What.
Public health is a female dominated field, so you will always be in a female dominated program. If you have issues working in a female dominated dynamic for whatever reason, this is not the field for you.
MPH Fall 2015: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!
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Public health is a female dominated field, so you will always be in a female dominated program. If you have issues working in a female dominated dynamic for whatever reason, this is not the field for you.
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I never understood people that are uneasy about working with a bunch of women. There is virtually no difference. If you're looking for problems, then yea, you'll find them. These people are my colleagues, they are not my friends. It was the same in my undergrad. If we actually hit it off, then cool. If not, that's cool too. We're all in this together to further our careers.
This whole issue about gender and sex are so stupid, I'm sorry.
This whole issue about gender and sex are so stupid, I'm sorry.
AGREED!!!!!
Edit: Actually I do understand, sadly. Due to thousands of years of misogyny, there are a lot of misconceptions about the capability of women. Too hormonal, not smart enough, sensitive, etc. Literally none of that is true. Men also have hormonal cycles and the highest record IQ was from a woman. Everyone in whichever program or job got there because they had a certain standard of skills and intellectual capability, so the only reason to be apprehensive is because of one's own prejudices.
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I'm a man, and I'm going into a very female dominated specialty in Public Health - MCH. So, what, who cares? I think that there is a difference in a mostly male vs mostly female classroom, that is just the difference in life experiences. The same as the differences in having traditional students and non-trad students.
I've personally always sought out female teachers, doctors, mechanics, whatever.
I've personally always sought out female teachers, doctors, mechanics, whatever.
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Actually, I'm not even sure if this is what the original poster meant to say. Let's give him the benefit of doubt before jumping to conclusions!
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There's really no way to spin being apprehensive about attending a female dominated program or wanting to leave a female dominated program because you are not female other than you are apprehensive about working with mostly females or don't want to.
I do not think anyone meant women are less capable. I think the posters may just be concerned with the social dynamic, maybe they tend to be shy around women. Idk! but I do not think they meant any disrespect.
That's how I, as a woman, took it. If there are really no differences in how men and women work, why does everyone talk about how STEM fields are so male-dominated, and how it's difficult being the only woman in a cohort of men, etc? I don't think the OP was saying he doesn't think women are capable, just that it's a different social scene.
Because male dominated fields tend to be exclusionary of women and it is really difficult for a woman to get respect in those fields.
I chose Hopkins. Turning down a scholarship from UNC and $81,000 in unsubsidized loans from Columbia. 😛 Really would have liked to attend UNC, but the time frame didn't work as well. Hope everyone is as happy with their selections as I am.
Congrats! If you don't mind me asking..
Which concentration/department have you applied too!
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I sent in Columbia's enrollment fee a few days ago. It definitely feels good making a commitment, despite the difficulty deciding between schools.
Apologies to all that my post offended. Believe me I know that the nonprofit industry is dominated by women and I have no problem with that whatsoever. I have no problem with women, am not shy, and am a proponent for gender equity and other related social issues. Before returning to school, I worked for a number of nonprofit health organizations and have built life-long friendships with many of my female counterparts. I do not think I am better because of my masculinity, I just wish I had other males to fraternize with. It might help others understand more, I was in a fraternity in undergrad and had a large group of male friends prior to Tulane.
My issue comes into play in more of a social sense. Since there's hardly any guys, all of the girls hang out together and there's not much social space for me as a male to enjoy my free time within the Tulane SPH student body. Not that I'm looking for a relationship, but many of them are in long-distance relationships and prefer just hanging out in their female cliques. I believe that one should have a good balance of female and male friends, though I think it's easier to judge someone when you do not walk in their shoes.
I like to play hard and work harder. Though I've felt deprived of having time to enjoy myself, because there's no one in my program that I can really relate with, leaving me to seek out companions in other ways, i.e. young professionals group, MeetUps. I wasn't expecting to have to resort to that in an academic environment.
