Heading to Boston University?

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healthpro1896

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Hey people... all of you seriously considering (or definitely going to ) Boston University for an MPH!

Thought I'd create this to share ideas about classes, housing etc...

Let;s have your thoughts!
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I will be attending also.
Will you go full/part time?
 
I'll be there part-time, HP&M department. Glad to start to see some fellow Terriers on here, I think this now makes 4 of us? :luck:
 
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Hey guys,

I'm going full-time, in HPM + PAMP ...

Are either of you looking at living at Harrison Hall... I hear thats a nice residence right behind the BU medical area.

And are you guys already in the Boston area or coming from out of town?

And yeah, Happy St Pattys day :luck:
 
I hope to be in the PAMP program as well (need to go over some things with an advisor first though, since there's one or two classes that are only offered during the day), looks like we'll be classmates for some classes; you're probably taking PM 702 and EP 712 this fall, right?

I live in the area already, I went to BU for undergrad and have been working at a hospital for the past 2 years. I don't know much about Harrison Hall at all, is it only for SPHers or is it open to all Med Campus grad students? The med campus is kind of isolated in itself, but the good thing is it's only a few minute bus ride to other areas of the city (just not so good in finding things to do/places to go/eat within walking distance). Are you familiar with Boston at all?
 
@mphgal: You know, I havent even begun to look at course offerings yet, heh. Still trying to get my financial certification and other international student requirements to the admissions office - which is a pain since my bank is abroad (Dubai) and i'm in Boston

to answer your question, i've been in Boston with my wife since july 07, when she started her MPH at harvard. what a lovely town this is! we live right by fenway pahk on brookline ave, great atmosphere on game nights...

although i was accepted at harvard, i'm going with BU since they have the additional PAMP certification which is extremely useful for me since i'm changing careers from organizational management to health policy admin and consultancy.
 
healthpro1896: good luck with your IS requirements! Being part-time, I have to schedule myself very carefully, so I've plotted out all my requirements and such already. It gets tricky when we have the general MPH classes, HP&M classes, *and* PAMP classes to think about, less so for you because it won't much matter if the courses are held day or night.

You're in a great area, can't wait for Sox season to officially begin!

Where are the rest of our future classmates I wonder, we can't be the only BU-bound folks...
 
Amen to that! Opening Day's coming up, hooray...
 
hey guys...i worked in that area a year ago, and Id like to make a recommendation if you need a ft or pt job...there is a company called JSI, that does public health consulting (lots of intl work too).... a really great organization to work for. just fyi.
 
The funny thing is that I'm already there but I don't know if I really am.

Taking two classes (Biostatistics (703 - the 4-credit) and International Org Behavior) under their Guest Student Plan.

Applied late January (to go part-time)- and still don't know if I'm in.

I sure hope so.
 
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David, are you taking the 3 or 4 credit BS class? How many people are in it? I'm currently taking a PM class as a guest student and there's only about 30 people in it, but I'm guessing the core classes have quite a bit more. Are there TAs or sections at all?
 
@MPHgal: are you having a decent time in class? whats the teaching style like? and how are the facilities in general?
 
So my class just began, it's been a mix of lecture/powerpoint and class-wide discussion thus far and I'm enjoying it. There's a mix of people in the class, from undergrads to guest students like myself to full-time and part-time MPHers from various concentrations, and everyone seems to be excited about public health in general and our class topics in particular without being overly annoying about it. The class is in one of the med school buildings, and the facilities seem fairly new/updated and pretty decent. Will keep you posted...
 
@mphgal: i found the buildings very unique during the tour.... Something very old but cosy about both the SPH and Med School building.... The latter was particularly huge, and the sculptures on the walls of the 1st floor corridors are impressive.
 
I'm taking the 4-credit BS 703 - having minimal statistics experience I'm finding it more challenging than I thought, what w/ working full time also. In retrospect the 3-credit may have been a better choice for me as a returning-to-school student who is not specifically thinking of continuing in statistics. However, c'est la vie.

And, I'm actually finding it very interesting - I'll probably try to get a couple more statistics courses in, thought it's not my planned concentration.

One section, one TA (who is very responsive via e-mail, which is mostly how I contact her). It goes fast. I found the mid-term very difficult, though others apparently didn't. (test scores were put on a histogram :))

Love the online boards where assignments and other useful materials are posted.

Have also started a 2-credit International Organizational Behavior class which I'm really enjoying.

DJ

Still haven't gotten my admission decision. Have also applied rather late to Emory's online program just in case.
 
@David: thanks for the insight :thumbup:

Boston is a such a great place to be, academically, socially and professionally.
 
I actually live in Rhode Island, take commuter train in to work downtown Boston, then after work take the Silver Line* to class in the evening at the Medical Center Campus.

