Yale MPH?

I will be going, Chronic Disease Epi division.

I have been accepted to Yale but am still deciding between a few schools. Though this is a bit embarrassing to admit, I honestly don't know that much about Yale's program. So, if you don't mind sharing, what about Yale's program drew you to it? What is the program's strengths? Weakness? What do they emphasize? Etc, etc...

i got rejected by yale, snail mail. i am wondering what your stats were?

Yale culture is outstanding. The activity on the University definitely adds to the attraction of its public health department. Yale graduate/professional schools all have a similar grading system that is Pass/Fail. This eliminated competition and allows you to experience more than exam preparation. The Yale SPH has a great health management program.

PHealthMan said:

Yale culture is outstanding. The activity on the University definitely adds to the attraction of its public health department. Yale graduate/professional schools all have a similar grading system that is Pass/Fail. This eliminated competition and allows you to experience more than exam preparation. The Yale SPH has a great health management program.

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PHealthMan, could you say a bit more about the health management program at Yale? I haven't heard back yet, but I applied for that department. How is it a great program, and how would you compare it to say UNC Chapel Hill's MHA program, Columbia, or Emory? Thanks ahead of time!

laguna said:

I have been accepted to Yale but am still deciding between a few schools. Though this is a bit embarrassing to admit, I honestly don't know that much about Yale's program. So, if you don't mind sharing, what about Yale's program drew you to it? What is the program's strengths? Weakness? What do they emphasize? Etc, etc...

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Here's what I believe to be the pros and cons of the program.
PROS
1. Specialization. This mainly applies if you are going for epidemiology, but the fact that chronic disease and infectious disease epidemiology are separate divisions is appealing. Other schools that I applied to offer a general MPH in epidemiology that lump both of these fields together. For someone mainly interested in chronic disease, I believe this dilutes the curriculum.
2. Size. Yale is one of the smaller schools of public health, and in fact only 9 students were accepted to my particular division last year. Having attended a small undergrad, I really value small class sizes and the close interactions with professors that such an environment brings. The Chair of the department recently emailed me asking convenient times so he could call and answer my questions. I have heard before that the school is very student focused, and I think that email shows it.
3. Research. Yale is a world renowned research institution, and was ranked number 1 in public health research by the Chronicle of Higher Education. On a more personal note, my particular research interests are well represented among the faculty.
4. Resources. The amount of resources available at Yale are incredible. Sterling Memorial Library is the third largest in the US, and the school of public health has its own library. Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale Cancer Center, along with all of its research programs, is directly across from the SPH.
5. Electives can be taken from outside the school, so the prospect of taking courses in the well regarded Schools of Management or Law is exciting. The program in general seems to be very flexible, allowing students to tailor the program to fit their individual interests.
6. Grading Scale. This is a minor pro, but the H/P/F grading scale is certainly appealing. Too much of my undergrad experience was worrying about grades and not enough about actually learning and mastering the material.
7. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the prestige factor. Yale may not be the highest ranked school of public health, but I really believe going here will open doors for me in the future. For me, I am planning on getting a PhD and either doing research or using my public health skills in the private sector in consulting for instance. Therefore, in that regard, I think reputation would trump the US News rankings. That being said, the rankings may be more important for people trying to get into federal orgs. like CDC with just an MPH.

CONS
1. Location. New Haven isn't the greatest place, but honestly when I visited I didn't think it was as bad as people make it out to be. For people looking for the big city atmosphere like a Boston or New York, you may be disappointed. The bigger issue for me was not so much New Haven itself, but the fact that there doesn't seem to be that many places to go outside of the city.
2. Price. Yale is expensive, and as of now I can't comment on the availability of financial aid. If no aid is provided this could be a big issue for me.
3. This ties in with location, but the area itself does not seem to offer many public health opportunities that a larger city like New York would. Therefore, students may have to leave the area to do the summer internship requirement.
4. Rankings. Continuing what I said above, this may be an issue for some people. Honestly, I don't really know how rankings translate into the real world, but from prior discussions on here in the past it seems like they may matter somewhat especially if you want to work for a federal agency. (Although, the Director of the CDC gave the commencement address at Yale two years ago, so I don't even know if that suggestion is accurate).

