In need of guidance

[Pabloo]

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for some guidance on my potential prospects for grad school, and help on selecting the best route to get there. I apologise if this is a long read, but I want to provide as much information as possible to help guide the decision. Also, as a disclaimer I am a Canadian.

Undergrad:

I am about to complete my undergrad in the social sciences. I took the majority of my science & stats courses in my third year, performed poorly (3.0 in sciences/third year). I performed the best in my fourth year with a 3.7% and finished overall with a 3.3%.

Relative work Experience:

I completed a yearlong empirical thesis in a biological laboratory in my last year, no publication but my supervisor is reviewing the data.

I worked as a TA for one course as an undergrad.

I work fulltime with an organization that focuses on healthcare. I routinely meet with doctors, patients and community members alike. It was one of the physicians that upon hearing about my undergrad research and work experience, suggest that I reconsider applying to med school.

Alternative Routes Considered:

I have considered a MSc in Neuroscience, or a MPH/MSc in Epidemiology. I have a dwindling interest in this route, mainly due to my desire to work with people and research job prospects. However, this is where I conducted my thesis, and have a plethora of vocational experience related to it.

I have considered the MPH/MSc in Epidemiology most recently as the job prospects seem better and similar to my current duties. They combine the areas of research I’m interested in (experimental design, statistical analysis, data collection, public promotion) without the dissections.

Potential Plans:

I want to apply for fall 2018 induction, which means applying by this winter. Aside from my job, I have nothing else on my itinerary. I’m willing to put everything into getting in.

I failed a course in first year, it was not related to my major at all, but has decreased my cumulative GPA. I have considered retaking this course as it would increase my cumulative GPA by 1-2%. On the OMSAS scale, this is the difference between a 3.3 and 3.7 GPA.

I have also considered retaking the statistics courses I performed poorly in (2.7), because I am competent with statistics, but due to how exams were weighted, I’m worried this performance will not be evident to grad schools and certain schools place more weight on stats, especially for epidemiology.

Unfortunately, retaking all the science courses is not an option to me, or taking a second undergrad. I have no financial support, and have only my income to depend on. Moreover, the class times compete with my work hours.

This is why I had planned to retake the smallest amount of courses that would reduce the financial repercussions while having the largest return on my immediate GPA and application. Should I forgo this plan all together, or is it worth increasing my GPA by 1-3%? Will this be negatively viewed as a way to falsely increase my grades?

I’ve considered instead of retaking courses, or maybe in conjunction with courses, is applying to other laboratories in the university to garnish more references and experience. Alternatively, offering my time as a volunteer with in the hospital. I’m not sure which looks better.

The other option I’ve considered is pouring it all into the GRE for the schools that require it. Despite my marks, and after reviewing a few practice GREs online, I think I could perform well. But, is my GPA so poor that even if I perform extraordinarily on the GRE, I will not be as competitive? Obviously an applicant with an extraordinary GPA and extraordinary GRE would be favoured. Based on what I’ve viewed, the GRE seems like it will take less to prepare for than the MCAT for example.

Conclusion:

I have the next four months or so before I need to start applying to grad and schools and finding an advisors alike, how can I make the most of my time? Am I even a competitive grad school applicant?

[_kita]

Hi Pabloo,

It sounds like your still figuring out what you want to do - which is fine. Though I would hesitate to make a decision based on "job prospects" or "my previous experience lines me up better." That is all well and good, but you don't want to pigeon hole yourself in a field you end up hating a few months into working full-time. It's harder to re-direct the sails (and takes more time/resources) later on in your career.  

Public health is a blooming field no matter where you go in it (so lots of job prospects no matter where), and it sounds like all of your interests line up in public health in some way. You may want to talk to schools about their entire school of public health to see what options are available (degree and research center-wise). The good news is most public health programs area fairly integrative. So if you want to research community advocacy and communications in an Epidemiology degree, you likely can. For instance, I was in a MHS Mental Health degree and took a lot of public policy and epidemiology classes.

Stats/science skills: Your GPA is "good enough" for a masters level studies. It's not great, but it shouldn't get you cut from consideration. The concern here is statistics. Can you demonstrate those skills in other ways? Do you work with statistics/research at the hospital? If so, that would be fantastic! Make sure a recommender takes about that in their letter. If not, is there a way you could get that included into your job? Your undergrad thesis will also help buoy this transcript deficit, but I'm not sure it would completely overcome it.

I would say definitely focus the GREs. If you cannot get more science and stats experience at work, then you are solely relying on UG scores and GRE scores. You would want a quantitative score of minimum 160 to really be competitive.

Relevant work experience: Your relevant experience is right on track with what you need. Keep in mind some work experience will not make you "stand out" that much from other applicants. Most MPH candidates in my former program were working 2-3 years before entering the program. The program will care about how that experience has influences your interests and thoughts for what the field needs (as well as demonstrate acumen in skills not demonstrated on your transcript).

