UNC v Harvard v Hopkins

[aklPH]

I was fortunate to be accepted into programs at UNC, Harvard, and Hopkins.

At UNC, accepted as MSPH/PhD in Epi
At Harvard and Hopkins, MS or MHS in International Health.

For awhile I've been leaning towards UNC because of the beautiful campus, a great visit with faculty and students, the cheaper tuition, and guarenteed acceptance into a PhD program. I've also been given a lot of advice to do as much epi as possible, which is causing me to rethink my original intention to focus in int'l health. UNC also seems to be a place where the faculty are more invested in the students.

After being awarded a grant from Harvard, I am completely confused about what to do! Concentrating in international health would allow me to take more courses in topics that I am interested in now, and worry about epi skills and methods later on (for a PhD). An added bonus is that I wouldn't have to leave Boston where I currently live!

What are people's opinions about the programs, in terms of collaboration between students and faculty, research opportunities, and student's happiness? Please help!

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[Cster0905]

I was fortunate to be accepted into programs at UNC, Harvard, and Hopkins.

At UNC, accepted as MSPH/PhD in Epi
At Harvard and Hopkins, MS or MHS in International Health.

For awhile I've been leaning towards UNC because of the beautiful campus, a great visit with faculty and students, the cheaper tuition, and guarenteed acceptance into a PhD program. I've also been given a lot of advice to do as much epi as possible, which is causing me to rethink my original intention to focus in int'l health. UNC also seems to be a place where the faculty are more invested in the students.

After being awarded a grant from Harvard, I am completely confused about what to do! Concentrating in international health would allow me to take more courses in topics that I am interested in now, and worry about epi skills and methods later on (for a PhD). An added bonus is that I wouldn't have to leave Boston where I currently live!

What are people's opinions about the programs, in terms of collaboration between students and faculty, research opportunities, and student's happiness? Please help!

Congrats on the great acceptances. Here is my $.02:

UNC: I graduated from UNC's HPAA department and was thrilled with the school. While UNC doesn't have as recognizable of a name compared to Harvard or Hopkins, in the medical/health world, people appreciate UNC's level of excellence.

The school is beautiful, the students at the SPH are super, super smart, you have great outside-of-the-classroom options like UNC basketball and the triangle area -- all of this without the overt stuffiness of some of the Ivies and Dukes of the world.

I worked in DC for a SPH internship and at every meeting I attended Hopkins and UNC were represented by at least one faculty member. It's a very collaborative and open-forum environment. Not to mention the school just added a new research wing and recently received $50 million from a pharma CEO. Another great aspect is that you can effortlessly work between schools and programs. I did substantial research (which I've since published) between the SPH and the School of Medicine -- without a blink they gave me unlimited access to work in the ED of the school's hospital.

Cost of living is cheap, too. If you're getting a PhD, that's hard to pass up over a Master.

GREAT SCHOOL.

Hopkins: Superb education and they pretty much wrote the book on current American medicine and public health. Easily the most accomplished faculty in the field. I've heard the program is very, very intense but will prepare you well.

I've been accepted, myself, and I am considering going but the one thing holding me back is that Hopkins is not in a very safe location.

Harvard: I've not heard the best things. Obviously it's Harvard and their SPH is very accomplished. I am currently working at Emory with a woman who was one of the school's research directors before coming to Emory last year. She does not think - I applied to Harvard, as well - it is worth the money and she has found that Master students are not given a great amount of attention.

She also mentioned the institutional snobbery, the HIGH cost of living in Boston, and the city life in general (people aren't super nice).

