I’m going to Macalester in the fall!
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Congratulations 
!
How did you decide?
In any case, 
Parents didn’t support UNC chapel hill, and I really wanted their support to be honest. I really wanted to go to UNC significantly more than macalester but in the end their support matters more to me than anything. Mac doesn’t have a public health major, so I’ll try to find ways to be involved and learn more about their field but if I don’t like the school I’ll apply to transfer. I know I shouldn’t make a decision based off of my parents opinion, but if I’m moving across the country for college I want my parents to be supportive and excited for me to go.
I’m not really excited to attend Mac, it’s a small school and doesn’t have many resources for my preferred field but I’m grateful that they accepted me.
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Mac will have TONS of support for your chosen field- don’t be put off by the nomenclature.
You need a strong statistics background for public health- so you’ll take classes from the applied math department. You need a strong policy background for public health- so you’ll take political science and econ. You need to be able to write well, analyze complex and sometimes technical writing, and any history class will teach you that. You need to understand community structure and organizations, and sociology classes will teach you that. You need to understand how and why people do what they do and make the choices they make- even when it’s contrary to their own best interests and taking psychology classes will teach you that. You need to understand how to be a compelling public speaker and how to influence people- and virtually every single member of the faculty will help you learn that skill.
Congrats on a fantastic choice!!!
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I’m sorry that you (and trusted adults around you) couldn’t convince your parents to let you attend UNC. It is truly normal to mourn a choice you loved but was closed to you and that you sacrificed for your family’s sake, especially if they don’t understand what a sacrifice it is.
That being said, Mac is a topnotch school and even if they don’t have an official Public Health major, they do have an excellent concentration in Community&GlobalHealth which is basically the same thing for your purpose - after taking your 1st year courses you’ll see which major they fit into most easily. The concentration requires 1 internship, which should be right up your alley.
You can plan to take any of these courses your freshman (and sophomore) year
ANTH 239 - Medical Anthropology
GEOG 256 - Health Geography
HIST 164 - Global Health Histories
PHIL 220 - Bioethics
PSYC 380 - Community Psychology and Public Health
PSYC 394 - Topics Course (Indigenous Healing and Well-Being)
POLI 205 - US Politics and Policymaking (when taught with a focus on Public Health)
…As well as complete your Math requirement with a dedicated course STAT 125 - Epidemiology - Acalog ACMS™
+choose a First year course focused on something in relation to your interests.
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Good luck! And as others have suggested, there are great classes aligned to your interests.
There are also some cool exchange programs focused on public health:
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Down the road if you want feedback on the SIT global public health semester abroad, I can share my D’s experience. She’s been abroad (India, South Africa, Argentina) since January and has had a great experience.
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Chiming in to say that according to Google Maps, Macalester is a 13 minute drive from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Research And Policy (CIDRAP). Michael Osterholm, a legend in public health, is based there. That’s an unbelievable public health resource.
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Hopefully you will meet my son who will be there as well. Also there are a couple of UNC Public Health faculty members who went Macalester for their undergraduate. I’m sure they will be delighted if you reach out. Public Health needs MPH or higher graduate degrees so you will have a chance to go out!
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I hope you will consider going in with an open mind and a positive outlook. Mac is truly a spectacular school, and there is a good chance you will love it.
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