Boston University MPH

[MPHApplicant902]

For those who applied to BU, what track did you apply to? When did you send in your application and when did you hear back?

I was told my application was sent for review on 11/30. Admissions also said I would either hear by the end of this week or early next (week of the 19th). Sill haven't heard anything though... Just getting a bit anxious as BU is one of my top choices!

What do you think is a reasonable time for a decision if my materials were sent for review on 11/30?

Thanks.

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[H20Propre]

For those who applied to BU, what track did you apply to? When did you send in your application and when did you hear back?

I was told my application was sent for review on 11/30. Admissions also said I would either hear by the end of this week or early next (week of the 19th). Sill haven't heard anything though... Just getting a bit anxious as BU is one of my top choices!

What do you think is a reasonable time for a decision if my materials were sent for review on 11/30?

Thanks.

BU's application process fosters a lot of frustration, and even resentment, for applicants.

Last year's classic thread,

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=797974,

is both eye opening and hilarious! I will never forget the riding in the bus with a chicken comment by Awapi:


"When I began my application process for a Master of Public Health in September of 2010 Boston University was my top choice program. I spoke to my Peace Corps Country Director and Regional Manager about this fact on more than one occasion. I shared the information with a visiting Returned Peace Corps Volunteer/now graduate student from Senegal. I was excited and nervous about the application process and looking forward to the possibilities of a future at BU.

Around this time I completed my SOPHAS application, Boston University was the only school to which I applied that required a resume. The only internet connection within two hours of my Peace Corps site was not strong enough to allow me to upload that resume. I took a day from my precious vacation days and spent over a weeks worth of my meager living allowance to travel 6 hours to the capital for the sole reason of uploading my resume for Boston University. Due to further technical difficulties inherent to a developing country I was forced by time and money constraints to submit my SOPHAS application without the resume attached. I emailed Boston University with a copy of my resume and an explanation as to why it was not attached to my SOPHAS application. Much to my surprise and dismay I received a very condescending email reply chastising me for not having it attached to my SOPHAS information.

I feel as though I have shown my desire to attend BU, through my actions and through the words in my statement of purpose already provided to the committee for review. I would be curious to know if there were any other applicants who sacrificed a weeks pay and rode for 12 hours round-trip in sweltering heat on a wooden bench seat carrying a neighbor's chicken one way in order to submit one form for Boston University.I am disappointed to say that this is just a small portion of the negative experience I have had throughout the application process with BU. However, on the other hand, I am proud to say that I have been accepted into all the other programs to which I have applied and have been greeted with warmth and excitement from their admissions departments, faculty, staff, and representative students. At this point I feel it necessary to withdraw my application for admittance to BU as I will be attending another institution for my MPH. Thank you."

Anyway, I'll hazard a guess and say that BU makes the admission process particularly drawn-out and annoying so that they get students who don't bail after they get accepted. BU is a safety school and they want to increase the percentage of accepted applicants who actually bite the bullet, pay the expensive tuition, and go to the school . . . anybody know the percentage? Somebody said it was around 30% or so,

For a lot of applicants I know, BU isn't in their top ten, let alone top twenty. If you really want to go there, hang on tight, it might be a long and bumpy ride . . .

What's your concentration MPHApplicant902?

 

[MPHApplicant902]

Wow, that was quite hilarious and pretty disheartening.... I guess I know not to hold my breath now waiting for them! Better to just focus on January when some other schools will begin sending out notifications.

I'm applying to the Social & Behavioral sciences track.

 

[healthdisparity]

Wow, that was quite hilarious and pretty disheartening.... I guess I know not to hold my breath now waiting for them! Better to just focus on January when some other schools will begin sending out notifications.

I'm applying to the Social & Behavioral sciences track.

Hello MPHApplicant902 -

Just wanted to let you know I was accepted to BU Health Management Program this past November. I applied early November, so it took about 3 weeks. However, I am sure the quantity of applications has increased significantly, so I would expect you to take longer.

