Advice on UW, Emory, Yale, JHU choice Please

[redlotus]

Hello,

Any University of Washington MPH experience out there? I'm deciding between the following:

Yale -- expensive and have to give up my current, and great, job in health policy at the US GAO

Emory -- more affordable, can keep the job, good connections to CDC

UW -- most affordable, can keep the job, community health oriented (important to me)

Accepted at all of the above. Then there's Hopkins -- acceptance contingent on an successful statistics refresher after a less than optimal GRE Quan score. The latter means I get REALLY busy for the next few weeks trying to cram a distance stats course in and hope that it satisfies JHU or I pick one of the three above. My concern -- I'm most interested in community health, behavioral, and policy -- not EPI or biostats. UW is highest ranked (4th) next to JHU and seems to meet my interests perhaps better than JHU, but then there's the chance to go to a nationally known SPH. Is UW considered in the Columbia, JHU, Michigan, UNC ranks or just regionally known. I hope to go on to a health policy PhD and want to set the ground work.

Any input would be so much appreciated!!! I'm really floundering here on this because my time and money in the next couple of months is really limited at work.

Thanks again.

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[namazu]

First of all, congratulations on having to make this hard decision!

UW has a great reputation, and it's definitely known and respected outside the Pacific Northwest! If I had to pick, based on the limited info you've provided (not knowing your particular living preferences, etc.), I'd probably pick it.

JHU is a well-regarded program, but I don't think it's so much better than UW - and particularly since UW is very strong in areas of interest to you - that it's worth giving up a good job you enjoy. Plus, JHU is pretty expensive - almost $8000/term, with 5 terms to complete the MPH. The one thing it has going for it relative to the other schools is proximity to DC, which might be good for making policy-related connections.

As for the statistics thing, I don't see the need to work yourself to death over it right now, though getting a handle on it may be useful for the future, especially if you're planning to apply to PhD programs. Hopefully the biostatistics you'll successfully complete as part of your MPH will be sufficient to satisfy a future PhD program.

Yale - given the other options you have, probably not worth it, unless it has some compelling redeeming value you haven't mentioned (e.g. faculty you're really excited about work with, or some kind of community health policy center that does cool stuff and has good connections).

Emory - this could be a strong contender, for the reasons you list. I don't know much about the school's specific strengths in your areas of interest (not because they don't exist, just because I don't know much about Emory), and this would definitely be something to look into. [If anyone else on the BB can comment on this, please do!]

So I would vote for looking into UW and Emory more closely - visiting if at all possible - and talking to as many people as you can, not only about the programs (but definitely do that), but also about the general atmosphere in the school and in Atlanta vs. Seattle.

One thing wasn't clear to me from your post - are you hoping to continue with your current job and/or advance within the GAO/related agencies? Or are you looking for something different when you complete your studies? Assuming the former, that's a stronger argument for UW or Emory, where you can keep your current job. If the latter, also check into the internship programs and job placement partnerships at each school. Also, would you be working full-time and taking classes part-time? If so, also be sure to check into the class schedules and funding situation (if you can't convince the GAO to cover it).

Good luck with your deliberations and decision-making!

 

[phapp]

namazu makes some good points. I will also add that both Emory and UW are very strong in the area of community health, and I would argue that both are stronger than JHU and Columbia in this area. Michigan and UNC are the other two programs that do really great community-based work, but not relevant for you since they are not ones you are considering.

 

[Seagal]

Hi Redlotus,

Congratulations on your acceptances!!

I am a graduate of UW-MPH program. Just wanted to give my 2 cents. It is a great program. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. However, the thing with the UW program is that the first two quarters you have to take biostatistics and epidemiology. The two classes are quite intensive. It is encouraged to take a full year of biostats and though not encouraged it made sense to take the last quarter of epi.

My friends in the program who were interested in more community health were not too crazy about the first year classes. With having to decide on a thesis during spring quarter or summer of first year--the first two quarters doesn't give many choices for exploring what you'd want to do.

This is not that important--but---we didn't have our own cubicle. We had to share this small space with three computers with our program and (the last time I was there) with the Masters in Health Admin students as well. It becomes a pain during midterms and finals.

If you already have a job that you love and see yourself continuing on there with your MPH training--stay there. It is going to get hard(er) for MPH graduates with the upcoming budget cuts. I see that you are interested in getting a PhD in public policy. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure that JHU has more funding. So you are more likely to get a RA position that you could use for a thesis or for recommendation letters when it comes time for applying to PhD programs.

Hope that helps.