Hopkins Overall
- 800-1000 events yearly for students to attend
- 40 student organizations in school of public health
- Few restrictions on what classes you can take outside of requirements
- On the quarter system, so class load is heavy and challenging, but allows for a lot of customization
- Large online course availability to fit with your schedule & accommodate internships/practicums
- Strong commitment to engaging the Baltimore community and offer many of opportunities in the city (SOURCE)
o We had 2 Uber drivers who have lived in Baltimore for life and agreed that Hopkins has had a very positive impact on the city and community
- I was worried during the morning sessions that they were touting their prestige and connections too heavily, but when we got to the department level it became obvious how important these aspects are
Hopkins MSPH
- Students are fairly young, many are right out of undergrad
- Many students get hired on as staff afterwards to continue their work
- 244 students total with 72 new MSPH students/yr
- Many classes have 2-3 instructors and an abundance of guest speakers
- Practicums last a minimum of 4 months and most students return to do electives/certificates afterwards—but some do stay and complete courses online!
- Awards are available for during your practicum if you choose to do it internationally and many students get paid experiences
o Students did emphasize that you have to seek experiences, they are not handed to you
o However, certain organizations have positions that are only open to JH students or prefer JH students
My thoughts:
YOU GUYS. I loooooooove this program. It’s quite expensive, even with the tuition reduction (I got the vibe that there were very few/no GDEC scholarships) but the opportunities seem endless and limited only by your own motivation. The students seemed smart, energetic, and quirky—which I loved. A ton of the current students came to talk with the GDEC cohort, which really shows how much people like the program. I wasn’t sold in the morning, but by the end of the afternoon had fallen head over heels.
Also, one of the professors I talked with during social hour from a different department sent me an email saying how much she enjoyed talking with my husband and I and how she hopes we choose Hopkins—which was a very nice gesture!
Vanderbilt MPH (Epi)
- Vandy seriously has the nicest program coordinators and directors ever! Like, actually. They’re fantastic.
- Nashville is an amazing city—so many things to do and so welcoming. Living there would be a dream come true in many ways!
- I was very impressed that they arranged a personalized tour with so many events—I met with a current student, two of the main faculty members, sat in on a class, took a tour, and attended thesis presentations.
- Opportunities abound! Since the program is so small, there are tons of positions in the schools and way more jobs available than students vying for them.
- They have very strong connections with the local and state health departments and the hospital—If you want to work in one of those settings, you would have a great career trajectory here.
o Students have found jobs outside of the area but the connections aren’t as strong as within the region
- Each student gets a whole advisory team determined by them to help guide them through the program.
- Although an MD is not required, it did seem like (from the class I sat in on and my discussions) there will be a lot of medical examples used (7/10 first-year epi students have MDs)
- The classes are primarily in one room—which has free coffee, tea, and water for students! It seems very open and accessible to networking.
- There are career development sessions regularly for students to attend
- Since the public health program is so small, there aren’t really any student organizations within it but you are welcome to join ones with people from other graduate programs
My thoughts:
It seems like a great program, especially if you work best in a very hands-on environment or want to work in a medical setting/with clinical trials! They emphasize developing strong methodological skills and students seem to be quite successful. However, I wasn’t thrilled by the heavy usage of medical verbiage in examples and felt like many of the students were disengaged during class. Since I want to go more into NGO/federal govt. disease monitoring and surveillance (likely in different areas of the country), I am leaning more towards Emory or Hopkins. Definitely a very good program though!
Let me know if you want anything clarified/more information! 
is there any way that we could see your entire document? No pressure!
