MPH 2019: Applied, Waitlisted, Accepted!

[MePleaseHokay]

Has anyone received financial aid info from Berkeley? It's down to Berkeley and UCLA for me, and I want to see both packages before making a final decision. I've gotten information from everywhere else already and am anxious to finalize my decision!

I hear you - I've been eagerly awaiting Berkeley's fin aid info as it's one of my choices right now but at the visit day they admitted they might not get that out to us by the April 15th deadline
I'm still going to make my decision based on what feels like the best fit but it's really stressful - I have money coming from other schools and it's weighing on me..
Good luck!!

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[MePleaseHokay]

Does anyone know the FB groups for GW or Berkeley? Or any other resource to chat directly with students about questions on the programs/ housing etc.?

P.S. good luck with decisions everyone, these are all great programs! And to anyone still waiting - lots of spots are sure to open up as choices get finalized so don't lose hope

 

[MePleaseHokay]

I called Berkeley last week and they said that they will not be releasing financial aid information until June.

 

[oacljv]

Thanks for the replies, all! Definitely helpful info, and pretty much seals the deal for UCLA.

 

[BeHappy97]

Does anyone know the FB groups for GW or Berkeley? Or any other resource to chat directly with students about questions on the programs/ housing etc.?

GW Public Health - 2019 Admitted Graduate Students

 

[blb95]

Still looking for someone to relet my apartment at Emory's preferred grad housing. As y'all are making decisions, feel free to message with any Emory questions and/or if you are interested in taking over my lease!

Hey everyone! If any of y'all are going to Emory this fall and are looking for housing starting in June, please message me!

 

[dubbz09]

Anyone in Baltimore for the Hopkins admitted student's day??

 

[BeHappy97]

Just got a $10,000 award from Columbia

 

[Pubhealth4405]

Is it rude to ask a school for more money if they gave you a partial scholarship? Columbia feels like the right choice for me, but even with the money I got it is still going to be more expensive than my other choices.

 

[cramerb83]

I called Berkeley last week and they said that they will not be releasing financial aid information until June.

lmao WHAT

 

[cramerb83]

Is it rude to ask a school for more money if they gave you a partial scholarship? Columbia feels like the right choice for me, but even with the money I got it is still going to be more expensive than my other choices.

NO! Ask for what you need, don't worry about feeling bad for these institutions that have tens/hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable funds. The cost of education is so terribly inflated from what it should be, you should never feel rude for asking for more. Go for it!

 

[annizizi15]

Still have not heard from UNC and every day I want to die. Who else is waiting to hear back from schools? Called and emailed the woman in charge so much I’m afraid to bug her anymore even though she said I’d have a decision by last week.

 

[Ramaq Chishti]

NO! Ask for what you need, don't worry about feeling bad for these institutions that have tens/hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable funds. The cost of education is so terribly inflated from what it should be, you should never feel rude for asking for more. Go for it!

Exactly. Why is education so terribly inflated? Why do we live in a world where people are forced to live barely hand to mouth to get a degree, job prospects of which might still take years to pay off the loans and debts accumulated? Really in the bitter barn these days with all the financial hassle. I wish there was no limit for passion because I know so many will not be going to their dream university because the pocket cannot afford it.

 

[Missaayyyy]

i totally agree that we should all be asking for more money from these programs, I just don’t know how! I got a pretty good scholarship and I don’t know how or who to ask for more because I still can’t afford it lol.

 

[Bloops]

I feel the same way. I'm looking at $70,000-$100,000 total debt including undergrad if I go forward with a program. Really don't know if its even feasible to go. I know you are supposed to think about ROI but its so hard to know with such ranging salaries in the field...
I'd love for any thoughts or advice on this.

