- Joined
- Feb 22, 2008
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 0
Background.
Before applying to MPH programs, I spent a good amount of time researching information about different schools and tracks and found a lot of hearsay regarding the NYU MPH program. I'm now a student there and I'm going to post up a review at the end of every semester so others can get a better idea of the program itself.
I applied with a >3.3gpa, >1400 GRE, relevant international volunteer experience (~2 months in Africa, ~4 weeks in Mexico, and a record of social activism in my local city), and very excellent letters of recommendation.
I applied for mostly international/global health programs and I ended up getting accepted to Tulane (GH), Emory (Global Epi), UCLA (HPM), Cal, SUNY Albany (full scholarship), Yale, and others.
I got rejected both my top choices -- Columbia and Harvard.
Currently, I'm enrolled in the Community Public Health (International Health track) program. Notably, this program is NOT the same as the Global Health program (which is aimed at working professionals). In the end, money talks and NYU offered the best financial aid package at the time as well as what I believe would be the best chance at research and work opportunities. (The Emory and Albany offered scholarships after I had started the program at NYU.)
Demographics.
Male:female -- 1:8 or so in most core classes and closer to 1:3 in general courses (courses that are for multiple disciplines -- biostats, for example)
Average age -- I would guess around 27. The range varies from straight out of undergrad to people who have received their MDs to career changers who have worked in a different industry for 10 years. Overall, it is a relatively young class.
Undergrad stats -- I would venture to say I'm more competitive than most of the class but definitely not the top. I've met a range of undergrad students from state schools and some from Ivy League schools.
I'll update this in the next review when I meet more people.
The Program Itself.
The program itself is accredited by CEPH. It is NOT ASPH accredited because it is not its own school of public health. This does not reflect the quality of the education as other great programs are not accredited by ASPH (eg, Dartmouth).
The emphasis at this program is community health based and by that I mean the place a lot of emphasis on going out and working in a clinical setting. There is less emphasis on research though I would assume if you wanted to conduct research, you should be getting a PhD. An internship is required after your first year and can be done overseas or locally. The school also does a good job of hooking you up with one so you aren't out on your own scrambling. The international track also has a foreign language requirement. There's a range of student oraganizations to help you network and find a job/internship/publication opportunity.
The professors and advisors range from the very academic and distinguished (James Macinko, PhD -- Fulbright Scholar, RWJ Health Policy Fellow, is cited in the 2008 WHO Social Determinants report several times, etc) to very practical (CEO's and COO's of citywide and national community-based health organizations).
Overall, the few professors I have had and heard about have impressed me immensely.
The program is a little unorganized but the advisors and administrators are very helpful and will reply to your emails/calls very quickly. There's very little wiggle room in the cirriculum (as is the case with most MPH programs).
The School.
The facilities are plentiful. The library is large. Wifi in the Washington Square area is dependable. Most of the rooms have modern technology in them. That said, the graduate dorms are not the best, the bathrooms are dirty, etc, etc. Overall, NYU's facilities are not terrible but are hardly top tier.
I have found the general school administration to be helpful if not disorganized and often confused. I guess that comes with handling 35,000 students.
There are many great research programs within the other departments at the school (Applied Psych, Sociology, etc) which wil give you opportunities to intern and possibly publish.
Factors outside of the program.
One of the biggest factors for me was the work experience and opportunities New York City would afford me. Mayor Bloomberg is a huge proponent of public health. There are (literally) hundreds of nonprofit organizations within city. NYC has distinct public health problems and populations you would not find elsewhere -- highest HIV rate in the nation, the HIV population is more than San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC combined, a gamut of socioeconomic populations -- from the richest in the nation to the poorest, all within 10 miles of each other. Large organizations (United Nations, NYC Department of Health) and small organizations are always looking for people.
The City.
I'm from a large city so the adjustment was drastic but not profound. Nothing ever really prepares you for something like this. I would think most MPHers are not adverse to heavily populated areas since that is the target of greatest effect, but if large city life is not for you, NYU should be marked right off the list.
Conclusion.
Don't discount NYU because of the lack of information out there. I am under the belief that the program doesn't matter as much as the experience you attain and New York (as well as NYU) will offer plenty of those opportunities. Obviously, if I had been accepted to Columbia, I'd have the best of both worlds but I wasn't.
Also, NYU is like every other graduate program in that you will get out of it what you put in. I've met students who have gotten by with minimal effort but see this as a terminal degree and I've met students who worked hard and are moving on to PhDs or great positions in prestigious organizations. Speaking for myself, I'm currently taking courses full-time and working 20-30 hours at a (non-credit) internship with high publication potential and looking for a second (paying) internship with the hope that by the time I finish the program (and do their credited internship), I'll be competitive regardless of whether I decide to pursue a PhD, research position, or community (applied) health position.
I'll update at the end of the semester and see if I'm still as pleased with the program.
