Pitt v. Emory

[mqt1]

I have been lucky enough to have been accepted at both schools and I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. I know there have been previous threads comparing the two schools, but the most recent thread dates to 2010, so I was looking for some more up-to-date advice!

Just some background info -- I went to the University of Pittsburgh for undergrad and I absolutely love the city. The winters are pretty bad (especially this one...), but I grew up in the Northeast so it's nothing I'm not accustomed to. I am also currently working at one of the UPMC hospitals during my gap year.

I'm serious about getting an MD/MPH and to be honest, I fell in love with the MD/MPH program at Emory and their opportunities for global health. The only downsides with Emory are the hassle of moving from PA to GA and the general fear that I won't love living in the South. I know Pitt med students can also opt to have a global health concentration and there are opportunities to travel abroad to conduct a scholarly project at both schools. Emory and Pitt both have fantastic schools of public health, both are P/F, and both are in beautiful, exciting cities. I'm pretty torn -- any advice and/or enlightenment would be greatly appreciated!

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[CanePreMed]

My reasoning for voting for Pitt is due to my absolute hatred of living in Georgia. My wife and I lived there for 2 years and I have sworn that I won't even drive through the state and would drive around it if need be, lol.

 

[alpinism]

If you can stand living in the south Emory has one of the best MPH/global health programs out there (right after Hopkins/Harvard).

 

[daemon14]

Any other comments on this? I have <24 hours to decide .... 😕

 

[GoPelicans]

.

 

[bofocion]

wait.... did the whole may 15th thing pass by and you still haven't made a decision?

 

[thegypsyqueen]

wait.... did the whole may 15th thing pass by and you still haven't made a decision?

They most likely got in off a waitlist.

 

[thegypsyqueen]

both are P/F, and both are in beautiful, exciting cities. I'm pretty torn -- any advice and/or enlightenment would be greatly appreciated!

Pitt is H/P/F in case you didn't know and that is a big deciding factor.

 

[bofocion]

They most likely got in off a waitlist.

The post was made back in February. Im assuming they had both options back then.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Stay with where you are happy. An MPH is one year out of five, you want to be comfortable for the other four as well. There is always the option of applying to go do your MPH at Emory.

 

[thegypsyqueen]

The post was made back in February. Im assuming they had both options back then.

Ah, yeah what gives then?

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Agree with mmmcdowe since it would suck to get to med school and realize you hate Atlanta. If you had some misgivings, that's likely your gut telling you not to choose Emory.

 

[daemon14]

wait.... did the whole may 15th thing pass by and you still haven't made a decision?

I had Pitt on May 15th but got off the WL at Emory today. I saw this thread and bumped it, though maybe should have started a new one. These two were literally my 1A and 1B choices and I didn't think I'd get in both.

 

[daemon14]

Pitt is H/P/F in case you didn't know and that is a big deciding factor.

From the Pitt thread:

Pitt is P/F for MS1/MS2. H/HP/P/LP/F for MS3/MS4. There is internal ranking for AOA purposes, and a "generalization" of your place in the class is put in your dean's letter.

 

[mqt1]

Thought I might put my two cents back into the thread -- I ended up choosing Emory over Pitt. I struggled with the decision almost up until the deadline, but it ultimately came down to financial aid and comfort. I revisited Emory for its second look weekend, and I not only fell in love with ATL (the breadth and diversity of the city), but with the staff and students there. Although I haven't started school and can only speak from my limited experience, the staff seem genuinely supportive of its students. Totally geeking it out here, but the Associate Dean, Ira Schwartz, is reminiscent of Dumbledore...if only he had a longer beard. The students seem genuinely happy and supportive of one another, not at all competitive, and yet still serious about their studies.

UPMC is a powerhouse in Pittsburgh, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about maybe going back for residency, but the Emory Healthcare System can also hold its own ground in Atlanta. Both are amazing places to be trained and though I'm sad to be leaving Pittsburgh, I don't regret my decision at all. It's also pretty cool that the CDC is right across the street.

Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me with you wanna chat some more.