UPitt?

[OHlivia]

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I've been accepted for Pitt's bioscience of infectious diseases program, with a certificate in public health preparedness and disaster response still pending. They are my first choice school since I got the impression when I applied that they were a great school, but I've noticed going through this forum that there's not a lot said about them and it doesn't look like they're anyone's first choice. Does anyone know anything about their reputation in the public health community in general, or in regards to their infectious disease program? Is it just their high tuition what turns people off or is their program really not that great after all?

 

[KB8]

Hey I was just accepted to the MPH in infectious disease/microbiology program at Pitt - not sure if that's what you got into too. It's my top choice right now, and it's ranked high and is unlike any other program out there.

Tuition at Pitt is definitely an issue, especially if you're paying out of state for the first year. It also seems to me that most people applying for public health tend to get caught up in the names and reputations of schools, which is hardly what's important when it comes to grad school. You have to take into account the professors you'll be working with and classes you'll be taking, where you're living, the research you want to do and whether there's enough funding for what you want to do.

For example, I've also been considering Yale for their infectious disease program (MPH) and if you look at the curriculum at Yale vs Pitt for basically the same concentration, the classes at Pitt seem wayyyy more interesting, and way less general than the ones at Yale. In the end, it's all up to you and where you feel the most comfortable. Public health is an interesting field because it's so much more than just being smart and getting a degree from a top ranked school; it's about being able to understand and live in solidarity and work with some of the world's most impoverished nations, especially in a field like infectious disease. Pitt will get you there, don't worry!

 

[KB8]

Oh, I also emailed admissions the other day and only 13 people got into our concentration this year, and only 4 got into the PhD program, so it's really competitive!

 

[swaffles]

I personally have heard nothing bad about Pitt that made it less worthy of a public health school than other schools.

My issue is that it's in Pennsylvania. I just can't stand that state! I've lived AROUND Pennsylvania the entire time I've lived in the US and every time I visit PA, it's nap time by default, because I'm used to living near huge hustle-and-bustle sort of cities. However, PA scenery and views are a lot more pretty than the scenery I see around here in Northern NJ.

But that is just my bias and I'm sure there are tons of people who love the state. I'm just not one of them and that's my only reason for not applying!

 

[Globule]

Oh, I also emailed admissions the other day and only 13 people got into our concentration this year, and only 4 got into the PhD program, so it's really competitive!

13 people out of what ? 20, 100, 200 ? Maybe it's such a specific program that not so many person apply to it. Just wondering.

 

[KB8]

13 people out of what ? 20, 100, 200 ? Maybe it's such a specific program that not so many person apply to it. Just wondering.

65

 

[Globule]

65

Wow an acceptance of 20% for IDM MPH ? Definitely more competitive than I thought. I will keep this in mind when I will apply this fall.

 

[KB8]

Wow an acceptance of 20% for IDM MPH ? Definitely more competitive than I thought. I will keep this in mind when I will apply this fall.

and their phd program is below 10% acceptance, so be wary of that...