MPH Notes from school search

[KPZ]

I have started to compile all of my notes, e-mails, etc. to help me make a decision. I thought this might be a good place to share them to save future MPH-seekers some time. Keep in mind that I am obsessive and like to get as nuanced as possible when making a decision, but please also post your notes if you would like to share with future students.

PS: If anyone wants to weigh in on this decision, that's fine too. Obviously I've narrowed it down to the top 3, as you can tell by my obsessive collection of facts.

Major considerations:

• Want to live in a diverse city
• I don't care about money so much in general, but I am probably going to medical school afterwards (or law school if I decide to swing in the policy direction) and need to keep that in mind financially
• I want to maximize my potential for getting into an excellent medical school; I only care about the caliber of the MPH to the point it will get me in the door for great experiential opportunities and ultimately medical school
• Global opportunities are important; both for practicum experience and possible work overseas after I graduate, should I continue to procrastinate on the MD
• I must have opportunities to study the etiology of severe mental illness, but other mental health related opportunities are bonuses

WashU
Summary: Major, globally ranked research university with top health programs. MPH program is a generalist program housed in the school of social work, which is the #1 in the country. The cohort is small, which means more personalized attention. However, the MPH is new and not ranked. Staff has been extremely friendly and personal and I have been offered $25k in funding, for the lowest program cost of $41k. Additionally, STL has a super cheap cost of living and is close to home.
$25k scholarship - $40k total
Not ranked, very new program
Extremely warm and personal - 2 personalized e-mails before official acceptance
Transdisciplinary and customized curriculum (versus being pigeonholed into "epidemiology"; I could switch to focus on policy or biostats or a mix)
Medical school is #6 in country, much higher acceptance rate of in-state and WashU students than non
Birthplace of biopsychology
Cost of living comprable to Cinci - $300-$450/month rent
Need to keep car - $274/month + gas
Already applied to 2 fellowships, each worth ~$5k/yr
#1 school of social work (where MPH is housed)
Attentive, responsive, and personal
Ability to do practicum and other opportunities abroad
Weather is slightly better but not significantly, still no good
City on conservative side, with some more progressive areas
Closest to home - 5.5 hours (after Pitt)
Can defer 1 yr, keep scholarship
#21 NIH psych funding $21m
Brown school (school of social work where MPH is housed) $4m NIH funding
#4 NIH School of medicine funding $354m (this more than ALL ivys)
Smartest student body in america
#15 global university in neuroscience and behavior
#41 best global university
#23 in clinical medicine globally
#16 microbiology and genetics globally
Limited course selection
Med school has Conte center - dedicated to schizophrenia research
Med school also has psych epi masters program (this is for med students but promising for opportunities in that area)
Students seem to be getting interesting job opportunities; I think >90% employment
No thesis requirement (detractor in case apply for PhD programs)

Columbia
Summary:
Ivy league, top ranked global university with top health programs and the #5 school of public health with a large cohort (lots of potential connections, little potential attention). MPH is specific to chronic disease epidemiology and the course options as well as practicum options are robust. The school has many programs and opportunities specific to mental health. However, the staff has been extremely unfriendly and unprofessional and NYC is about 3x+ the cost of living of STL. Additionally, NYC is cold and crowded, though it is extremely diverse and offers many opportunities professionally and with respect to my hobbies. The program is $70k and I have not receive my financial aid package yet, though it's looking like there will be no scholarships.
Ranked #5 School of public health
Ivy league, global brand name
$70k total with no funding in sight
46% greater cost of living than STL
Pretty comparable weather, slightly more sunshine but also more snow
Staff has continual "Technical issues" and slow, inconsistant responses; general aloofness among staff
Reputation of difficult to interact with faculty, though this is inconsistent
Abundance of psych epi research (the MOST researching severe mental illness in the schools of public health according to what I have been able to find)
Opportunity to live in NYC - big city, lots of opportunities and diversity
#8 med school - in-state and Columbia grad doesn't seem to help
Not flexible enough to take med pre-reqs, but could take courses in the law school
Robust and challenging curriculum, plenty of electives to choose from
#6 NIH funding for School of public health $49m
#14 NIH psych funding $18m
#15 NIH School of medicine funding $253m
#2 in NARSAD (brain and behavior) grants $22m
#9 global neuroscience and behavior
#10 best global university
#16 best biology globally
#12 in clinical medicine globally
#17 microbiology and genetics globally
#6 global for psychiatry and psychology
Over 90% employment out of the gate based on survey responses (30% unresponsive); highest salaries (though these are mostly NYC salaries)
Cannot defer
Thesis requirement (good in case decide to go PhD)

