holykrp

Agreed. I forewent medical school because I figured I'd get an easy peasy business degree and be making decent money and would be OK with that. And now I'm going back to school because, while I love the company I'm working for and the people are great and there's a lot of good things to say about the job and benefits I have, the work itself is void of purpose. I feel like I'm in a Camus novel every day. It's absolutely absurd. Money, while of grave importance, is also pretty meaningless at the same time, because most people don't want to look back at their life and think "well, at least I made a comfortable salary." Ick. The MPH salaries are all quite livable, even if you decide to have kids. And it also depends on where you end up working. If you're really chasing after a good salary, you can probably score a pretty sweet consulting or pharma gig. A lot of MPHers end up working in government or nonprofit because they tend to not be the money chasing types.

Yeah, it is pretty depressing. I'm leaving my job to pay for 2 years of tuition and then come out making less money. Pretty stupid decision financially. However, if you go on to get a doctoral degree you'll end up making a decent salary, eventually...

I don't think you can go wrong here. If one is giving you significantly more funding, I'd choose that one. I'd also probably choose Harvard over Hopkins if you plan on working abroad.

Bumping...

Hi there - I am leaning towards attending WashU in the fall and already have found some great info on this thread and on WashU's website. I am visiting in April but have a couple of questions: 1. What is the general culture like? For example, I'm from Cinci and it is ridiculously traditional and conservative here (it's not uncommon for strangers to ask me when I plan on getting married during an initial conversation, for example). I'd like to move to a more diverse and progressive area. If St. Louis is on the traditional side (I've heard it's pretty similar to Cinci), is there at least an area that will have a more interesting variety of people? 2. When should I secure housing? When I visited Pitt, the tour guide strongly suggested getting housing in January-March, as all of the less expensive housing in the best locations would be taken due to the large college student population. Do I need to secure housing far ahead of time in St. Louis, or will a month or two suffice like it does around here? 3. Anything you would recommend checking out when I visit, like niche bars or popular local restaurants? Any brunch places? I'd like to scout out an affordable walkable neighborhood that includes the following: a fun local bar, a market, a place for brunch, late night dining, a Starbucks (my friend works there and she is moving with me), and a place to study. Thank you!

Lenovo produces really high quality laptops at affordable prices. The G series is the most affordable series for everyday use (I recently got the G50 and am confident it will suffice). http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/g-series/?menu-id=g_series The "professional grade" laptops are in the Thinkpad series, if you are looking for something along those lines. But I don't think you will need something like that. Here is the list of UNC's minimum requirements, which should be about the same everywhere: http://sph.unc.edu/epid/epid-student-central/epidemiology-laptop-policy/ Edit: You can upgrade the operating system to windows pro for $100 on any Windows 8 machine.

Hello - At this point in the app cycle, WashU is looking really appealing, as they have offered me a $25k scholarship. I also got into Emory and Columbia with no word yet on funding, as well as Pittsburgh, which does not offer masters funding. Since WUSTL is not ranked as they do not have a school of public health, I am hoping some of you can help provide me with a decent understanding of the perceived quality of this program. What is the reputation of an MPH from WUSTL? What is your general opinion or impression of their program? Thank you!!

It depends on what you want to do first and foremost, since MCH is a completely separate field/skill set from epi. Neither are going to have any lab sciences, so if your intention is to develop a stronger foundation in biology, chemistry, etc., the MPH altogether is not what you are looking for. If by a science background you really mean data interpretation, then epidemiology would probably be more of what you are looking for. Maternal and Child Health obviously focuses on those topics exclusively, both in policy and research. As far as the schools as a whole, UNC is technically higher ranked as of the 2011 rankings (new rankings are being released on March 10), but Columbia probably has more name brand recognition abroad.

I did! I am not sure. It is a great opportunity, but New York is so expensive that it will definitely depend on what Columbia and Emory are offering scholarship wise. WashU already has offered a scholarship and even sent a fellowship application, so they're making me feel really comfortable about affording to go there. I guess we'll see in the next couple of weeks!!

Those are two very different topics, so which interests you more? What do you intend to do when you graduate? Have you gotten any funding info from Columbia?

Harvard says by early March but someone on the SDN forum called and was told around Feb 20!!! I didn't apply to global health programs so I'm really ignorant in that area, but I'd assume either one would be a great choice.

From the SDN forum it sounds like a couple have gotten scholarship info, but most have not yet. They should be releasing it before their first admitted students day, which is March 6. Columbia does have scholarships for masters students, but I'm not sure how much they are.

If you have a decidedly strong application, it doesn't matter so much when you apply. If it could go either way, there's an advantage to applying earlier. But, I'm sure if you're already in the MSW program your application is pretty strong, and I know Tulane is quick about getting back with people. I wouldn't worry. You got your application in and that's what matters.

I'm from Cincinnati and went to UC for college. I moved to Northern Kentucky; it's cheaper, quieter, and safer, but still a 10ish minute drive from UC and downtown. Most students live in Clifton; it's definitely your typical college town and they've even built it up a lot more recently. Westwood is an Ohio option that is about a 10 minute drive and a lot cheaper than living right by campus, but you would have to drive to any nighttime activities.

Well, I got that 8-10 weeks e-mail on 12/1 and still haven't received a decision, so I'd say they're dead serious about it. I submitted my application 11/23.

