My 2yr Experience at Emory

[Skymastre]

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Hi,
I graduated from Emory two years ago, specifically from the Epi department. I thought I would open this thread to field questions about the school.

In short, here are my feelings:

The major advantage that Emory has is its proximity to ACS, CDC, Carter Center and other internship-rich institutes. I can't stress enough how valuable this was to me in getting great opportunities after graduation. I went to Fiji and Holland on scholarships offered from Emory in between my first and second year.

There are disadvantages as well. Atlanta take some time to get use to if you are from the NE; I love it now, though am at Harvard for the time being. Also, you really only get out of the academic program what you put in. It isn't academically challenging, which was a disappointment to me, and many of my classmates were unmotivated etc..

I'm willing to field any questions on this thread if you need help!

Best luck

 

[tt13]

Skymastre,

That's very nice of you to share your Emory experience. I've been accepted to the Health Management department, when I don't know how familiar you'd be. Do you happen to have any contact with students or former students in this department? I just figured that I'd get a better depiction from students not tied with the tour-school spirit-shpeel that schools typically offer.

Some general questions though:

1. How difficult is it to get funding (i.e. scholarships) from Emory for the MPH?
2. Did you find the alumni network as strong or stronger than other public health schools?
3. How would you judge the advisor/faculty interaction with MPH students?
4. What is living in Atlanta like?

Some specific MPH - Health Management questions:
1. Are the students typically seeking a terminal degree (i.e. are there students who proceed to attain the MD)?
2. What are some things that students do outside of their schooling during the school year as well as summer?
3. Relative to other health management programs, how does the program at Emory measure up?

Thanks!

 

[Skymastre]

1. How difficult is it to get funding (i.e. scholarships) from Emory for the MPH?

-I got a GFE scholarship between my first and second year (you can read about the program online). It required me to write a 10pg report, but wasn't that hard. I think most of the merit scholarships have all ready been awarded. There are only a couple of those.

2. Did you find the alumni network as strong or stronger than other public health schools?

-I don't have much to compare it to. I'm an alumni, and I've been a little involved. Strength of the program is in the connections with the organizations that are in atlanta.

3. How would you judge the advisor/faculty interaction with MPH students?

-My thesis advisor's band is playing at my wedding. The MPH program is a big program, the key is to find a teach you like and visit office hours...not unlike college

4. What is living in Atlanta like?

-Cheap, no public transport, diverse. It took me two years to get use to Atlanta, now I love it. I'm in Boston right now, but hope to head back to Atlanta in the upcoming months

-Atlanta takes eom

Some specific MPH - Health Management questions:
1. Are the students typically seeking a terminal degree (i.e. are there students who proceed to attain the MD)?

-I am applying for my MD right now. If you are looking for a way to make a 3.0 gpa turn into a 3.5, you should consider a post bac as this will assure you get into school. But an MPH (in my view) gives you a great foundation and is so applicable to medicine.

2. What are some things that students do outside of their schooling during the school year as well as summer?

-Over the summer I went to fiji and Holland. I dated, met my fiance while at the MPH program. There is a lot of things like hiking in the area, fishing etc.. ATL is a major metropolis

3. Relative to other health management programs, how does the program at Emory measure up?

-Strong. The academics are a bit weak, and you get out of it what you put in. I got two very good jobs after I graduated by networking

 

[Skymastre]

re cost:

My first year I lived 2.2 miles from Emory, w/ a roomate and paid 400/month.

Second year I lived with three other guys in the epi program in a house and paid 300/month, living 1 mile from the school.

 

[mission2008]

Hi Skymastre, I am international student. I got accepted into EMORY INFECTIOUS DISEASES in GLOBAL HEALTH. It is great to hear that you are currently doing MD. I would also want to pursue the same course after my MPH. I applied to EMORY because of its CDC association. I thought that working in CDC can vastly improve my research experience later on, when i apply to MD. Seriously what role does an MPH in EMORY had in you admission into MD. Do universities care about MPH? What do you think of my situation, is it worth to spend this amount to get this kind of experience? or am i expecting too much from the program? How can i fund for my education ? Are there good job opportunities available, good scholarship up for grab? or Do i need to pay for the whole of my program?

 

[mission2008]

FEW MORE QUESTIONS Do international students also have the same opportunities in obtaining internships fro CDC and other organizations? or Do we get discriminated ? Are these scholarships (in organizations) freely available or do we compete for these too?

