u/Much-Map3150

Hi! I plan to do the 4+1 Pathway in Public Health Policy and Management at Barnard. I’m not sure if I want to apply ED or RD as of now.

The other schools I am applying to include: Tufts, BU, Emory, GWU, Lehigh, NYU, Northeastern, Columbia, Rutgers, Villanova, Georgetown, and Boston College.

These are my stats below.

Demographics / Context: White Muslim female. Competitive NYC high school (no class rank). Want to be a healthcare leader (Not explicitly Pre-Med)

Academics

GPA: 95.8 UW, 96.7 W

SAT: Test Optional? 1440

Coursework:

4/5 AP classes available to me

All honors classes otherwise

2 dual enrollment college courses (Epidemiology & Biology)

No formal research opportunities available at school, so I pursued hospital-based experiences instead.

Awards and Honors:

National Honor Society (11th-12th)

Seal of Service (earned 11th)

Seal of Civic Readiness (earned 11th)

Seal of Biliteracy (Albanian – on track senior year)

$2,000 Small Essay Writing Contest Winner (health-related topic)

Extracurriculars

Founder and Director, Healthcare Explorers Initiative: Founded and lead a student organization connecting students in NYC and Montenegro with healthcare professions. Reached 300+ students overall through 10+ career panels. Expanded internationally with virtual sessions for students in Montenegro. Also integrated programming into my school to increase access for students there. Focus on healthcare access, education, and career exposure. Responsible for outreach, logistics, and programming.

Co-Founder and Treasurer, Medical Club (School): Co-founded school healthcare club focused on medical exploration. Lead biweekly meetings, manage budget, and organize events. Partner with Healthcare Explorer initiative to bring guest speaker into school programming.

Data Research, Healthcare Quality (Hospital): Worked on hospital QI project with Director of Patient Care analyzing patient satisfaction data across the hospital systems. Designed interventions that improved care quality metrics by 9%. Findings presented to corporate hospital leadership.

Program Developer, Hospital Volunteer Initiative: Designed and implemented a pilot volunteer program focused on patient care and collaborated with local students. Worked on structure, training framework, and roles, and assisted leadership to launch it.

Intern, Director of Patient Experience (Hospital): Intern since junior year (20-30 hrs/week during summers and breaks). Work on patient experience initiatives, healthcare data analysis, and staff training.

Emergency Department Volunteer: 500+ hours in hospital ER since sophomore year. Support patients and staff through transport, supply restocking, and patient assistance in a fast-paced clinical environment.

Medical Translator (Albanian–English): Translate during grandparents’ medical appointments to ensure clear communication.

Varsity Basketball Manager (School): Manager for varsity basketball team for 2 years (6 hrs/week during season). Handle logistics, equipment, and stats tracking.

Math Tutor: Tutor 4 elementary students in math biweekly since freshman year.

Part-Time Jobs (Daycare Assistant and Froyo Worker): Work 8–12 hours/week since freshman year in childcare and later in a customer service role.

Hi!

I’m a freshman at Columbia and I would love if I can speak with any current students about their experience as a public health major in general. I would also love to speak to those who attended HS in the city and how their transition to Columbia was.

Please feel free to DM me or leave a reply. I can use any of the resources/advice I can get.

Hi!

I honestly love all these schools equally. Just wondering which gives me the best bet for admissions based on my application as a whole. And give me other schools to look into, especially in the tri-state area of NY!

These are my stats below.

Public Health / Health Sciences Major

NYC Competitive High School

Demographics / Context

White Muslim female

Competitive NYC high school (no class rank)

Want to be a healthcare leader (Not explicitly Pre-Med)

Academics

GPA: 95.8 UW, 96.7 W

SAT: Test Optional? 1440

Coursework:

4/5 AP classes available to me

All honors classes otherwise

2 dual enrollment college courses (Epidemiology & Biology)

Additional academic context:

Getting recommendation from AP Psychology (very close with teacher and she consistently speaks about my determination and discipline) and English (was told I am strongest student in class and close with teacher). No formal research opportunities available at school, so I pursued hospital-based experiences instead.