 

[ktenn10]

So this might be a bit of a dumb question, but does anyone know if MPH students often dress relatively professional during classes and such? I'm not going to be having a teaching position, which I assume is something you would definitely dress up for a bit, but I'm very used to seeing PhD students on my campus dressed business casual, so I figured I'd check here to see what yalls thoughts are for MPH students lol

 

[hollyberry118]

So this might be a bit of a dumb question, but does anyone know if MPH students often dress relatively professional during classes and such? I'm not going to be having a teaching position, which I assume is something you would definitely dress up for a bit, but I'm very used to seeing PhD students on my campus dressed business casual, so I figured I'd check here to see what yalls thoughts are for MPH students lol

Great question!

 

[krequals10]

i totally agree that we should all be asking for more money from these programs, I just don’t know how! I got a pretty good scholarship and I don’t know how or who to ask for more because I still can’t afford it lol.

I've recently sent appeal emails- some just respond saying I need to fill out a form. I would just email saying it's your dream school, but the financial aspect is still a burden. Is there a possibility of more funding? I also asked what I can do to fund my degree- ie external scholarships, TA positions.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

NO! Ask for what you need, don't worry about feeling bad for these institutions that have tens/hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable funds. The cost of education is so terribly inflated from what it should be, you should never feel rude for asking for more. Go for it!

Exactly. Why is education so terribly inflated? Why do we live in a world where people are forced to live barely hand to mouth to get a degree, job prospects of which might still take years to pay off the loans and debts accumulated? Really in the bitter barn these days with all the financial hassle. I wish there was no limit for passion because I know so many will not be going to their dream university because the pocket cannot afford it.

I feel the same way. I'm looking at $70,000-$100,000 total debt including undergrad if I go forward with a program. Really don't know if its even feasible to go. I know you are supposed to think about ROI but its so hard to know with such ranging salaries in the field...
I'd love for any thoughts or advice on this.

Last year, Emory's tuition was $16,900 per semester, now it's risen to $17,400. I know they said how Emory is one of the cheapest programs but that's ridiculous! Why the high costs and the surrounding cities' costs of living are continuously rising as well it's scary. Right now I'm working on an excel sheet calculating all of the possible expenses during grad school and I'm looking at graduating with $150k in debt (including undergrad debt)...that's almost as much as a med school student and I have no intentions of being a doctor whatsoever.

I have a strong passion and interest in public health and don't want to simply go with a job because of the high salary, I actually want to enjoy it and look forward to going to work on Mondays! lol In the end, I know I'm making an investment in my future and career goals, and will just focus on paying it down and hopefully be debt free by the time I retire if I'm lucky.

 

[suecakep]

Last year, Emory's tuition was $16,900 per semester, now it's risen to $17,400. I know they said how Emory is one of the cheapest programs but that's ridiculous! Why the high costs and the surrounding cities' costs of living are continuously rising as well it's scary. Right now I'm working on an excel sheet calculating all of the possible expenses during grad school and I'm looking at graduating with $150k in debt (including undergrad debt)...that's almost as much as a med school student and I have no intentions of being a doctor whatsoever.

I have a strong passion and interest in public health and don't want to simply go with a job because of the high salary, I actually want to enjoy it and look forward to going to work on Mondays! lol In the end, I know I'm making an investment in my future and career goals, and will just focus on paying it down and hopefully be debt free by the time I retire if I'm lucky.

I'm also making an excel sheet for my upcoming expense and I just get so depressed from looking at the cost.. they just don't have enough resources or scholarships for grad students..

 

[JDGBruin1317]

I'm also making an excel sheet for my upcoming expense and I just get so depressed from looking at the cost.. they just don't have enough resources or scholarships for grad students..

Same here. I cannot agree with you more. I even applied for the additional funding institutional awards and a day or two later they sent me the standard we are unable to offer you funding email. It's very discouraging but I don't want to not go to my dream school and miss out on this seemingly once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

[hollyberry118]

Happy to announce that I have officially committed to Yale's EMD Program and it feels so right!

 

[ac2019applicant]

I am really struggling to make a decision so if anyone has any advice or insight, I would greatly appreciate it!