The purpose of my post was to honestly gather more information for future decisions, and to offer insight to others that might face the same dilemma as me. I've heard other programs have more gender/sex diversity than Tulane. In hindsight, I should've considered researching and weighing that during my research. Though no use in crying over spilt milk, just wanted to let others know.
My issue comes into play in more of a social sense. Since there's hardly any guys, all of the girls hang out together and there's not much social space for me as a male to enjoy my free time within the Tulane SPH student body. Not that I'm looking for a relationship, but many of them are in long-distance relationships and prefer just hanging out in their female cliques. I believe that one should have a good balance of female and male friends, though I think it's easier to judge someone when you do not walk in their shoes.
I like to play hard and work harder. Though I've felt deprived of having time to enjoy myself, because there's no one in my program that I can really relate with, leaving me to seek out companions in other ways, i.e. young professionals group, MeetUps. I wasn't expecting to have to resort to that in an academic environment.
The purpose of my post was to honestly gather more information for future decisions, and to offer insight to others that might face the same dilemma as me. I've heard other programs have more gender/sex diversity than Tulane. In hindsight, I should've considered researching and weighing that during my research. Though no use in crying over spilt milk, just wanted to let others know.
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This is empirically untrue. Males in female-dominated fields in the US tend to be paid more, are more likely to be management-tracked, and move up through promotion faster. The classic cases for this are nursing and teaching, but it seems generalizable.
Which is not to say we should all jump on the OP. There are lots of reasons to be uncomfortable with an off-kilter gender ratio that do not involve misogyny. Feminized fields are often undervalued and underpaid across the board, for example--so even if men make more than women in a particular field, if that field is feminized it's likely that everyone's pay scales are depressed. And while there is mounting evidence that female-dominated teams are more productive than the reverse, men have different socialization experiences than women and are less likely to be socially "bilingual" across different gender environments. Which is precisely what he said--that the social "milieu" was just unfamiliar for him.
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Empirically untrue?
" Literature review showed that gender discrimination is still prevalent within nursing profession. "
http://www.academia.edu/4395973/Gender_Discrimination_and_Nursing_Α_Literature_Review
"...students in the nursing program felt significantly more affected by both sexism and discrimination than non-nursing students, and this was particularly the case for male nursing students."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16863412
"Gender bias in nursing education impedes recruitment and retention of males into the profession."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15167580
The attrition rate for male nursing students is higher. As a former nursing student, CNA and hospice volunteer I experienced "empirically untrue" discrimination. I was often barred by nurse supervisors (and occasionally families) from providing companionship and care to female Alzheimer's/dementia patients because of my gender.
Finally;
"...if that field is feminized it's likely that everyone's pay scales are depressed."
http://genderbias.net/docs/resources/guideline/Does bad pay cause occupations to feminize, Does feminization reduce pay, and How can we tell with longitudinal.pdf
"Using CPS data from 1983 to 2001, we test these two perspectives. We find support for neither idea. That is, generally, the feminization of occupations does not lower their wages, and a fall in occupations’ relative wages does not lead to feminization."
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So...what's the protocol on accepting two offers because commitment issues..?
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There's a way to spin everything these days. You could hypothesize that more men leave nursing because they don't find the occupation as fulfilling as women do, not that they're necessarily forced out by the female nurses.
Alternatively, you could also say that men work their way up the ladder quicker than women in nursing do so because the male nurses who remain (those who stick it out even due to the gender bias) are in a more motivated cohort of male nurses just by sticking with their female-dominated career choice, and that they feel they need to get a managerial role to prevent gender bias in their workplace. Hey, if your the top nurse then you probably automatically get less flack.
Same thing with public health probably, the guys who say, "yes, I'm going to do public health, 100%, even though it is a female dominated career and even though it would be sexier as a guy to do construction or business", these are the guys who want to go to the top public health schools, and they often congregate at the top schools like JHU. The percentage of male students at a school might well be a marker of competitiveness.
Same thing for women in politics, not a lot of women in the Senate, but if a women commits to that career path, she's goes full out, like Hillary who has pretty much wrapped out her party's nomination without firing a shot, and other female senators who have risen far in the ranks. I'm 90% sure that the first NFL female referee will do the job better than 75% of the male refs, but she'll also have some anxiety about being the only female.