Awards and Honors:

National Honor Society (11th-12th)

Seal of Service (earned 11th)

Seal of Civic Readiness (earned 11th)

Seal of Biliteracy (Albanian – on track senior year)

$2,000 Small Essay Writing Contest Winner (health-related topic)

Extracurriculars

Founder and Director, Healthcare Explorers Initiative: Founded and lead a student organization connecting students in NYC and Montenegro with healthcare professions. Reached 300+ students overall through 10+ career panels. Expanded internationally with virtual sessions for students in Montenegro. Also integrated programming into my school to increase access for students there. Focus on healthcare access, education, and career exposure. Responsible for outreach, logistics, and programming.

Co-Founder and Treasurer, Medical Club (School): Co-founded school healthcare club focused on medical exploration. Lead biweekly meetings, manage budget, and organize events. Partner with Healthcare Explorer initiative to bring guest speaker into school programming.

Data Research, Healthcare Quality (Hospital): Worked on hospital QI project with Director of Patient Care analyzing patient satisfaction data across the hospital systems. Designed interventions that improved care quality metrics by 9%. Findings presented to corporate hospital leadership.

Program Developer, Hospital Volunteer Initiative: Designed and implemented a pilot volunteer program focused on patient care and collaborated with local students. Worked on structure, training framework, and roles, and assisted leadership to launch it.

Intern, Director of Patient Experience (Hospital): Intern since junior year (20-30 hrs/week during summers and breaks). Work on patient experience initiatives, healthcare data analysis, and staff training.

Emergency Department Volunteer: 500+ hours in hospital ER since sophomore year. Support patients and staff through transport, supply restocking, and patient assistance in a fast-paced clinical environment.

Medical Translator (Albanian–English): Translate during grandparents’ medical appointments to ensure clear communication.

Varsity Basketball Manager (School): Manager for varsity basketball team for 2 years (6 hrs/week during season). Handle logistics, equipment, and stats tracking.

Math Tutor: Tutor 4 elementary students in math biweekly since freshman year.

Part-Time Jobs (Daycare Assistant and Froyo Worker): Work 8–12 hours/week since freshman year in childcare and later in a customer service role.

Hi!

I’m a rising freshman who got off the Cornell waitlist very late and am now committed! I applied honestly not knowing much about CHE and the Public Health program specifically at Cornell, so I’m just wondering if anyone can share their experiences or knowledge with me. Any classes to take(or avoid), clubs to join, etc.

Thank you so much!

Demographics / Context

White Muslim female

Competitive NYC high school (no class rank)

Seeking merit-based aid everywhere besides top 20 institutions (VERY IMPORTANT)

Want to be a healthcare leader (Not Pre-Med)

Academics

GPA: 95.8 UW, 96.7 W

SAT: Test Optional? (1370 without trying -> retaking in September)

Coursework:

4/5 AP classes available to me

All honors classes otherwise

2 dual enrollment college courses (Epidemiology, Biology, & maybe English if AP Lang is not available to me for senior year)

Additional academic context:

Strong student in AP Psychology (very close with teacher and she consistently speaks about my determination and discipline) and English (was told I am strongest student in class and close with teacher). No formal research opportunities available at school, so I pursued hospital-based experiences instead.

Awards and Honors:

National Honor Society (11th-12th)

Seal of Service (earned 11th)

Seal of Civic Readiness (earned 11th)

Seal of Biliteracy (Albanian – on track senior year)

$2,000 Essay Writing Contest Winner (health-related topic)

Extracurriculars

Founder and Director, Healthcare Explorers Initiative

Founded and lead a student organization connecting students in NYC and Montenegro with healthcare professions. Reached 300+ students overall through 10+ career panels. Expanded internationally with virtual sessions for students in Montenegro. Also integrated programming into my school to increase access for students there. Focus on healthcare access, education, and career exposure. Responsible for outreach, logistics, and programming.

