BU vs TUFTS MPH

[MPHfall2012]

ok so i've been accepted to Boston Univ SPH and Tufts MPH program. I'm super confused about what to do.
I like that BU has a whole school dedicated to public health masters students, and I think BU may have more resources (career/internship, etc) because it's so much bigger. But I love the small Tufts MPH community, where I think I'd get smaller classes and more personal attention with professors and career counseling.

Anyone choosing between these also? Anyone have any info that may help me choose? Bigger school with more resources....or smaller school with a more personal experience?

REALLY APPRECIATE ANY HELP! Thanks!

Accepted: BU, Tufts, NYU
Rejected: Columbia
Waiting: Yale, Brown

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[Kalla]

ok so i've been accepted to Boston Univ SPH and Tufts MPH program. I'm super confused about what to do.
I like that BU has a whole school dedicated to public health masters students, and I think BU may have more resources (career/internship, etc) because it's so much bigger. But I love the small Tufts MPH community, where I think I'd get smaller classes and more personal attention with professors and career counseling.

Anyone choosing between these also? Anyone have any info that may help me choose? Bigger school with more resources....or smaller school with a more personal experience?

REALLY APPRECIATE ANY HELP! Thanks!

Accepted: BU, Tufts, NYU
Rejected: Columbia
Waiting: Yale, Brown

Hi MPH,

I was also accepted into both BU and Tufts, but I made BU my top choice for several reasons:

1) Size of the school - I like the fact that BU is larger and has more of a community feel to it. I have also heard excellent things about professor-student relations regardless of this larger size. BU seems to have more opportunities as well (academic, social, extracurricular, etc) than Tufts.

2) Better fit with my career goals and interests in terms of curriculum and research interests - BU prides itself on hands-on public health practice, while Tufts comes across as a more biomedical/clinical/medical/nutrition/scientific/policy/research focus.

3) School of Public Health vs. School of Medicine - BU is a full school of public health, and as a non-medical student, this better suits me. I want to be a public health professional and it just seems like BU's program has that as its main focus. Though, I recently noticed the Tufts MPH program completely changed their website to make it SO MUCH BETTER than before...so the program certainly seems more appealing than before to me! It seems more geared to the health professional...so who knows?

What are you interested in? If you are interested in the more nutrition/biomedical/research side of public health, go with Tufts. If you are looking for more "hands on" work in the field, go with BU. I think regardless of the size of the school, you can create your own little community regardless if you put yourself out there and make the most of the experience. But ultimately it has to be a school that you feel most comfortable in, and if Tufts does that for you, then go for it! They are both solid programs overall, so I don't imagine you missing out on much.

I work at Tufts (Friedman School of Nutrition Sciences), so if you have any other questions about Tufts, don't hesitate to ask! Good luck!

 

[xb2011]

^exactly

 

[KimsterCC]

I've chosen to attend Tufts this upcoming fall. I'm coming from a small liberal arts college and would like to stay in that small community feel but I'm also planning to get my DVM right afterwards (hopefully at Tufts) so for me it's an excellent fit. I really think you choosing comes down to what exactly you're looking for in the program and how that fits into your future career plans.

Good luck choosing!

 

[MPHfall2012]

I really love BU, I am just worried about getting lost in the crowd there regarding career services and professor connections. How big are the busph classes typically? I know at Tufts there's a max of 28 students in a class, which sounds great. I definitely agree with your saying that BU has more opportunities and resources. I actually just did an online chat with Tufts deans/students/professors yesterday, and asked the question about not being a full school of public health. The dean responded by saying that the public health program is essentially separate from the med school, except that it shares the building. They have all their own services for PH students, so it's not like the PH students are getting lost within the med school kids, which was great to hear.....but sort of furthered my confusion about which school I like more.

I applied as an international health concentrator at each, because right now I'm interested in the hands-on stuff. However, I have this feeling that I might want to switch to the more clinical side of it, where there seems to be more job opportunities.

Do either of you know the prestige of BU or Tufts? I know BU is ranked 11th for SPHs and Tufts isn't ranked, so how do you compare the two?

 

[diva09]

Hello everyone,

I am a current student at Tufts School of Medicine and I am in their MPH program. I only applied to Tufts so I cannot speak to the differences between Tufts and BU but I can answer any questions regarding the Tufts program.

Tufts MPH program is a much smaller program because it is within the school of medicine. The general MPH required courses for all students are capped at 25 students and classes that are specific for your concentration are capped at 15-18 students. My concentration is in Health Services, Management, and Policy. I do not feel lost at all in the program even though it is in the school of medicine because they keep them very separate. We have faculty and administrative staff who deal with the PHPD students only so there is no real mix with the medical school besides that we all have classes in the same building.

As far as limited resources, I would say that is not really true because we have a career service office as well as we receive constant emails regarding internships, fellowships, and jobs. Tufts does a great job keeping students involved and they bring in a lot of guess speakers from different organizations to speak to students about career options.

I picked Tufts because I wanted the option to work full time and attend school full time. Honestly, whatever school you choose you will make the best out of your experience. The reason why Tufts is not ranked is because it is not a school of public health. Programs in Public Health are not ranked. It is a great school and the program is wonderful. I preferred a smaller program that felt more intimate but still give me everything I would experience in a school of public health and Tufts did just that.

Please feel free to ask me any questions regarding the Tufts MPH program and I will do my best to answer your questions.