Help me decide: MPH in Policy Yale vs. UCLA

[jdonnell]

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Help - I'm in a pickle! I've been admitted to Yale and UCLA and they both seem to have great, small programs with impressive faculty. I'm particularly interested in studying entitlement programs.

Here's my deal: I currently live in (and love) Los Angeles, but ultimately, I'd like to move back and work on the East coast. For the graduates of either program, here are my questions:

1. How would you rate the academic rigor of your classes and classmates? Did you feel challenged?

2. Do you feel like your classes had a strong quantitative emphasis?

3. Do you feel like your classes gave your a good understanding of public policy?

4. (Feel free to ignore this one if it's too personal) Was your financial aid consistent from the first year to the second?

5. Is there anything else you wish you had known before making the decision to attend?

6. For those at Yale, how did you like living in New Haven? Did you feel safe? Is it affordable to live alone?

7. How much have you relied on your college connections for employment after school?

8. Yale is lower ranked than UCLA - does that have any bearing on job placement?

Thanks for any light you can shed!!!

 

[2013MPH2013]

If you are currently living in LA, then I would guess you are CA resident? My opinion would be to take advantage of the in-state tuition and not having to do a cross country move unless there is something about Yale that you think is a significantly better match for you. If the tuition is similar, I think a lot of your questions are discussed on an earlier post about Yale's Policy program.

That is a valid question regarding financial aid. I don't know that any current first year students have found out about regular financial aid yet for next year. However, I have not heard any complaints about bait and switch. Except for merit scholarships, it is 100% need based so your need increases your second year so I can't imagine we would get less money. Did you ask the financial aid woman? She is really helpful and very straight forward.


Good luck!

 

[124bbb]

^^ I totally agree. By the way, congrats on scoring these great opportunities. 👍 Good luck!

 

[jdonnell]

Thanks for weighing in. California state budgets being what they are, the money is not terribly different. Still, it sounds like you don't think the clout of the two schools is vastly different. I appreciate the feedback. Best of luck to all of you - these message boards have been so helpful in this process!

 

[2013MPH2013]

Hi,
That isn't exactly what I said per se 😉. I am just saying that all things being equal, I would just take the less expensive school. If you want to move to the east coast then it makes sense to go to school in the vicinity of where you eventually want to work. However, there are plenty of people who go to Tulane and get excellent jobs outside of New Orleans 🙂 so there are just so many things to consider! I don't know how either program (UCLA v. Yale) ranks in comparsion to each other or in Health Policy so I can't be of help there.
Good luck making a decision.

 

[BlindPilot]

I attended UCLA SPH in the CHS Department and here are some answers to your questions:

1. How would you rate the academic rigor of your classes and classmates? Did you feel challenged?

This largely depended on which classes you chose. I think you can tell a mile away from a syllabus whether a course will challenge you or whether you can breeze through it. The courses I expected to be challenging were as expected, and likewise for those I took because I was interested in the topic though new the course content would be a breeze. I think the academic rigor is pretty good at UCLA and the students I've had classes with are pretty impressive.

2. Do you feel like your classes had a strong quantitative emphasis?

Again, this depends on how you want to set-up your schedule. Even if I was in CHS, I was able to take tons of stats and epi courses, which I definitely recommend. The stats courses at UCLA are great, and you come out learning a number of software programs to use. We used STATA for the first two parts of Biostats and then went onto SAS when I took a multivariate regression course.

3. Do you feel like your classes gave your a good understanding of public policy?

I took one public policy course, and I think it left me with a basic understanding. I know a few students in the HS department and they seem to be satisfied with their program and their choice.

4. (Feel free to ignore this one if it's too personal) Was your financial aid consistent from the first year to the second?

Not quite, but only because my fellowship the first year was a one-year thing. I then went on to do a GSR + SR jobs this year to cover the rest of my tuition for second year. That's the cool thing about UCLA, they have a number of research and TA positions for second year that will pay your fees as long as you do well the first year.

5. Is there anything else you wish you had known before making the decision to attend?

I wish someone told me to just go ahead and take 4 classes (with one being pass/fail so it's not too much pressure). I feel like I missed out on some cool classes, but that's about it. It's been a great experience.


I think I'd also consider talking to the department you were accepted into and asking them about oppotunities at UCLA SPH. The school MIGHT be undergoing lots of changes because of the donation it just received about a month ago. I dunno if it's because of the donation or things are beginning to look up but there have definitely been more SR positions posted lately as well as paid internship opportunities for the current 1st years.

Sorry if this is incredibly long.

 

[jdonnell]

Thanks, Blind Pilot. That was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time!

That's great advice to take 4 classes per quarter. I'd forgotten that UCLA doesn't charge per credit so it makes sense to maximize the course load.

 

[RAMPA]

Thanks, Blind Pilot. That was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time!

That's great advice to take 4 classes per quarter. I'd forgotten that UCLA doesn't charge per credit so it makes sense to maximize the course load.

As a policy track student you will take 4 courses most quarters. The MPH program in health policy & management requires 88units to graduate compared to ~60 units in other departments. Many of us are actually taking more, ~100 units in our two years here to take advantage of courses at Anderson & Luskin.

 

[PreMPHMan]

I'm trying to resist the lure of Yale's Ivy League tag....I think UCLA has a better network/connectiosn. From what I've heard UCLA has an almost 100% employment/in school rate after a few months while Yale hovers around 85%.

 

[jdonnell]

I'm trying to resist the lure of Yale's Ivy League tag....I think UCLA has a better network/connectiosn. From what I've heard UCLA has an almost 100% employment/in school rate after a few months while Yale hovers around 85%.

I am in the same boat! I think you're right about the employment numbers, but I also didn't have a great impression of the Career Services presentation at Yale. My guess is that most people get good jobs if they put in a little elbow grease.

I've been asking around to friends and friends of friends who are out of school and working in PH (at the VA, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RAND, HHS, and more) and they all say the same thing:

- It doesn't really matter - they're both good schools. Pick the place you'll be happiest.
- Within the field, the UCLA SPH has slightly more cache than Yale's SPH, but Yale is still Yale and won't look bad on a resume.
- UCLA does have more connections on the West coast, but policy people know the names Needleman, Rice, and UCLA for that matter.
- After school, it's the degree and the skill set that matter more than the name of the school.

I've decided to go with UCLA. It's a great place to live and I'm really excited to get involved with the Center for Health Policy Research. While I'd really love to wear the Yale sweatshirt for the rest of my life, I just don't think it's the best school and environment for me at the moment. Hope that helps! Everyone is facing tough (and great) decisions, but I don't think there is a wrong choice. Good luck!