I think I have narrowed my options down to Harvard (MPH-65 HSB), Emory (BSHE), or UNC (HB) but I'm extremely conflicted as I feel I have valid reasons to choose/not choose each program. These are my current thoughts:

Harvard:
Pros - the Harvard name carries a lot of weight in the field (could lead to higher paying/more competitive jobs), the program lets you cross register at other schools (MIT, Harvard Business/Law, Kennedy School, etc.), a bigger city - lots of opportunities in boston
Cons - $$$$ (didn't offer me any scholarships/grants, so I would be taking out loans for all of it), didn't get great vibes at the admitted student day (it seemed like all they were selling was the Harvard name, not the program itself), I spoke with a recent alum of the HSB program and she felt she didn't get as much out of the program as she paid for (courses more content-based than skills-based), I worry about being a small fish in a big pond in terms of getting research/mentorship opportunities, seemed like less room for work experience (when I asked I heard a lot of "there isn't enough time to work")
Pro/Con? - Only 1.5 years (I haven't decided if this is a pro or con for me yet)

UNC
Pros - cheapest option (I qualify for in state tuition so even if I cant get a TA/RA-ship, it would only cost me ~40k for the two years), im already in the triangle so most convenient (wouldn't need to move), ranked as high as Harvard (although the UNC name carries less weight in other fields/internationally)
Cons - I've been wanting to leave NC since finishing undergrad but keep getting stuck (I worry that while the UNC degree will make it easy to get jobs in the triangle, it may be difficult to find a job elsewhere), ive heard mix reviews of the new core curriculum
Note - UNC's admitted student day is tomorrow so I don't have any takeways from that yet

Emory
Pros - not the cheapest option but I did receive a small scholarship so not as expensive as Harvard (40% tuition + 10k REAL +2K practicum), I did get really good vibes at visit emory (they did a much better job at selling the actual program than Harvard), location (ive been wanting to leave NC for a while but the boston cold scares me - Atlanta was beautiful and seemed like a really livable city), they really emphasize work experience during the program (almost everyone I talked to was working with the CDC while in school
Cons - not as highly ranked as Harvard/UNC, not my cheapest option, I worry about career outlook (I could possibly see myself at the CDC but i'm not set on that and wouldn't want to be limited to that as my only option)

Anyways, I know that was a lot, but if anyone is dealing with a similar decision and has any advice/insight please reach out!

 

[ac2019applicant]

Oh also - if anyone has officially decided on Harvard who didn't receive any scholarship (plans to take out loans to pay for it), I would love to chat and hear your reasoning! I know financials can be a sensitive topic so please feel free to DM me if you are willing to talk about your decision making process.

 

[sinigual]

Oh also - if anyone has officially decided on Harvard who didn't receive any scholarship (plans to take out loans to pay for it), I would love to chat and hear your reasoning! I know financials can be a sensitive topic so please feel free to DM me if you are willing to talk about your decision making process.

This is kind of the opposite of what you're asking (sorry!) but I based my decision on my values for later life. I love public health and I'm so excited to be a part of this field, but I have other things I'm looking to accomplish. In the next 10 years I'm hoping to buy a house, have a wedding, have a kid, and do the Australia & Southeast Asia tour I've been dreaming of for years. I want the chance to retire when I'm ready to rather than have to keep working to stay on top of debt. In a field where $60k is a reasonable expectation for a starting salary (and basic living costs and unexpected expenses take up so much of that), I can't bring myself to take on $80-$100k in debt for the next 10+ years for a 1.5 year program. The Harvard name is recognizable and impresses people, but that doesn't mean that other schools are bad or less well-regarded.

My partner and I talked about this so much yesterday and it really helped me think about my options in a clearer way.

 

[Gutterball1234]

I am really struggling to make a decision so if anyone has any advice or insight, I would greatly appreciate it!

