Fall Orientation Welcomes the School’s Largest and Best-Qualified MPH Class.

The Boston University School of Public Health ushered in the largest and best qualified MPH class in the history of the School with a comprehensive two-day orientation program.

This year’s orientation included a new element, the Practice Plunge, that was designed to introduce new students to public health practice and to key communities in Boston.

New students get a tour of campus during the first round of 2012 OrientationA total of 378 new MPH candidates have registered for classes this fall, an impressive increase of nearly 20% over last year’s class. While the School received a record number of MPH applications, admission offers were actually down by one from 2011, resulting in a record low acceptance rate of 48%. However, BUSPH’s steadily growing reputation resulted in a record high yield, with 35% of accepted students choosing to enroll.

The quality of the Fall 2012 class is comparable to prior MPH cohorts at BUSPH, with average GRE scores and college GPAs showing a very slight increase from last year. It is also the School’s most international class ever with 60 students from other countries, up from 26 in 2011. This doubling of international students will bring welcome diversity and enrich the experience of all our students.

The School is well prepared to accommodate this extraordinary group of students. The Education Committee has been carefully adding sections of core courses where appropriate and expanding key student functions such as tutoring and career services. The Education Committee and the department chairs are also planning ahead for the spring semester to make sure the School can continue to accommodate more students in second semester classes and on into subsequent years.

Orientation at BUSPH marked the beginning of an exciting opportunity for new students and for the School, its faculty and its staff.