Emory or Columbia

[JaneDoe1985]

I just found out that I got into Emory and Columbia. Yay!
Now I'm trying to decide between the two. I'm doing Global Health for both of them.

Can anyone give me some insight about the two schools, so that I can narrow down my choice?

Thanks!

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[WantAnMPH]

I'm trying to make the same choice, though different departments. Emory would be epi and Columbia would be history of public health. Here's what I've come up with

Emory: cheaper, CDC, warmer, beautiful campus

Columbia: more expensive, NY Dept. of Health (not CDC, but nothing to sneeze at), colder, name recognition, ranked 1 higher than Emory for PH, living in Manhattan would be cool, although campus isn't in the greatest area

Of course, i have the added thing that epi lends itself to a job much better than history, although I do love history.

In the end, both are great SPH and we'll get a fantastic education at either, so I think my decision is going to come down to smaller things like which campus I like better, financial aid, etc.

 

[nextfallmph]

I posted this in the acceptance thread, but it belongs here and hopefully will stir up some discussion about the Emory v. Columbia choice.



It is going to be a difficult decision for me to choose between Emory and Columbia. I am visiting both in March, to get a better idea of what they are each like. The pieces of info I need before I send my deposit are:

- Who is going to give me financial aid and what is the final cost?
- Which school will get me the type of jobs/internships that I want in the future?
- Would I enjoy living on or near the campus?
- What is my gut saying?

They both seem like great programs to me and I have a feeling that once I choose one, I won't regret it. Still, I am planning on waiting until I know a lot more before making the choice! I am guessing I will be one of those people who decides close to the day that the deposit is due.

 

[anshim]

I went to Emory for my MPH (currently attending the DrPH program at UT-Houston, waiting to see if I can "transfer" to Columbia), and here's my .02:

- Emory campus overall is pretty, but I never had much need to wander around the campus. The Rollins School is a single building on Clifton Rd., and that's where I pretty much stayed (and other students as well). Unless you have a reason to use the same resources as the College/undergrads, I wouldn't say the overall Emory campus will factor much into your experience.

- Personally, I think Emory has a stronger Global Health program than Columbia (mostly due to the number of CDC staff teaching at Emory). For Community Health, I say Columbia is stronger. This is just my own opinion based on what I saw at Emory, having worked with faculty from Mailman, and things I've heard from others in the public health field.

 

[RelativeRisk]

I'll second some of the things anshim said. I chose Emory (Global Health) over Columbia (Epi). I can't speak to Columbia's GH department, but Emory's blew me away. The GH department is packed with former CDC people, tons of EIS people who literally invented the modern approach to facilitating public health in resource-poor settings. Best of all they are fully available - every door is open and they will work with you to get you the practical experience you need. I think for GH the most important part of getting your MPH will be your practicum. No matter where you go, it will be up to you to make it happen. At Emory that process (Global Field Experience) is very streamlined, and the faculty have connections all over the world - if you know where you want to go and what you want to work on, they can help you make it happen.

Definitely go to the Visit Days. I went to both, and it determined what decision I would make. Columbia had the glitz of NY, but the facilities itself weren't in that great of a place. More importantly, I didn't get the same warmth and inclusive feel that I got visiting Emory. At Emory I could tell that they wanted all of us there, and wanted to help us accomplish great things...not just to get us in and out with a degree.

You've got great choices, though, and I don't think you can go wrong, no matter what you choose. One last word of advice I would have would be to not base your decision on the US News rankings because they are deceptive. They lump together schools that specialize in mid-career supplemental degrees (like Harvard and JH) with schools that include more terminal degree MPHers (like Columbia and Emory), they don't rank that many schools, and they also haven't been doing the rankings for very long. So it's not very clear how big of a difference in prestige or educational value there is between any of the top schools on the list. The message I would take from the rankings is that, if you have a bachelors and want to get an MPH, Columbia and Emory are among the best places to get it. Both names will open doors for you when you get in to the job market, so it should come down to feel (gut instinct) and what school you think can help you achieve your specific career interests.