I think I have narrowed my options down to Harvard (MPH-65 HSB), Emory (BSHE), or UNC (HB) but I'm extremely conflicted as I feel I have valid reasons to choose/not choose each program. These are my current thoughts:

Harvard:
Pros - the Harvard name carries a lot of weight in the field (could lead to higher paying/more competitive jobs), the program lets you cross register at other schools (MIT, Harvard Business/Law, Kennedy School, etc.), a bigger city - lots of opportunities in boston
Cons - $$$$ (didn't offer me any scholarships/grants, so I would be taking out loans for all of it), didn't get great vibes at the admitted student day (it seemed like all they were selling was the Harvard name, not the program itself), I spoke with a recent alum of the HSB program and she felt she didn't get as much out of the program as she paid for (courses more content-based than skills-based), I worry about being a small fish in a big pond in terms of getting research/mentorship opportunities, seemed like less room for work experience (when I asked I heard a lot of "there isn't enough time to work")
Pro/Con? - Only 1.5 years (I haven't decided if this is a pro or con for me yet)

UNC
Pros - cheapest option (I qualify for in state tuition so even if I cant get a TA/RA-ship, it would only cost me ~40k for the two years), im already in the triangle so most convenient (wouldn't need to move), ranked as high as Harvard (although the UNC name carries less weight in other fields/internationally)
Cons - I've been wanting to leave NC since finishing undergrad but keep getting stuck (I worry that while the UNC degree will make it easy to get jobs in the triangle, it may be difficult to find a job elsewhere), ive heard mix reviews of the new core curriculum
Note - UNC's admitted student day is tomorrow so I don't have any takeways from that yet

Emory
Pros - not the cheapest option but I did receive a small scholarship so not as expensive as Harvard (40% tuition + 10k REAL +2K practicum), I did get really good vibes at visit emory (they did a much better job at selling the actual program than Harvard), location (ive been wanting to leave NC for a while but the boston cold scares me - Atlanta was beautiful and seemed like a really livable city), they really emphasize work experience during the program (almost everyone I talked to was working with the CDC while in school
Cons - not as highly ranked as Harvard/UNC, not my cheapest option, I worry about career outlook (I could possibly see myself at the CDC but i'm not set on that and wouldn't want to be limited to that as my only option)

Anyways, I know that was a lot, but if anyone is dealing with a similar decision and has any advice/insight please reach out!

The only one of those that I know anything about is Emory, but I could give my $0.02 based on your Pros/Cons. UNC is probably the easiest one to figure out. How much do finances affect your decision? It seems, based on your list, that you want to move out of the triangle. I was actually in a similar position with my in-state university (although admittedly, Ohio State isn't anywhere close to UNC with regard to Public Health programs.) I decided that I was okay with debt in order to do what I really want to do with my life. You may come to a different decision if you'd still be fine staying in North Carolina. I personally look at finances as a tie-breaker, but you do you. As for the other 2, a lot depends on what you want to do with your career. Harvard is Harvard. The name will open up a lot of doors that may otherwise stay shut. Much of the benefit though is with networking. Are there opportunities to gain experience in your area of interest? From my experience at Visit Emory, it seems like they are very skills-based, which should help with career opportunities.

I hope that helped some.

 

[blb95]

So it honestly depends on the day... I was an intern at the CDC for a project from October 1st until April 1st, and am currently a graduate research assistant, so on the days I work, I will dress business-casual to business-professional (again, depending if I'm just working on my computer or am going to meetings, giving presentations, etc). Other days, I definitely dress for comfort (today, I just had classes/labs/a quiz, so I wore leggings and a comfy shirt with moccasins). I did find that I started out more toward the business attire even on days where I was just going to class, then noticed everyone else kinda settling in and dressing more comfortably and matched that.

So this might be a bit of a dumb question, but does anyone know if MPH students often dress relatively professional during classes and such? I'm not going to be having a teaching position, which I assume is something you would definitely dress up for a bit, but I'm very used to seeing PhD students on my campus dressed business casual, so I figured I'd check here to see what yalls thoughts are for MPH students lol

 

[brokenboujie]

It's official - Columbia MPH Epidemiology 2021!!!!