Emory University
Summary: Respected university with emerging global presence located in warm and affordable Atlanta, which is within driving distance of home. School of public health is ranked #7 with large class sizes. Staff has been moderately responsive and pleasant except for the mental health certificate contact, who seems to be an illusion I've created in my mind as she has never responded to my e-mails. There is a professor researching schizophrenia epi in the SPH, but that's about it. School is not very well known for psych research but IS extremely well known for public health (Ebola, etc.). Atlanta is considered "public health capital of the WORLD" and the CDC is basically on Emory's campus.
No funding expected - $60k total
Staff inconsistantly responsive, though epi dept seems to be pretty personable, mental health certificate is nonresponsive
Some faculty doing psych epi research, but not a research strength
Atlanta is "public health capital" of the world
Much nicer climate
Atlanta a bigger metropolis, more to do, more diversity, better public transit
Would still probably need car
7 hours from home
16% more costly than STL
Really good comprehensive presentation of materials (technically very capable)
Roughly 80% employment out of the gate
Can defer 1 yr
Ranked #7 School of public health
#24 med school, sizeable favor toward in-state
Thesis requirement (good in case decide to go PhD)
#11 NIH funding for Schools of public health $6m
#17 NIH psych funding $14m
#18 NIH SOM funding $224m
Not in top 100 for neuroscience and behavior globally
#50 best biology globally
#84 best global universities
#32 in clinical medicine globally
Not in top 100 for microbiology and genetics
Flexible to take pre-med classes, but probably would not also be able to do the mental health certificate

U of Florida
$8k scholarship
Psych epi courses
WashU's psych epi program lead relocated to UF
Opportunities for practicums abroad
In medical school
Low ranking School of Public Health
Much better climate
#21 NIH funding for SPH 9m
#61 NIH psych funding 2m
#43 NIH SOM funding 88m

Pitt
Opportunity to go PhD in second year but not guaranteed; funding isn't guaranteed if you do, either
Most expensive - $80k, with no funding for any master's students
Close ties with Western Psych, which gets a ton of funding
Closest to home - 4.5/5 hrs
#7 NIH funding for SPH 42m
#1 NIH Psych funding 58m
#7 NIH SOM funding 317m
Staff is extremely friendly and accommodating; seem to be genuinely interested in finding opportunities for students
Everyone seems to love Pittsburgh, but it's really cold and gray
Old facilities in the middle of a remodel
Ranked #13 SPH

Virginia Commonwealth
Cheapest tuition $48k
In state capital, near gov't buings/local health depts
Generalist program in epi dept of medical school
Mediocre medical school (good but ranked lower than UK)
Small program (~30 students)
Mediocre impression of research (from other student that visited)
Multiple faculty members concentrating on mental health
Usually 90-100% of students are employed or furthering edu
Richmond seems great, much better weather
#28 NIH psych funding 9m
#41 NIH PH funding in med school 1m
#52 NIH SOM funding 66m

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[JaneOakmede]

You have got a tough decision ahead of you! From reading through your notes, my initial thought was to definitely go to WashU. This is based mainly on the fact that you want to go to med school, although it sounds like you are not 100% sure on that. However, I think if the MPH is definitely not going to be your terminal degree then going to a "lesser" known program does not matter much. Are there professors in the public health program doing research you are interested in? Although it does not require a thesis you could still get involved in research. What about outside the department? Would you have the opportunity, for instance, to do work at the Conte center as an MPH student? I think if you have the opportunity to the kind of psych research you are interested in at WashU, plus the cost of living and the scholarship, and the fact that it has a top-notch medical school that may favor you if you've gone there, that may be your best bet. And that is my opinion, since you asked .