Long post..

 

[publichealthfan]

hey there Relativerisk I had a question abotu GH at Rollins...what is the practicum like- i mean do you get to choose where you want to go or are there certain places already picked out and you choose from amongst them???? Thanks

 

[RelativeRisk]

It's all up to you.

Which means that you can go almost anywhere and do almost anything depending on your interest. It also means that the onus is ultimately on you to find the opportunity and make all the pieces fall into place (it's graduate school... they're not going to hold you hand and lead you through it). Once you know what kind of practicum experience you want to have, just start talking to faculty members. They'll put you in contact with the people you need to talk to.

 

[publichealthfan]

oh okay, thanks! i wasn't sure if htye had specific places set up already, like columbia and some other schools..or if it was a more open practicum.. thanks for responding!

It's all up to you.

Which means that you can go almost anywhere and do almost anything depending on your interest. It also means that the onus is ultimately on you to find the opportunity and make all the pieces fall into place (it's graduate school... they're not going to hold you hand and lead you through it). Once you know what kind of practicum experience you want to have, just start talking to faculty members. They'll put you in contact with the people you need to talk to.

 

[dreamer40]

Hey, Congrats!!! I attend Columbia as an undergrad, and I'm graduating this May. I'm really familiar with the Mailman School of Public Health, since I worked there part-time as a research assistant, and and taking a class there this semester. I am going into health education, and I found out this weekend that I got accepted into Emory, too!! I didn't apply to Mailman, though, partially because they don't offer health ed., only health promotion, and those two fields are related but not quite the same.

Anyway, in making a decision, I know undergrads here at CU also interested in global health, and I have to say, NYC is the place to be for that field. I have classmates who've been able to work at the UN headquarters downtown as undergrads, so just think of the possibilities awaiting you as a grad student. Also, I don't know if you've ever visited Mailman, but as soon as you walk in, you get a sense that the school is highly dedicated to that field (there are pictures depicting global health disparities throughout the main floor). The school is strong in every department, but I truly belive it's an amazing school for global health.

On the other hand, Rollins has the CDC partnership, which also might be good. However, in your case, you should use New York City as your stepping stone, and it's likely that Atlanta may be more appropriate for me since I'm interested more in domestic health. I mean, you can always go to Atlanta during a summer to work...Anyway, if you want to write me back through this forum, we can maybe can chat here or by phone about this. Good luck, my fellow soon-to-be MPHer!!!

 

[nextfallmph]

I know that this is someone else's thread, but the information so far has been so helpful!

Sorry that this is so specific, but I am looking for some advice. I am trying to decide between Columbia's program in Population and Family Health, concentrating in Sexuality and Health or Emory's Global Health program, concentrating in Reproductive Health and Population studies.

My main interest is sexual/reproductive health and I would LOVE to eventually work for an international non-profit, a multi-lateral, or a governmental organization focusing on that area. Something like working for the WHO would be a dream for me. I am thinking that this will most likely be a terminal degree.

I am wondering if anyone knows anything about these areas/programs and can give insight. Anyone work in global sexual health, know someone who does, or go to these schools? Any idea of which school would benefit someone wanting to get a foot in the door? Would Columbia be at a disadvantage because it isn't a "global" program, or does that even matter?

Thank you so much for any info.

 

[dreamer40]

Hey, the class I'm taking at Mailman is called "Gay and Lesbian Issues in Public Health". Although it's in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, half the students in this seminar are Sexuality and Health concentrators. Based on experiences they mention with internship placement within the NYC area, they are really satisfied with the amount of nonprofits in the five boroughs that deal with sexual health and reproductive health. Like I mentioned for <janedoe>, if you're interested in global health of any sort, NYC is the best place to be...in your case, there are an abundance of opportunities in BOTH rep/sexual health and global health within Mailman's connections and the city's resources. Because the city has significant LGBTQ communities and strong city government initiatives in reducing reproductive health disparities, that's something to think about too. Also, in terms of the sexuality and health concentration, a lot of the professors in Mailman are leaders in sexual health research, including my professor, Ilan Meyer, who helped navigate inclusion of LGBTQ studies in public health journals within the last decade.