 

[Sage_ramone]

Hi everyone,

I am considering learning a data analysis package over the summer. Which of STATA, SAS or R do you think is most useful and easier to learn amongst the 3?

 

[Missaayyyy]

Hi everyone,

I am considering learning a data analysis package over the summer. Which of STATA, SAS or R do you think is most useful and easier to learn amongst the 3?

Depends what you’re learning it for— useful and easiest to learn aren’t quite the same for stat packages.

STATA isn’t super hard to teach yourself and there’s a lot of helpful videos online to help. It’s the easiest of them for me.

R has such a steep learning curve that I gave up a few months in, although I know a few people who taught themselves.

I think lots of companies ask for STATA but if you’re looking to do epi/biostats heavy work you might want to learn R.

 

[MPAfya_19]

I am really struggling to make a decision so if anyone has any advice or insight, I would greatly appreciate it!

I think I have narrowed my options down to Harvard (MPH-65 HSB), Emory (BSHE), or UNC (HB) but I'm extremely conflicted as I feel I have valid reasons to choose/not choose each program. These are my current thoughts:

Harvard:
Pros - the Harvard name carries a lot of weight in the field (could lead to higher paying/more competitive jobs), the program lets you cross register at other schools (MIT, Harvard Business/Law, Kennedy School, etc.), a bigger city - lots of opportunities in boston
Cons - $$$$ (didn't offer me any scholarships/grants, so I would be taking out loans for all of it), didn't get great vibes at the admitted student day (it seemed like all they were selling was the Harvard name, not the program itself), I spoke with a recent alum of the HSB program and she felt she didn't get as much out of the program as she paid for (courses more content-based than skills-based), I worry about being a small fish in a big pond in terms of getting research/mentorship opportunities, seemed like less room for work experience (when I asked I heard a lot of "there isn't enough time to work")
Pro/Con? - Only 1.5 years (I haven't decided if this is a pro or con for me yet)

UNC
Pros - cheapest option (I qualify for in state tuition so even if I cant get a TA/RA-ship, it would only cost me ~40k for the two years), im already in the triangle so most convenient (wouldn't need to move), ranked as high as Harvard (although the UNC name carries less weight in other fields/internationally)
Cons - I've been wanting to leave NC since finishing undergrad but keep getting stuck (I worry that while the UNC degree will make it easy to get jobs in the triangle, it may be difficult to find a job elsewhere), ive heard mix reviews of the new core curriculum
Note - UNC's admitted student day is tomorrow so I don't have any takeways from that yet

Emory
Pros - not the cheapest option but I did receive a small scholarship so not as expensive as Harvard (40% tuition + 10k REAL +2K practicum), I did get really good vibes at visit emory (they did a much better job at selling the actual program than Harvard), location (ive been wanting to leave NC for a while but the boston cold scares me - Atlanta was beautiful and seemed like a really livable city), they really emphasize work experience during the program (almost everyone I talked to was working with the CDC while in school
Cons - not as highly ranked as Harvard/UNC, not my cheapest option, I worry about career outlook (I could possibly see myself at the CDC but i'm not set on that and wouldn't want to be limited to that as my only option)

Anyways, I know that was a lot, but if anyone is dealing with a similar decision and has any advice/insight please reach out!

Hey! So I had this exact decision to make between these three schools, and had a similar pros and cons list, so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts.

First of all, they are three fantastic options, so no matter what you chose you're in a great spot! I know that thought helped me a lot in easing my anxiety while making my decision. And as others have said on this thread, you will ultimately get out of the program what you put into it.

With that in mind, I think it's important to go to a program that you are excited about so that you go in with a good attitude, ready to succeed. It seems (from just this short post) like UNC is not that program for you. Sure, you could probably pump yourself up for it and get excited, but why not go with an option you're more excited about already?