I may be a bit biased since I'm pretty sure I will be attending, but that's how I see things. Any other perspectives on the above would be appreciated especially if you happen to disagree on any of my comments.

my friend did a better job than I could of

i think all the pros and cons are great, thanks, bbas.

however, i'm curious as to how does yale stand out among the following schools: harvard, unc chapel hill, columbia, and emory.

several of the listed are also ivy league and could, in a sense, open many doors in the private sector. even the non-ivy league schools have many opportunities available (unc with its highly regarded mha program and emory being among numerous research and public health institutes). so the opportunities factor doesn't seem to be distinctive.

as for financial aid and merit, it seems that they're not extremely generous or anything.

sorry if it's a bit side-tracked, i'm just not sure how to separate these schools other than USNews Ranking, since it seems they're all comparable... the only difference being location and ranking...

tt13 said:

however, i'm curious as to how does yale stand out among the following schools: harvard, unc chapel hill, columbia, and emory.

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Hi tt13!

I have a few thoughts regarding differences, some of which are health management specific (our track! Woohoo!). You'll notice that I focus on Harvard and Yale, because they are schools that I'm seriously considering, but I'm sure the general ideas apply to all. First, if it is at all possible, visit the schools, or at least as many as you can. I was fortunate enough to get to visit Harvard's SPH, and it really help clarify for me what the atmosphere, community, and experience would be like there. I am hoping that I'll have the opportunity to visit others, once I get some decisions! Another thing that I've been looking at is career placement. Yale actually has placed HMP students in some really impressive places, like a fellowship at Mass General. Harvard has outstanding ties to amazing hospitals, like Brigham and Women's and Dana Farber. I'm interested in hospital administration, so these really stand out to me. I also consider internship experience while I'm at the school. Harvard has a research internship that is essentially a year-long course in addition to a summer-long internship. This appeals to me because it gives you the opportunity to work in two different places, and thus theoretically have at least two job offers post-graduation. From what I gather so far, Yale doesn't even have an internship requirement, although my interviewer may have been misguided. Also, I really wouldn't discount the Ivy League element. People hate to believe it, but it does matter - the respect it garners, and the networking in provides, really make a difference. I think this is especially true when you are interested in going into business, which is essentially what health management is.

Anyway, I these are some factors that I've been considering in my decision-making process! I hope it helps!

So what do you guys think about the ranking of Yale, cause it is not so high compared with other schools like JHU and Harvard, etc. What is the most important factor do you think for a MPH student to find a fine job in business area, such like consulting firm?

I am in the track of Health Policy and I am from China, I really dont know much about how it works for student to find a job here in the United States. So hope you guys could kindly help me

thx a lot!!!

Thanks to everyone for their responses! The information has been very helpful, particularly as it is coming from people who are not directly affiliated with the school. My last question is this: Do you think it would be worth paying approximately $100k for an MPH from Yale rather than attending a less well known (though still accredited) school for free (or practically so, $7k or less)

generals,

you make a very good point. i think the internship requirement is a highly valuable requirement. what i saw from unc was that they maintain a database of all the summer internships (required between year 1 and 2) that all students have completed, etc. this enables future students to have an idea of what internships would be readily available or could be something they'd be interested in.. additionally, the staffing for that part of the program seem to be with friendly people who will go out of their way to help you get that desired internship.

if this is the case with harvard, summer AND school-year internship, that's definitely something to consider.

at the same time, GWU has a one-year internship requirement but makes their program 3 years of 2. although the internship factor is a plus, the increased length of time is a negative... for me at least.

so what i'm seeing is that yale doesn't seem to have a core internship program...?

