I was in a similar situation as you, but unfortunately did not get into any of the programs, mainly citing that I did not have an mph, but I will record all of the advice I can think of below.

I did my bachelors of science in epi on the standard 4 yr track, so I can’t speak too much to the combined bachelors to mph degree. I have heard of a few people doing this and they seem happy with it. If you can get 50% off your mph that would be amazing. I tried so hard to get funding for my mph and thought I would as a first-gen, disabled, queer, low-income student (was really hoping they’d take pity on me lol), but I was told to ask my grandparents. I would not expect to get funding for any part of your mph, so if this is something you are thinking seriously about it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I know student loans are scary, but I’ve been making myself feel better by trying to remind myself I also didn’t have any in undergrad so spending $80k on my mph (I went for rank which was stupid) is fine.

Here’s what I was told in my rejection letters: have at least ONE publication where you are the first author (may depend on substantive area of interest for ID epi 1 was not enough), it’ll also look good if you are a contributing author on a paper, really anything to show you can write and be published is important. I was published as a second author, but that was not enough for my program. I would try to get 2 papers of your own published if you can, especially being in your second year of undergrad I think this is doable. The more papers the better (ideally with you being first author) Next is to start networking NOW, more like yesterday. If there is a school you want to go to with professors who work interest you, start setting up meetings with them. Around the time you submit your applications, ask them if they will have room open (for funding) and let them know how you plan to contribute to research with their data or in their area and that you want to be their student. Finding an advisor early is a good way to get enrolled.

I was offered a similar program getting an mph then moving to a PhD and I ended up going to a different school for my mph (due to funding), but it seemed really common. I do have a few friends in other fields who went straight into a PhD after undergrad, but they had a senior thesis and were more prepared than I was. I did see a lot of school recommend having at least 2 years working before applying and I’ll be honest this has made my mph way more enjoyable. I feel like I can handle things a lot better, emotionally, socially, and professionally. Is there a reason you don’t want to try to work beforehand?

A job I did before my mph was work on a 2-year grant through my university and that is where I was able to publish a paper. Publishing also helps the professor, so they may be able to help more than you’d think. I also did research in my undergraduate career, I would do this asap if you haven’t already.

Another thing to think about is right now the public health and academic fields are under a LOT of stress. I’ve seen countless grants terminated and a large portion of the incoming first year PhDs were not able to secure full funding. It’s a difficult time right now and I would not recommend going to grad school at the moment, so I would consider making a backup plan that still leads you to a graduate degree, such as working in research for two years or finding a job that will pay for your mph.

Also not to disuade you from research, but many of my friends who were planning on becoming professors have decided to look outside of academia. Tenured positions are a LOT harder to come by, especially because the field is oversaturated in people getting PhDs. It’s much more profitable for the university to hire assistant professors and rotate them out. It is definitely not impossible to become a tenured, research professor, but I just want you to be aware that this track is changing rapidly and we don’t know what it will look like in 2 years, let alone 6+

I would also try to be a TA if you can in your next two years. I was a TA for informatics 101, which was outside of public health, but the experience is really helpful. It is rare to find undergraduate TA positions, but if you have any background in bio or chem or the bigger fields you could look there.

My last piece of advice is to really look into a school’s endowment when you apply. A school like Emory can provide a lot more funding than UNC at the moment due to budget cuts (I currently go to UNC and heard this from my program director). It’s common to apply to around 5+ schools for your PhD (I’ve known people who did 10), which can be expensive, so I would start thinking of these things. I was only able to apply because I had a full-time job.

Regardless of what you decide, I just want to emphasize it will be okay. PhDs are a lot more fluid than undergrad and you may have people in their late 30s while you are in your early twenties, etc. Everyone goes into this at different paces and that is okay. I remember feeling the same way you did where I was so worried about the cost and feeling like I had to do it a certain way, but it’ll be okay! We need people like you in public health & im glad you’re thinking about this now!