I also know several others who were already accepted who applied at similar times. Try not to be frustrated and stay positive! It is still way early in the admissions process to be hearing back from majority of schools.

p.s. I would not consider Boston University a "safety school". There are far more inferior schools than superior ones. If BU is where you strive to go, do not get be discouraged by condescending comments. This takes into account a multitude of reasons (discipline, research opportunities, Boston, etc.). I wish you the best in your application process.

 

[Stories]

BU's application process fosters a lot of frustration, and even resentment, for applicants.

Last year's classic thread,

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=797974,

is both eye opening and hilarious! I will never forget the riding in the bus with a chicken comment by Awapi:


"When I began my application process for a Master of Public Health in September of 2010 Boston University was my top choice program. I spoke to my Peace Corps Country Director and Regional Manager about this fact on more than one occasion. I shared the information with a visiting Returned Peace Corps Volunteer/now graduate student from Senegal. I was excited and nervous about the application process and looking forward to the possibilities of a future at BU.

Around this time I completed my SOPHAS application, Boston University was the only school to which I applied that required a resume. The only internet connection within two hours of my Peace Corps site was not strong enough to allow me to upload that resume. I took a day from my precious vacation days and spent over a weeks worth of my meager living allowance to travel 6 hours to the capital for the sole reason of uploading my resume for Boston University. Due to further technical difficulties inherent to a developing country I was forced by time and money constraints to submit my SOPHAS application without the resume attached. I emailed Boston University with a copy of my resume and an explanation as to why it was not attached to my SOPHAS application. Much to my surprise and dismay I received a very condescending email reply chastising me for not having it attached to my SOPHAS information.

I feel as though I have shown my desire to attend BU, through my actions and through the words in my statement of purpose already provided to the committee for review. I would be curious to know if there were any other applicants who sacrificed a weeks pay and rode for 12 hours round-trip in sweltering heat on a wooden bench seat carrying a neighbor's chicken one way in order to submit one form for Boston University.I am disappointed to say that this is just a small portion of the negative experience I have had throughout the application process with BU. However, on the other hand, I am proud to say that I have been accepted into all the other programs to which I have applied and have been greeted with warmth and excitement from their admissions departments, faculty, staff, and representative students. At this point I feel it necessary to withdraw my application for admittance to BU as I will be attending another institution for my MPH. Thank you."

Anyway, I'll hazard a guess and say that BU makes the admission process particularly drawn-out and annoying so that they get students who don't bail after they get accepted. BU is a safety school and they want to increase the percentage of accepted applicants who actually bite the bullet, pay the expensive tuition, and go to the school . . . anybody know the percentage? Somebody said it was around 30% or so,

For a lot of applicants I know, BU isn't in their top ten, let alone top twenty. If you really want to go there, hang on tight, it might be a long and bumpy ride . . .

What's your concentration MPHApplicant902?

I tend to disagree with most of assertions made in this post. But if you're looking for any detailed information regarding BU, I can definitely fill you in on some information as I'm an alum from the Epi and EH tracks. I can also get some thoughts from several other very happy alumni if you have any questions.

 

[MPHApplicant902]

I tend to disagree with most of assertions made in this post. But if you're looking for any detailed information regarding BU, I can definitely fill you in on some information as I'm an alum from the Epi and EH tracks. I can also get some thoughts from several other very happy alumni if you have any questions.

Sure, any information about your experiences would be appreciated! I'm interested in the Behavioral & Social Sciences track. Although you may not be too familiar with that specific department, could you please share some places that students did their practicum? Eventually I would like to work for the CDC as a behavioral scientist.

Are the faculty easily accessible for office hours/willing to help students outside of class time or respond to emails fairly quickly?

At the open house, I remember the adm resps talking about a "final portfolio". Is this in place of a thesis? Could you please explain a little more about this?
(it may be Social & Behavioral Science specific... I'm not sure)

Finally, if students are having trouble in a biostats class for example, are there resources (TAs, tutors, willing professors) to work with if extra help is sought by the student?

Thanks so much!

 

[2013MPH2013]

Hi,
I applied to BU right at the deadline (I think it was Feb 1st or something) last year. It took 30 days to get a decision which I thought was reasonable. I had a great experience with them. I also thought they were very generous with merit scholarships. While I didn't go there, I did look at the curriculum and the nice things about BU and Biostats is they have a few different levels of Biostats classes so you start with the easier one and then take the harder one if you are worried about it.
Good luck!