If gender bias/discrimination was universally important, then public health schools would give out scholarships for male students and provide male students with special counseling to make sure they enjoy their career in public health, or something like that, but public health isn't super competitive.
In my personal experience, being a female public health student can be disadvantage as it's kind a no-brainer for a female college student to pursue an MPH, even to the point where some might think that I'm just doing the default female career path, whereas I've seen professors eyes light-up and talking about a male student who wants to do an MPH, as if he has a special reason better than my reasons.
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There's no spin. Male nursing students face gender discrimination in much the same way females face gender discrimination in STEM. If gender discrimination and discouragement are preventing capable female students from pursuing STEM fields then why wouldn't the same be true for males interested in nursing?
If I put forth the same hypothesis about women in the STEM fields I'd be labeled a misogynist. Women face gender discrimination and barriers in higher education that discourage them from pursuing a career in these fields. It's a sad, ugly reality that demands our attention. In nursing men face a similar plight; nursing has been a female dominated profession and male nurses face gender discrimination and barriers in their education and practice. This is also a sad, ugly reality that demands our attention.
I was thinking about that as well, or a nice thank-you card to the people I interviewed with or met with specifically or is that too old school? Idk!
Not to mention men in nursing STILL get paid more than women in nursing...
Gender bias is rooted in misogyny; the idea that nursing is a "woman's" profession because women are "nurturing" is particularly where that stems from. I agree that men should feel comfortable becoming nurses without having to worry about the stigma from society. Nursing is such a special case because of its history. It is not comparable to public health, and gender bias in nursing has nothing to do with the level of support or inclusiveness from the largely female cohorts in public health. Which is all vastly different from women--who have a history of being owned by men, not being able to vote, and not being able to work--being excluded from opportunities in STEM fields.
Gender bias is rooted in misogyny; the idea that nursing is a "woman's" profession because women are "nurturing" is particularly where that stems from. I agree that men should feel comfortable becoming nurses without having to worry about the stigma from society. Nursing is such a special case because of its history. It is not comparable to public health, and gender bias in nursing has nothing to do with the level of support or inclusiveness from the largely female cohorts in public health. Which is all vastly different from women--who have a history of being owned by men, not being able to vote, and not being able to work--being excluded from opportunities in STEM fields.
Ask the schools if they have employment statistics you can peruse and if they have examples of practicum opportunities, etc. They also tend to list fellowship opportunities on their websites.
You're going to have to make a decision anyway. I almost did that because I was hoping Emory would come through with funding, but realized it wasn't realistic and I need to get on the ball. If you're hedging a bet that way, I say do it. If it's not funding related and commitment related instead, I'd say go ahead and pick and save your deposit. And since it's the 16th, you're going to have to contact the school and tell them you ended up deciding not to attend. I don't think you really need to go that in depth about it this soon after the deadline, but the further deep you get the more careful you'll have to be with wording that e-mail.
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Updates from me:
*Got rejected from John Hopkins 🙁 It was a reach, but I figured I would've kicked myself if I didn't try.
*Decided on to accept UIC as I liked their program more.
*Got a $8k scholarship from Drexel. Found out yesterday.
*Talked to UIC about it and asked about the possibility of matching the award. I'm not expecting every dollar, but I would like to know if I could get help since I will be an out-of-state student for one semester
*Called later in the day to ask more about it. No promises but they will try to match it in the form of another scholarship or tuition waiver
So yea...Go Sparky!
*Got rejected from John Hopkins 🙁 It was a reach, but I figured I would've kicked myself if I didn't try.
*Decided on to accept UIC as I liked their program more.
*Got a $8k scholarship from Drexel. Found out yesterday.
*Talked to UIC about it and asked about the possibility of matching the award. I'm not expecting every dollar, but I would like to know if I could get help since I will be an out-of-state student for one semester
*Called later in the day to ask more about it. No promises but they will try to match it in the form of another scholarship or tuition waiver
So yea...Go Sparky!