Co-Founder and Treasurer, Medical Club (School)

Co-founded school healthcare club focused on medical exploration. Lead biweekly meetings, manage budget, and organize events. Partner with Healthcare Explorer initiative to bring guest speaker into school programming.

Data Research, Healthcare Quality (Hospital)

Worked on hospital QI project with Director of Patient Care analyzing patient satisfaction data across the hospital systems. Designed interventions that improved care quality metrics by 9%. Findings presented to corporate hospital leadership.

Program Developer, Hospital Volunteer Initiative

Designed and implemented a volunteer program focused on patient care and collaborated with local community colleges. Worked on structure, training framework, and roles, and assisted leadership to launch it.

Intern, Director of Patient Experience (Hospital)

Intern since sophomore year (20-30 hrs/week during summers and breaks). Work on patient experience initiatives, healthcare data analysis, and staff training.

Emergency Department Volunteer

500+ hours in hospital ER since sophomore year. Support patients and staff through transport, supply restocking, and patient assistance in a fast-paced clinical environment.

Medical Translator (Albanian–English)

Translate during grandparents’ medical appointments to ensure clear communication.

Varsity Basketball Manager (School)

Manager for varsity basketball team for 2 years (6 hrs/week during season). Handle logistics, equipment, and stats tracking.

Math Tutor

Tutor 4 elementary students in math biweekly since freshman year.

Part-Time Jobs (Daycare Assistant and Froyo Worker)

Work 8–12 hours/week since freshman year in childcare and later in a customer service role.

My current list and I feel like something is missing:
\- Only preference I have is that most of my schools must be East coast.

Columbia (ED?)
Boston College (ED2?)
Barnard
Lehigh
Villanova
Georgetown (only if SAT increases)
Boston University
University of Miami
University of Florida
Tufts (debating on removing)
Tulane
Northeastern (NYC Scholars)
Cornell CHE
GWU
Emory
Rutgers (honors college hopefully)
University of Maryland
Binghamton

Questions

How realistic are my chances at these schools and which would be my best fit from an outsiders perspective?

Where am I strongest or weakest?

Any suggestions for schools I should add or remove especially for merit?

Hi!

Trying to apply to BC for public health and I’m very confused because there is no way on the common app that I can indicate that I am interested in the major. I understand you have to apply to Morrissey first but when you go to select a major, unlike environmental or international studies, public health doesn’t even show up.

What can I do instead? Thanks!!

Chance Me – Public Health / Health Sciences Major (NYC Competitive High School)

Demographics / Context

White Muslim female

Competitive NYC high school (no class rank)

Seeking merit-based aid everywhere besides top 20 institutions (VERY IMPORTANT)

Want to be a healthcare leader (Not Pre-Med)

Academics

GPA: 95.8 UW, 96.7 W

SAT: Test Optional? (1370 without trying -> retaking in September)

Coursework:

4/5 AP classes available to me

All honors classes otherwise

2 dual enrollment college courses (Epidemiology, Biology, & maybe English if AP Lang is not available to me for senior year)

Additional academic context:

Strong student in AP Psychology (very close with teacher and she consistently speaks about my determination and discipline) and English (was told I am strongest student in class and close with teacher). No formal research opportunities available at school, so I pursued hospital-based experiences instead.

Awards and Honors:

National Honor Society (11th-12th)

Seal of Service (earned 11th)

Seal of Civic Readiness (earned 11th)

Seal of Biliteracy (Albanian – on track senior year)

$2,000 Essay Writing Contest Winner (health-related topic)

Extracurriculars

Founder and Director, Healthcare Explorers Initiative

Founded and lead a student organization connecting students in NYC and Montenegro with healthcare professions. Reached 300+ students overall through 10+ career panels. Expanded internationally with virtual sessions for students in Montenegro. Also integrated programming into my school to increase access for students there. Focus on healthcare access, education, and career exposure. Responsible for outreach, logistics, and programming.