It has maybe the best name value of any school out there but as far as education goes she does not think it is any better than the other top programs.
~~~
I'm not for one or the other but that is what I've been able to make of the three. Had I not been an undergrad at UNC I'd return in a heartbeat but I'm heavily considering Hopkins. I've lost a lot of interest in Harvard.

Keep in mind that one school may really excel in your field of interest, so consider that, too.

 

[Cster0905]

Oh yeah, and UNC's Epi dept. is one of the best. FYI.

 

[tt13]

I was fortunate to be accepted into programs at UNC, Harvard, and Hopkins.

At UNC, accepted as MSPH/PhD in Epi
At Harvard and Hopkins, MS or MHS in International Health.

For awhile I've been leaning towards UNC because of the beautiful campus, a great visit with faculty and students, the cheaper tuition, and guarenteed acceptance into a PhD program. I've also been given a lot of advice to do as much epi as possible, which is causing me to rethink my original intention to focus in int'l health. UNC also seems to be a place where the faculty are more invested in the students.

After being awarded a grant from Harvard, I am completely confused about what to do! Concentrating in international health would allow me to take more courses in topics that I am interested in now, and worry about epi skills and methods later on (for a PhD). An added bonus is that I wouldn't have to leave Boston where I currently live!

What are people's opinions about the programs, in terms of collaboration between students and faculty, research opportunities, and student's happiness? Please help!

I think all three programs are great and have certain aspects that may differ. These differences are good/bad depending on what you want. You may want to consider what kind of learning environment you're seeking.

I decided to attend UNC so this is my reasoning for why I'm attending.
1. full-ride
2. a change from big-city life
3. has a very devoted, friendly faculty
4. a change from cold weather
5. team-based learning (versus competitive cut-throat competition)
6. every public health topic has at least one publication from unc; i've written papers for 3 global health classes and have cited research from unc on all papers.
7. cheaper living standards

So, really, it all comes down to which school fits better with the factors you have set out.

Keep in mind that the specific concentrations of public health are not that exclusive from one another. Doing Epi won't completely shut you off from International Health positions or vice versa. I know that one of your concerns was 'what if i change my mind' related.

 

[Senior007]

I completely agree with both posts above. In the end, you really can't go wrong with the #1 and #2 schools of public health- however it essentially comes down to the program and where you fit in.

If you want to eventually do a PhD, then you can't go wrong with UNC and already acceptance into the program.

Great job!

 

[aklPH]

Thanks for the quick responses!!

Cster0905: You've definitely touched on my main concerns with Harvard. Over this past winter many people, both inside and outside the Harvard system, have expressed negative thoughts to me. These opinions greatly reduced my interest in the school, until I learned of the grant I was awarded, which allowed me to put Harvard on an even slate with UNC, at least financially.

The big question, as you stated, is if the extra effort to network and make connections, the "elitist" environment, the cost-of-living expenses, and lack of attention for masters students, is ultimately worth the degree from Harvard?

If I didn't live in Boston, and if Harvard hadn't been the first SPH that I was ever interested in, I don't think this would be as difficult.

 

[Cster0905]

Thanks for the quick responses!!

Cster0905: You've definitely touched on my main concerns with Harvard. Over this past winter many people, both inside and outside the Harvard system, have expressed negative thoughts to me. These opinions greatly reduced my interest in the school, until I learned of the grant I was awarded, which allowed me to put Harvard on an even slate with UNC, at least financially.

The big question, as you stated, is if the extra effort to network and make connections, the "elitist" environment, the cost-of-living expenses, and lack of attention for masters students, is ultimately worth the degree from Harvard?

If I didn't live in Boston, and if Harvard hadn't been the first SPH that I was ever interested in, I don't think this would be as difficult.

I completely understand. I appreciate that having Harvard on your CV will impress anyone, no matter if they are privy to the world of public health or not.

To be honest with you, however, my experiences in DC really changed my opinion on HSPH. Again, UNC and Hopkins were always, always represented and I really never heard or saw much from Harvard.

Furthermore, UNC has gained a lot of respect in the medical community over the years and now holds its own against Duke -- actually excels at many things over Duke (and vice versa, of course). In fact, Duke sends their students to UNC to earn their PhDs and MPHs in public health.

So, if you're interested in making sure your education provides you the best opportunities in the health world, Harvard holds no weight - that I've seen and heard - over UNC. People recognize UNC as one of the very best, so don't worry there. That goes for networking, too. UNC is 20 minutes away from the world-famous Research Triangle Park which is home to some of the most cutting-edge research in the world.

I'm not trying to sound like a campus tour guide but I just want to convey to you that a) the Harvard "name" really doesn't mean that much more in this discipline and b) UNC is great school with a recognized reputation in the world.

I think it speaks volumes that Harvard's own would so freely speak about its negatives.

Either way, you have a good problem.

 

[Generals]

What are people's opinions about the programs, in terms of collaboration between students and faculty, research opportunities, and student's happiness? Please help!

Hi there,