Sorry for all the writing, but especially if you want to work for WHO or the UN, the offices here have people working in the health of LGBTQ communities worldwide, because in many ways, research on LGBTQ communities in still US-centric. Good luck deciding

 

[nextfallmph]

Wow, thanks Dreamer40 for your comments. It is great to hear from someone who actually has connections with Mailman and is currently taking a class there.

Strangely enough, I haven't thought too much about specializing in LGBTQ and global sexual health. It does seem like that would be an area that could use some good ideas and people and like there would be huge opportunities within that field.

I have some random questions, if you have the time to answer them.

What do you think about Washington Heights and where most of the public health classes are held? Do you like the facilities and area?

About how many people are in your "Gay and Lesbian Issues in Public Health" class? Has it been a challenging class?

Thanks for the response and maybe we'll meet at VisitEmory!

 

[Lissa the Cocoa]

A comment: if you are considering going into global sexual health, PLEASE consider LGBTQ issues. They're extremely important to framing problems of sexual health all over the world, particularly how they intersect with cultures in developing and/or extremely religious/conservative countries. Particularly if you're thinking about developing and designing sexual health policy or interventions, overlooking the issues of LGBTQ populations leaves out at least 10% of the population at any given time.

It's an emerging field and there ARE huge opportunities there, although because of the stigma most of them are at non-profits.

I'm also interested in sexual/reproductive health (although domestically or comparatively). I'm also choosing between Columbia and Emory, although at Columbia I got into the Ph.D program and at Emory, into the MPH. I believe I'm going to Columbia, but both schools are awesome for different reasons. Besides the CDC, Atlanta (where I live) has plenty of public health venues like the Carter Center, CARE Atlanta, and the Emory hospital system.

However, Columbia certainly has more faculty doing research in sexuality issues, a bigger global contingent, and many more classes concerning sexuality and reproductive health.

I'll probably see you at Visit Emory! as well

 

[nextfallmph]

I didn't try to indicate that I was planning on "overlooking" LGBTQ issues; it is obviously very important. I am excited to delve into it and learn more.

What I did say and mean is that I haven't really contemplated specializing in that area of global and Dreamer40's comments made me think more about that option.

What I am sensing from reading comments and talking to people is that both schools are great, I guess it just comes down to gut feeling and where I'll feel like I'm a better fit. Thanks for your comments regarding your own decision process.

 

[dreamer40]

Hey <nextfall>, there are 8 of us in the class, and it's very engaging because we study gay, lesbian, and bisexual health issues through our textbook "The health of sexual minorities" (co-edited by Professor Meyer) and supplemental readings. We focus less on transgendered issues, and had one seminar so far that solely focused on that demographic. Anyway, the class content is broken into three parts: Overview of Definition, Theory, and History behind LGBT health, then 2)obstacles to knowledge and recognition of LGBT populations, then 3) specific LGBT health concerns. I like the fact that my classmates and I are just as passionate as our professor...In terms of Wash. Heights, its very urban, and there seems to be a respectful "town-gown relationship" in that the Dominican American immigrants in the neighborhood seem to accept CU's presence, and vice versa. It's really seems like the Medical Campus is the exact opposite of my (Morningside-further downtown) campus, where there are heated issues between the school and residents of West Harlem...anyway, the Mailman building is very nice and relatively modern, and has a beautiful student lounge, but the students rarely (and stupidly) use it to study or socialize. Hope to meet you and the rest of the prospective Emory folks on this forum in a couple weeks