Ha, I started trying to pick up my French again! I figured if I want to apply to the WHO one day I'll need it anyway. Good idea!

That is awesome. I actually just picked up crochet again, but then realized I have a house to get ready to sell. For MPH they will e-mail the applicants. If you applied through their website (not SOPHAS), I think it's through the website, but I applied to the MPH through SOPHAS. I did get a message that they received my financial aid info, but nothing like that. I'd e-mail the financial aid office if I were you. They are pretty quick to respond. That would scare the bejeezus out of me, but I'm sure that it's some mix up.

So far WashU was my favorite; I got 2 personal e-mails before the acceptance e-mail, and then they sent the folder with more information, including the scholarship offer. After I submitted my FAFSA, they followed up really quickly with my final financial aid package. They are awesome at quick and personal communication! Pitt just sent a simple e-mail and a one-page acceptance letter that said masters students get 0 funding. They did send a couple of follow up form e-mails and a one-page letter from someone who graduated, but it all was very short and impersonal. U of Florida was pretty straightforward as well, and it was just an e-mail with attachments. Financial aid info is supposed to come after their Feb deadline. Emory's packet is on the way and it sounds like theirs will be the best, they are sending it via FedEx and it's supposed to contain a "gift." They also have an accepted students portal with a lot of information. I haven't received Columbia's mailing yet either. Just got their e-mail.

Here is a presentation from Johns Hopkins: http://ocw.jhsph.edu/courses/fundepi/PDFs/Lecture1.pdf Basically, biostatisticians are almost pure mathematicians. They develop and use methods to calculate various measures. Statistics are part of an epidemiologist's figurative tool belt, but they use what the statisticians develop. They also do study design, and statisticians will use that data. Epidemiologists will apply the results to public health problems. But this presentation is better at explaining it. Statisticians typically make more money based on the MPH concentration alone (if you tack on an MD to the epi concentration, then the tables are obviously turned). When I was choosing between the two, I chose epidemiology because I felt like it gave me a wide variety of career opportunities. Biostatisticians have a more rigid role. Some people prefer more flexibility, some would rather be more of a technical specialist.

I'm American and I hate most Americans so I understand their POV I think as others have said it just really depends on the people you're interacting with and how you present yourself to them. It doesn't sound like you're gung-ho about defending America so I really wouldn't let that deter you. You could always just fake a random accent, ha. I explored applying overseas and the reason I didn't was because those schools didn't have the CEPH certification. If you don't plan on living in the US, though, that won't matter. As far as to whether or not you'll get in, I don't think it would have anything to do with being from the US specifically, but more along the lines of being an international student and how many spots they have open for them and so on. I know a lot of schools are really competitive for international students because they open up the majority of seats to students from their country. Kind of like here, a lot of schools reserve a certain amount of seats for in-state students (this is especially true for med programs but not so much MPH in the US). So you would just need to make sure you're presenting the best application you can. These are very realistic fears especially coming from your own experiences, but if you would prefer to go to school in Europe, don't let that stop you. People are jerks everywhere.

Yeah I was honestly nervous that they would have much more epi applicants this year because of that. And not only Emory, I was worried there'd be a huge influx in epi applicants in general. Was that actually the case? I have no idea. I also dance on the line between normal concerns and paranoia quite frequently.

I've tried looking all over for epi rankings and can't find a reliable source for the life of me. I found this, but something tells me it's just someone's opinion: http://mphprogramslist.com/7-top-epidemiology-degree-programs-finding-yours/ Also this, but it ranks Emory at #9 and that makes me kind of skeptical: http://public-health-programs.findthebest.com/d/a/Epidemiology Rankings wise, I've just kind of been considering the following, in no particular order: 1. US News Public Health Rankings (Epi is the cornerstone of public health so these are the closest to official rankings I think there are) 2. Medical/health programs ranking (The better the med school, the more research opportunities, probably; also I may go on to med school afterwards) 3. Overall school ranking/reputation 4. NIH funding, or NIMH & NARSAD funding since I'm specifically interested in mental health (again, research opportunities) Let me know if you find anything better...

It means that all of your components are in to SOPHAS and they have reviewed your transcripts along with your inputted coursework and calculated your GPA according to their standards, then made your application available to the schools you selected.

I don't know very much about Tulane since I didn't apply there, but some schools weight GRE more heavily than others. It also depends on the program. Epi programs want to see decent quant scores, most others aren't really going to care as much about your quant scores. It depends how bad "bad" is. I've never taken grad statistics but I took 3 stats courses in undergrad and I thought they were a breeze. It's a lot easier than calculus and makes intuitive sense, in my opinion. That's going to depend on how comfortable you are with math, though. From my experience, it was a lot more of inputting data into spreadsheets and programs and interpreting the results. Also doing linear regressions and that sort of thing. I think anyone who is decently comfortable with college algebra should have no problem with stats.

Any man who is afraid of a successful woman does not deserve to be with that woman; and I'd recommend all women steer clear of him as well! The reason its intimidating to some men is that they believe so strongly that they should have the "upper hand" and be the "bread winner" and "decision maker." It doesn't come from a place of wanting an equal and supportive relationship. Honestly, I don't even see why someone would want to be with another person who isn't at a similar level of success and intelligence. Sounds like a boring relationship full of a lot of housework and head nodding for someone. Good for you IntriguedStudent! The world needs men like you.