Gonna post my stats here now that I've committed to Yale-- hopefully it helps someone in the future readings through all these posts like I did! I initially wasn't even going to bother applying this cycle, since I thought my GPA would mean I'd be rejected everywhere. Goes to show that these admissions are pretty holistic. If I went back, I wouldn't have applied to so many schools, especially since I realized I didn't really want to attend some of them.
School: UCLA
GPA: 3.08 (I didn't mention my GPA in my personal statement, but did stress that I was working throughout undergrad)
GRE: 163V, 159Q, 6AWA
Majors: Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology & Russian Language and Literature
Experience:
-Manager at a non-profit art museum (2 years)
-Grant-writing intern at a women's health center (6 months)
-Sex-ed teacher (1 year)
-Pharma-related/biochem research (2 years)
-Intern at a marine environmental non-profit/aquarium (3.5 years)
-Radio DJ (4 years)
Special Factors: Stage-four cancer as a teen, financially independent throughout college/worked full-time, first-gen American, applying out of undergrad
Applied: Yale (MPH in HCM), JHU (MHA), GWU (MHA),
Columbia (MHA), USC (MHA), Dartmouth (MPH)
I rescinded my applications at the last three schools before hearing back, since I was sure I wouldn't want to attend after doing more research/weighing options at the schools I had already been accepted to.
Interview: JHU, Columbia, Dartmouth
Definitely ask a lot of questions during your interview-- not only to show interest for the schools, but to actually know if you want to go there. Interestingly, I had a really great and motivating interview with JHU faculty who really convincingly sold the school to me. Had I not spoken to actual students and alumni, I likely would have attended based on just how good the interview was at selling the school. It ended up not being the right program for me personally, primarily because I want to return to California after grad school and get involved in health tech. The skills needed for the jobs I want are not as stressed in JHU's curriculum, which was made apparent to me after actually speaking with students. The latter two schools conducted interviews via alumni/current students, who highlighted some aspects of their program that were not compatible with what I was looking for. I think actual students vs. faculty are incredibly helpful in illuminating what that school is actually like. The best resource for me was just messaging people on LinkedIn, so I could get an opinion from someone not paid by the school to sell it! Additionally, the responsiveness from alumni upon me messaging them was also a good indicator of what networking with alumni from those schools would be like-- Yale alumni were incredibly responsive, thorough, and genuinely interested in me as a potential student which already made me feel connected to the school.
Rejected: n/a
Accepted: JHU, Yale, GWU
Attending: Yale!
I realize I committed pretty early. Part of this was for my own sanity because thinking about which school to attend was on my mind 24/7 once I had gotten into my two top choices (JHU and Yale). I did the bulk of my research on the schools once I was actually admitted. I applied with a basic understanding of how long the degree is, overview of classes, and cohort size, but that was basically it. Actually talking to students and looking at apartment listings and looking at job requirements for future positions I'd be interested in eventually made my decision pretty clear.
I realized Yale's split between the public health and management schools was perhaps the most valuable asset to me as someone who wants to go into the start-up industry as opposed to traditional pathways of hospital admin or consulting. I was interested in a super small cohort/school, taking business classes with Yale MBA students, and also getting the chance to take computer science/engineering classes from other schools. I also found that there is a good amount of alumni from my undergrad school and that many people end up going to California following graduation, so I'd have a good alumni base to work with in my area, despite going to school on the opposite coast. I also realized I liked the idea of a program that is two years long, since I enjoy working while also going to classes, as opposed to one class-packed year and then a separate work-year. Yale really stressed that students are able to (and typically) work while getting their degree, and I value having that balance and extra experience for my resume.
I didn't take committing early lightly (seriously, I've been doing hours and hours of research all day lol...) and I don't regret it (at least not yet...). That being said, I could have narrowed down my list before applying. Nonetheless, for my personal circumstances, Yale was the clear choice for me! They've also just been the most responsive and nice to me in the process, and with financial aid it became a feasible option for me.