Hi so I'm a first time poster and I've been lurking on this page because I'm having a difficult time making my decision (I wish I would've started posting earlier!). It looks like people are still active/posting so I was hoping you guys could help me out. I am absolutely TORN about where to go.
Applied: GWU (HP), Mount Sinai (Outcomes Research), NYU, Dartmouth (MS Health Research), BU (HPM), Penn
Accepted: GWU (HP), Mount Sinai (Outcomes Research), NYU, Dartmouth (MS Health Research), BU (HPM)
Waitlisted: Penn
My concentration is health policy or research because I want to use health economics/finance/analytics to evaluate policies. I want to have a career in consulting or in a think tank. Its hard to say no to GWU because of all the DC connections to think tanks and consulting firms, but I dislike the city compared to Sinai. Sinai is also far cheaper and I'd be getting access to a lot of great clinical research, a school with opportunities like the others. To get into health policy, is it better to have a more standard background or to have a unique background/solid research experience? PLEASE HELP YOU GUYS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT UNDERSTAND
Applied: GWU (HP), Mount Sinai (Outcomes Research), NYU, Dartmouth (MS Health Research), BU (HPM), Penn
Accepted: GWU (HP), Mount Sinai (Outcomes Research), NYU, Dartmouth (MS Health Research), BU (HPM)
Waitlisted: Penn
My concentration is health policy or research because I want to use health economics/finance/analytics to evaluate policies. I want to have a career in consulting or in a think tank. Its hard to say no to GWU because of all the DC connections to think tanks and consulting firms, but I dislike the city compared to Sinai. Sinai is also far cheaper and I'd be getting access to a lot of great clinical research, a school with opportunities like the others. To get into health policy, is it better to have a more standard background or to have a unique background/solid research experience? PLEASE HELP YOU GUYS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT UNDERSTAND
This is great!
Men bring an entirely different view point to MCH and other MPH concentrations. Men are vital for the success of Public Health BECAUSE of the difference of experience and perspective. This being said, women are just as capable and hold equal value in the field.
Well said. I'm not really sure how this thread turned into an argument anyway.
😵...
It would be great if we could get back on track in helping each other with advice, being happy with one another, etc... This was a Utopian thread ------Who Jinxed Us! Haha
From all of our 83 pages wroth of posts, everyone seems to be great! Lets get back on track, ay!!!
It would be great if we could get back on track in helping each other with advice, being happy with one another, etc... This was a Utopian thread ------Who Jinxed Us! Haha
From all of our 83 pages wroth of posts, everyone seems to be great! Lets get back on track, ay!!!
Anyone attending the HPA Student Seminar at UIC April 22nd?
http://uofi.uic.edu/calendar/detail/3920/32453587
http://uofi.uic.edu/calendar/detail/3920/32453587
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I got into some of the same programs as you,
My advice is to really look into the programs you're considering ( recent graduate employment, internship opportunities, complete cost of living) also Facebook/Linkin creep on the people currently in the programs
One of my coworkers urged me to be leery of programs that enroll hundreds of students as they're essentially MPH factories
Yeah we actually got into a lot of the same programs, thats interesting, I haven't seen many people applying to some of them (Dartmouth, Sinai). Do you know which one you are going to yet? I got an extension until the 30th (which is also the latest I'm supposed to hear from Penn).
I guess so, but a lot of the schools have large incoming classes, right? Like BU/GWU, but are pretty well ranked? Maybe those are the schools you're warning of though
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My heart is set on Dartmouth,
I was offered a 12k merit award from Boston but after really looking into their program I was concerned.
1. While the award was tempting, i feared its purpose was to reel me in
2. I also feared after graduation I would be one of hundreds of new grads applying for the same pool of jobs
So really it comes down to what separates one Boston grad from another
I feel like Dartmouth provides unique experiences because of the intimacy of the program
I definitely didn't weigh in rankings into my decision because rankings are subjective to the year
Who knows, maybe in 10 years Dartmouth will be top ranked
When your making your decision you just have to consider what program will give you the best skills, experience and connections to help you achieve your goals.
