MPH Deadlines for MPH schools & other questions!

[hughesn2]

Hello, I am a senior at Michigan State and am graduating this upcoming weekend. I have been going into deep recon to look at most of the top MPH programs. I have yet to take the GRE because the first 4yrs in college I wanted to be a doctor, more specifically a Podiatrist. After months and months of weighing my options I came to the realization that I don't want to be a doctor anymore, especially due to it would take another cycle or two to just accepted by continuing to raise my MCAT scores. Also, the residency placement for DPMs has dropped at a good rate over the last 3yrs. I don't want to waste 4yrs of my education at med school so that if I am in the bottom 25% of the class I would never get a residency. Other issues stem from just the work of a doctor and that when I looked into MPH it was more intriguing of a future than becoming a doctor.

My questions deal with the application process. One of my friends that is applying to MPH programs has stated that she applied in late August and by November she had only heard from two different schools out of the over 6 schools she applied to. So, for a school like Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, or Ohio State how long do you really have to wait if you apply in early February? (for Epidemiology and/or Biostatistics)

Next question is that I plan on taking the GRE in late January, but schools like Ohio State and Saint Louis have a deadline on February 15, 2014. Thus, can you apply to a school with just your information, resume, personal letter, recommendations, and transcripts and then have the GRE scores sent to them at a later date when they come in? I would like to go to Ohio State, but the February 15 deadline is pushing it if I need my GRE scores BY THEN.

I only have a 3.15 GPA with a B.S. in Human Physiology and a Minor in Philosophy, but I hope the GPA could go up if I did well in my Physio Health Diseases course. In the personal statement I do believe I could explain why I had an unsatisfactory GPA for undergrad.

I kind of just want to see what other MPH have gone through. So the two main questions are:
-How quickly would schools reply for applications being sent in February?
-Can you send in all other information needed for application before GRE scores are computed?

THANK YOU!!!

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[LabRat1414]

Hello, while I don't know about those schools in particular I can tell you this. For MOST schools, the deadline on their website is the date to submit your SOPHAS (Schools of public health application service) application. You can submit your SOPHAS before you have your official GRE scores, you just self report scores and then SOPHAS will confirm. Also, most schools want a decision back from you about attendance (if they offer you admission) by somewhere around April 15, so you would likely know about acceptance by that time. Hope this helps!

 

[hughesn2]

Thanks!!!! My issue is that my parents still want me to pursue the medical school route, but I feel as if since they come from an engineering and a teacher background they don't understand the difficulty of getting accepted into Podiatry Medical School. I feel as if an MPH program in epidemiology is an amazing route and very intriguing, but my parents on the other hand believe I am just "settling" for a simpler acceptance program.
But thank you for the answer!!!