I got into the mph for epi ...
The con for me right now is the $100,000 bill
Yes, it is too, too expensive. Try to figure out if they have money for you, go somewhere that has given you money, or settle in with your cans of beans and hefty repayments. The degree can be financially worth it, but you have to know what the salaries for your likely field will be and think carefully. I was ready for the cans of beans, but I think many of my classmates felt, well, hoodwinked?
Calling premad! Premad went to/is going to Mailman and offered to answer any questions.
I agree, but you are paying for the name of the school as well... I too am annoyed that I havent found out ANYTHING about scholarships from any schools, just the fact that I was accepted. I heard that columbia is doesn't give out as much aid as other schools? Can anyone confirm if this is correct or not? Because if it's need-based and off of our parent's income...I don't know if I will qualify even though they wont help pay for the school
Even if they gave me a scholarship, I don't think it would be more than 5K. The texas scholarship too was measly at $1500. Any idea if the program can be done in 1.5 years? That would at least bring down the living expense a bit.
Waiting eagerly for next week...
Columbia doesn't give lots of money. UMich does, Hopkins is pretty good, but Columbia is bad. They're getting better, and they do have some good scholarships to give. If you have money from another school, try to leverage it (politely). And, badger the financial aid office if you haven't heard and it's getting close to the time where you need to make a decision. Again, politely. Also, talk to your department to see if they've given out their scholarships, if you're a contender, and continue to emphasize that it's your top choice (if true). They do have some money, but you might have to ask.
does anyone know how to find apartments or housing in the neighborhoods around? like what neighborhoods are ok and what's average rent like? where do most of the grad students live, etc etc? THANKS!
WaHi and Inwood are great neighborhoods. Definitely affordable, with enough fun to keep you busy. You'll meet lots of wonderful people at Mailman, so they definitely keep it interesting. Apply for student housing and then shop on Craigslist and in the Columbia off campus housing database.
The great thing about NYC is that you really don't have to live close by to get to school. Columbia's SPH is right off the subway, so you could live pretty much anywhere an commute. If you really want to live close by, that neighborhood is ok, though it can get pretty dead at night. Check Craigslist for Washington Heights/Inwood. I also lived at International House by Columbia's main campus a few years ago. I would definitely look into them if you're doing the Global Health track, it was a great deal. That neighborhood was really fun, and just a 10 minute subway ride away.
The MTA has actually made this formerly true statement largely invalid.
You can try living anywhere you want, but you will be grizzled, late, etc. I would stay in Inwood/WaHi/Hamilton Heights/Morningside/Harlem/UWS, or maybe Mid-Town West, unless you have a sweet apartment deal set up for you somewhere.
Are all International House students in the global health track? I'm thinking about applying, but I would be in a mangement track for health policy and management. Thanks!!
International House is near the main campus, so I think it's a mix of students from different programs. Definitely not where most global health track students will live, I don't think most international students from Mailman live there either.
I was accepted into both Columbia and Yale for the healthcare policy program. I'm really leaning towards Columbia, but family friends etc. are all pushing me towards Yale.
How do you think the 2 programs compare to each other? Academic, alumni/connections, and reputation wise...
I am having the same dilemma (but with the biostats/epi program) of deciding between Columbia and Yale. Friends and family are pushing me towards Yale b/c it has a better overall name, but at the same time my fam is pushing Columbia since I'm from NYC and ultimately am going to settle there after grad school. My main concern are the job prospects after graduation. Any input is appreciated!
Columbia, FTW.
Ok, a more fair answer is that I do not know the intricate details of HPM at Yale. HPM at Columbia is wonderful. Sherry Glied and Micheal Sparer are brilliant, there are lots of other great faculty, and you can work in classes from the B-School or SIPA. HPM-wise, the school has a great network in NYC, and pretty good in DC and Atlanta. But, it all depends on what you want to do, what faculty you like, and where you think you can do that best. Reputation only gets you so far.
Congrats to everyone that has been accepted to Columbia. I am a long time lurker and decided to join today yay!!!
Columbia is my first choice and I applied to the Urbanism and Build Environment Track. I was wonder has anyone heard back from Columbia that applied for this track. Secondly, does anyone know how many people apply to this track and are accepted? Is this a very popular track? I am so nervous, I REALLY want to go to Columbia. I just want to know already urgggggggg
Have you heard back yet? Urbanism is great, but they've gone through some major changes, which might be slowing them down. Also, the track is very, very small. Something like 10-15 maximum, where a track like Health Promotion might get up to 50.
congratulations to everyone! got my email on tuesday and am ecstatic. anyone else in here doing dept. of sociomedical sciences? if so, which track?
haven't received e-mail yet on accepted students days.. so march 26th or april 9th are our choices? also, spoke to someone today and was told that aid applications would be up on the website "very soon"...that could mean next week, but i wouldn't worry if you haven't heard about your scholarships yet.
does anyone know how to inquire about graduate research assistantships or becoming a ta? do i contact my dept. head for this?
TA/GRA stuff is usually found after you enroll, but definitely contact your department and make a list of profs that you'd like to work with. Then, you can contact them to see if they have positions. Some departments are good at helping out to find placements, others are less so.
Columbia wants a reply (with $500) by April 15. If they haven't even made their scholarship forms available (let alone scholarship decisions), how do they expect us to decide by that time?
I've heard from all the 10 unis I applied to (8 acceptances) and I think I want Columbia but I still need to work out the costs and other things!
Does Columbia offer jobs on campus (to international students) with a full time General Public Health (1 year) MPH?
Thanks and happy deciding!
You can ask them if they will post-pone your reply date a bit, giving the reason that you're waiting on scholarships from them/other places.
On-campus jobs are definitely available for international students, but I don't know GPH sorts that out. You can definitely just apply to jobs that interest you.
Does anyone know what the class schedule is like at Columbia for the 2 year full time MPH program? Any clue if it's generally organized as class 5 days a week...?
Hi guys,
I too was deciding between Yale and Columbia (for Health policy) and after visiting both this week, I am pretty set on Columbia.
One thing I was unaware of (not sure if you guys did know) is that the Columbia MPH is done over only 3 semesters, so its 1.5 years long. That may offset the cost of attendance vs. other universities? I haven't looked into it too deeply.
Re: MPH2010Columbia, I met with a very cool professor in Epi who is doing great stuff in urbanism and the built environment (specifically in nutrition/ obesity, which is my interest). His name is Andrew Rundle. I'd suggest meeting with him if you visit.. his group is doing really really interesting things.
Andrew Rundle is awesome. Naa Oyo Kwate is also doing amazing stuff, as are others. The new NYC Health Commissioner is also a big built environment guy who came from NOLA.
I met with the Academic coordinator for Health Policy (my track) and she showed me the course breakdown. She was very clear that it was done over 3 semesters and that 95% of students complete it this way. There is a practicum/internship requirement which you do the summer after first year.
It may be different for the other tracks though.
Y'all have gotten this sorted already, but, yes: Most People: 2 years. HPM: 1.5 years. GPH/Weird Med Students: 1 year. Dual Degree: 3 years.
Also, you can always condense. In your last semester, you'll have very few credits to complete and maybe a thesis to write, if you've taken a full load for the other semesters. So, you can either try to do 1.5 years, or do a light last semester where you work more hours and search for jobs.
You'll likely have classes anywhere for 2 days, 3 days, or 4 days per week. Few classes on Fri, besides the executive MPH, so that's often a good day to put in lots of internship/work hours. Definitely work during your time at Mailman, it will make everything more relevant, cash is good, and it's a great way to get a foot in the door for the job following graduation.
Goodluck