 

[Skymastre]

Hi Skymastre, I am international student. I got accepted into EMORY INFECTIOUS DISEASES in GLOBAL HEALTH. It is great to hear that you are currently doing MD. I would also want to pursue the same course after my MPH. I applied to EMORY because of its CDC association. I thought that working in CDC can vastly improve my research experience later on, when i apply to MD. Seriously what role does an MPH in EMORY had in you admission into MD. Do universities care about MPH? What do you think of my situation, is it worth to spend this amount to get this kind of experience? or am i expecting too much from the program? How can i fund for my education ? Are there good job opportunities available, good scholarship up for grab? or Do i need to pay for the whole of my program?

1) Congrats on your acceptance
2) I don't think the MPH helped much at all in regards to getting into medical school. I published my thesis, and that helped a lot. And I got good recs...but you should really only go to get your MPH if you really care about public health...Epi/Biostats look the best. My fiance did Global Health and really enjoyed it, she works in a great job now. A post bac is a better option if you are looking to use your next degree as a stepping stone
3) I am in debt 70k between my undergraduate and grad school loans. There are not many scholarships offered through emory (though you may be able to find some elsewhere). For me the debt is worth it, but then again, I really care about public health...
4) Excellent work study/job positions available. Mine sent me to Fiji and Holland, and I got a thesis/publication out of it. This is where Emory excels. Don't forget about institutes like the Carter Center as well as ACS...Atlanta is the US public health capital

 

[Skymastre]

I should also say, though, that I think the MPH is a very valuable degree to a physician and I almost believe it should be a requirement to clinicians who are not lab docs...I can't tell you all of the 'little eye openers' that my exposure while in the program gave me

 

[Skymastre]

FEW MORE QUESTIONS Do international students also have the same opportunities in obtaining internships fro CDC and other organizations? or Do we get discriminated ? Are these scholarships (in organizations) freely available or do we compete for these too?

I wish I could answer the CDC question...but since I was a citizen I just don't really know. I would imagine that they don't discriminate.

The CDC is big, but only one of the very many things out there...I did 1/3 of my research at the CDC but the other 2/3's elsewhere. I got more out of the other 2/3s

Scholarhips are always competitive. The one I had specifically goes for a summer experience. Try online scholarship searches...Princeton review comes to mind

 

[snoofle]

I saw you said you were 70K in debt from undergrad and grad loans..so how much of that is just Emory loans?

and you had mentioned to me earlier that you thought a BSHE degree wasn't that great just b/c of the level of academic rigor; but I also want to try for med school so I was planning on taking my pre-reqs at Emory on top of my Masters load so do you still think graduating with a BSHE would still be a more negative thing than if I went to a school where I was accepted for EPI?

 

[tt13]

Are scholarships already given out? From their website, it seems that the school has not even nominated people for their scholarships yet. I believe the timeline is end of February for nominations, March for interview, and you find out late March/early April. They seem to push you to decide whether or not you want to attend before offering you any money.

(posted the website link on the Emory thread)

1. How difficult is it to get funding (i.e. scholarships) from Emory for the MPH?

-I got a GFE scholarship between my first and second year (you can read about the program online). It required me to write a 10pg report, but wasn't that hard. I think most of the merit scholarships have all ready been awarded. There are only a couple of those.

 

[AppliedMPH2008]

Hi, I am in the process of applying to MPH programs, and have a lot to choose from. I have narrowed it down to a few schools, and have considered Emory. Why did you choose Emory? Did you apply anywhere else?

 

[Skymastre]

I saw you said you were 70K in debt from undergrad and grad loans..so how much of that is just Emory loans?

and you had mentioned to me earlier that you thought a BSHE degree wasn't that great just b/c of the level of academic rigor; but I also want to try for med school so I was planning on taking my pre-reqs at Emory on top of my Masters load so do you still think graduating with a BSHE would still be a more negative thing than if I went to a school where I was accepted for EPI?

About 25k from undergrad, the rest from grad.

I don't think anything is negative...there were fine BSHE students. Like any other premed student, you'll have to ace your prereqs! I would still try and take as many epi classes as possible.

 

[Skymastre]

Are scholarships already given out? From their website, it seems that the school has not even nominated people for their scholarships yet. I believe the timeline is end of February for nominations, March for interview, and you find out late March/early April. They seem to push you to decide whether or not you want to attend before offering you any money.