Personally I don't think Harvard is worth taking out all those extra loans over Emory or UNC. In my case, Harvard was as cheap as UNC and about half the cost of Emory. I think if Emory had been a little cheaper I would have very seriously considered it, for the factors you've mentioned. I think their focus on practical experience and an overall very warm and welcoming vibe make it a very appealing school.

Of course all of this is my own view, so take it with a grain of salt. But again, I really don't think you can make a bad choice here!

 

[Dmohr21]

Hi everyone,

I am considering learning a data analysis package over the summer. Which of STATA, SAS or R do you think is most useful and easier to learn amongst the 3?

I use SAS all day, everyday during my job (when I’m not working on preparing manuscripts). This could be because my program teaches SAS though. A colleague of mine also was taught SAS during their MPH at a different school. Maybe look at what your program is teaching you and pick one of the other two options so you’re more marketable for a job in the future.

 

[Bloops]

Thoughts on online MPH program?
I’m being steered that direction by family members and my response is that it’s not a good idea, but they swear otherwise.

 

[armchair_cosmonaut]

Thoughts on online MPH program?
I’m being steered that direction by family members and my response is that it’s not a good idea, but they swear otherwise.

My impression of online MPH programs is that they are geared for professionals who will be taking classes part-time as a way to get a promotion (ie: they want a promotion, but their employer requires an advanced degree, and will pay for it).

I think the in-person connections you make in a traditional program format are invaluable, and I personally wouldn't consider an online program unless it was the above situation and this wasn't the launchpad for my career but rather a hurdle that needs to be jumped.

I can, however, see the advantages of being able to stay in your current area, especially if you have a family of your own or otherwise are not able to move and didn't get any satisfactory offers from schools closer by.

 

[wwmmkk]

Hi everyone,

I am considering learning a data analysis package over the summer. Which of STATA, SAS or R do you think is most useful and easier to learn amongst the 3?

STATA is the easiest to learn on your own for sure. But you need to get your hands on it-- of the 3, R is the only one that is open source (ie., free). But maybe you have a professional or university connection to get SAS or STATA without paying out the nose.

I personally detest SAS. It's useful in public health practice though. I think many state health departments run entirely on SAS. I'm a STATA fan and will remain loyal until I can take a class in R. I tried to teach myself but could only get the very basics. If you have a strong coding background, however, it might be easier for you than it was for me.

 

[el.mo19]

Just a small update that I received 5K from Emory in Institutional Awards on 4/3; as much as I really enjoyed Visit Emory, I didn't love it more than other programs to feel comfortable taking out the entirety of tuition in loans.

So after a ton of reflecting this past week, I'm going to go to UM for HBHE!

 

[el.mo19]

I really can't thank everyone on here for their support during this cycle and can't wait to see where everyone else decides to end up!

 

[Missaayyyy]

I got $15k from Emory's institutional award application this morning. It's more than I expected but still not enough to bring their Estimated Cost of Attendance to a reasonable number for me. I think this pretty much wraps up my application season, I'll be a Brown Bear in the Fall!

(And if anyone is still following my Berkeley saga........no. no, I have not heard from them still despite 3 emails and dozens of calls in just the last month. *heavy sigh*)

I'm also super grateful for you all helping me keep my sanity through this whole thing. I'm happy that I'm entering the field with amazing folks like y'all!

 

[el.mo19]

Also woke up to an email that Emory found additional funding (10K), going to officially decline my admissions offer since I didn't get a chance to yesterday! Hope one of you guys gets reallocated the money!

(disclaimer: I had previously declined admissions to other schools I knew were out of the running, wasn't holding on to extra seats. just kept the ones I was debating between!)

 

[PublicHealthScholar]

I think my decision is made too!! If anyone else is attending the MS-80 GHP at Harvard this fall - please reach out!!! I'll be declining my others today & hoping some of that gets reallocated. Thank you all for the tremendous support and guidance!!!!! Can't wait to work with you all in the public health field one day

 

[TreeTrunks]

Someone please help my poor indecisive soul.
If any current or admitted students want to sway me toward any of these schools, PLEASE please reply or send me a message

Main +/–'s of each school:

Harvard MPH-65 in HSB, 50% scholarship
+ super unique opportunity to leverage prestige and network of people to propel my research interests
– shortest and most expensive program, kind of have to go out of my way to get quant training, one HSB-65 student at visit day said he felt like he didn't learn anything at Harvard (oh dear... but n=1?)