Then at night, because I just miss the 9.05 home, take the 10.25 train back to Providence, getting into the station at about 11.20 pm - then 5 min drive home.

As a note, most of the classes in the School of Public Health are at this campus (which is at Boston City Hospital), as opposed to the main BU campus.

DJ

Still waiting on that letter - tempted to just stop by Admissions one of these days.

* which is not really one of the subway lines like the red, green, blue, orange lines but rather a dedicated set of of buses that run much more often than the regular lines. There are also regular bus lines that serve this campus, but not really any subway that goes to it.
 
@David: I bet you enjoy your weekends eh? ;) I'll be going full-time, and will have morning and afternoon sections mostly. My brain shuts down after 5 pm generally, heh :p
 
Have been mostly about studying statistics these days - at least I'm home, though :) (or at my favorite cafe with wifi)
 
Did anyone register for fall classes this morning? Not sure if I should have, but I did... I'm thinking the only reason I was able to is because I'm a guest student this spring and have a Student Link account already, because I haven't even spoken with an advisor or anything yet. After I was admitted I was told advisors would contact us in a matter of weeks but no word yet- ?

In any case, I'm currently registered for PM702 (3c), EP712 (4c), and PM742 (2c), debating whether or not to stick with PM742 for this fall because I'm not sure if it's wise to pile three classes on during my first (well, technically second) semester back to school, since I'll be working full-time. The flip side is, it's the Intro to PAMP class and is only offered in the fall, so it's advantageous to take it as early as possible... hmmm... any thoughts? :confused:
 
I can't even register for Summer yet even though I have a StudentLink acct. (Doesn't let me go there) So I'm guessing your having the StudentLink and admission status works well for you :)

As to 3 classes - seems like a lot to me. (Just my opinion since I'm working full time and doing a 4 and a 2 - and that's really my capacity without affecting the quality of my non-school work.)
 
@mphgal: I've been exchanging emails with Dr Alan Sager who I met at the Admitted Students Day last Friday, and he is a great advisor and a phenomenally knowledgeable individual. Since I'm going full-time I'm looking to finish up in as short a time as possible, but the PAMP courses are not as widely available as I'd like them to be. The quickest I can finish will be Fall '09, but I might relax a bit and finish Spring '10 in time for BU's all-campus commencement ceremonies, in addition to the SPH commencement, in May 2010. But I digress- the point is, Dr Sager said I should get in touch with Lewis Kazis, who directs the PAMP track. HIs contact info is here:

http://sph.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_sphdir&id=239&Itemid=340&INDEX=6875

He is the best person to talk to regarding PAMP courses. Hope this helps..
 
Got acceptance yesterday from the Emory College Distance Learning program (applied to both Outcomes and Epidemiology - don't know which I was accepted in yet). It's the only other program I applied to - kind of last minute.

So - now I have a choice - hope BU writes me soon. If I went Emory, my Guest Credits would transfer, I expect.

Hello from RI,

DJ
 
Thanks healthpro! Dr. Sager had been a big help to me as well when I met him at Prospective Students Day, he's great. As for PAMP, I did email the co-director Brenda Waning back in October about some q's I had that she was kind enough to answer, but perhaps I should give it another go now that I need guidance about the specific schedule rather than just general hypotheticals.

You're right about the PAMP courses being limited in rotation, I would hope they consider making the courses more available and varied, it's a bit of a challenge to schedule everything...

healthpro1896 said:
@mphgal: I've been exchanging emails with Dr Alan Sager who I met at the Admitted Students Day last Friday, and he is a great advisor and a phenomenally knowledgeable individual. Since I'm going full-time I'm looking to finish up in as short a time as possible, but the PAMP courses are not as widely available as I'd like them to be. The quickest I can finish will be Fall '09, but I might relax a bit and finish Spring '10 in time for BU's all-campus commencement ceremonies, in addition to the SPH commencement, in May 2010. But I digress- the point is, Dr Sager said I should get in touch with Lewis Kazis, who directs the PAMP track. HIs contact info is here:

http://sph.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_sphdir&id=239&Itemid=340&INDEX=6875

He is the best person to talk to regarding PAMP courses. Hope this helps..
Click to expand...
 
Hey! You can add me to the list of BU MPH people! I was at the Prosp Students day too, met many of you I'm sure. I'm going for IH, I stayed the following Monday and talked to almost all the profs and staff, that was more helpful than you can imagine. Tough decision, and I'm still wavering a bit over the $, but it's my best option nevertheless. See you all in Sept!
 
Welcome aboard!

Which programs are you deciding against?
 
OK, according to the email from BUSPH this week (did you all get this?), looks like we *can* register now whenever we're ready (phew!). So what's everyone taking?
 
I didnt get that email. How do you reg? Did they give you a password, login id?
 