 

[Stories]

Sure, any information about your experiences would be appreciated! I'm interested in the Behavioral & Social Sciences track. Although you may not be too familiar with that specific department, could you please share some places that students did their practicum? Eventually I would like to work for the CDC as a behavioral scientist.

I had friends do practicums in all different capacities: local health departments, the state health department (DPH is actually quite fabulous and BU has a longer established relationship with DPH than Harvard and this is likely due to BUSPH's emphasis on practice versus Harvard's emphasis on research), NGOs that worked in Europe and Africa, research-based practicums with faculty at Harvard. The one thing I would say is that the practicum office doesn't limit what you can do, but they aren't going to spoon feed you a practicum.

Are the faculty easily accessible for office hours/willing to help students outside of class time or respond to emails fairly quickly?

I found them to be helpful and easy to communicate with. I had three letters of rec from BU faculty that helped me get into my PhD program, too. I also worked with one of the faculty as a RA for a year and half, as well. So the opportunities are definitely there if you're willing to take advantage of them.

At the open house, I remember the adm resps talking about a "final portfolio". Is this in place of a thesis? Could you please explain a little more about this?
(it may be Social & Behavioral Science specific... I'm not sure)

I'm actually not sure what that is, so it wasn't a part of either of my two programs. For Epi we had a cumulative exam and for EH we had to take one of three (or so) capstone classes and present our final projects (thesis defense-style) to the EH faculty.

Finally, if students are having trouble in a biostats class for example, are there resources (TAs, tutors, willing professors) to work with if extra help is sought by the student?

Unfortunately, I never had experience with this, so I can't really say for sure.

Thanks so much!

My pleasure!

 

[MPHApplicant902]

Received my acceptance letter to BU in the mail today with a $12,000 scholarship! pumped!

 

[H20Propre]

I had friends do practicums in all different capacities: local health departments, the state health department (DPH is actually quite fabulous and BU has a longer established relationship with DPH than Harvard and this is likely due to BUSPH's emphasis on practice versus Harvard's emphasis on research), NGOs that worked in Europe and Africa, research-based practicums with faculty at Harvard. The one thing I would say is that the practicum office doesn't limit what you can do, but they aren't going to spoon feed you a practicum.

Stories has good information, BU's research reputation is not nearly as good as the practical angle.

But if she is currently a fellow, (post PhD?), then she might not know the current situation with regards to resource availability, anybody interested in attending BU should talk to current students to get a more up to date picture.

In 2005 there were approximately 298 students enrolled, that number has swelled to about 488. That's a super-sized increase! I doubt that in the last six years the faculty has increased 40%, so by necessity, your "face time" with faculty goes down about 40%. I assume that Stories graduated in 2005, or around that time. If in 2005 Stories says that they won't spoon fed you, when it comes to the practicum, then what do you have in 2011? Having to survive off of roadkill? Its great to have independence and flexibility, but at some point you need mentorship . . .

Also, you've got to consider fatigue. With that many more students, faculty are facing increased demand for LORs and might be less approachable as their workload had presumably skyrocketed. In all fairness to BU, maybe this inability to cope with a flood students, to the chagrin of applicants and students alike, is based on decisions to increase the enrollment.

Is BU a safety school? In my early post I made this claim based on the fact that of the accepted applicants, in the past two years, 30.6 and 30.7% of accepted applicants have actually matriculated at BU. These percentages are in the bottom quartile for public health schools. Based on these hard numbers, one could reasonably conclude that BUSPH is a safety school.

Now, the fact that apparently some students do use BU as a safety school (the vast majority either disappear into the ether and go elsewhere), could happen for a number of reasons. Maybe sticker shock due to the high tuition, (and lack of scholarship), or decision to attend a higher ranked school or one with a smaller student body.

Nobody wants to be treated like a number and become lost in the crowd. What is disconcerting is BU's exploding class size and at times dehumanizing application process.