Hi everyone!
I went on Yale's website and discovered they DO have a required summer internship - so that is a great thing! (And, incidentally, my alumni contact must have been confused...)
For those who are trying to decide if Yale is a good choice - that is a very personal decision. It depends a lot on your area of interest, career expectations, and even the region where you'd like to live. For instance, I am likely to be living in New England for quite some time, and I know that the Ivies carry more weight up here than they did in, for example, my home state in the South. I also plan (hope) to advance enough in my career that I'll be able to take on the debt that a more expensive school is sure to give me. I know this is a terminal degree for me, so I am willing to go to the absolute best place I can - my future employers will see and make decisions based upon the quality of my degree. And, I think my area of interest (health management), will probably be quite competitive, and I want to make myself as competitive as possible. However, there are plenty of great reasons to choose a more affordable school - plans for higher ed, potentially better internship opportunities, ability to pay off debts...
In the end, it all just comes down to you knowing what is best for you!!

tt13 said:

however, i'm curious as to how does yale stand out among the following schools: harvard, unc chapel hill, columbia, and emory.

several of the listed are also ivy league and could, in a sense, open many doors in the private sector. even the non-ivy league schools have many opportunities available (unc with its highly regarded mha program and emory being among numerous research and public health institutes). so the opportunities factor doesn't seem to be distinctive.

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You are correct. I wasn't trying to suggest that Yale is the only school that will open doors, but was basing that on the schools that I applied to (none of which are on your above list). All of the schools you listed would most likely have a similar effect. The one point I might add is that many future employers will not know the rankings or may not be aware of UNC's highly regarded MHA program, for instance. In these cases, I think it is the reputation of the school in general that is most important.

bbas, that's a good point. it sucks that society perceives quality as correlated with reputation, because i was quite drawn to the unc program. i still think the personal attention there could potentially outweigh the lesser known name.

generals, i emailed a deloitte correspondence person a few weeks ago, and she said all of the schools that i listed would be great and looked upon positively.

the schools i asked about were:
UNC, GWU, Emory, Columbia, UIC, UPitt, and Boston University

just a tidbit i thought i'd share, maybe that will help people in seeing how schools are perceived by employers.

she also said that the mph or mha is better than the mba if i'm looking at healthcare specifically.. i'm not even sure if i'd want to go into consulting, but i wanted to gather some information just in case i do decide to forgo the md and jump into the healthcare business sector.

I'm sorry that this doesn't directly relate to the more recent posts - but I was wondering if there is much of an opportunity for mph students to do research at Yale. Is there anyone who has graduated, or is currently attending, Yale who could speak to this?

laguna said:

I'm sorry that this doesn't directly relate to the more recent posts - but I was wondering if there is much of an opportunity for mph students to do research at Yale. Is there anyone who has graduated, or is currently attending, Yale who could speak to this?

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I'm not currently attending, but I asked that very question when I spoke with a professor from Yale this week. He was in the Chronic Disease epi division, so the answer may be different for other concentrations, but essentially he said that not many first year MPH students do research because a) there is not much time because of the heavy course load and b) many 1st year students do not have the skills yet to do anything meaningful. However, he indicated that by the second year of the program there is more opportunity to do research and of course there is also a thesis requirement so you would essentially be doing independent research. Depending on your concentration and specific interests, he also mentioned that the faculty has strong connections with the CDC and NIH, so there also seems to be an opportunity to conduct research in those places as part of the internship.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, bbas. That is very helpful information - and seems to be pretty realistic, too, which is nice during the time of deciding between schools. (As opposed to just being "sold" something from a program)

bbas- that professors answer about research would turn me off to Yale. If first year students aren't ready for research, then why do MANY other schools set up their students as research assistants from the beginning? Also, I don't believe that one year of classes makes you suddenly qualified to do research. I don't think that coursework can prepare you for research the way actually doing research can.
My thought is that if you are interested in doing research in grad school and later through your job that you find/go to a school that encourages participation in research from day 1.

I agree, especially if you are considering continuing on to the PhD level. My main focus in deciding between programs is what kind of experience will be available outside of the classroom. Unfortunately, it seems like a clear answer on this is not always that easy to come by...

aelizabeth said:

bbas- that professors answer about research would turn me off to Yale. If first year students aren't ready for research, then why do MANY other schools set up their students as research assistants from the beginning? Also, I don't believe that one year of classes makes you suddenly qualified to do research. I don't think that coursework can prepare you for research the way actually doing research can.
My thought is that if you are interested in doing research in grad school and later through your job that you find/go to a school that encourages participation in research from day 1.