I'm deciding between two of these three schools and just wanted to throw in my thoughts. I have actually found Harvard to be very helpful and have heard great things about their program, although I am admittedly interested in a very different field than you. Your UNC acceptance/status will obviously be very different than either of the other schools (PhD vs. MS, epi. vs. int. health), so it seems to me the obvious way to decide is to consider whether you want to do epi or international health, and what kind of degree you want to earn. However, as another suggestion, I've been in touch with all of the programs I'm interested in and asked to be contacted by current students/recent alums who have similar backgrounds and goals to me. I've found the schools very willing to do this, and the student input has been very meaningful. Obviously, a biased way to gather information, but at least the bias is evenly distributed! I'm also visiting each school for Visitor's Days and hoping that will give me some clarity. Obviously, in the end, this is a very personal decision - I plan to base mine primarily on school that seems to fit the best. Best of luck!

 

[aelizabeth]

I didn't apply to any of these schools, but one of the professors I consulted about applications got his Ph'd at Johns Hopkins. He commented on how inexpensive living was there as well. I can't really comment on safety, I haven't been there, although I have heard similar comments.
I also agree with someones comment about climate- I currently live in Chicago, originally from Vermont, and moving further north for grad school, while complaining about the cold weather at the same time. I really wish I had applied to UNC or even Johns Hopkins for that reason.
Further, I think if you're interested in a ph'd in the future, you should go for UNC. Save yourself the stress of re-applying, waiting, moving, settling in again, etc. (Or at least that sounds stressful to me...)

 

[plutol]

Among the schools you listed above, I got into the program in international health at Johns Hopkins, too. And it is a master of health science program. So I can only give you some info about Johns Hopkins. From the student handbook of the department, it is stated that MHS student can transfer to a Ph.D program or other programs there at Johns Hopkins. And there are different ways for you to change your degree program. The original statement is copied below:

Transfers
MHS to MHS: If after beginning the MHS program a student wishes to change program area, the student must request the change in writing and have it endorsed by the MHS Program Coordinators of the current and future program area. The request then needs to be endorsed by the Associate Chair for Academic Programs. It is important to note that these types of transfers are very rare, due to the capacity of the programs and the sequencing of courses by program area.
MHS to PhD: Students in the MHS program who are interested in going on to a PhD program in the Department of International Health have two options, both of which require formally applying to the Department for admission to the PhD program. The first option is to complete the MHS degree and then entering the PhD program in September following the completion of the MHS practicum and turning in their MHS essay. Students that choose this option will need to complete an additional two terms of full-time residency after which they will have completed the PhD residency requirement and will be provided a 75% tuition scholarship by the Department. The second option is to transfer from the MHS program to the PhD program prior to completing the MHS degree. Such transfer requests will be considered by the Admissions Committee only after at least two full terms as a MHS student. If accepted into the PhD program, the student's residency requirements will be considered to have started at the time of their entrance to the MHS program. They will not, however, receive the MHS degree.

Hope this will help, and for detailed info you can go to

http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/IH/Degree_Programs/Master_Health_Science.html

 

[erikw]

I have had some reservations about Harvard myself, having heard similar things from some ppl who attend HSPH. However, I also spent 4 months last summer at HSPH and hence came to some conclusions myself.

HSPH isn't the strongest school in the country for many aspects of public health. But if you're interested in policy/economics/ epi/any other quantitative aspect of public health, it's the best. It also has the added advantage of having the bussiness school, the law school, the kennedy school etc where you can cross register. I know many ppl who do that.The strength of the almost all programs at Harvard make a student's experience better.

It's easy to fault Harvard for being a bastion of elitism, but it's not totally true. Yes there are ppl who take themselves very seriously, but then again there were ppl like the Prof I was working under who are fanastic mentors. My prof not only went out of her way to get me in touch with other HSPH departments when she realized I was more interested in other stuff, but she also paid for me to attend the annual EPI convention that was taking place in Boston last summer. I met some other fantastic ppl at other HSPH departments who were more than happy to welcome me on board their projects even though I was just a summer intern. As a result, I am going to be publishing a paper with one of those profs now.

About networking. Unfortunately, you really can't beat Harvard's pull there.There are top-gun alumni in every field who'll be more than happy to root for you.

Boston is a fantastic city. The ppl are very nice. I am an urban person, so I really wouldn't want to compare Chapel Hill with Boston. It is very expensive though.Harvard is, in my mind, one of the only top tier schools that can actually sell the strength of its location.

Some of the other things about Harvard are true. The funding sucks and the ppl who work for admissions tend to float and gloat.

I am interested in health policy/economics and hence I chose HSPH over JHSPH.

 

[KcsA]

To: aklPH

Congrats on the acceptances Just a quick question, were you accepted to the Harvard program for Population and International Health? I was interested in applying but I don't have very much experience volunteering abroad and less than stellar scores. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[aklPH]

KcsA- I was accepted into the PIH department. I also do not have any experience volunteering abroad, but had extensive clinical research experience. My grades and scores were pretty solid. I would say give it a shot, you have nothing to lose, and there are other great programs out there if Harvard does not work out! Good Luck!

 

[PHealthMan]

help !

I applied for the doctoral at harvard and was accepted for a Masters. How wise is it to just show up and hope to be accepted into the PhD later? I have not had any informative conversations with faculty. I am strongly interested in social policy/social causes of health, and not many places can offer what Harvard does with regards to that. Also, I would enjoy living in Boston. However, I am confident I want the doctoral degree. Any thoughts ? Any suggestions for what to do next?