Co-Founder and Treasurer, Medical Club (School)

Co-founded school healthcare club focused on medical exploration. Lead biweekly meetings, manage budget, and organize events. Partner with Healthcare Explorer initiative to bring guest speaker into school programming.

Data Research, Healthcare Quality (Hospital)

Worked on hospital QI project with Director of Patient Care analyzing patient satisfaction data across the hospital systems. Designed interventions that improved care quality metrics by 9%. Findings presented to corporate hospital leadership.

Program Developer, Hospital Volunteer Initiative

Designed and implemented a volunteer program focused on patient care and collaborated with local community colleges. Worked on structure, training framework, and roles, and assisted leadership to launch it.

Intern, Director of Patient Experience (Hospital)

Intern since sophomore year (20-30 hrs/week during summers and breaks). Work on patient experience initiatives, healthcare data analysis, and staff training.

Emergency Department Volunteer

500+ hours in hospital ER since sophomore year. Support patients and staff through transport, supply restocking, and patient assistance in a fast-paced clinical environment.

Medical Translator (Albanian–English)

Translate during grandparents’ medical appointments to ensure clear communication.

Varsity Basketball Manager (School)

Manager for varsity basketball team for 2 years (6 hrs/week during season). Handle logistics, equipment, and stats tracking.

Math Tutor

Tutor 4 elementary students in math biweekly since freshman year.

Part-Time Jobs (Daycare Assistant and Froyo Worker)

Work 8–12 hours/week since freshman year in childcare and later in a customer service role.

My current list and I feel like something is missing:
\- Only preference I have is that most of my schools must be East coast.

Columbia (ED?)
Boston College (ED2?)
Barnard
Lehigh
Villanova
Georgetown (only if SAT increases)
Boston University
University of Miami
University of Florida
Tufts (debating on removing)
Tulane
Northeastern (NYC Scholars)
Cornell CHE
GWU
Emory
Rutgers (honors college hopefully)
University of Maryland
Binghamton

Questions

How realistic are my chances at these schools and which would be my best fit from an outsiders perspective?

Where am I strongest or weakest?

Any suggestions for schools I should add or remove especially for merit?

Chance Me – Public Health / Health Sciences Major (NYC Competitive High School)

Demographics / Context

White Muslim female

Competitive NYC high school (no class rank)

Seeking merit-based aid everywhere besides top 20 institutions (VERY IMPORTANT)

Want to be a healthcare leader (Not Pre-Med)

Academics

GPA: 95.8 UW, 96.7 W

SAT: Test Optional? (1370 without trying -> retaking in September)

Coursework:

4/5 AP classes available to me

All honors classes otherwise

2 dual enrollment college courses (Epidemiology, Biology, & maybe English if AP Lang is not available to me for senior year)

Additional academic context:

Strong student in AP Psychology (very close with teacher and she consistently speaks about my determination and discipline) and English (was told I am strongest student in class and close with teacher). No formal research opportunities available at school, so I pursued hospital-based experiences instead.

Awards and Honors:

National Honor Society (11th-12th)

Seal of Service (earned 11th)

Seal of Civic Readiness (earned 11th)

Seal of Biliteracy (Albanian – on track senior year)

$2,000 Essay Writing Contest Winner (health-related topic)

Extracurriculars

Founder and Director, Healthcare Explorers Initiative

Founded and lead a student organization connecting students in NYC and Montenegro with healthcare professions. Reached 300+ students overall through 10+ career panels. Expanded internationally with virtual sessions for students in Montenegro. Also integrated programming into my school to increase access for students there. Focus on healthcare access, education, and career exposure. Responsible for outreach, logistics, and programming.

Co-Founder and Treasurer, Medical Club (School)

Co-founded school healthcare club focused on medical exploration. Lead biweekly meetings, manage budget, and organize events. Partner with Healthcare Explorer initiative to bring guest speaker into school programming.

Data Research, Healthcare Quality (Hospital)

Worked on hospital QI project with Director of Patient Care analyzing patient satisfaction data across the hospital systems. Designed interventions that improved care quality metrics by 9%. Findings presented to corporate hospital leadership.