(posted the website link on the Emory thread)

I think you are probably right now that. I know one girl that had a scholarship, she was a type A student. I really don't think there are many scholarships out there, but there are other places to look at for funding (princeton review)

 

[Skymastre]

Hi, I am in the process of applying to MPH programs, and have a lot to choose from. I have narrowed it down to a few schools, and have considered Emory. Why did you choose Emory? Did you apply anywhere else?

Congrats on having to select!

I had Michigan, Columbia, BU, Tulane and Emory to pick from. I really had it narrowed down to Michigan and Emory. What sold me on Emory was the organizations that surround the school. I knew I wanted to continue to publish and be involved with overseas research. Also, Atlanta's weather is great...and Michigan was to freakin cold 🙂

sounds petty, perhaps, but after growing up in the NE I was ready to be out.

Finally, Atlanta's cost of living is the cheapest of any of the big schools (except UNC...and I dislike RDU area, very segregated). As mentioned in an earlier post, I had enough money left over to meet my fiance/enjoy the city.

 

[MDgoing4MPH]

Hi Skymastre, thanks for sharing the experience. I'm in combined residency program(IM/preventive) which is affiliated with Yale. The program wants me to go to Yale, mainly because they are affiliated and I can still do my clinical duties. I've applied to Emory and got accepted in behavioral science. My question is I'm very interested in going to ACS or NCI after residency, as a MPH student , did you have time,opportunity to work with ACS fellows? are they willing to have you in their research projects? Any comment on behavioral science department ?thanks

 

[Skymastre]

Hi Skymastre, thanks for sharing the experience. I'm in combined residency program(IM/preventive) which is affiliated with Yale. The program wants me to go to Yale, mainly because they are affiliated and I can still do my clinical duties. I've applied to Emory and got accepted in behavioral science. My question is I'm very interested in going to ACS or NCI after residency, as a MPH student , did you have time,opportunity to work with ACS fellows? are they willing to have you in their research projects? Any comment on behavioral science department ?thanks

Hi MDgoing4MPH,

I would try and get in touch with other BSHE students. I think you might get bored, unless you are doing upper level classes. I had two BSHE and was really dissatisfied with them.

There is def. opportunity to work with ACS. I was an epidemiologist for a little over a year there, and had been offered an internship during my graduate studies that I turned down (in order to focus on global health). Coincidentally, I work with a girl that is starting at Yale (MPH-epi) this summer.

 

[Beeberoni]

skymastre --

thanks for all of the great information!! like snoofle -- i have a passion for public health and for teaching -- but i've never heard anything about the BSHE program. what are your thoughts about the feasibility of getting internships and jobs during/after BSHE? i am also really interested in EPI, so i am considering maybe also changing departments once i begin. how difficult is it to transfer departments, if i find that i love EPI more?

 

[Skymastre]

skymastre --

thanks for all of the great information!! like snoofle -- i have a passion for public health and for teaching -- but i've never heard anything about the BSHE program. what are your thoughts about the feasibility of getting internships and jobs during/after BSHE? i am also really interested in EPI, so i am considering maybe also changing departments once i begin. how difficult is it to transfer departments, if i find that i love EPI more?

No problem-just remember to give back to sdn when you graduate!

I'm not sure how hard it is to transfer now days. I would rec. that you take adv. biostats (with Paul Weiss, my old mentor) and as many epi reqs as possible to get an idea your first semester if you like it.

Internships are readily accessible to every department, and good internships! Of course, I know that the majority of people that go abroad are epi and global health students, but a few BSHE go. Most BSHE people are in CDC, and most epi and global health are in CDC/Carter Center/Taskforce for child survival and development/ACS. I know some BSHE's that were in ACS (the behavioral studies dept) as well.

again, Paul weiss is the person to contact with questions. he's a biostats guy, and phenomenal

 

[Skymastre]

bump

 

[Positive]

I just started 1st year in MPH, but in CA not at Emory. I don't know if my program will help with the intership. I wonder if it easier to find jobs in Epi than others? And how much salary do we expect at the beginning? Thanks.

bump

 

[Skymastre]

I just started 1st year in MPH, but in CA not at Emory. I don't know if my program will help with the intership. I wonder if it easier to find jobs in Epi than others? And how much salary do we expect at the beginning? Thanks.

I think that epi does give better options after graduation. This is an interesting site that may help

http://www.asph.org/

Of course, it all depends on what you want to do. I know of jobs at Merk and Big Tobacco that pay over 70k for entry level. I know of jobs that barley pay 30. With the MPH, there is a huge variety of jobs...and pay scale.

I think with Epi you have a very marketable skill, and therefore more options. That's just a personal opinion, however.