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It depends on the background of the student. People coming straight from undergrad who've never worked with SAS for instance would have a hard time analyzing data, or those without a good background in biostat may have a difficult time understanding statistical tests used. These are all skills that are learned during the first year that a professor wouldn't have time to stop and teach outside of the classroom. So, from that perspective, I think these are skills that can be learned in coursework to better prepare people to do research on their own. However, this is much different than say research in infectious disease epi which is primarily lab based. In that case, skills needed to do lab research are less reliant on coursework and more so on experience.

Same here CDE all the way!

bbas said:

You are correct. I wasn't trying to suggest that Yale is the only school that will open doors, but was basing that on the schools that I applied to (none of which are on your above list). All of the schools you listed would most likely have a similar effect. The one point I might add is that many future employers will not know the rankings or may not be aware of UNC's highly regarded MHA program, for instance. In these cases, I think it is the reputation of the school in general that is most important.

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As a graduate of UNC's HPAA program, I'd like to respectfully disagree.

UNC is one of the most comprehensive health sciences universities in the US, with medicine, public health, social work, dentistry, pharmacy, et al. ranked in the top 10 (med: research top 20/ primary care #2).

I completed my internship in DC and everyone was well aware and impressed by the school I attended.

I don't think UNC is the best thing to happen since sliced bread but anyone who would be hiring you based on your MPH or MHA would know UNC is among the best.

Trust me, the school receives plenty of recognition in the health industry.

I think bbas was tryig to say that in general situation that Yale is more regonized by UNC -- not realli inside the specific fields but perhaps other places. If I did not apply for M.P.H, I would not think UNC is better than Yale but in fact it is. Maybe my thought is same for some employers that outside the field -- managers from pharmaceutical firms or consulting firms or invets banks or employers outside the States

anyways, they are both top schools. I applied for Yale but not UNC only because I am planning to work in China and Yale brand is a little more respected there.

Gavin1911 said:

I think bbas was tryig to say that in general situation that Yale is more regonized by UNC -- not realli inside the specific fields but perhaps other places. If I did not apply for M.P.H, I would not think UNC is better than Yale but in fact it is. Maybe my thought is same for some employers that outside the field -- managers from pharmaceutical firms or consulting firms or invets banks or employers outside the States

anyways, they are both top schools. I applied for Yale but not UNC only because I am planning to work in China and Yale brand is a little more respected there.

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I totally agree. I am from China, and Yale is one of the limited American schools that ordinary Chinese people could recognize, the others are such like Harvard, Standford and Princeton. I dont think in countries like China people will be aware that UNC is top school in Public Health, maybe the only thing they could link with UNC is Michael Jordan...

plutol said:

I totally agree. I am from China, and Yale is one of the limited American schools that ordinary Chinese people could recognize, the others are such like Harvard, Standford and Princeton. I dont think in countries like China people will be aware that UNC is top school in Public Health, maybe the only thing they could link with UNC is Michael Jordan...

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Can't knock you for that...that's an interesting perspective.

Hey Generals & Dill,
I just thought I would try and link up with the other people accepted to the Yale Health Management Program. Will you both be going next year? Do you know how many people are in our stream? ...I'm guessing that because the whole MPH program is about 85 people and there are about 8 different streams, ours might be around 10 people if each stream is of equal size...

Couldn't agree more on Gavin and Plutol......India is the same....even local mom and pop grocers know Harvard/Stanford/MIT....I am in UC Berkeley and worked v hard to get in and sustain high GPA for 4 years, but no one seems to have heard that name....So Yale is a brand and sells.....

Thank you all for such great information.
I have been accepted in UPENN, Yale (Chronic Epi), Emory, Columbia, Dartmouth for MPH. My ultimate goal is medicine. I was very lucky to get an oppty at UCSF oncology research proj during my undergrad which opened my horizon in realizing how public health can teach critical thinking to the physicians. It reinforces adaptability and enables doctor to care for populations through the greater understanding of how decisions made for individual patients shape the entire community.

I definitely would like to get involved in research and still trying to talk to the schools to make a decision. If any of you can share your ideas on the above schools which may help in my decision will be very appreciative.
Thx