Program Developer, Hospital Volunteer Initiative

Designed and implemented a volunteer program focused on patient care and collaborated with local community colleges. Worked on structure, training framework, and roles, and assisted leadership to launch it.

Intern, Director of Patient Experience (Hospital)

Intern since sophomore year (20-30 hrs/week during summers and breaks). Work on patient experience initiatives, healthcare data analysis, and staff training.

Emergency Department Volunteer

500+ hours in hospital ER since sophomore year. Support patients and staff through transport, supply restocking, and patient assistance in a fast-paced clinical environment.

Medical Translator (Albanian–English)

Translate during grandparents’ medical appointments to ensure clear communication.

Varsity Basketball Manager (School)

Manager for varsity basketball team for 2 years (6 hrs/week during season). Handle logistics, equipment, and stats tracking.

Math Tutor

Tutor 4 elementary students in math biweekly since freshman year.

Part-Time Jobs (Daycare Assistant and Froyo Worker)

Work 8–12 hours/week since freshman year in childcare and later in a customer service role.

My current list and I feel like something is missing:
- Only preference I have is that most of my schools must be East coast.

Columbia (ED?)
Boston College (ED2?)
Barnard
Lehigh
Villanova
Georgetown (only if SAT increases)
Boston University
University of Miami
University of Florida
Tufts (debating on removing)
Tulane
Northeastern (NYC Scholars)
Cornell CHE
GWU
Emory
Rutgers (honors college hopefully)
University of Maryland
Binghamton

Questions

How realistic are my chances at these schools and which would be my best fit from an outsiders perspective?

Where am I strongest or weakest?

Any suggestions for schools I should add or remove especially for merit?

Hi!

I am a rising senior at an amazing Manhattan public school. I did transfer in last year, but my commute was around 45-50 min from Queens daily.

My family decided to move for my senior year (this summer) very far out into Staten Island.

My high school definitely is not a specialized school but ranks around the top 15-25 public schools in all of NYC.

The curriculum and environment is great, limited ap courses (huge plus for college), and I have so many friends there who I truly love.

My new local school isn’t as terrible as most SI schools but is MUCH larger and offers 20+ AP/DE courses which I am definitely not used to. My current school only offers 4 and I only took one so far (only one for juniors).

I already established that on the commute that I can catch up on work and set up for the day but something is genuinely holding me back. My mom has to drive me to the SIR for 5 min, take the train for 25 min, take an SIM bus for 50 min, and then walk 10 min to my school.

Is it too much for my senior year? I also don’t really have much going on after school since I went heavy and focused on my extra curriculars junior year and am only doing them during days off/breaks. I just really don’t know if i want to go to a new high school again and risk losing everything i have built.

Someone help please!

Hi!

I’m a 17 year old who recently moved to Marlboro NJ. We really don’t know anyone around here and I’m looking for a job for the end of July, all of August, and start of September.

I am great with talking to people and would love a job in retail or a small establishment (just no restaurants). If anyone can recommend any places I should call up, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much!

Hi!

I’m a very devoted 17-year-old from NYC looking for any job opportunities (preferably UES/Midtown) with decent pay. I’m hardworking, reliable, and willing to help with a variety of tasks. I’m especially interested in flexible opportunities that offer direct cash payment.

If anyone can point me toward an establishment hiring or a place where I could call and ask about job openings, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

Hi!

I’m a very devoted 17-year-old from NYC looking for any job opportunities (preferably UES/Midtown) with decent pay. I’m hardworking, reliable, and willing to help with a variety of tasks. I’m especially interested in flexible opportunities that offer direct cash payment.

If anyone can point me toward an establishment hiring or a place where I could call and ask about job openings, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

hi!

very interested prospective student here. i’m very interested in public health and i know villanova doesn’t have that as a major option. i’m currently planning to go pre-med, but not 100% sure. i want a major that is definitely more flexible/similar to public health and NOT extremely science heavy. i’ve been looking into both comprehensive and environmental science but i don’t know much about either.

just wondering if anyone has another recommendation for me or can tell me the differences in these two majors? thank you!!