I was offered a 12k merit award from Boston but after really looking into their program I was concerned.
1. While the award was tempting, i feared its purpose was to reel me in
2. I also feared after graduation I would be one of hundreds of new grads applying for the same pool of jobs
So really it comes down to what separates one Boston grad from another
I feel like Dartmouth provides unique experiences because of the intimacy of the program
I definitely didn't weigh in rankings into my decision because rankings are subjective to the year
Who knows, maybe in 10 years Dartmouth will be top ranked
When your making your decision you just have to consider what program will give you the best skills, experience and connections to help you achieve your goals.
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Hello, I am dentist from India and I am confused between Minnesota and UT SPH,Houston. The US News rankings show a huge difference, but what would you guys suggest? for a MPH in Healthcare management program. I m really confused, there is a vast difference in fees and weather so Texas seems to be the right choice but Minnesota's program is well rated. Kindly help
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Committed Columbia but my alternative just offered to pay my tuition? Officially depressed about my selection.
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If you like the other school you can always say no to Columbia and forego the deposit, no? Or maybe if you tell Columbia the reason maybe they will pay your tuition? 🙂
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Extremely difficult to pass up free tuition, even if you've already paid the other deposit. How close of a second, was the second school?
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I'd recommend browsing through the comments of this thread for info. regarding Colorado's program:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/colorado-denver-mph-applicant.1099239/
From what I've read, it seems that Colorado has some great opportunities, especially in the field of cancer research and they are more established than UCI. However, I feel it really comes down to where you would ultimately like to see yourself residing post-grad since you will be making connections during your studies. The program at UC Irvine is very new, but if you would like to live and work in California after graduation then UCI might be your best chance to network and gain experience. I know of two people who graduated from UCI that now work for the health department in Orange County as entry-level epidemiologists. They say the pay is really good and much higher than what LA County pays apparently. They also love their work environment. Hope that helps! Good Luck and congratulations!
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Wow congrats! What school was it? Seriously just say goodbye to your deposit. It's a sunk cost but the opportunity cost of sticking with it is much higher.
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I guess this is why when you go the supermarket, and that tube of toothpaste which is "normally" $6.99 has somehow been on sale the past three years for $3.79, you've gotta make people feel like they've somehow got a special deal!
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Hi all,
Apologies if this is the wrong thread for this, but I was looking for some advice choosing between programs - Columbia's Accelerated Biostatistics MPH and GWU's Biostatistics 2 year program. I am a previously unsuccessful med school applicant, have completed a 1 year post-bacc, have worked in health for the past year, and am strongly considering applying to med school again. But given my past rejection, I would like to keep my options open and am interested in pursuing a career in biostatistics. I am leaning towards Columbia since it potentially pushes off med school for only 1 year, and for the Ivy League name. Also I was initially waitlisted, so I feel like this is a very rare and lucky opportunity for me.
What do you think of these options? Even though the Columbia's program has a practicum, I understand that I miss out on a summer internship opportunity with an accelerated program. How significantly do you think that would affect my career prospects in biostats?
Apologies if this is the wrong thread for this, but I was looking for some advice choosing between programs - Columbia's Accelerated Biostatistics MPH and GWU's Biostatistics 2 year program. I am a previously unsuccessful med school applicant, have completed a 1 year post-bacc, have worked in health for the past year, and am strongly considering applying to med school again. But given my past rejection, I would like to keep my options open and am interested in pursuing a career in biostatistics. I am leaning towards Columbia since it potentially pushes off med school for only 1 year, and for the Ivy League name. Also I was initially waitlisted, so I feel like this is a very rare and lucky opportunity for me.
What do you think of these options? Even though the Columbia's program has a practicum, I understand that I miss out on a summer internship opportunity with an accelerated program. How significantly do you think that would affect my career prospects in biostats?
Hello everyone! 🙂
I was recently accepted to Columbia's Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management as well as Cornell's Master of Health Administration (they are both 2-year programs), and am having an extremely hard time deciding which school I should attend.