 

[JMM051]

H20- I know that you're trying to help but you are making generalizations that may not be applicable to each department. You can't just say that because the number of matriculated students went up, that there is less "face time with faculty." Each department is different. Also, even if you are in a class of 20, unless you work with or meet with a prof they are not going to know you. No matter the class size you have to work to establish this relationship.

Assumptions cannot be made based on that 30% matriculation rate. Florida International has an 80% matriculation rate. Is that because FIU is better than Yale (21%) or Columbia (42%)? Not necessarily. The rates vary because different schools meet different needs. There has been a lot of bashing of BU the last two years and while their approach to the application process last year did not help, it is still a highly regarded school. I am not a student there, but at a "top 10" PH school. I can tell you that BU is highly regarded by those I work with and others that I worked with this summer (in NYC).


Boson as a city as tremendous opportunities for practical experience as well as employment after graduation. I think that it is a great (although expensive) choice for many students.

 

[2013MPH2013]

MPHAp, congrats on getting in to BU and for the merit scholarship. Way to go! Doesn't it feel awesome to get the good news after all of the work you put into it!
So, I'm not going to get involved in the BU debate but since I just mentioned this to someone on an entirely unrelated topic, I think class size is an important thing for anyone to think about. There are pros and cons to both small and large programs. I assumed that a small program would be better but I didn't fully consider the drawbacks. Sometimes those drawbacks don't matter and they don't affect everyone; however, I didn't put enough thought into the cons of a small program. I wasn't looking for a small program but admissions, etc. kept talking about it and it made sense. But like someone else said, it depends more on what you put into it. My advisor has one other advisee. I have seen her once all semester (3 weeks after the semester started) and if there was line up of 3 people and we told her our names, she wouldn't be able to pick me out. (This actually pretty much happened at a luncheon ). Yet, a professor in a large lecture class knows me by name after talking to her once. I think it depends more on the professor than the program. This experience doesn't mean there is a problem with my program, it just means that the strengths and weaknesses of each program depend more on what you want to get out of it and less on bigger issues. That doesn't mean you should ignore bigger issues but decide whether they are things that bother you.

 

[ms newyear]

Nobody wants to be treated like a number and become lost in the crowd. What is disconcerting is BU's exploding class size and at times dehumanizing application process.

H20Propre/Borks...my drink offer still stands.

Sure, any information about your experiences would be appreciated! I'm interested in the Behavioral & Social Sciences track. Although you may not be too familiar with that specific department, could you please share some places that students did their practicum? Eventually I would like to work for the CDC as a behavioral scientist.

Are the faculty easily accessible for office hours/willing to help students outside of class time or respond to emails fairly quickly?

At the open house, I remember the adm resps talking about a "final portfolio". Is this in place of a thesis? Could you please explain a little more about this?
(it may be Social & Behavioral Science specific... I'm not sure)

Finally, if students are having trouble in a biostats class for example, are there resources (TAs, tutors, willing professors) to work with if extra help is sought by the student?

Thanks so much!

Hi!

I have to be brief, it is finals week. Sorry!

Yes faculty is very friendly and accessible. I have met with a few faculty members outside of class and had very good experiences. I get the impressed that the faculty cares alot. They will stop class to answer questions, allow E-mails/calls, etc. Not just faculty either, the administration has been very good about answering my E-mails also.

There are tutoring options for core classes, which includes biostats. The faculty wants students to do well, so some professors will even personally reach out to the students who are doing poorly to find out what is going on.

Past practicum placements: http://sph.bu.edu/How-a-Practicum-WorkssSub-Pages/recent-student-practicum-sites/menu-id-617492.html

Okay back to studying!

 

[Stories]

Stories has good information, BU's research reputation is not nearly as good as the practical angle.

But if she is currently a fellow, (post PhD?), then she might not know the current situation with regards to resource availability, anybody interested in attending BU should talk to current students to get a more up to date picture.

In 2005 there were approximately 298 students enrolled, that number has swelled to about 488. That's a super-sized increase! I doubt that in the last six years the faculty has increased 40%, so by necessity, your "face time" with faculty goes down about 40%. I assume that Stories graduated in 2005, or around that time. If in 2005 Stories says that they won't spoon fed you, when it comes to the practicum, then what do you have in 2011? Having to survive off of roadkill? Its great to have independence and flexibility, but at some point you need mentorship . . .