Hi!

I’m a rising senior from NYC and believe that I am a very competitive applicant for my niche. I’m currently looking into schools and made a list, but I know that it is not balanced AT ALL. A huge factor for me is money. I am middle class and my family makes ~140k a year. When looking at a school such as Barnard, i’m pretty sure it can be semi-affordable for my family. But I am looking for more schools with merit opportunities!!

These are some of my favorites: Cornell (land grant), BC, Binghamton, Lehigh, Villanova, Barnard, Tulane, JHU, Emory, GWU, Northeastern, Rutgers, UMiami, & UVA.

Hi!

I’m a rising senior and was so set on applying to unc. I have a cousin who goes there and loves it!

I heard that the funding for OOS students was cut and I know that there is no way I can attend while paying anywhere close to sticker price.

I just want to confirm if this is true or not and wondering if this is happening with aid for any colleges (including private or just in general)? Thanks!

Hi!

I’m a rising senior. I went to a good catholic school freshman/sophomore year in NYC but ended up moving boroughs and ended up at a higher ranked school but it is not Catholic. Also all the Catholic schools in my area stopped accepting new students prior to junior year. I know that BC typically favors students that attended a Catholic school so I’m just wondering if it counts for me or not?

I also do have a story built around service and helping others based off of what I learned in school. I may be able to talk about that in a supplemental.

But lmk!

Hi! Rising senior here.

I’m genuinely curious whether an applicant’s faith has any impact on admissions outcomes at schools like BC and Villanova.

I have two close friends who are best friends. One is Catholic and the other is Muslim. They do pretty much everything together—they work together, participate in many of the same extracurriculars, and have very similar EC lists overall. None of their extracurriculars are religion related either. I also believe they’re both applying for the same major (either biology or biochemistry).

They’re both planning to apply to BC and Villanova, and since I don’t know much about admissions at religious universities (and don’t personally plan on applying), I was wondering: does a student’s religion play any role in admissions decisions at schools like these? Or is it essentially treated the same as any other part of an application?

Hi! Rising senior here.

I’m genuinely curious whether an applicant’s faith has any impact on admissions outcomes at schools like BC and Villanova.

I have two close friends who are best friends. One is Catholic and the other is Muslim. They do pretty much everything together—they work together, participate in many of the same extracurriculars, and have very similar EC lists overall. None of their extracurriculars are religion related either. I also believe they’re both applying for the same major (either biology or biochemistry).

They’re both planning to apply to BC and Villanova, and since I don’t know much about admissions at religious universities (and don’t personally plan on applying), I was wondering: does a student’s religion play any role in admissions decisions at schools like these? Or is it essentially treated the same as any other part of an application?

Hi! Rising senior here.

I’m genuinely curious whether an applicant’s faith has any impact on admissions outcomes at schools like BC and Villanova.

I have two close friends who are best friends. One is Catholic and the other is Muslim. They do pretty much everything together—they work together, participate in many of the same extracurriculars, and have very similar EC lists overall. None of their extracurriculars are religion related either. I also believe they’re both applying for the same major (either biology or biochemistry).

They’re both planning to apply to BC and Villanova, and since I don’t know much about admissions at religious universities (and don’t personally plan on applying), I was wondering: does a student’s religion play any role in admissions decisions at schools like these? Or is it essentially treated the same as any other part of an application?

Hi!

I’m a recent college grad and living with my parents in Manalapan/Marlboro. Recently got an amazing job offer in the Flatiron area of Manhattan and am planning to commute.

I should be at work by ~8:30 or ~9:00 depending on the day. I’m planning to take the 132/139 on the Gordon’s Corner stop. Just wondering how reliable the commute is and if it is usually an hour to Port Authority?

I would take the bus at 6:50-7:05 and also wondering if there are usually seats available? And also should I take an earlier bus?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated since I know relatively nothing about how people commute to the city. Thank you!