Establishment of your Student Account

If you do not already have an established BU e-mail account and Kerberos password, you will receive an “Early Bird” e-mail from [email protected] on or around April 10th inviting you to open a Boston University e-mail account. Please ensure that this e-mail is not blocked or relegated to junk mail. The instructions in the e-mail will allow you to create your BU login name and Kerberos password. Once you open your e-mail account, you are required to provide an emergency alert phone number, which may be your cell phone or other number where you can be contacted. You will not be able to register for classes until this emergency alert number is entered.

Your BU login name and Kerberos password will allow you to use a variety of services and information resources available only to the Boston University community.

Preparation for Class REGISTRATION

As a graduate professional, you must prepare carefully prior to registering for your courses. Take the time to read the Fall 2008 New Student Packet and your department specific Concentrators Guide prior to registering for classes. Links to these guides are listed below next to the departmental contact information. We cannot stress enough how important it is to review your Concentrators Guide prior to registration.

Your department will send you the name of your faculty advisor, and you are encouraged to contact your faculty advisor as soon as possible. You may register prior to talking with the advisor if you have reviewed all the course information and feel comfortable doing so. Rest assured that you may adjust your schedule via the Student Link if needed after you talk with your advisor. If you have any questions, please contact your department contact person or the School of Public Health Registrar's Office for assistance.

REGISTRATION

Register as soon as you are ready via www.bu.edu/studentlink. Click on “Academics” and then “Registration”.
 
Thanks for posting this, I just sent my acceptance back Monday. I've emailed to see if I can go ahead and get an advisor so I can start planning. I'm more than a little nervous.


I decided against a few other schools, but the main competitor was UMich EHS/Human Nutrition. I was holding out for their HBHE, but neither was quite right for me. BU had the IH and flexibility for a bit of Nutrition, so they win!
 
I just got an email with my advisor's name today, so they should be forthcoming to everyone I would assume (at least in the HP&M department).
 
hey there!
this is awkward but i havent got a response from BU as yet. I've applied there to the IH program fairly late i might add. march first week. this would be my first choice and well, do you know i might still have a chance? it hasn't been that long i know but the wait is driving me up a wall!..
 
lola212 said:
hey there!
this is awkward but i havent got a response from BU as yet. I've applied there to the IH program fairly late i might add. march first week. this would be my first choice and well, do you know i might still have a chance? it hasn't been that long i know but the wait is driving me up a wall!..
Click to expand...

Hello Lola,

Umm... I finished my Sophas application on 1/31 - they sent it 2/19 and BU said that it had been accepted. About one- two weeks later they emailed it was complete and forwarded on to admissions (so end of February).

I still don't have my decision. (I have been told it was going to the admissions committee this week - so expecting something pretty soon, I hope.).

So - it seems they have a fairly sedate processing pace. You might need to take some more deep breaths.

I'll post when I finally get a response - either way.

Thnx

DJ
 
They're not "sedate" as such... like most other competitive SPH's they received a volume of applications this year way higher than previous years... almost 2.5x in the case of BU, as I was told.

So its a matter of just waiting really... can't really predict outcome based on that either.

With BU, I was accepted within 4 weeks of the 2/1/08 deadline; Harvard accepted me just a week later. Yale, on the other hand, accepted and rejected a bunch of people (rejected me) within 4-6 weeks of the 1/15/08 deadline, then stopped notifications till April 1 for some strange reason, when people started getting responses again. Yale too received many more applications than usual this year.

SPH's generally have high acceptance rates as well, much more than other programs, simply due to fewer people applying for graduate degrees in public health. This is good for all of us currently, since there is already a huge dearth of public health professionals in the US and worldwide, so we are all getting into this at the right time :hardy:

So I wouldn't worry - just have a little bit of patience ;)
 
Just so you know my experience. It took 7 weeks after they informed me that it was sent on to the department before I got my acceptance. So it takes awhile.

I worked for a top 10 law school and know how much work needs to be done, and these people bust their butts off but it takes time. So dont worry if you have not heard anything. BU informs you either way as soon as they make a final decision. So if they had rejected you/ or accepted you already you would have known.

Good Luck!
 
Just got my acceptance via e-mail! (to be followed up via snail mail)

Woo hoo!

Now I actually have to make a choice - (the Emory distance program is also very attractive, and practical).

Still - nice place to be
 
Congrats David! I'm sure thats a load off your mind eh?

If you decide to go with BU, are you planning on moving to Boston or still going to commute from RI?
 
DavidJuan said:
Just got my acceptance via e-mail! (to be followed up via snail mail)

Woo hoo!

Now I actually have to make a choice - (the Emory distance program is also very attractive, and practical).

Still - nice place to be
Click to expand...

