George Washington (GW) MPH any good?

[sbateman]

Hi,

I live in the DC area and am interested in MPH programs with a concentration in global health. I sent in my application to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, but know the program is very competitive. While I have a good application, I think it's still going to be tough to get in (3.48 GPA in Intl Studies & Economics, 620V, 730Q, 6+ yrs work experience for small domestic health care companies). I am thinking about applying to the GW MPH, but can't assess if the program is worthwhile. My interest in grad school is either name brand school or mid-grade school with scholarship. If GW does not qualify as mid-grade then I would rather go a different route all together than bother applying to a bad school.

Does anyone out there know the reputation of the GW MPH? Where do their graduate go on to work?

Please help. Thanks!

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[swaffles]

Hi,

I live in the DC area and am interested in MPH programs with a concentration in global health. I sent in my application to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, but know the program is very competitive. While I have a good application, I think it's still going to be tough to get in (3.48 GPA in Intl Studies & Economics, 620V, 730Q, 6+ yrs work experience for small domestic health care companies). I am thinking about applying to the GW MPH, but can't assess if the program is worthwhile. My interest in grad school is either name brand school or mid-grade school with scholarship. If GW does not qualify as mid-grade then I would rather go a different route all together than bother applying to a bad school.

Does anyone out there know the reputation of the GW MPH? Where do their graduate go on to work?

Please help. Thanks!

I say, you must have a fantastic statement and resume to be willing to risk it all on a mid-grade school willing to give you a scholarship.

As pragmatic as your question may be, people who plan to go to GW right now will probably be a little offended and people who think otherwise of GW will probably keep their mouths shut. In either case, no one is going to tell you, at least on here, if any public health school is a 'bad school'.

That being said, I hear that GW is a pretty good school, from reading the forums about it. You can do a quick search for those posts by clicking 'new thread' on the front page of this forum, and then typing in a title related to GW, clicking outside the title box, and the website will suggest that you look at previous, related threads first (that's my long-winded method). Or google it alongside 'studentdoctor.net'.

Also, GW seems to have a job database, which could show you a sample of what candidates apply for: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/studentres/careers/jobs/

 

[intlhealth2010]

i think sbatemen's question is a valid one. this is a discussion forum after all?

Being critical of a school isn't necessarily going to offend people. (I'm saying this as someone who is considering attending GW for an MPH)


I believe GW's strengths is it's location (close proximity to major NGO's and government organizations alike) and the school's emphasis on it's internship/practicum component.

Living in DC is rather expensive though. That is something you might want to consider.

 

[swaffles]

i think sbatemen's question is a valid one. this is a discussion forum after all?

Being critical of a school isn't necessarily going to cause anyone great offense. (I'm saying this as someone who is considering attending GW for an MPH)


I believe GW's strengths is it's location (close proximity to major NGO's and government organizations alike) and the school's emphasis on it's internship/practicum component.

Living in DC is rather expensive though. That is something you might want to consider.

I don't mean to dismiss discussion on GW's strengths and weaknesses; I'm open to discussing all factors that go into choosing a particular school! Since you've done research on GW though, maybe you can best directly answer if the school is middle-grade or can be considered a school with a bad reputation.

 

[intlhealth2010]

I just want to put this out there: We all know what the poster is referring to when he/she mentions "name-brand" vs. "mid-level" vs. "bad". And this type of grouping does tend to influence many peoples decisions.

Is GW a bad school? No. An MPH from GW is a perfectly viable asset to have. I'll leave it to poster to make the distinction between GW being "name-brand" vs. "mid-level" (he or she seems to already have done so anyways)

 

[sbateman]

Hi, I'm sorry to offend anyone by suggesting that GW is not a good school, I'm just trying to weigh it against other options.

GW ranks # 19 in the MPH program, but there are only about 50 (I'm guessing) programs in the country, which puts it in the "mid" category. Since I live in DC and plan to work here, I have to be aware of competition for jobs. The best and brightest from all over the world come to work in DC, and a GW MPH might not hold much ground in that setting. Or does it? That is my question.

I know that GW does not have the strongest MPH program, but it still has a lot of name recognition in the medical sciences. The school is still a major DC institution...but I am just trying to get a sense of how its gradutes are viewed when it comes to the job market.

Thanks for your input!

 

[splashnchaos23]

I'm not sure what you mean by "name-brand." For some people, a name-brand degree is one from an ivy-league or Hopkins. For others, it's a degree from a school that is well-known in the field (Hopkins also fits here, of course 🙂 ). Both could be helpful, but which did you mean?

I'm interested in global health, for instance, and I plan to go the MD/MPH route. Every doctor I've spoken with seems to think the obvious MPH options for me are Hopkins, Tulane, and Emory... the ivy-league schools are obviously respectable but they don't readily associate those schools with public health. Are you looking at program strength/notoriety or at the reputation of the overall institution?


Some thoughts:
- If you definitely plan to work in DC, the opinions of locals will probably be more important than national rankings. Most people that work in DC are familiar with the major institutions (Georgetown, GW, American, Howard, etc.), and as you said, GW is pretty well-regarded overall. An HR professional that lives in DC will probably have a favorable opinion of GW even if they don't know much about the program. A mid-grade school elsewhere might not have the name recognition in DC that GW does.

- DC draws more students that plan to stay & build their careers than it draws "revolving door students." This means there's a fairly strong GW alumni presence in the area (great for networking).

- If you live in DC, maybe you could visit the campus? Sit in on a lecture or two? Talk to some faculty members and/or current students? Try to figure out what sorts of opportunities are available at the school and with local organizations. I think the field of public health tends to value what you've done above where you studied. Having great internship and research experiences will serve you much better than going to a name-brand school with limited opportunities.

 

[smarty666]

From what I have heard from the people who work in Public Health, GW has a good reputation and I am even considering applying to them if I pursue the M.P.H. They have a much more diverse and bigger program/concentration offerings then most other public health schools that I have reached and being in proximity to D.C. and the Maryland/Virginia area will be an added advantage for possibly getting Federal Gov't related internship, field-work, and capstone project opportunities that no future employer will scoff at on your resume. Definitely worth applying to in my opinion.

 

[sbateman]

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm going to send in my application to GW 🙂