The reasons why you chose the school you did

[everwell]

So there are a lot of great programs and schools out...first you have to decide which ones you'll apply to and then you have to decide where you actually want to study. Curious to hear why people chose the school they did. What really became important when you got to choosing among/between your top picks (assuming that you thought highly of these program, in the first place)?

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[Brain]

So there are a lot of great programs and schools out...first you have to decide which ones you'll apply to and then you have to decide where you actually want to study. Curious to hear why people chose the school they did. What really became important when you got to choosing among/between your top picks (assuming that you thought highly of these program, in the first place)?

I chose Emory because of the potential opportunities at CDC and I was wowed by the campus at the visitation day. It turned out to be a huge mistake though but that's another tale. Moral of the story: visit the schools if you can and/or get the opinions of people that have attended who are not involved with the recruiting process for an honest assessment of the schools.

 

[everwell]

Those are fair reasons, Brain.

Any one else? Was it the campus? the location? the people? something specific about the program? an opportunity you couldn't pass up? the ranking? a gut feeling? an action-packed drama of epic proportions? Okay, now I'm getting carried away. But really, this is a process we've all gone through and, judging from some of the threads, the decision hasn't always been easy. I think it would be interesting and also helpful to have a thread about it.
Me? The feeling in my tummy when I thought of each school plus the specific strengths of each program.

 

[LizzyM]

I had 4 choices. I dropped the 2 safety schools despite having an offer of an assistantship at one (still kicking myself every month when I pay my loan bill).

Narrowed down to two really excellent schools, I picked the one that was closer to "home", because:
I'd been in love with the campus since I was a kid,
It had an internationally known name (not just in public health),
A lot of personal reasons related to living situation and social support networks.

So it was based on emotion and comfort level rather than ranking or curriculum. I've never been sorry.

 

[BamaMedik]

So there are a lot of great programs and schools out...first you have to decide which ones you'll apply to and then you have to decide where you actually want to study. Curious to hear why people chose the school they did. What really became important when you got to choosing among/between your top picks (assuming that you thought highly of these program, in the first place)?

I chose The University of Alabama at Birmingham because it has a great Public Health program. I believed it ranked 15 this year, plus its my home town. www.soph.uab.edu

 

[thockenb]

So there are a lot of great programs and schools out...first you have to decide which ones you'll apply to and then you have to decide where you actually want to study. Curious to hear why people chose the school they did. What really became important when you got to choosing among/between your top picks (assuming that you thought highly of these program, in the first place)?

I chose the schools I applied mainly based on goodness of fit for my career goals and where (city) I would like to end up. It also helped that my program prides itself on training public health officials rather than researchers, which originally attacted me. I was accepted to 5 and rejected by 2 and chose probably the least recognizable of the lot. This summer I am interning doing exactly what I want to do and from what everyone here is telling me, it doesn't really matter where you got your degree as long as you have one. Really, as I talk to people in the PH field the rankings seem to matter very little and very few upper management health people keep up or care about the rankings or brand names. Certainly Hopkins, Michigan, UNC, Wash...are the holy grail schools and will open up a lot of opportunities, but as I just spoke to an intern here from a no-name public health program, she said 95% of her fellow students get jobs while in school or have them waiting for them when they earn just an MPH. And this school isn't ranked, is never mentioned on this board, but is in one the most desirable cities in the country---certainly better than Baltimore (no offense).

In the end I compared cost vs. fit vs. location and made a decision I am very happy with.

Good luck! The whole process was very exciting for me.

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Hihi!

Well, I'll post my reasons for attending Michigan below.

1) Univ. of Michigan (for my department) is ranked #1 in the country, and has been every year since the rankings started. There are many benefits to this, such as a 100% employment ratio every year (every graduate has a job upon completion of the program). That being said, finding work afterwards won't be a problem at all.