Emory MSPH in Epi, ~75% scholarship
+ might provide the most solid research training to prep for possible (?) PhD route
– Georgia is not a hospitable environment for personal reasons; & of related concern, not sure if research interest would be well supported

UCLA MS in CHS, ~75% scholarship
+ super affordable, already established connections at UCLA would help me hit the ground running
– already established connections at UCLA—perhaps I need to step out of my comfort zone and embrace unfamiliar opportunities and environments

Unfortunately a lot of these factors are still semi-speculative. I've tried hard to gather as much info as possible from students, faculty, and websites, but I'm still feeling lost.

If this helps—
Research interests: Immigrant and prison health
Lofty next goals: MD, maybe PhD?

 

[Gutterball1234]

Someone please help my poor indecisive soul.
If any current or admitted students want to sway me toward any of these schools, PLEASE please reply or send me a message

Main +/–'s of each school:

Harvard MPH-65 in HSB, 50% scholarship
+ super unique opportunity to leverage prestige and network of people to propel my research interests
– shortest and most expensive program, kind of have to go out of my way to get quant training, one HSB-65 student at visit day said he felt like he didn't learn anything at Harvard (oh dear... but n=1?)

Emory MSPH in Epi, ~75% scholarship
+ might provide the most solid research training to prep for possible (?) PhD route
– Georgia is not a hospitable environment for personal reasons; & of related concern, not sure if research interest would be well supported

UCLA MS in CHS, ~75% scholarship
+ super affordable, already established connections at UCLA would help me hit the ground running
– already established connections at UCLA—perhaps I need to step out of my comfort zone and embrace unfamiliar opportunities and environments

Unfortunately a lot of these factors are still semi-speculative. I've tried hard to gather as much info as possible from students, faculty, and websites, but I'm still feeling lost.

If this helps—
Research interests: Immigrant and prison health
Lofty next goals: MD, maybe PhD?

Before I give my opinion, I just want to say that you can't really go wrong with any of those 3. They are all amazing schools, and it seems like you got enough money from each of them to make that less of an issue (I understand it could still act as a tiebreaker in the event that you really can't choose.) As much as I've liked everything I've learned about Emory (I'll be attending starting in the fall), if you really have an issue living in Georgia, then going to a 2 year program there is probably a bad idea. In addition, I haven't heard much about their MSPH, so my opinion of their program may not be worth much to you. As for Harvard vs. UCLA, I think it really depends on how much the Harvard name means to you. I'm sure you'd be able to find plenty of research opportunities at Harvard for obvious reasons, but for research on immigrant populations, I feel like LA is a great place to be, what with the proximity to the border. As for your goals of applying to an MD, I don't think med schools care what school you went to, as much as what you did while you were there. I applied last year, and I can tell you that prestige of undergrad isn't much of a factor, so I can't imagine that prestige of your grad school would move the needle much.

I don't think you can go wrong, so just think about what's important to you. Are you wanting to leave LA? Where would you want to live for the next year or 2? Which program (academically) seems like the best fit? All of that being said, based on your short list of pros and cons, I'd lean towards UCLA.

I hope that helped.

 

[CLib1214]

Anyone going to Yale’s Admitted Students Day on Monday? What are you all wearing?

 

[MePleaseHokay]

Anyone going to Yale’s Admitted Students Day on Monday? What are you all wearing?

Hey, I'll be there! Looks like it's gonna be ~60° and rainy.. probly something "business casual" (black pants, nice top or a simple dress with a blazer. Lol realizing I.. need to do laundry haha)
If you want to meet up or chat there I'm at 617-784-9358, going to be with the EHS/global dept.

