questions about mph

[octvela]

whats up. I just got accepted for the mph program in janurary. Can someone who has completed the program or knows someone who completed the program tell me about it. Is it hard to maintain a 3.5 gpa? Is it worth it? Should I try and go back to school in the states to improve my gpa? My gpa is pretty damn low and it would take alot of classes to raise it to at least a 3.0. Just kind of freaked out about the gpa. What if I bust my butt and in the end wind up with a 3.3, then what?? I have a masters from a caribbean school that doesn't really count, from what I've heard, and im $50,000 in the hole! Kind of worried. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

[jaywalk81]

if you have no interest in the MPH, dont do it. you can try applying for other carib schools like ross, auc, and others.

they are very strict on the gpa. even if you get a 3.49. sorry, you are out so forget the 3.3

its feasible. the only "good" thing about this is that you are in control of your own destiny regarding your acceptance into SOM and not in the hands of some ppl sitting around a desk and looking at your app. with this program, you study hard and earn that gpa, you are 100% gurantee a spot in SOM.

so decide what you want for yourself. it will be an extra yr and 50k more. if time and money is an issue, then as said before, try ross or other carib schools.

[5Ws]

I am assuming you want to get the MPH to improve you GPA and get into medical school.
I suggest that if you already have a medical school in mind, setup an appointment with their dean of admissions. Take your transcripts and MCAT score and they will generally give it to you strait (no promises though).
From my understanding, the MPH is considered a "soft" science. I am not a dean of admissions, but I bet one would recommend pursuing a masters in a "hard" science (ie chem. or phys.). This will give them the idea that you can handle the med school course load.
Also, keep in mind that you want to use you masters to distinguish yourself from your 4 year track record. Although your early years follow you around (like a felony), you can at least demonstrate that you have matured or developed professional study habits or both/whatever.

Good luck.

[vaneleus]

I'm wondering what their formula is for choosing who to offer MPH and who to offer the foundations program.

They offered to interview me for foundations after i applied. I haven't recieved any word back and got accepted to Ross in the meantime. For me the extra expense and time pushed me toward Ross. Granted it's not that much more money, in the grand scheme of things, for the Foundations program, but the time factor remains.

[octvela]

yeah, I left that out. I applied to every other medical school and got denied. So, its my only chance. What kind of masters is it? Biochemistry, public health???? They dont really go that into the program on the website. So I would love to hear from people who have been through it. Is it hard to get a 3.5? Thats close to perfect. thanks for the advice

[jaywalk81]

its MPH meaning master of public health.

there is a site for it under sgu and then under grad prog.

[octvela]

thanks jaywalk

[Cotterpin_Doozer]

its not hard, you just gotta put the effort into it. Not rocketscience really. However, they are making it harder though every year. The difficulty is time management, because you can be in class from 9am to 8pm and then you gotta come home and find time to write one of a million papers, meet with your group for mulitple projects, and study for tests. Every term, something like 98% make it. If you have no other choices I'd do it in a heartbeat. I think people who say they're not interested in public health and still say they want to be a decent doctor, aren't completely intuned to what public health is. And I was definitely one of those people. You learn about the determinants of health amongst the vast population in terms of ethnicity, economic status, cultural backgrounds etc. You learn about the health care systems of the world and of the United States. However, the classes in health policy and management were what really intrigued me though, because the need for evidence based policy making is one of the hottest topics for health care right now.

The MPH is really what you make of it. You can use it as a stepping stone to MD, or you can choose to make use of the information you learn to become a more understanding doctor for your patients, while networking with organizations such as your public health department, CDC, NIH, WHO, etc. during your practicum. I know I keep saying this, but I really think you would be hard pressed to find one good reason why someone who is genuinely interested in being a good health care provider could not use the degree to improve their delivery of health care services. With the knowledge you gain, suddenly your patient is no longer just someone with a first and last name, and a medical history, but you can have a greater understanding of how they became ill and the risk factors for which led them to become ill. This information is clearly valuable when determining the most effective means of intervention.

[octvela]

alright, got accepted to MUA Nevis. So, fk it, Im going for the mph. Ill get a 4.0 and wait a whole year. Agree? MUA doesn't seem that good of a school.

[RussianJoo]

You didn't get into Ross or AUC?? wow I am surprised SGU even offered you the mph program. most people get accepted into Ross and AUC but then get offered the mph program at SGU. or maybe you didn't apply to those schools?? I would choose AUC or Ross over the SGU mph, but I would choose the the sgu mph over a school like MUA.

[gladiator]

I got accepted into the MPH program, and also the MERP program at Ross. However, I was denied at AUC, Saba, St. Mathews(very surprised), and MUA(again, very surprised). Does anyone else know of anyone this happened to? Go figure!

[octvela]

Got rejected from SMU, ROSS, SABA, and AUC. AUC, SABA, SMU didnt even grant me an interview. WOW! Yeah, im vthankful for the mph. 2.4 gpa and 2.7 science. 18 mcat then retook and got a 22. Man, ill take ANYTHING at this point!

[HocusPocus]

gladiator... you're joking right? How on earth did you not get into MUA!?!?! That's not possible... you probably read the letter wrong or something... go back and check.. I'm sure it said, congratulations, you're in, now send us a $500 nonrefundable seat deposit.

[RussianJoo]

Got rejected from SMU, ROSS, SABA, and AUC. AUC, SABA, SMU didnt even grant me an interview. WOW! Yeah, im vthankful for the mph. 2.4 gpa and 2.7 science. 18 mcat then retook and got a 22. Man, ill take ANYTHING at this point!


wow 2.7 science gpa... You sure you can cut it in medical school?? I hope u're just not wasting your money.. I am sure you'll get throught the mph part ok but you might have a really tough time with the 1st term. And with the new policy, you won't have a lot of chances to retake classes. I hope you don't fail out after completing a useless mph degree, that would just be a waste of $50K. Best of luck and you better study your butt off.

[SamiAliMD]

I got accepted by SMU and AUC... I'm waiting for a response from SGU. I only have a few days before I need to send in a deposit for AUC... I donno. I think AUC will be fine either way. If SGU comes to me with an MPH, i'm def. going to AUC.

[gladiator]

Hocus Pocus...
When I got rejected at Saba, they offered to forward my application to MUA. I said, "Sure", and then promptly recieved a rejection letter the next week. I had a pretty crazy application, and someone probably didn't want to wade through everything, and just automatically put me in the rejection pile.