Getting a Master of Public Health degree at Harvard

Here are some things I would do differently

I went back to graduate school after over a decade of working to get my MPH in Health Policy at Harvard. In my experience, it has been incredibly rewarding and has opened my eyes to opportunities I couldn’t have imagined. I strongly recommend that adults pursue mid-career graduate degrees if at all possible, and public health is an important and interesting field of study for the world today. Here are some things I would do differently or take special note of — I learned many of them the hard way:

Applying and Paying for the Degree:

Professional master’s programs cost a lot of money, usually somewhere around $50,000. Financial aid is absolutely available, but it requires a significant amount of planning and hard work. There are a plethora of fellowships and other programs, but you’ll need to apply early and often. I did not do this. One of the best fellowships that applies to multiple Harvard graduate programs is the Zuckerman Fellowship, which is designed for people who want to go into public service. It covers your tuition and living expenses, for the most part, and also has a good network and support program for the program’s fellows. In order to be eligible, you’ll need to have a compelling background and a clearly defined goal to work in public service. That’s just one option, though — there are many fellowships and scholarship programs. Early research and application is key.

I chose Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health (tied for #2 ranked school), but I also applied to three other top schools of public health. I was accepted to Johns Hopkins (the #1 ranked school), Emory (the #7 ranked school) and waitlisted at Boston University (tied for#10 ranked school). I chose Harvard for the network, international recognition, faculty and University-wide opportunities. However, there are many great schools of public health across the country, and you should make your decision based on each program’s merits. I’m going to focus on Harvard-specific learnings, but perhaps some of this will be relevant to other programs.

The application process for almost all credible Schools of Public Health is SOPHAS — sort of a combined application. Deadlines for the top schools are mostly in December of each year — Berkeley, for example is December 1st; Harvard and Johns Hopkins are on December 15th. I say “sort of” because most schools have additional questions and materials, but it does make transcripts and test scores a little easier to coordinate. The application takes a long time, and you’ll likely need to go back multiple times to finish it and fill in all relevant information. Give yourself at least a couple of weeks.

You need to take the GRE, most likely, which is a widely offered computer-administered test for almost all graduate school applications. Note that most schools WILL take a recent GMAT (business school admissions test), MCAT (medical school admissions test) or in some rare cases, the LSAT (law school admissions test), but I’m pretty sure those tests are harder (I’ve taken the GMAT), so just take the GRE if you don’t have any other recent test scores to offer up (and check the requirements). I studied using Magoosh’s online option, but there are all kinds of options to study for admissions tests, in person, through books, and online. Study thoroughly and take the GRE **early**, so that you can take it again if you’re not happy with the results. There aren’t many clear guidelines about the results that you need to achieve, but you should consider it a gating mechanism. I didn’t score as highly as I wanted, but the strength of my application in other areas was sufficient.

Finally, you’ll need a compelling personal statement and at least three letters of recommendation. Start thinking now about why you want to get the degree, and what it would mean to your future career. Think about specific events or things in your past that made you who you are today, and think about how they relate to your specific field within public health or healthcare. There are many great guides to writing personal statements for graduate school online. As for letters of recommendation — ideally you’d have at least one academic letter of recommendation, but if like me, you’re returning to school after a long time away, you might only have professional references, and that’s ok. Make sure to prep your references well — ideally you’d take them out to coffee and explain why you’re going back to school and what you hope to achieve. And perhaps most importantly — give them plenty of time to complete the letter of recommendation and send them a thank you note right away. Again, start early with your personal statement and letters of recommendation.

I started receiving results from my applications in late February, and received the letter of acceptance to Harvard in early March. It was pretty exciting!

In summary: start planning and preparing **now** if you want to apply for a Master of Public Health for 2017–2018.

Planning for the Academic Year:

Once you’ve been accepted, there are a variety of important things to keep in mind. First of all, the MPH is designed to be a terminal degree, meaning that it doesn’t usually lead to further study. At the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, it is offered as a school-wide degree, meaning that it is administered through a special MPH office. There are multiple concentration options for the MPH, include Health Policy, Management, Health and Social Behavior, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology and Global Health. You must indicate your concentration when you apply, but you can also change it, within some limits, when you arrive. The curriculum is being changed slightly, so do some research on your own (and talk to the admissions office), but for the most part the MPH exists in a sort of complementary fashion to the actual *departments* at HSPH. Ask current students about their experiences.

One of the very best things about being a graduate student at Harvard is that you are allowed to cross-register at multiple schools, including the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School…the School of Education…and the list goes on. You can even cross register into MIT. You are allowed to take 50 total credits throughout the year if you are a “45-credit MPH”, and I assume 70 total credits if you are a “65-credit MPH” (the difference in the program is based on your previous educational attainment and work experience). While there are many excellent classes at HSPH, you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity, and cross-register into as many classes as possible. Do your research, read course evaluations, ask current and past students, figure out the deadlines and email professors and their assistants if you have questions.

The regular academic year starts in the end of August, but you can extend your experience at Harvard by starting early during summer session. For the 45-credit MPH students who will only be on campus for 1 academic year, this is a great way to get more out of the program. I regret not doing this.

Living in Boston (or Cambridge):

HSPH is in the Longwood Area of Boston, near most of the big hospitals…and not in Cambridge. Most of the other Harvard schools, with the exception of the Medical School, are in Cambridge or within close walking distance. This is difficult, because Longwood is only accessible on the Green Line of the very, very old and cranky T subway/light rail system, or a few busses. Given where I’m spending most of my time this semester, I wish I lived in Cambridge. YMMV. There are plenty of appropriate apartments near HSPH in Brookline, but think carefully about how you’ll get to Cambridge. There is one free shuttle that goes between the Longwood Area and Cambridge, but it’s infrequent (only twice an hour usually) and often very slow.

You should expect to be very, very busy during the academic year, so take some care to set up your life in a way that is most convenient and hassle-free. Paying a few extra hundred dollars in rent to be in a better location will likely be worth throughout the year.

That said, make sure that you also plan at least a few trips during the academic year — you’re well placed for road trips in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and you also shouldn’t miss a trip to Montreal, which is an amazing city. A couple of hours on the train gets you to New York City, which obviously needs no introduction.

Building Your Network at Harvard, Practicum Opportunities:

Make this one of your top priorities. Your classmates will be part of your network — build meaningful connections. Find faculty members and other graduated students who are doing research that interests you, and get involved. Email professors and set up time with them, learn about their work and ask all the questions you can think of. Be respectful of time and always send thank you notes, but in general, take advantage of the opportunity to learn from some of the top people in public health in the world.

You will be required to find a practicum, sort of like a very project-focused internship, and this is a great opportunity for you to make industry connections and get references for your future career. I also recommend spending the majority of Winter Session (most of January) working on your practicum, ideally full-time at the site, vs. gallivanting around the world. It’s possible that your practicum will require travel, and if so, that makes sense, but otherwise, take the opportunity to get the bulk of the work done during that time.

Or Maybe…Get Another Degree:

I’m happy with the MPH program, but there are other options that might be better for you. For example, many schools of public health offer a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program that is a practice-focused doctoral degree for future public health leaders. It’s a 3-year full-time program at Harvard, and is offered part-time at Johns Hopkins. Perhaps you’re more interested in research, in which case you should consider applying for a PhD. Here’s the Harvard Health Care Policy program, and the Chan School also offers a PhD in Population Health Sciences, among others. Yes, this is a much bigger commitment and lifestyle change, but if it’s truly what you’re interested in, why not go for it? My grandmother earned her PhD in Mathematics at the age of 47.

Let me know if this was helpful for you, and if you have questions about getting an MPH degree.