Also, you've got to consider fatigue. With that many more students, faculty are facing increased demand for LORs and might be less approachable as their workload had presumably skyrocketed. In all fairness to BU, maybe this inability to cope with a flood students, to the chagrin of applicants and students alike, is based on decisions to increase the enrollment.

Is BU a safety school? In my early post I made this claim based on the fact that of the accepted applicants, in the past two years, 30.6 and 30.7% of accepted applicants have actually matriculated at BU. These percentages are in the bottom quartile for public health schools. Based on these hard numbers, one could reasonably conclude that BUSPH is a safety school.

Now, the fact that apparently some students do use BU as a safety school (the vast majority either disappear into the ether and go elsewhere), could happen for a number of reasons. Maybe sticker shock due to the high tuition, (and lack of scholarship), or decision to attend a higher ranked school or one with a smaller student body.

Nobody wants to be treated like a number and become lost in the crowd. What is disconcerting is BU's exploding class size and at times dehumanizing application process.

I was at BU from 2006-2008. My class had ~250 students. The school at the time was around 500-600 students. Face time was definitely not a problem. I can still count numerous people who had very positive experiences with BU and regardless of whether or not it's a "safety school" or each student is "just another number", still consider that BU is still only of moderate size compared to schools like Harvard, Hopkins, UNC, and others.

I'm also not sure size is a negative attribute: remember, all these schools are research universities, not liberal arts college where teaching is the #1 focus. Anyone that is transitioning from a liberal arts college education to a graduate school program at a research university should prepare for a big change in how teaching is handled (eg. teaching is NOT the #1 priority of research faculty; teaching faculty, obviously, have teaching as their focus, but few professors are under teaching appointments). I never saw the faculty-student ratio as an issue.

Just a correction, I'm a he. And I still have regular communication with faculty that I was involved in research activity with, so I do know a bit about the school.

 

[MPHApplicant902]

For those of you who were accepted to the MPH program at BU starting fall, 2012 will you be going?

Out if the schools I got into so far, I will be going to BU But I'm still waiting to hear from the rest

 

[mphresidency]

Received my acceptance letter to BU in the mail today with a $12,000 scholarship! pumped!

What are your stats? Thank you for your experience. I am applying now in the next couple of days.

 

[MPHApplicant902]

What are your stats? Thank you for your experience. I am applying now in the next couple of days.

I actually posted my stats in another thread on this board, but I'll c&p them here. What track at BU are you applying to, MPHResidency?

GPA: 3.69 from a top arts college. Majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. SOPHAS calculated my GPA breakdown in a favorable way with my lowest being a 3.6 and my highest a 4.0.

New GRE: not my best work... horrible at standardized test taking.

*recs. 1 from Academic Adviser/Professor (took 2 adv. level courses received A- in both)
* 1 from Professor/Community-Based Learning supervisor
* 1 from current boss, who holds a high position in the medical field and is the Principal Investigator of the project I'm working on.
- I'm confident in all my recommendations.

Experience: *In year 2 as a Clinical Research Coordinator in well known hospital.

* During my undergraduate years served as a Director of a community based-learning program in a low-income city.

* Internship in Washington, DC at a non-profit child advocacy agency focusing on health care reform.

-Solid Statement of Purpose

 

[mphresidency]

Hi I am a doctor from India. I am planning to apply for MPH at BUSPH. I have my scores now. I wanted the opinion of others about my chances at BUSPH. I also hold a senior degree in Classical Music with honors. (don't know how much this degree will help though).


I got my GPA evaluation by WES - it is 3.6
V - 154
Q - 163.

3 letters of Recommendation - one from my mentor at my hospital other two are from my medical school heads of Preventive medicine (community medicine) and Internal medicine

5 international clinical abstracts, 3 national abstracts. A couple of awards at these presentations.

Volunteering work at rural and urban health clinics, student reviewer of australasian medical journal. I have written a good SOP. I am applying tomorrow. What are my chances.

