MPH MPH school/program location matters??

[InsaneObserver]

East vs West Coast

Hi I hope you can help me with an issue that plenty of people are having, but I haven't found a thread that addresses specifically the pickle I am in.

I am from CA and received acceptances from SDSU, BU, UMass, Tex A&M for a MPH in Environmental Health/Sciences. I plan to stay/come back to CA for my career to potentially become an Industrial Hygienist (though I am open to a multitude of other careers/jobs in EH).
From what I hear, BU has a good program with a large network, I shouldn't turn it down but it's expensive to attend and to move to the East Coast. And SDSU may be just a so-so program but is cheaper and in CA. I understand that it's only for 2 years but will where I go negatively impact my future plans to come back to CA?

Any advice would be great! Or if you know anyone that you can connect me with that's in the same field, that would be good as well. Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

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[Pdesai8]

I think location does matter a lot. Are you looking to live in San Diego after you graduate? If so, I think SDSU might be a better choice. Schools' networking/campus recruiting tends to be regionally focused. This is not to say you can't get a job in CA after you graduate from BU, but you're likely to be on your own with applying to positions instead of finding open jobs during their campus recruiting. It just makes sense for companies/hospitals to focus their recruiting locally..it's more cost-effective and students are more likely to want a job in the area they are already in.

Take a look at the career site on the BU website. You will get an idea of the top organizations that recruit from there and where they are located.

One of the main reasons I'm choosing Berkeley (over Hopkins and even Harvard if I get in) is because I want to live in the bay area after I graduate and I want to establish my professional and personal network there.

 

[InsaneObserver]

I think location does matter a lot. Are you looking to live in San Diego after you graduate? If so, I think SDSU might be a better choice. Schools' networking/campus recruiting tends to be regionally focused. This is not to say you can't get a job in CA after you graduate from BU, but you're likely to be on your own with applying to positions instead of finding open jobs during their campus recruiting. It just makes sense for companies/hospitals to focus their recruiting locally..it's more cost-effective and students are more likely to want a job in the area they are already in.

Take a look at the career site on the BU website. You will get an idea of the top organizations that recruit from there and where they are located.

One of the main reasons I'm choosing Berkeley (over Hopkins and even Harvard if I get in) is because I want to live in the bay area after I graduate and I want to establish my professional and personal network there.

UCB is a great choice. I am awaiting to hear back from UCB, UCI, and Columbia still. I am from the Bay Area and I might move to LA after I graduate. Thanks for the response.

 

[Pdesai8]

Did you consider USC and UCLA?

 

[InsaneObserver]

Did you consider USC and UCLA?

I got rejected from UCLA, was so bummed. And I didn't apply to USC because I didn't want to apply to any more schools outside of SOPHAS. And at the time it sounded daunting. I saw now that they have a new EH track added, I'll consider applying now since their deadline for Fall is June. Thanks!

 

[themmases]

I suppose it depends what you want to do with your degree (maybe we need a thread on that? I am so curious about people's plans!), but I would personally not consider leaving the area unless it was for a big name with an amazing fit, or money-- preferably both. The way I see it, local schools' reputations get inflated a bit in their area because people work with their graduates all the time. People are less likely to know about schools far away, even if they're great, because they meet graduates of those schools much less often. That ranking in the market where you want to work is a lot more important than national rank. If you leave knowing you want to come back, you're also planning on two expensive cross-country moves, on top of the opportunity cost of not working full-time for 2 years, tuition, student loan interest, etc.

Also, speaking as someone who works with biostatisticians and MPH clinical research professionals, I have no idea where any of their degrees are from and I've never heard my colleagues discuss it either. Stats knowledge is valuable no matter where you get it, and all I really know about the biostatisticians is that I really need their help in the final stages of a project-- and some paper reviewers won't publish our work unless we consult one. Same for the MPH people, I know nothing about how or where they earned their degrees, I just know they are definitely qualified to have more responsibility in bigger programs than I am (as much from working with them as anything). My experience with them makes me strongly prefer to avoid moving (far) and prefer public schools. Of course, I'm spoiled-- I live in Chicago.

 

[InsaneObserver]

I suppose it depends what you want to do with your degree (maybe we need a thread on that? I am so curious about people's plans!), but I would personally not consider leaving the area unless it was for a big name with an amazing fit, or money-- preferably both. The way I see it, local schools' reputations get inflated a bit in their area because people work with their graduates all the time. People are less likely to know about schools far away, even if they're great, because they meet graduates of those schools much less often. That ranking in the market where you want to work is a lot more important than national rank. If you leave knowing you want to come back, you're also planning on two expensive cross-country moves, on top of the opportunity cost of not working full-time for 2 years, tuition, student loan interest, etc.

Also, speaking as someone who works with biostatisticians and MPH clinical research professionals, I have no idea where any of their degrees are from and I've never heard my colleagues discuss it either. Stats knowledge is valuable no matter where you get it, and all I really know about the biostatisticians is that I really need their help in the final stages of a project-- and some paper reviewers won't publish our work unless we consult one. Same for the MPH people, I know nothing about how or where they earned their degrees, I just know they are definitely qualified to have more responsibility in bigger programs than I am (as much from working with them as anything). My experience with them makes me strongly prefer to avoid moving (far) and prefer public schools. Of course, I'm spoiled-- I live in Chicago.

That is what I fear about moving across the country. I figure if the school is well known enough, I can come back to CA. I haven't heard back from the rest of the CA schools, but compared to what I got accepted into so far in CA, SDSU, I think I am sacrificing huge opportunities just to stay in state. I am still awaiting to hear from UCB and UCI. If you live in Chicago, I'm sure you get plenty choice colleagues from reputable universities and also from Chicago's own local universities.