I am hoping to go into healthcare consulting after receiving my Master's
Below are some pros and cons for both programs:
Columbia pros:
- Renowned ivy institution (international name brand) that would secure me with rich networking opportunities beyond the healthcare field & the "Columbia name" that would put a lot of weight on my resume when applying for business industries such as consulting, pharmaceutics and insurance
- Located in New York City, which would provide me with closer access to hospital facilities, medical centers, government health programs, and healthcare business headquarters
- (For the above reasons) I will have the flexibility to gain part-time work experience during my second school year to build my resume
- Large class size (nearly 350 students) that would allow me to be introduced to & network with people of various backgrounds (not only limited to healthcare management, but also epidemiology, public health, urban planning, etc.)
Columbia cons:
- EXPENSIVE (both tuition and cost of living)
- Because it is a Master of Public Health, the program does not have as strong of business and econ focus as does the Cornell program (and I already majored in public health in undergrad) = I am less likely to build specific technical skill sets for healthcare business... even though the program offers a balance between public health & healthcare management & health policy (but lacks focus)
- The program is not as highly ranked among other healthcare management programs (because it's a public health degree with the focus on healthcare management)
Cornell pros:
- Because it's a Master of Health Administration, the program content and the degree is considered more useful than MPH when it comes to high-level hospital administration, consulting, or any type of healthcare business industry = I will be able to gain solid technical skillsets that is required in the job market
- Slightly cheaper than Columbia
- Highly ranked program in healthcare management and program curriculum has focus on healthcare business, economics and management, which are what I want to study, but only those who know well enough about the healthcare management programs (like hospitals) know this
- Much smaller class size (27 students) which offers more intimate relationship between the faculties, students and the alumni
Cornell cons;
- It's location (Ithaca) is clearly unfavorable for networking (I will be limited to networking events held at the university and/or through the alumni who come back to visit)
- The only real-world experience I will get is the 10-week summer internship (which Columbia offers)... There's a lack of part-time work opportunity during the school year to apply the skill sets I gain the classroom
- Even though it's an ivy school, the name isn't as well recognized, and therefore would lack the weight on my resume
To summarize: healthcare business&economics focused strong academics (Cornell) v.s. rich networking opportunity, life in the city, and school name brand (Columbia)
1. Job placement is good for both programs, but Cornell seems to send more students off into healthcare business industries whereas Columbia graduates go into multiple fields (government programs, non-profits, research, consulting, industry, etc.)
2. Because I am relatively fresh out of undergrad, I do not have solid full-time work experience, which would put me in disadvantage when coming right out of master's = the opportunity to build my resume while at school is ideal (Columbia)
3. Since my undergrad focus was on public health, I do need to build solid business and management foundation and real-world applicable skillsets (Cornell)
I know the decision must be made on my own at the end, but it would be amazing to get any feedbacks!
Thank you so much in advance! 🙂
I was recently accepted to Columbia's Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management as well as Cornell's Master of Health Administration (they are both 2-year programs), and am having an extremely hard time deciding which school I should attend.
I am hoping to go into healthcare consulting after receiving my Master's
Below are some pros and cons for both programs:
Columbia pros:
- Renowned ivy institution (international name brand) that would secure me with rich networking opportunities beyond the healthcare field & the "Columbia name" that would put a lot of weight on my resume when applying for business industries such as consulting, pharmaceutics and insurance
- Located in New York City, which would provide me with closer access to hospital facilities, medical centers, government health programs, and healthcare business headquarters
- (For the above reasons) I will have the flexibility to gain part-time work experience during my second school year to build my resume
- Large class size (nearly 350 students) that would allow me to be introduced to & network with people of various backgrounds (not only limited to healthcare management, but also epidemiology, public health, urban planning, etc.)