 

[kutmasta]

I think your chances at getting into BUSPH are very high. Good luck!

 

[mwdl4life]

What were your GRE scores, MPHApplicant902?

I actually posted my stats in another thread on this board, but I'll c&p them here. What track at BU are you applying to, MPHResidency?

GPA: 3.69 from a top arts college. Majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. SOPHAS calculated my GPA breakdown in a favorable way with my lowest being a 3.6 and my highest a 4.0.

New GRE: not my best work... horrible at standardized test taking.

*recs. 1 from Academic Adviser/Professor (took 2 adv. level courses received A- in both)
* 1 from Professor/Community-Based Learning supervisor
* 1 from current boss, who holds a high position in the medical field and is the Principal Investigator of the project I'm working on.
- I'm confident in all my recommendations.

Experience: *In year 2 as a Clinical Research Coordinator in well known hospital.

* During my undergraduate years served as a Director of a community based-learning program in a low-income city.

* Internship in Washington, DC at a non-profit child advocacy agency focusing on health care reform.

-Solid Statement of Purpose

 

[mphresidency]

I actually posted my stats in another thread on this board, but I'll c&p them here. What track at BU are you applying to, MPHResidency?

GPA: 3.69 from a top arts college. Majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. SOPHAS calculated my GPA breakdown in a favorable way with my lowest being a 3.6 and my highest a 4.0.

New GRE: not my best work... horrible at standardized test taking.

*recs. 1 from Academic Adviser/Professor (took 2 adv. level courses received A- in both)
* 1 from Professor/Community-Based Learning supervisor
* 1 from current boss, who holds a high position in the medical field and is the Principal Investigator of the project I'm working on.
- I'm confident in all my recommendations.

Experience: *In year 2 as a Clinical Research Coordinator in well known hospital.

* During my undergraduate years served as a Director of a community based-learning program in a low-income city.

* Internship in Washington, DC at a non-profit child advocacy agency focusing on health care reform.

-Solid Statement of Purpose

I am applying for Epidem/Biostats.

 

[mphresidency]

I actually posted my stats in another thread on this board, but I'll c&p them here. What track at BU are you applying to, MPHResidency?

GPA: 3.69 from a top arts college. Majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. SOPHAS calculated my GPA breakdown in a favorable way with my lowest being a 3.6 and my highest a 4.0.

New GRE: not my best work... horrible at standardized test taking.

*recs. 1 from Academic Adviser/Professor (took 2 adv. level courses received A- in both)
* 1 from Professor/Community-Based Learning supervisor
* 1 from current boss, who holds a high position in the medical field and is the Principal Investigator of the project I'm working on.
- I'm confident in all my recommendations.

Experience: *In year 2 as a Clinical Research Coordinator in well known hospital.

* During my undergraduate years served as a Director of a community based-learning program in a low-income city.

* Internship in Washington, DC at a non-profit child advocacy agency focusing on health care reform.

-Solid Statement of Purpose

I am mainly applying to Epidemiology and Biostats (second option)

I already got an admit from UMich for Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology.

How are things at your end?

 

[xb2011]

For those accepted into BU...where are you planning to stay at? On campus?

 

[MPHApplicant902]

I am mainly applying to Epidemiology and Biostats (second option)

I already got an admit from UMich for Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology.

How are things at your end?

Congrats! I heard back from 6 schools and have gotten into those 6 so far. Out of the places I got into I think I'll be going to BU!

 

[mphresidency]

Congrats! I heard back from 6 schools and have gotten into those 6 so far. Out of the places I got into I think I'll be going to BU!

Congratulations......

I got an admit from GWU and EMORY - Epidemiology too....

Waiting for others.... How is the Epidem program at Boston? Any idea?

 

[Stories]

Congratulations......

I got an admit from GWU and EMORY - Epidemiology too....

Waiting for others.... How is the Epidem program at Boston? Any idea?

I really enjoyed my time at BU in the epi concentration. There's a lot of flexibility which I found to be quite nice. BU also has a lot of connections with the MA Department of Public Health which allows for a lot of practice-based opportunities, as well. So the practice opportunities at BU are really quite stellar and is a big focus of the entire school.

