UNC vs. YSPH

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anavrincafe

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Hey! I have a couple of notes on what you've mentioned about UNC vs. YSPH (keep in mind I am not attending either but have been keeping have seen a lot fo talk about both):
1. Have you considered NC residency in the cost of attendance? Many people have mentioned that it is not only easy but quite common for 2nd year students to declare residency in NC to receive in state tuition, that could be a big help financially!
2. Keeping med school in mind, I would say a big factor would be the thesis vs. the practicum. Do you feel that focused research on a given topic would better equip you for med school admissions and provide you with contacts for research in the medical world? And does Yale have specific faculty who are doing research that interests you who you could be involved with for your thesis? In contrast, does the potential practicum and work experience potentially set you up better for med school admissions and potential public health endeavors during and after med school?

Good luck with your decision!! I know I just asked you more questions and didn't really state my opinion, but those are questions that helped me determine which program I wanted to attend. Ultimately, they're both fantastic schools with connections to great medical schools so you can't go wrong.
 
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Hey! I have a couple of notes on what you've mentioned about UNC vs. YSPH (keep in mind I am not attending either but have been keeping have seen a lot fo talk about both):
1. Have you considered NC residency in the cost of attendance? Many people have mentioned that it is not only easy but quite common for 2nd year students to declare residency in NC to receive in state tuition, that could be a big help financially!
2. Keeping med school in mind, I would say a big factor would be the thesis vs. the practicum. Do you feel that focused research on a given topic would better equip you for med school admissions and provide you with contacts for research in the medical world? And does Yale have specific faculty who are doing research that interests you who you could be involved with for your thesis? In contrast, does the potential practicum and work experience potentially set you up better for med school admissions and potential public health endeavors during and after med school?

Good luck with your decision!! I know I just asked you more questions and didn't really state my opinion, but those are questions that helped me determine which program I wanted to attend. Ultimately, they're both fantastic schools with connections to great medical schools so you can't go wrong.

Hi, thank you for taking the time to reply/comment on my post! So to answer your questions, I also heard from the UNC department lead that most MPH students qualify for NC residency their second year, and that helps me out a lot financially. That being said, if I get in-state tuition for my second year, the tuitions between the two schools average out to be about the same! (also, if I apply to UNC for med school as an in-state student, I could maybe have better chances of getting in vs. getting accepted into a UC as an in-state CA resident). And as to your second question, I am honestly pretty torn about which would have the greater benefit. I have never written a research thesis before, and going to YSPH could allow me the opportunity to explore that and get some solid research experience. At Yale, I also feel like the small class sizes would allow me to make good faculty connections. BUT, i also feel like the experience I would get at UNC with their practicum/capstone project would help me develop the PH practical skills I would need to be the kind of doctor I want to be. Honestly, I would benefit from either a thesis or practicum based curriculum, and that's part of what makes this decision so hard!

I don't think my answers to either of those questions clarified anything haha, but I would love to hear your opinion! Also, what helped you make the decision on where to go for your MPH? Thank you!
 
Hi, thank you for taking the time to reply/comment on my post! So to answer your questions, I also heard from the UNC department lead that most MPH students qualify for NC residency their second year, and that helps me out a lot financially. That being said, if I get in-state tuition for my second year, the tuitions between the two schools average out to be about the same! (also, if I apply to UNC for med school as an in-state student, I could maybe have better chances of getting in vs. getting accepted into a UC as an in-state CA resident). And as to your second question, I am honestly pretty torn about which would have the greater benefit. I have never written a research thesis before, and going to YSPH could allow me the opportunity to explore that and get some solid research experience. At Yale, I also feel like the small class sizes would allow me to make good faculty connections. BUT, i also feel like the experience I would get at UNC with their practicum/capstone project would help me develop the PH practical skills I would need to be the kind of doctor I want to be. Honestly, I would benefit from either a thesis or practicum based curriculum, and that's part of what makes this decision so hard!

I don't think my answers to either of those questions clarified anything haha, but I would love to hear your opinion! Also, what helped you make the decision on where to go for your MPH? Thank you!
Ultimately I had a dream school and was lucky to be accepted to it. Once I was accepted to Columbia it was really no question about me going there.

Although rankings are arbitrary, UNC is ranked higher than Yale in terms of public health. I personally would prefer the environment at UNC (go Tar Heels) but I would be having a hard time passing up a name like Yale, especially given that the cost is exactly the same.

Have you checked out the MPH 2020 forum on here? There are a number of people who have committed to Yale and UNC and I think reaching out to them and finding out why they chose their respective schools might help you more than I can! I would link it but I’m on mobile. I think you can just type in MPH 2020 and it should come up, and if you’re on desktop you should be able to see who was accepted to both schools and who committed to which in their signatures.

Again, good luck with your decision!!! I live in NY now and northeast winters are brutal but you get used to them. Buy a down coat and you should be all set.
 
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