MPH Yale vs. BU, desiring an international job

[KariLouiseO]

I've been accepted into BU's Maternal and Child Health MPH program and Yale's Social and Behavioral Sciences MPH program. I'm having a bit of a dilemma choosing between the two. I'm interested in concentrating on reproductive rights, with a focus on transgender healthcare issues and challenges. Obviously, this is a relatively new public health focus and not much research is available/being conducted. I need a program that allows for a certain level of customization. I definitely think that BU's program is more flexible than Yale's, which seems almost exclusively research based.

The only issue I'm having is that I desperately desire an international job and the research I've done is telling me that the clout of having Yale on my resume may land me the job over BU. On the other hand, I'm thinking that what I want to focus on is so specialized that it won't really matter if I go to BU or Yale.

Is there anyone who can offer me some guidance? Maybe someone who works or hires internationally?

Thank You!

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[364462]

Go to BU.

Though BU seems to not have the cache that Yale has (both domestically and internationally), at the end of the day you want to go to a program that will meet, in whole or in part, your short-term and long-term interests, passions, and goals. Despite some misgivings folks may have about BU, the school of public health there is strong, backed by evidence-based approaches and by practical applications. It also sounds like you are passionate about reproductive rights, and BU is very well known in the field of health and human rights. (I am a UCLA MPH student and currently taking a class at the school of law on health and human rights. The text we use is written by authors/professors from BU.) Last year, I applied and was accepted to BU, specifically to the health and human rights concentration - the only school that seems to focus on health in the context of international human rights. This is no small task, and BU should be commended for it.

To be sure, Yale has clout, but take it from someone who has been to graduate school before (I hold a doctorate in something else), what matters most is the skills that come through your resume/CV. You make a good point that focusing on a particular area is what you are interested in. Go with that, and be reminded of why you want to do the thing you want to do. Good luck!

 

[KariLouiseO]

Thank you so much. Everything you've stated is what my gut has been telling me, it's just reassuring to hear someone else say it. Thank you again for the advice!

 

[Dribble]

I'd vote in favor of Yale!

Human rights is always an issue with regards to global public health issues, so of course no school has a monopoly. Yale has the Global Health Justice Partnership, which is a collaboration between Yale Law School and Yale's school of public health, and given Yale Law school's high profile, (I think it is one of the best---if not the best--- law schools in the country, Hillary Clinton went there), and there is even a Yale Law Students for Reproductive Justice group.

I kinda think Yale would have more advantages with regards to a developing area of international law. I think that if you want an international job in the future, then having contacts with a top law school is important as the issue of reproductive/transgender rights on the global stage is pretty high level stuff, even being allowed to do such research wouldn't be a given in certain countries.

 

[Dribble]

(I am a UCLA MPH student and currently taking a class at the school of law on health and human rights. The text we use is written by authors/professors from BU.)

I think that the best/more comprehensive texts usually have an authors list from several institutions, like over a dozen, otherwise you might be getting just one viewpoint. Certainly, there are a good number of public health schools which have much more experience with all sorts of global health research than BU.

To be sure, Yale has clout, but take it from someone who has been to graduate school before (I hold a doctorate in something else), what matters most is the skills that come through your resume/CV. You make a good point that focusing on a particular area is what you are interested in. Go with that, and be reminded of why you want to do the thing you want to do. Good luck!

The best way to decide the issue would be to see who at BU/Yale is looking at legal/human rights issues with regards to reproductive/transgender rights at the international level, and then decide based upon prospects for that.