 

[mphresidency]

I really enjoyed my time at BU in the epi concentration. There's a lot of flexibility which I found to be quite nice. BU also has a lot of connections with the MA Department of Public Health which allows for a lot of practice-based opportunities, as well. So the practice opportunities at BU are really quite stellar and is a big focus of the entire school.

I am glad you are set on what you want to do and where you want to go. I am just getting all my documents set right for the I-20. It is a big list and a big process. I have not yet heard from many places yet since I applied on January 10th this year.

 

[Kalla]

I applied to the MPH Social and Behavioral Sciences track for Fall 2012! I submitted my application to SOPHAS on 1/2, SOPHAS verified it on 1/20, BU received it on 1/30, and then they sent it to the admissions committee to review on 2/1. So on Wednesday, it will be 3 weeks since it's been reviewed. Fingers crossed!

 

[kkaur]

Hello everyone! I know this is an old thread but j thought many of you either attend BU now or have already graduated. How was your experience at BU? I am interested in global health and epidemiology, to study diseases that are affected by culture and nutrition specifically. I am torn between BU and Emory. i am just looking for honest opinions about either school. Thank you!

 

[Stories]

Hello everyone! I know this is an old thread but j thought many of you either attend BU now or have already graduated. How was your experience at BU? I am interested in global health and epidemiology, to study diseases that are affected by culture and nutrition specifically. I am torn between BU and Emory. i am just looking for honest opinions about either school. Thank you!

I had a positive experience at BU. I had good professors that cared and got a broad set of training with curriculum flexibility (there's going to be changes to it next year, but I don't know how they will affect things). Most of my training was more focused on program and practice rather than research. I ended up going for a PhD at a more research focused institution and work now as a researcher at a biotech company.

A colleague of mine graduated from Emory and had lots of positive things to say about the program, too.

I would say, look at where you're interested in living (Boston vs Atlanta) and then access if both programs offer the broadness in each discipline (epi and global) that would allow you to reach both interests. That's always a good place to start.

 

[kkaur]

@Stories Thanks for the response! How practical would you say the classes are? I had the opportunity to sit in on a class when I visited and really liked how the professor was incorporating real experience, the students were designing a health plan for a client's organization.

As for which city, I've lived afew hours from Atlanta my whole life so either city would be a new but I do feel Boston would offer a completely new experience.

Thanks for the advice! I hope I come to a decision soon! I just wanted to hear from someone who actually went there and completed the program

 

[Stories]

@Stories Thanks for the response! How practical would you say the classes are? I had the opportunity to sit in on a class when I visited and really liked how the professor was incorporating real experience, the students were designing a health plan for a client's organization.

As for which city, I've lived afew hours from Atlanta my whole life so either city would be a new but I do feel Boston would offer a completely new experience.

Thanks for the advice! I hope I come to a decision soon! I just wanted to hear from someone who actually went there and completed the program

I'm probably not the best to answer the "practical" question because everything I work on is research-oriented... haha. But my friends that got MPH (with the exception of ones that went to med school afterwards) work in the area they got their degrees in. So it's at least reasonable to assume there's some training that's useful! Do keep in mind though, even though the MPH is a professional degree, you'll still learn much more on the job than purely in class. Although you'll need what you learn in your degree to do a lot of the work in your future job. This is doubly true if you do more technical or scientific work.

I don't know anything about Atlanta so I can't speak to that. But my experience living in Boston was okay. I didn't care at all for the weather (too humid and winters too extreme) or the quality of the housing (a little too old). But there's some interesting neighborhoods to explore, the city is densely packed and very walkable. New England also has beautiful fall and foliage. My least favorite part of Boston, however, was being the victim of racism a few times more than I care to remember, compared to any other city I've lived in.

 

[DentExcel7]

Hello
I just got accepted into BU and looking forward to the accomodation. Would you please let me know as to what have you done for the stay and is On-campus affordable or Off-campus would be better? Looking forward to your response ASAP as i'm yet to take my Visa interview date for spring intake-2016