Harvard vs. JHU vs. Columbia

[afleishman89]

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Hi all,

I have been lucky enough to have been admitted to Harvard (SM2 in Epidemiology), JHU (1YR MPH) and Columbia (2YR MPH). I am really struggling with my decision though. I am 60% sure I want to eventually get a phd or scd so I am leaning toward Harvard because the program seems more tailored to students wanting to go into academia. That said, I want to make sure I don't close any doors to more practical public health professions. I'm also afraid the JHU program would be too rushed and the Columbia program would be too big and I could get lost in the shuffle.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[zsb2104]

I'd go to Harvard. The brand name is a perfect balance for research prospects, for private sector work, and for it's public health niche. I have been struggling for a bit with the same decision/same schools (for international health/health econ type stuff) and across the board every professional I talked to, both in and out of research, said to go there. Also, the unfortunate thing with the names of these degrees sort of de-standardizes things even though people end up taking almost the exact same classes--an MPH or even an MSPH does not carry the same perceived weight as an MS for a lot of private sector jobs. Harvard will still give you a summer and a winter session to get practical experience, while also giving you arguably the most technical and quant background (because they focus on that a lot in both epi and global health depts).

 

[zsb2104]

And I think you're completely right with the JHU program being too short. And Columbia just doesn't have the same brand as the other two in this field to make up for its expense / still lagging in technical focus in its epi dept since the epi program is extremely broad right now, and the people who are in this new curriculum that they've just started are constantly telling me how it's very evident that they are still trying to work out all the kinks in the system

 

[NeurosciTMS]

Quick question, but is the MHS/ScM at JHU synonymous with Harvard's SM2? Would I be comparing apples to apples in this case (for lack of a better analogy)?

 

[Pdesai8]

I vote Harvard too! It's the most prestigious...you get the smaller cohorts and have the ability to go into academica or practice. I'm sure the networking opportunities at Harvard are top-notch if you decide to not get your Phd. I agree, the JHU MPH program is too rushed in 1 year and doesn't give you enough time to do anything much outside of school. Also, there are ~250 in the MPH program alone, which means large cohorts/class sizes. Columbia is very expensive and not as prestigious as Harvard/ JHU.

@NeurosciTMS Yes, I think they are synonymous as they are both the 2 year programs that don't require advanced degrees or ample work experience.