Yet Another GPA/GRE Post

[CatNoise]

Not another one of these damn posts, right? Any suggestions would be appreciated immensely. Here's the breakdown of my information:

3.0 GPA from a middle of the road state school
1220 GRE (540 Verbal, 680 Quantitative, 4.5 Writing)
One year of Americorps (full time, HIV prevention, testing, and epi research)
Simultaneously, one year of volunteer EPI work with PITT (part time, HIV transmission)
Very solid sources for letters of recommendation
Robust statement of interest focusing on working with neglected populations (and the work experience to back it up)

In six weeks, I'll be leaving for Western Africa for a stint in the Peace Corps. Assuming I survive, that will give me just over three years of solid public health volunteer experience (over two of which will be in the third world) with high need, underserved populations (men who have sex with men well away from HIV epicenters in NYC and San Francisco and African communities).

Still, my low GPA has me nervous about being accepted because the 3.0 minimum is pounded home frequently on admissions pages. I'm not holding out for JH or Harvard, but a top 20 (public ideally, for the sake of costs) school is something I'd like to shoot for. Based on this information, can any of your recommend a handful of schools where I would have a reasonable chance of getting in after I get back to the US? Any further suggestions?

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[newyorkisrainin]

Not another one of these damn posts, right? Any suggestions would be appreciated immensely. Here's the breakdown of my information:

2.72 GPA from a middle of the road state school
1220 GRE (540 Verbal, 680 Quantitative, 4.5 Writing)
One year of Americorps (full time, HIV prevention, testing, and epi research)
Simultaneously, one year of volunteer EPI work with PITT (part time, HIV transmission)
Very solid sources for letters of recommendation
Robust statement of interest focusing on working with neglected populations (and the work experience to back it up)

In six weeks, I'll be leaving for Western Africa for a stint in the Peace Corps. Assuming I survive, that will give me just over three years of solid public health volunteer experience (over two of which will be in the third world) with high need, underserved populations (men who have sex with men well away from HIV epicenters in NYC and San Francisco and African communities).

Still, my low GPA has me nervous about being accepted because the 3.0 minimum is pounded home frequently on admissions pages. I'm not holding out for JH or Harvard, but a top 20 (public ideally, for the sake of costs) school is something I'd like to shoot for. Based on this information, can any of your recommend a handful of schools where I would have a reasonable chance of getting in after I get back to the US? Any further suggestions?

Your experience will most definitely help you, i think things are a bit more competitive this year but as long as you apply to a range of programs you should be good. Good luck!

 

[Stories]

Once you're a RPCV, that carries a lot of weight, especially in fields like PH. Other places like education and social work, like public health, will be more forgiving of your GPA once you come back with a such a substantial volunteering background.

 

[dhycortex]

Your experience will most definitely help you, i think things are a bit more competitive this year but as long as you apply to a range of programs you should be good. Good luck!

why are things more competitive this year?

 

[jkmph]

why are things more competitive this year?

Bad job market. More people are entering graduate school to mitigate unemployment and/or broaden their appeal to potential employers. The first year MPH class at Emory is 100 students greater than mine. It's like a 28% increase year-over last.

 

[Music333]

Wow, your extracurriculars/experiences are great!

Bad job market. More people are entering graduate school to mitigate unemployment and/or broaden their appeal to potential employers. The first year MPH class at Emory is 100 students greater than mine. It's like a 28% increase year-over last.

This makes me nervous. About how many schools should we apply to?

 

[dhycortex]

Bad job market. More people are entering graduate school to mitigate unemployment and/or broaden their appeal to potential employers. The first year MPH class at Emory is 100 students greater than mine. It's like a 28% increase year-over last.

jeez, I thought I escaped last year.....

Do schools also increase acceptance numbers?

 

[jkmph]

This makes me nervous. About how many schools should we apply to?

I applied to 9 I believe and as I mentioned in the PM that was a successful strategy.

jeez, I thought I escaped last year.....

Do schools also increase acceptance numbers?

In some cases yes. Emory RSPH is building a second tower to be completed in May and I believe their intention is to expand their class size and number of PhD students.

However for any school, undergrad, grad, medicine or otherwise, the school always offer more seats then they expect their applicants to say yes to. In other words, Emory RSPH may accept 600 or 700 kids expecting only half of them to come here because they had offers from other schools to consider as well. I think this cycle their 'algorithm' for determining the number of slots to offer did not take into account my prior explanation.

 

[CatNoise]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated!

Can you link my to any good articles on the expanding interest in MPH programs?

 

[loser]

I think you would have a good chance of getting into Tulane which is ranked #13. Tulane also pounds the "must have minimum 3.0 GPA" into your head but that doesn't mean they won't be willing to look at your application and give you a chance. Your stats are very similar to mine and I got in. I had a 2.8 GPA from a respectable but not top tier public university, 1260 GREs (700 math, 560 verbal, 4.5 writing), good letters of recommendation from work, and about 4 years of work/job experience with underserved communities (but not in an international setting). Your volunteer experience will definitely help. Good luck!

 

[coolsammy35]

Guys go for it make a killing

ITS THE PACKAGE AS A WHOLE THAT MATTERS