Rankings in public health might matter depending on what field you're in. If you're aiming for Health Education/Behavioral Science, rankings might not matter so much. However, when it comes to healthcare administration, rankings matter a lot - it has a lot to do with what kind of opportunities that will be given to you, how strong the alumni network is, etc. In this respect, it's similar to getting an MBA (and it is) - getting an MBA from a no-name school usually ends up being practically worthless.

2) The students all seemed very happy. I visited the school twice, once for a required interview in Janurary and again last week for apartment hunting. Not one person (faculty, staff or student) had anything bad to say about the school whatsoever. They all genuinely liked the school and their experiences there. The quality of life seemed to be great.

3) The alumni network - UMich has a huge network of alumni which is very strong and is geared towards getting you connected in your field. I talked to 4 students during my interview there who said they were hired by other UMich alums on the sole basis that they were Michigan students. They might have only met once, but after hearing they were attending Michigan, they were automatically hired. Once you graduate you become part of the "Michigan Mafia" which opens many doors for you down the road.

4) The professors and staff were very friendly, helpful and laidback. They seemed genuinely concerned about their students and their experiences while attending the program. Many of them joked and had a sense of humor (which I found drastically lacking at other schools where the professors were a bunch of uptight crotchity old men).

5) Money - they gave a tuition break. That says enough.

I hope this helps!

 

[MintyKitty]

Going to the fall open house of my local school of public health gave me a framework for examining schools, programs, and environments that would be a good fit for me. In the end, that particular school fell short because the students in the department I was interested in just didn't seem focused, ambitious, or happy. In addition, I wasn't comfortable in the immediate surroundings of the school downtown, and I wanted a school with a wider and broader curriculum and network of faculty and graduates.

The one school that impressed me the most did so from the first time I read its website and book. The school is highly ranked and yadda yadda woohoo, but honestly, I can't even explain in words and details why I was so impressed. It was just an intuitive decision for me. It had a GOOD VIBE.

 

[Homer101]

I only applied to 4 schools and got into all the schools apart from the one where I did my undergrad (still cant figure that out, as my scores were much higher than their avg). The reasons why I am going to this particular school:
1) I want to do international Health with management. They actually allow their international health students to figure out their own electives to make up a concentration.
2) The ranking was good and the program overall had a good reputation. The staff and the profs seemed very nice. The student body looked very happy.
3) A lot of internships at the places where I want to eventually work.
4) financially it was the best package I was offered.
5) The housing was much better than the other schools I visited.
6) I loved the campus and the whole setting.

 

[drhobie7]

I picked Columbia b/c it was the only school I found that had a program in toxicology and I wanted to live in NYC. It was such a great 2 years.

 

[de_la_soul]

I chose Loma Linda University because it's close to home and I heard great things about the Health Administration program...but proximity was the real decision for me.

for those applying to a PH school. don't go to one because of its rankings on US News...it's public health. Ask students at the program what they think of it and look at the pros/cons

 

[thockenb]

I chose Loma Linda University because it's close to home and I heard great things about the Health Administration program...but proximity was the real decision for me.

for those applying to a PH school. don't go to one because of its rankings on US News...it's public health. Ask students at the program what they think of it and look at the pros/cons

The LLU program looks really good. I liked LLU because of the many GIS classes they offered. If you are into health mapping, LLU is the place to go, especially with thier close proximity and relationship with ESRI.

I agree with you on with the rankings thing, but actually talking to LLU students turned me off of the school...you probably know why.

Good luck.

 

[pedsid]

I chose Harvard for (MPH) Health Policy and Management for several reasons ...

1) It's a great program

2) The MPH program allows you incredible flexability ... I can take classes at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, MIT, etc.

3) There's a ton of opportunities there for research, networking, etc ... if you are interested in something ... they have it there. For instance ... how many other places have an institute of public health and surgery?

I've had friends go there and loved it. Interestingly enough ... when I visited one fairly well known school they advised me to go the HSPH instead of their program ... granted that was an MPP program.

It is expensive ... and it is a bit crazy ... delaying graduating from med school, moving my family for a year ... but I think it's worth it.

hope this helps.