 

[sploosh]

So this might be a bit of a dumb question, but does anyone know if MPH students often dress relatively professional during classes and such? I'm not going to be having a teaching position, which I assume is something you would definitely dress up for a bit, but I'm very used to seeing PhD students on my campus dressed business casual, so I figured I'd check here to see what yalls thoughts are for MPH students lol

I can only speak for my school, but in my experience, I would say the formality level is between college and business casual for just normal classes. Most people don't wear sweatpants anymore, but a clean pair of jeans are okay. I have seen people in leggings but not often, and typically it's clear that they're going to or from the gym.

And like someone else said before me, if there is an event like a poster session, people do tend to wear business casual or, if it's something really important, even a level above that.

Hi everyone,

I am considering learning a data analysis package over the summer. Which of STATA, SAS or R do you think is most useful and easier to learn amongst the 3?

My school teaches Stata mainly, but here's my impression of the three packages from a year of study:

• Stata - Very easy to pick up with a lot of online tutorials and support, but less common in the "real world"; many teachers say they can read Stata code but don't work in it themselves. Personally, I like Stata a lot. Not free, as wwmmkk said.

• SAS - MANY people here use SAS in their day to day work. Not Apple/mac compatible. Can't speak to how difficult or hard this is to learn.

• R - Many people have commented that they think people are moving towards R in the future. Free. The barrier to entry is high, though - "R makes easy things hard but makes hard things very easy", is how I've heard it described. I definitely intend to take an R programming course in the future.

• Python - A few of the more statistically-oriented people I've met here (PhD students and professors) have mentioned wanting to pick up Python. Don't know much more about it than that.

 

[Bloops]

$10,000 Rollins Incentive Award from Emory... Not much but I was surprised to receive anything this late in the game.
For those of you planning to contact schools requesting to be considered for addition scholarships/aid, do you plan on doing that before the April 15th deadline or after? Trying to plan when the best time to do that is.

 

[sg307]

Is it crazy to take out $30,000 in loans each year for an MPH program? Is that doable? How much money do people accumulate in loans? Having a lot of trouble figuring out what's doable v. what is crazy.

 

[Missaayyyy]

$10,000 Rollins Incentive Award from Emory... Not much but I was surprised to receive anything this late in the game.
For those of you planning to contact schools requesting to be considered for addition scholarships/aid, do you plan on doing that before the April 15th deadline or after? Trying to plan when the best time to do that is.

I contacted Brown on Thursday requesting additional aid. I didn’t hear back yet but I’m hoping that after people decline their awards on/around the 15th I’ll hear good news.

 

[BeHappy97]

Received an additional $10,000 Rollins Incentive Award from Emory today!

 

[Dmohr21]

I can only speak for my school, but in my experience, I would say the formality level is between college and business casual for just normal classes. Most people don't wear sweatpants anymore, but a clean pair of jeans are okay. I have seen people in leggings but not often, and typically it's clear that they're going to or from the gym.

And like someone else said before me, if there is an event like a poster session, people do tend to wear business casual or, if it's something really important, even a level above that.



My school teaches Stata mainly, but here's my impression of the three packages from a year of study:

• Stata - Very easy to pick up with a lot of online tutorials and support, but less common in the "real world"; many teachers say they can read Stata code but don't work in it themselves. Personally, I like Stata a lot. Not free, as wwmmkk said.

• SAS - MANY people here use SAS in their day to day work. Not Apple/mac compatible. Can't speak to how difficult or hard this is to learn.

• R - Many people have commented that they think people are moving towards R in the future. Free. The barrier to entry is high, though - "R makes easy things hard but makes hard things very easy", is how I've heard it described. I definitely intend to take an R programming course in the future.

• Python - A few of the more statistically-oriented people I've met here (PhD students and professors) have mentioned wanting to pick up Python. Don't know much more about it than that.

SAS studio (which is free) is Mac/apple compatible!