<p>There is a LOT of research related to public health. Clinical work is actually probably less valuable than research when it comes to getting into schools of public health.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your GPA is, but I had a 3.4 when I applied and I got into MPH programs at Emory, Columbia, and Yale, as well as the PhD program here at Columbia. I also got a half-tuition scholarship at Emory. I suspect that it was my strong references and my research experience (2.5 years) that got me in, as I was coming straight from undergrad.</p>
<p>You don’t need microbiology to go into epidemiology - it depends on the type of epidemiology that you’re interested in. Epi is actually a far more quantitative field than it is a content-based one. Biology courses will probably be helpful (and may be required at some places) but most of the people I know in epi had math backgrounds and not biology backgrounds. Obviously you do need the chemical prerequisites to do toxicology or environmental health sciences, and a bit of calculus and statistics to do epi and biostatistics, but if you’re interested in the other fields of public health (health education, health promotion, behavioral health, health policy/services/management) you can major in virtually anything (although a basic statistics course will be helpful but you’ll have to take intro to biostatistics anyway, so it may not be required depending on the program). Anthropology is an excellent major for a public health prospective student.</p>
<p>If your GPA is above a 3.0 I encourage you to apply anyway and see what happens, and if it is above a 3.3 I strongly encourage you to apply. Look for programs that offer concentrations in what you are interested in (if you are interested in sexuality, for example, Columbia is the place to be!) and apply to those places.</p>