MPH Canada Fall 2017

[2017SN]

Hi guys, I'm a 5th year student at a Canadian University looking into MPH programs across the country. 

cGPA: 3.1
Last 2 years GPA: 3.7
Last year GPA: 3.9 

I was wondering if what my chances of admission would be I took a year off before I applied in order to work on my extracurriculars and gain experience in fields related to public health? Also would my cGPA hurt my chances? I was of the mindset that they only considered the last year or last 2 years GPA. 

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[friesandwater]

Hey guys! Does anyone have any idea on how strict word counts are for letters of intent are? I'm talking about 20-30 words over the limit max. Thanks!

[pizza17]

On 1/16/2017 at 2:10 AM, 2017SN said:

Hi guys, I'm a 5th year student at a Canadian University looking into MPH programs across the country. 

cGPA: 3.1
Last 2 years GPA: 3.7
Last year GPA: 3.9 

I was wondering if what my chances of admission would be I took a year off before I applied in order to work on my extracurriculars and gain experience in fields related to public health? Also would my cGPA hurt my chances? I was of the mindset that they only considered the last year or last 2 years GPA. 

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

 

What type of experience do you have as it stands? From my understanding most schools take the last 2 years into consideration, so I don't think the cGPA would play a large role in their decision.

[pizza17]

I've heard from people who previously applied that certain schools like U of T or McGill can be very picky about following their guidelines for the application such as word count, I would contact the school directly just to double check with them

[2017SN]

3 hours ago, pizza17 said:

 

What type of experience do you have as it stands? From my understanding most schools take the last 2 years into consideration, so I don't think the cGPA would play a large role in their decision.

I've worked as a Pharmacy Assistant and a Tele-Researcher for a healthcare data collection agency. I would probably need more relevant experience right?

[pizza17]

8 minutes ago, 2017SN said:

I've worked as a Pharmacy Assistant and a Tele-Researcher for a healthcare data collection agency. I would probably need more relevant experience right?

It's hard for me to say because I come from a different type of background... I've worked as a research assistant and I have work experience with a local public health unit, but I still think there is value in the health-related experience you have! I would encourage you to contact the schools you are interested in applying to, they can give you a better sense for what they look for

[2017SN]

12 hours ago, pizza17 said:

It's hard for me to say because I come from a different type of background... I've worked as a research assistant and I have work experience with a local public health unit, but I still think there is value in the health-related experience you have! I would encourage you to contact the schools you are interested in applying to, they can give you a better sense for what they look for

Perfect, I appreciate your help.

[Barnmucker]

Hello, 

Best of luck to everyone out there applying for their mph. 

I'm planning to apply for the mph programs at the University of Waterloo,  Brock university and maybe Lakehead. 

Been out of school for 4 years since my Undergrad. From reading the other mph forums throughout the previous years,  it seems like the gpa to get in is higher and higher after each year. 

Had a low 80s cumulative average during my Undergrad. 

Been working as a public health professional at a Ontario public health unit for last 4 years dealing with outbreak management and control.

Looking for a online mph program. 

I was just wondering how important are the academic references? I got a professor to agree to write me a reference letter because I did well in his class but I'm afraid it might be very generic. 

Anywhoo, best of luck with your applications. 

 

 

[TJCM2017]

12 hours ago, Barnmucker said:

Hello, 

Best of luck to everyone out there applying for their mph. 

I'm planning to apply for the mph programs at the University of Waterloo,  Brock university and maybe Lakehead. 

Been out of school for 4 years since my Undergrad. From reading the other mph forums throughout the previous years,  it seems like the gpa to get in is higher and higher after each year. 

Had a low 80s cumulative average during my Undergrad. 

Been working as a public health professional at a Ontario public health unit for last 4 years dealing with outbreak management and control.

Looking for a online mph program. 

I was just wondering how important are the academic references? I got a professor to agree to write me a reference letter because I did well in his class but I'm afraid it might be very generic. 

Anywhoo, best of luck with your applications. 

 

 

Hey Barnmucker,

I would say that overall you need strong references to be considered competitive in these programs. Most schools do ask for at least 1 academic reference I think, so do your best in getting a Prof who can really speak to your academic ability as a reference, as it will provide the admissions committee with more confidence that  you will be able to handle the workload.

Good Luck!

[friesandwater]

Anyone confused about the Queens application? On the website it says there's a separate section for the statement of interest but on the actual application there isn't. 

[friesandwater]

18 hours ago, friesandwater said:

Anyone confused about the Queens application? On the website it says there's a separate section for the statement of interest but on the actual application there isn't. 

I should specify... Queens MPH

[purpleace]

On 1/26/2017 at 1:43 AM, friesandwater said:

Anyone confused about the Queens application? On the website it says there's a separate section for the statement of interest but on the actual application there isn't. 

Hello. I submitted my application to queens last month. 

