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- Mar 23, 2014
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Hello All,
I'm interested in pursuing an international career that focuses on refugee quality of life in the Arab Muslim world. All of the programs I've looked into have an extensive global reach but their presence is scant in the Middle East (compared to Sub-saharan Africa, South East Asia, and the rest of the "global South"). I'm choosing between three programs and here is my rationale for each one:
Columbia MSPH - MPH in Sociomedical Sciences
Pros
- Has an institute in Amman, Jordan
-Advertises mental health research in Israel on their website
Cons
-Commuting from my current home in Brooklyn to the school seems inconvenient if not unfeasible
-I have heard that the Sociomedical Science department is not very supportive and that the school-wide curriculum change is still being worked out. Of course, this is all hearsay.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg SPH - MSPH in International Health (SBI)
Pros
-Highly ranked with a lot of funding opportunities
-Has the "Center for Refugee and Disaster Response", which is currently launching health initiatives for Syrian refugees
Cons
-I'm quite ignorant about the school, its culture, student experiences, etc. (will visit April 4th)
University of Michigan SPH - MPH in Epidemiology (w/ possible dual degree in Middle Eastern Studies if I want to be in massive debt)
Pros
-Michigan has large Muslim communities [may be a cool opportunity to network and get relevant work experience while pursuing the degree(s)]
- I'm fond of Ann Arbor and love that the Epi program emphasizes skill-sets acquisition
Cons
-I'm not sure UMich is as recognizable as the other schools. Normally, this wouldn't bother me but realizing the amount of debt I'm taking on, I want to put myself in a position to secure the best employment opportunities.
-It is more expensive to travel from Ann Arbor to New York (where I currently live) than from Baltimore.
Sorry for the long post; I've just been mulling over this for a while. Any comments/thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Hearing different perspectives may give me some clarity on how to best approach this question
Thanks!
I'm interested in pursuing an international career that focuses on refugee quality of life in the Arab Muslim world. All of the programs I've looked into have an extensive global reach but their presence is scant in the Middle East (compared to Sub-saharan Africa, South East Asia, and the rest of the "global South"). I'm choosing between three programs and here is my rationale for each one:
Columbia MSPH - MPH in Sociomedical Sciences
Pros
- Has an institute in Amman, Jordan
-Advertises mental health research in Israel on their website
Cons
-Commuting from my current home in Brooklyn to the school seems inconvenient if not unfeasible
-I have heard that the Sociomedical Science department is not very supportive and that the school-wide curriculum change is still being worked out. Of course, this is all hearsay.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg SPH - MSPH in International Health (SBI)
Pros
-Highly ranked with a lot of funding opportunities
-Has the "Center for Refugee and Disaster Response", which is currently launching health initiatives for Syrian refugees
Cons
-I'm quite ignorant about the school, its culture, student experiences, etc. (will visit April 4th)
University of Michigan SPH - MPH in Epidemiology (w/ possible dual degree in Middle Eastern Studies if I want to be in massive debt)
Pros
-Michigan has large Muslim communities [may be a cool opportunity to network and get relevant work experience while pursuing the degree(s)]
- I'm fond of Ann Arbor and love that the Epi program emphasizes skill-sets acquisition
Cons
-I'm not sure UMich is as recognizable as the other schools. Normally, this wouldn't bother me but realizing the amount of debt I'm taking on, I want to put myself in a position to secure the best employment opportunities.
-It is more expensive to travel from Ann Arbor to New York (where I currently live) than from Baltimore.
Sorry for the long post; I've just been mulling over this for a while. Any comments/thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Hearing different perspectives may give me some clarity on how to best approach this question
Thanks!
