bridging programs that allows them to become a qualified health care professional.

Most health care university degrees in Canada are extremely competitive, which is why many individuals end up completing two undergraduate degrees in order to obtain the GPA required for admission. There are also many health care careers that require a specific undergrad degree, and so some choose to complete a second undergrad in order to acquire the required credential.

[orangeglacier]

I don't know much about healthcare or Canada, but I just wanted to comment that you probably wouldn't be stuck in Hong Kong for life if you did a masters there.  The fact that your friend hasn't seen many Asian masters probably means that most people who get their masters in Asia choose to live and work in Asia, not that the degree wouldn't be able to get you a job back in Canada if you chose to.

[COGSCI]

Bonny, 

 

There are thousands of people graduating with MPH from Canada, US, and other countries. Your chances of getting into the field of your interest does not depend on where you get your degree from but it depends on WHAT YOU DID or DO during your undergrad and grad training. 

 

Instead of working as a temp here and there, I suggest getting a research position (paid or volunteer) at one of the research facilities in Toronto before you apply to schools again. If you decide to go to HK for your MPH, I would suggest working or volunteering part-time at one of the organizations that are recognized internationally (e.g. Red Cross or Institutions that are affiliated with WHO)

[nugget]

I think you need to decide if you are going to work towards  getting into a bachelor of science program in nursing or an MPH, then plan the next year accordingly to increase your chances of getting in. Focus on acquiring research experience if you want to go for an MPH and if you want to do a bachelor of science in nursing focus on gaining hands on health care experience working directly with patients in a helping capacity.  

Edited June 21, 2015 by jenste

[Jay's Brain]

wow yes haha I am from UTSC. I graduated with a 3.04 GPA and i guess that is why I am not going into any programs.. feeling like it is a gamble, if i take more courses, would I even be able to pump it up and compete with others that graduated with a high gpa? I do not have many work experience in the related field, I have one summer internship as a program coordinator with a community organization for health promotion. and volunteered with the campus clinic for sexual health. And that's it ... 1-year master in CUHK seems very tempting however, who knows if it is widely accepted in north america

 

I thought so! Glad to meet you!

 

I know it seems like a bit of a downer, but don't be discouraged! There are more than enough people in these forums who had sub-3.00 GPAs that ended up getting into a program that they wanted to. 

In terms of the 1-year Masters, the length may actually do you some favours since it won't be too drastic of a change for a long period of time. In fact, you may be spending a year trying to improve your application anyway. Take a look closely at the content you will be doing with the MPH at CUHK. Does it involve any practical aspects that will give you valuable experience in the health sector? If you're going to be trained in a clinical setting in some parts of it, that will still be relevant knowledge that you can then translate into your application a year later. I do agree with the previous posts suggesting you look at internationally recognized organizations such as Red Cross. Working/volunteering with these groups can be an added benefit to show you are committed to public health care.

 

I would also recommend you contacting the respective schools and asking for statistics on what background most of their students are coming in with. CUHK is a recognized school so receiving a Masters degree there may not be as detracting as somewhere more obscure. Furthermore, if you do well in your MPH, they will look at those grades more closely than your BA marks. It may even show that you have the prior knowledge and mature mindset to pursue a more definitive degree like nursing!

 

Ultimately, choose what you're comfortable with. Everyone here agrees on one thing - you will need to improve your application in some ways to be a bit more competitive. But isn't as bad as it sounds! It'll take a bit more time, but I'm sure you'll end up getting into your program! I got into mine through perseverance and serendipity so I know how it feels like to be worried. Just plan the next year or so accordingly and keep asking if you have any questions!

 

Edited June 22, 2015 by Jay's Brain