Potential plans:

If you are set on going back within a year, I suggest first going through work to get more science/research-based experience. If that fails, consider taking 1-2 classes as a non-degree seeking student in epidemiology/statistics. If neither one of those options are available, and the GRE is your only option, a high quantitative score (160+) would be your best bet.

I also suggest talking to the programs about all of their degrees and research options. You may find an area of public health that intrigues you more and add epidemiology in as a focus. In short, you have options and plenty of time to sort through them.

[neonlily]

From a Canadian Standpoint, their GPA really isn't great. The cut off for admissions to most programs is 3.5 as the basement. I would try to gain experience in public health as well as boost up your stats grade. The Waterloo MPH program requires a stats grade of at least a B (3.0).

[public_hlth12]

The MPH programs in Canada are fairly competitive with most schools at a 5-10% acceptance rate of applicants, this is often because you have upwards of 400 people applying for fewer than 40 spots (for instance in my applicant year for MPH there was around a 7% acceptance rate). I wouldn't necessarily pick doing an MPH because it is an alternative route, I would suggest maybe taking a year off to really feel certain on your decision or to work for a bit longer and figure out what you want to do :)! Like anything you really want to make sure you are committed and are not just taking it for job prospects. 

That being said, while MPH is competitive I feel like a large weight of the application falls on your experiences and how they apply to your interests in public health. While yes, having high grades are important when weighing your application to get you past the cutoff, having stellar experience is equally, if not more important. Maybe look into some of the careers or fields that really interest you in public health and try to picture yourself in that role, would you be happy? I know it's hard with these kinds of things but I wish you luck on your educational journey. 

[Pabloo]

Here is what I anticipate to be my game plan:

My plan is to continue my job until next fall, to save some money to go to school. How can I maximize the time while I’m only working? I’m in a pretty fortunate position where I can network with our local healthcare providers and am in good standing with the academics at my school. I’m thinking of continuing my research from my undergraduate thesis, and assisting other laboratories at the university. Would this be enough to prove I understand quantitative methods?

Alternatively, can I retake the statistics courses to prove I’m proficient at them? Would schools consider these grades? They will be part time study in a fifth year, and I would only have one of the two courses completed by application time. My current job does not involve any data analysis, and the only way I can get exposure to it is by volunteering at the schools laboratories and retaking the statistics courses. Should I instead focus on quantitative section of the GRE?

Are quantitative methods the only thing I’m really missing? Is there anything else I can do for my application? Should I retake the other course I failed to boost my GPA or should I do more volunteering?

Thank you all for your time and feedback.
 

[_kita]

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, Pabloo said:

Here is what I anticipate to be my game plan:

My plan is to continue my job until next fall, to save some money to go to school. How can I maximize the time while I’m only working? I’m in a pretty fortunate position where I can network with our local healthcare providers and am in good standing with the academics at my school. I’m thinking of continuing my research from my undergraduate thesis, and assisting other laboratories at the university. Would this be enough to prove I understand quantitative methods?
 

That sounds like a good idea. I would suggest having a plan for what you want to do with that research experience. Talk to the professor about publishing, presenting, and otherwise completing a research project start to finish. Also, make certain to discuss taking care of the analysis portion. Depending on the lab, some will have one person do the "analysis" portion, and you need to speak to that in your SOP.

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, Pabloo said:

Alternatively, can I retake the statistics courses to prove I’m proficient at them? Would schools consider these grades? They will be part time study in a fifth year, and I would only have one of the two courses completed by application time. My current job does not involve any data analysis, and the only way I can get exposure to it is by volunteering at the schools laboratories and retaking the statistics courses. Should I instead focus on quantitative section of the GRE?

You can take statistics classes as a non-degree seeking student. Schools look critically at those added grades. They won't change your GPA, but it's a transcript in addition to, and standing apart, from your undergrad grades. If your intention is top 10 schools, both GREs and taking 1-2 classes may be a good way to demonstrate the skills even more. Johns Hopkins University suggested taking non-degree seeking classes in addition to getting high quant GREs. However, another concentration in the DrPH program told me to forget spending the extra class money, and just re-take the GREs. The difference was my career goals matched the second concentration perfectly.

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, Pabloo said:

Are quantitative methods the only thing I’m really missing? Is there anything else I can do for my application? Should I retake the other course I failed to boost my GPA or should I do more volunteering?

Remember, you do not need perfect scores. A lot of these school are more interest in your focus. These scores prove that you have the raw skill needed, but once you prove it, move onto things that demonstrate your focus more so.  Don't pick up 20 things and split your attention. Maybe pick up 1-2 and do them really well. May a story out of your application which shows you are both competent and driven.