There isnt a separate section for the statement of interest, however there are separate sections on the application that ask you questions that you would otherwise have answered in your statement of interest

Basically I wrote a statement of interest, and then copied and pasted it into the fields when applicable.

Goodluck!

[purpleace]

On 12/5/2016 at 8:23 AM, And1 said:

Hey there! 

The GRE thing is totally new for this upcoming app session, so luckily I didn't have to take it. So unfortunately, I can't comment on what I got or what is even considered a good score since I never did it  

As for the statistics requirement, I think it would be best to contact the school about it to make sure. We do cover regression in the last two weeks of the term, but it's more of a focus in the second biostats course next term. So my gut feeling is that it won't disqualify you, but again, contact them to make sure! 

Hope that helps. 

Thank you!

[pizza17]

On 1/30/2017 at 5:39 PM, purpleace said:

Hello. I submitted my application to queens last month. 

There isnt a separate section for the statement of interest, however there are separate sections on the application that ask you questions that you would otherwise have answered in your statement of interest

Basically I wrote a statement of interest, and then copied and pasted it into the fields when applicable.

Goodluck!

Hey there,

The SOI for the Queen's MPH application appears just after the "Resume" section and before the "Departmental Questions". The way that it shows up is kind of confusing but there is a separate text box for the SOI, hope that helps!

Edited February 2, 2017 by pizza17

[Shd90]

Anyone else applied to MSc epi at Western University? 

[Motog]

@Shd90 I have! I received an email that the preliminary assessment of my application has been completed and my application has been sent to the department of biostatistics and epidemiology.

Edited February 2, 2017 by Motog

[Shd90]

@Motog Yes I got that email too. Did you identify any supervisor in the application? 

[Motog]

@Shd90 I did include the name of the supervisor I would like to work with, but nothing had been confirmed. When I spoke to a Western rep they advised me to include a potential supervisors name so they better understand my research interests...So I'm hoping for the best!

[Shd90]

All the best to you!  Let's hope for the best. The waiting period is freaking me out 

[Motog]

@Shd90 thanks, same to you! Haha the waiting game is horrible. Where else have you applied?

[friesandwater]

Good luck yall! Did anyone apply to MSc in public health and health systems at waterloo? 

[Shd90]

8 hours ago, Motog said:

@Shd90 thanks, same to you! Haha the waiting game is horrible. Where else have you applied?

I applied to 2 programs at Uoft Mph Epi (dlsph) and Msc CEHCR (ihpme) and Mph at McMaster. What about you? 

[pdf58]

Hey guys

Applied for the MPH (Health Promotion) at U of T. Didn't take the GRE.

Cumulative GPA is terrible: 7.1/10

Final two years: 7.8/10

Final year: 8.4/10

My GPA is weak, so I hope that the fact that I have lots of volunteering (for which I will receive a provincial volunteer award)/extra-curriculars/work, a publication, and a graduate certificate in working with dementia clients will look good. Not sure if it will be able to make up for the GPA though. 

Application says "under review" already and now I'm freaking out and frantically refreshing the page lol. Hoping to get into this program so much but SO afraid to get my hopes up! Wishing everyone here the best and hope we all start getting some good news -- February/March are big acceptance months. <3

Edited February 5, 2017 by pdf58

[Mallory]

Hi! 

I applied to U of T for Behavioural and Social Sciences MPH and I'm also going to apply to Western MPH 

My GPA last year was a 3.1 but I'm pretty sure my GPA this year is going to be a 3.7.  I recognize that my lower GPA last year is probably going to make my application a lot weaker but I've had summer work experience at the Ministry of Environment regarding pesticides and public health and I've been volunteering extensively with health promotion organizations.  Does anyone have a general idea how competitive these two programs are? 

Thanks so much in advance!! 

Edited February 5, 2017 by Mallory

[public_hlth12]

3 hours ago, Mallory said:

Hi! 

I applied to U of T for Behavioural and Social Sciences MPH and I'm also going to apply to Western MPH 

My GPA last year was a 3.1 but I'm pretty sure my GPA this year is going to be a 3.7.  I recognize that my lower GPA last year is probably going to make my application a lot weaker but I've had summer work experience at the Ministry of Environment regarding pesticides and public health and I've been volunteering extensively with health promotion organizations.  Does anyone have a general idea how competitive these two programs are? 

Thanks so much in advance!! 

Hey Mallory! 

I can't speak too much on UofT admissions, but I am a current student at the Guelph MPH program and in the year I was accepted there were around 350+ applicants and around 24-25 spots! I know last year UofT took a bit more students but you are looking generally around the 20- 40 spots, for around 350- from anywhere to 500 applicants (for Guelph the exact number was never told we were just told it was more than 350).  In general MPH programs are fairly competitive and it seems that they keep getting more competitive, but don't be discouraged! When I got it in I definitely did not have experience working at a health unit, or anything directly related to public health. It's all about how you word your cover letter because that carries a massive weight for your application.