Congrats! :thumbup: Good luck deciding
 
Hi All! I just found out that I was accepted to BU! I'm hoping to join you all in September, but it costs so much! I'm coming from Canada and got a full scholarship to new MPH program. Does anyone know about the cost of living in Boston and rental costs?? Lots of things to consider. Hope to see you all in the Fall!!
 
SteffieK said:
Hi All! I just found out that I was accepted to BU! I'm hoping to join you all in September, but it costs so much! I'm coming from Canada and got a full scholarship to new MPH program. Does anyone know about the cost of living in Boston and rental costs?? Lots of things to consider. Hope to see you all in the Fall!!
Click to expand...

Congrats SteffieK! Whereabouts from Canada? I lived in Montreal for a couple years while my wife was doing a fellowship at McGill - interesting place, to say the least...

The OHR (Office of Housing Resources) for the schools of Boston U's Medical Campus is very useful for rent and neighbourhood info:

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Content.aspx?DepartmentID=375&PageID=12486

On the left you'll see 'Boston Neighbourhoods', which has a lot of useful info, espcially regarding how rent varies from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. Getting around is very easy as well. The public transport is cheap-ish and pretty well connected, similar to Toronto and Montreal (from what I've experienced). If you get a place near Commonwealth Ave, where the main BU campus is, or adjoining nice neighbourhoods such as Fenway, Kenmore, Back Bay, or Longwood Medical Area, it will be very convenient to catch the BUS (Boston University Shuttle!) which runs over Massachusetts Ave and Commonwealth Ave,between the main BU campus and the medical campus, where the School of Public Health is. Thats what I'm going to use mostly since I'm renting a place near Fenway Park. Access via regular bus and the 'T' (subway) is easy but a tad convoluted from certain points (akin to reaching around your head to touch your nose, if you know what I mean)... depends where you end up living really.

Welcome eh!
 
i just got my acceptance letter as well!! this is super! you guys were right.. just alil bit of patience! :D phew!!
 
Congrads to all the recent admits! :)
 
So I got accepted to BU after emailing them and pleading for information :)
I only wish I'd heard on my status before because now I cannot even consider it having decided on Michigan already.

Good Luck to all of you!
 
Well done Kang :)
Hope you have a great time at Michigan.
 
Hiya all,

So, as I wind down the semester (BS 703 final next week!) I've decided to go to the Emory online program. The hybrid on-site/on-line program is irresistible for someone like me w/ a full time job (who is also very comfortable w/ forums (fora?? forae?? ) ).

The long nights are just a bit much for me (moving to Boston is complex - we own a house in RI - if I'd stayed at BU we would have to, though). It's been a great experience, though. Also, I have some international travel options coming up w/ my company that I couldn't take advantage of if I stuck w/ a formal classroom format.

Thoughts on BS703

If you're taking BS 703 and have no pre-existing statistics - be ready to batten down the hatches and spend a lot of time with it (I didn't and regret it). But hey - I'm running multivariate regressions now (and mostly getting it right :)) so am pleased w/ the "trial by fire". Not acing it, but will do ok and very much value the experience. Take this w/ a grain of salt, but my big learnings as a newbie have been:

- that statistics isn't just math, but also
- philosophy (what are they getting at? what does it mean that one mean is not the same as another?)
- and plain old writing (you must write up your conclusions effectively - in **English** - don't just show formulas).

- If they are still using the Dawson book, pick up another one too - Dawson has its own pluses, but a basic companion is a good thing. I found a ton of other sources online.

- This may be obvious to many of you - but it was a hard learning for a newbie- the p-value can be estimated (<0.05)using tables however for an exact number you need to use a computer ('R' or Excel)! (or an online calculator such as
http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/Business-stat/otherapplets/pvalues.htm
) If you don't know what a p-value is yet - just store this away - eventually you'll thank me.

- If you want to, download 'R' - that's the free statistics package you'll likely be using - it's kinda cool to play with. If you're a command-line nerd, which I am.
(Of course, in Boston we call it 'Ahh'..... ahem)

- the homework questions are complex - make sure you answer everything -I missed some valuable points by overlooking phrases such as "and provide a table". Eventually I learned to parse the question effectively (take the paragraph and break it out )- that way I know I've responded to everything asked.

- that in spite of all the stress, I found out I really like statistics - switched from Outcomes to Applied Epi at Emory largely because of that.

This was longer than I meant it to be - but good luck to all at BU - I'm sure you'll be very happy with the decision. Boston is fabulous and so is the school. It was not an easy decision for me to switch.

Happy to answer any questions as I fade into the Atlanta sunset.

DJ
 
What a great post :)

My vote for Best Post Ever! on any thread!

Thanks DJ for the insight, and I hope you have a great time time with the Emory online program.

How does the online thing work? Is it 100% online or will you have to go Atlanta for some weekend sessions or something?
 
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