 

[KPZ]

You have got a tough decision ahead of you! From reading through your notes, my initial thought was to definitely go to WashU. This is based mainly on the fact that you want to go to med school, although it sounds like you are not 100% sure on that. However, I think if the MPH is definitely not going to be your terminal degree then going to a "lesser" known program does not matter much. Are there professors in the public health program doing research you are interested in? Although it does not require a thesis you could still get involved in research. What about outside the department? Would you have the opportunity, for instance, to do work at the Conte center as an MPH student? I think if you have the opportunity to the kind of psych research you are interested in at WashU, plus the cost of living and the scholarship, and the fact that it has a top-notch medical school that may favor you if you've gone there, that may be your best bet. And that is my opinion, since you asked .

Thank you. I didn't really mean to make this a "HELP ME MAKE A DECISION" post but it definitely came across that way - haha - so I really appreciate your input and I think this articulates a lot of what's going on in my head. Especially the sentence about it not being my terminal degree. That helps to put it in perspective. It's easy to get wrapped up in trying to go to an elite school (because that is a character flaw of mine) but WashU IS elite. Their program not being ranked really doesn't matter much when the university as a whole affords so many opportunities. So thank you!

 

[IntriguedStudent]

Thank you. I didn't really mean to make this a "HELP ME MAKE A DECISION" post but it definitely came across that way - haha - so I really appreciate your input and I think this articulates a lot of what's going on in my head. Especially the sentence about it not being my terminal degree. That helps to put it in perspective. It's easy to get wrapped up in trying to go to an elite school (because that is a character flaw of mine) but WashU IS elite. Their program not being ranked really doesn't matter much when the university as a whole affords so many opportunities. So thank you!

I honestly wouldn't even worry about it not being ranked. As you said, WashU is a highly regarded school. The only reason it isn't ranked is because their MPH is in a program of public health rather than a school. That in itself is not a huge issue as long as they still have an appropriate amount of funding (which, based on your post, it looks like they do) and will provide you with the opportunities to take the courses/do the research you want to do. I got caught up a little bit in wanting to go to an elite school as well. When I finally sat down and actually looked at the schools though, I ended up loving a school that is not highly ranked. I feel like fit is so much more important that rank. If you love a school, you're going to go out of your way to obtain the opportunities that will help you succeed.

Anyways, sorry that went off on a tangent! I know it wasn't the purpose of this thread . This is a great thread though! It should be invaluable to future applicants looking at these schools.

 

[moonflowers]

I honestly wouldn't even worry about it not being ranked. As you said, WashU is a highly regarded school. The only reason it isn't ranked is because their MPH is in a program of public health rather than a school. That in itself is not a huge issue as long as they still have an appropriate amount of funding (which, based on your post, it looks like they do) and will provide you with the opportunities to take the courses/do the research you want to do. I got caught up a little bit in wanting to go to an elite school as well. When I finally sat down and actually looked at the schools though, I ended up loving a school that is not highly ranked. I feel like fit is so much more important that rank. If you love a school, you're going to go out of your way to obtain the opportunities that will help you succeed.

Anyways, sorry that went off on a tangent! I know it wasn't the purpose of this thread . This is a great thread though! It should be invaluable to future applicants looking at these schools.

A lot of these sentiments echo how I'm feeling about my decision--and when I read KPZ's points about WashU they really resonated with me--I think I'm down to NYU or Columbia. If I were to get some money from Columbia that would likely sway me to go there, but at the same time I'd feel like I was giving up wonderful opportunities and a great fit at NYU for a different set of opportunities and a great fit at Columbia. NYU, too, is a program and not a school of public health, so therefore it is not ranked, but I feel that the scope and structure of the program coupled with the resources of NYU would make it a more than worthwhile experience for me. Plus, they gave me a scholarship that would actually make living in NYC not so scary! Good luck to everyone in this final month before decision time!

 

[JewcyFruit]

Giiiirl, want some cash to do one on BU?

 

[KPZ]

Giiiirl, want some cash to do one on BU?

Haha yes. I will do almost anything for money at this point

 

[PHAspirations]

Thanks for this thread! I'm bummed to see so many cons when it comes to Columbia. Based on my interests (social determinants of my health, health inequality and inequity), Columbia seemed like a good choice, particularly Epi with the Social Determinants of Health certificate. I still might apply—I don't so much need them to be nice to me as to help me launch my career.