Columbia cons:
- EXPENSIVE (both tuition and cost of living)
- Because it is a Master of Public Health, the program does not have as strong of business and econ focus as does the Cornell program (and I already majored in public health in undergrad) = I am less likely to build specific technical skill sets for healthcare business... even though the program offers a balance between public health & healthcare management & health policy (but lacks focus)
- The program is not as highly ranked among other healthcare management programs (because it's a public health degree with the focus on healthcare management)
Cornell pros:
- Because it's a Master of Health Administration, the program content and the degree is considered more useful than MPH when it comes to high-level hospital administration, consulting, or any type of healthcare business industry = I will be able to gain solid technical skillsets that is required in the job market
- Slightly cheaper than Columbia
- Highly ranked program in healthcare management and program curriculum has focus on healthcare business, economics and management, which are what I want to study, but only those who know well enough about the healthcare management programs (like hospitals) know this
- Much smaller class size (27 students) which offers more intimate relationship between the faculties, students and the alumni
Cornell cons;
- It's location (Ithaca) is clearly unfavorable for networking (I will be limited to networking events held at the university and/or through the alumni who come back to visit)
- The only real-world experience I will get is the 10-week summer internship (which Columbia offers)... There's a lack of part-time work opportunity during the school year to apply the skill sets I gain the classroom
- Even though it's an ivy school, the name isn't as well recognized, and therefore would lack the weight on my resume
To summarize: healthcare business&economics focused strong academics (Cornell) v.s. rich networking opportunity, life in the city, and school name brand (Columbia)
1. Job placement is good for both programs, but Cornell seems to send more students off into healthcare business industries whereas Columbia graduates go into multiple fields (government programs, non-profits, research, consulting, industry, etc.)
2. Because I am relatively fresh out of undergrad, I do not have solid full-time work experience, which would put me in disadvantage when coming right out of master's = the opportunity to build my resume while at school is ideal (Columbia)
3. Since my undergrad focus was on public health, I do need to build solid business and management foundation and real-world applicable skillsets (Cornell)
I know the decision must be made on my own at the end, but it would be amazing to get any feedbacks!
Thank you so much in advance! 🙂
Firstly congrats on your acceptances!!!
Just my two cents here
1- it seems from what you've said Cornell's program/coursework is more favorable too you than Columbia; as well as building the skills you're looking for
2- having a large cohort of students can be both negative and positive. The large amount of students in the HMP department will affect your time with professors and it's nearly impossible to meet everyone. Coming from a large Undergrad vs Small Grad program @ UMich ---I've personally preferred the intimacy of smaller class groups. You get to meet everyone and really build a valuable relationship with your classmates and professors
This just becomes a personal preference as well; teaching styles in the classrooms will differ from larger to small. Just something else to keep into consideration.
3- I wouldn't downplay Cornell's "name status" it's a very well known name across the nation
4-the practicum is only over the summer, so you won't get the full-time work experience "requirement" that some industries may want; if I understood what you were saying correctly. Most jobs that require work experience in the descriptions will say 2+ years for ex, (even if it's 1 yr work experience lol no summer practicum will cover it) this is from what I've seen while Job hunting with 1 MS. You will most likely begin at entry-level
You're putting time and money; schools an investment I'm starting to be more concerned about the program structure, and what the MPH can do for me as a student and how well the school will prepare me for my future endeavors
Best of luck
and congrats again! You'll make the right decision
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I'll also be studying Biostats next year as well. I was accepted into Columbia's Master's of Biostats in Pharmasutical statistics, but when I was looking into programs, I contemplated between applying for that program or Columbia's 1 year biostats but ultimately decided on applying only 2 year programs because biostats/math classes can be pretty hard and I also wanted the room to be able to take electives. But I think you can only learn so much in the classroom, and having practical experience is pretty important in biostats. While I think it won't negatively affect your career prospects, I do think there is a big advantage to getting practical experience before finding a job and I think it will be to your best advantage to gain that from somewhere whether it be from an internship or doing research with a professor.
Honestly, If you are planning to go to Med school right after, I guess a summer internship is not really going to matter all that. Though I can't image i'll be very fun juggling your bio stats course work and med school apps/ interviews ( I don't know when you plan on applying) is going to be very fun.
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