Deferred MPH vs. taking a gap year CRC job
Graduating this month with a BA in Global Public Health and Psychology. I was accepted to Michigan's MPH in Global Epidemiology with a 75% tuition scholarship and a research award (~16k), which is incredible. But it still leaves about 40k across two years after the 20k/year loan cap, so I am seriously considering deferring. I was recently offered a job as a Clinical Research Coordinator at my R1 university’s Anesthesiology dept, and I am so torn over whether to accept or not.
My reasons for wanting to defer:
- Genuine burnout after a really intense few years. I have been running on empty since 2025! I'd have a few months to recover before starting the program, though.
- The CRC role would give me clinical trials experience in investigational drug and device trials, IRB coordination, Epic, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
- I am about $20k short per year on funding and wanted to close that gap, though of course the funding is sort of a gamble.
The problem is that Michigan's scholarship is not guaranteed if I defer. I would be reconsidered for aid so there are no promises. It’s not less likely that I’d receive the scholarship, but rather I would be considered against a new pool.
From undergrad, I have a year of experience in infectious disease research, work with TB patients in Sub Saharan Africa, and over two years of experience as a health educator + programming assistant for wellness initiatives.
I’m still figuring out what I want to do professionally, but I would be open to working consulting, hospital based work, or in agencies. A PhD down the line is not out of the question, but I’m not currently considering it. Would the CRC role help or hurt given my career interests?
Has anyone navigated this? Did your funding hold after a gap year? Was the experience worth the financial risk? Should I consider another gap year job? Especially curious from anyone in epi or global health tracks.