 

[Pdesai8]

I agree with themmases. Honestly, if you were considering Harvard or Yale over SDSU, I would say go for it since those schools have a very strong brand name recognition. BU on the other hand, not as much. I work at an academic medical center in Chicago and most of our hirees went to grad school at either UChicago/Northwestern/Michigan or an ivy. I don't know anyone here who went to BU. I can't imagine BU standing out on a resume more than any other local University around here even if unranked.

 

[Pdesai8]

I know this is obviously just your opinion... but do you think that in the public health field, Emory stands out in the same way as the Ivies?

It probably depends on your specific area, but in healthcare/hospital management (my field) and in Chicago, I would say no. I'm sure in the south, Emory's reputation is much more highly regarded. In my field/location, we don't really have many (any?) emory grads and thus aren't really familiar with the caliber of its' graduates, nor does the Emory name pop on a resume like harvard/yale/hopkins does.

But again..in the field of epi/biostats/research I have no idea.

 

[Dribble]

Emory has a moderate amount of name recognition, the school is in the top ten, but I don't think it is worth it going across the country for BU, paying very high tuition and probably getting worse weather than in California! BU is tied in the rankings with the University of Pittsburgh, and I don't think anybody goes to that school for the name recognition. Then there are schools ranked a couple tenths of point below BU, like Tulane, and Yale which of course have name recognition.

It's all a regional thing, and some might argue that the rankings don't mean much outside of the well known schools, for instance, UT is no. 15, but probably helps a lot more than BU in terms of getting a job in Texas. BU might be worth it for certain concentrations, like SBS and only if you got a substantial merit scholarship, but I don't think the school is very strong in analytical based areas, and lacks in terms of actual global health opportunities.

 

[themmases]

I have the same experience as Pdesai8-- I work in hospital-based research and most people's undergrads seem to be from a private school in the city (NW and U of C, but also a fair number of Loyola and DePaul grads) or a Midwestern public school, usually a big one like UIUC or Michigan. Personally I went to UIUC and so did the person who held my job before me. My closest coworker is from U of C.

It's so common for people to earn a masters or professional degree while working that I'm not aware of people looking down on such a degree from any school in the city, as long as it's not a for-profit or unaccredited school. Many, many people seem to have an MBA, MPH, etc. from Loyola or DePaul that they got after working for a few years, possibly while still working, and it doesn't really matter what their national rankings are because they're well thought of here. DePaul actually has a CEPH-accredited program that can be done in 2-4 years with all classes offered at night, apparently on the assumption that people will keep working, and they're starting an on-site version at my hospital. It's not right for me, but I'd probably look favorably on someone who did it because I've worked with other grads of that school and I think the structure of that program is such a good idea.

 

[Stories]

I think regional network is important, but also just as helpful is if you know of what nation-wide network of that specific school. Unfortunately, without reaching out to those people you would interact with at that school, you can't know how the network is across the country. It's a tough call--but I'd say in general, staying in the region you're going to school is usually the best bet for finding a job there in the future. Especially for interviews--being local really really helps.

 

[InsaneObserver]

I think regional network is important, but also just as helpful is if you know of what nation-wide network of that specific school. Unfortunately, without reaching out to those people you would interact with at that school, you can't know how the network is across the country. It's a tough call--but I'd say in general, staying in the region you're going to school is usually the best bet for finding a job there in the future. Especially for interviews--being local really really helps.

I definitely hear you, hence, I have been reaching out to current students and recent graduates. It has definitely been helping me so far in weighing my choices. I don't think I will stay local if the program isn't prestigious. I will be losing out on a great education and endless opportunities to stay local. I totally understand what everyone is saying about staying local, but it is justifiable to an extent.

 

[Dribble]

Probably a good deal of happiness and success at a given school is based upon your perception of said school having a "great education and endless opportunities", even if similar opportunities are available locally. If you don't think highly of the education at SDSU, then SDSU might not be a good place to go. Some students would much prefer SDSU over a higher priced school with a good, maybe marginally better, but not stellar, reputation.

 

[InsaneObserver]

Probably a good deal of happiness and success at a given school is based upon your perception of said school having a "great education and endless opportunities", even if similar opportunities are available locally. If you don't think highly of the education at SDSU, then SDSU might not be a good place to go. Some students would much prefer SDSU over a higher priced school with a good, maybe marginally better, but not stellar, reputation.

SDSU is way affordable! That weighs heavy on the mind.

 

[Dribble]

SDSU is way affordable! That weighs heavy on the mind.

A lot of things weigh heavily on the mind during academic coursework, not the least of which would be the debt burden upon graduation. So, yes, tuition will affect happiness at a given school. BU uses their tuition to fund public health research at the school, so in a way you're helping to fund public health research by going there, SDSU probably has state support, and hence less need for high tuition. Just saying that high tuition doesn't correlate with the quality of the education as the money often goes elsewhere.

I think for a lot of applicants, there are a couple of triggers which would lead them to decide to bite the higher tuition at school B, over the lower tuition at school A. Such as:

1. Stellar reputation, such as JHU. You only live once, so you might be the sort of person who really wants a top notch experience at a stellar school, and you have the time/motivation to make the most of the networking and resources.

2. Personal family reasons, such as living in school B's town, or having family there.

3. Idiosyncratic reasons, such as there is a specific professor/research program that really has your interest, above just a vague, "I think school B has a bit of a better rep in field x, so maybe I should go there."

 

[Solara]

Take a look at this post (very opinionated, but it might be useful for you)
http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/32457-is-the-debt-worth-it-for-boston-universitys-mph/

That debt will hang on you for a while. Is there someone specific that you want to work with at BU? Personally, I'd just go to school in California and save the money.