Before applying to MPH programs, I spent a good amount of time researching information about different schools and tracks and found a lot of hearsay regarding the NYU MPH program. I'm now a student there and I'm going to post up a review at the end of every semester so others can get a better idea of the program itself.
I applied with a >3.3gpa, >1400 GRE, relevant international volunteer experience (~2 months in Africa, ~4 weeks in Mexico, and a record of social activism in my local city), and very excellent letters of recommendation.
I applied for mostly international/global health programs and I ended up getting accepted to Tulane (GH), Emory (Global Epi), UCLA (HPM), Cal, SUNY Albany (full scholarship), Yale, and others.
I got rejected both my top choices -- Columbia and Harvard.
Currently, I'm enrolled in the Community Public Health (International Health track) program. Notably, this program is NOT the same as the Global Health program (which is aimed at working professionals). In the end, money talks and NYU offered the best financial aid package at the time as well as what I believe would be the best chance at research and work opportunities. (The Emory and Albany offered scholarships after I had started the program at NYU.)
Demographics.
Male:female -- 1:8 or so in most core classes and closer to 1:3 in general courses (courses that are for multiple disciplines -- biostats, for example)
Average age -- I would guess around 27. The range varies from straight out of undergrad to people who have received their MDs to career changers who have worked in a different industry for 10 years. Overall, it is a relatively young class.
Undergrad stats -- I would venture to say I'm more competitive than most of the class but definitely not the top. I've met a range of undergrad students from state schools and some from Ivy League schools.
I'll update this in the next review when I meet more people.
The Program Itself.
The program itself is accredited by CEPH. It is NOT ASPH accredited because it is not its own school of public health. This does not reflect the quality of the education as other great programs are not accredited by ASPH (eg, Dartmouth).
The emphasis at this program is community health based and by that I mean the place a lot of emphasis on going out and working in a clinical setting. There is less emphasis on research though I would assume if you wanted to conduct research, you should be getting a PhD. An internship is required after your first year and can be done overseas or locally. The school also does a good job of hooking you up with one so you aren't out on your own scrambling. The international track also has a foreign language requirement. There's a range of student oraganizations to help you network and find a job/internship/publication opportunity.
The professors and advisors range from the very academic and distinguished (James Macinko, PhD -- Fulbright Scholar, RWJ Health Policy Fellow, is cited in the 2008 WHO Social Determinants report several times, etc) to very practical (CEO's and COO's of citywide and national community-based health organizations).
Overall, the few professors I have had and heard about have impressed me immensely.
The program is a little unorganized but the advisors and administrators are very helpful and will reply to your emails/calls very quickly. There's very little wiggle room in the cirriculum (as is the case with most MPH programs).
The School.
The facilities are plentiful. The library is large. Wifi in the Washington Square area is dependable. Most of the rooms have modern technology in them. That said, the graduate dorms are not the best, the bathrooms are dirty, etc, etc. Overall, NYU's facilities are not terrible but are hardly top tier.
I have found the general school administration to be helpful if not disorganized and often confused. I guess that comes with handling 35,000 students.
There are many great research programs within the other departments at the school (Applied Psych, Sociology, etc) which wil give you opportunities to intern and possibly publish.
Factors outside of the program.
One of the biggest factors for me was the work experience and opportunities New York City would afford me. Mayor Bloomberg is a huge proponent of public health. There are (literally) hundreds of nonprofit organizations within city. NYC has distinct public health problems and populations you would not find elsewhere -- highest HIV rate in the nation, the HIV population is more than San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC combined, a gamut of socioeconomic populations -- from the richest in the nation to the poorest, all within 10 miles of each other. Large organizations (United Nations, NYC Department of Health) and small organizations are always looking for people.
The City.
I'm from a large city so the adjustment was drastic but not profound. Nothing ever really prepares you for something like this. I would think most MPHers are not adverse to heavily populated areas since that is the target of greatest effect, but if large city life is not for you, NYU should be marked right off the list.
Conclusion.
Don't discount NYU because of the lack of information out there. I am under the belief that the program doesn't matter as much as the experience you attain and New York (as well as NYU) will offer plenty of those opportunities. Obviously, if I had been accepted to Columbia, I'd have the best of both worlds but I wasn't.
Also, NYU is like every other graduate program in that you will get out of it what you put in. I've met students who have gotten by with minimal effort but see this as a terminal degree and I've met students who worked hard and are moving on to PhDs or great positions in prestigious organizations. Speaking for myself, I'm currently taking courses full-time and working 20-30 hours at a (non-credit) internship with high publication potential and looking for a second (paying) internship with the hope that by the time I finish the program (and do their credited internship), I'll be competitive regardless of whether I decide to pursue a PhD, research position, or community (applied) health position.
I'll update at the end of the semester and see if I'm still as pleased with the program.
