JohnSGrad95
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Posts posted by JohnSGrad95
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BUMP- in case other people have any input
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49 minutes ago, Gradstudentforlife said:
I think there are merits to the community health stream. It opens the doors to a lot of different job opportunities (think health promotion, public health policy, etc.) that epi and biostats just wouldn't. Unless you are aiming for a data analysis job, I would say stay in the community health stream. In terms of marketability, well that depends on your hustle! I think you can use the community health stream to your advantage when you apply to jobs, as you can market yourself as knowledgable in so many different domains vs just data. My 2 cents!
Thanks! Are you currently a PhD student in public health?
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I entered my MPH program as a Community Health concentration (or its equivalent). However, now I'm having doubts about sticking with it because I'm afraid that it's not as marketable as other concentrations (ex. Epi/Biostats). I was considering switching into Epi/Biostats, but community health is a little more interesting in me (though I do appreciate aspects of Epi/Biostats). Has anyone else been in a similar situation and can offer some advice?
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8 hours ago, PublicHealth18 said:
I personally would choose what you find more interesting. You can take more courses in epi and advanced biostats which can help you gain skills that would be considered more "marketable". For example, in my MPH program we were allowed to take a couple electives and we could choose from a variety of courses (some of which were advance epi and biostats courses). At the end of the day, an MPH is still an MPH...I don't think concentration matters as much as you think. It's what courses you take and what you end up making out of it.
Thanks! Just out of curiosity, what did you concentrate in?
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I entered my MPH program as a Community Health concentration (or its equivalent). However, now I'm having doubts about sticking with it because I'm afraid that it's not as marketable as other concentrations (ex. Epi/Biostats). I was considering switching into Epi/Biostats, but community health is a little more interesting in me (though I do appreciate aspects of Epi/Biostats). Has anyone else been in a similar situation and can offer some advice?
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On 6/21/2017 at 0:05 PM, fuzzylogician said:
The thing is, the question you want an answer to is not one we can help you with. This is a personal decision. I can tell you which city I prefer, but you're not me so it's not clear that that's too helpful. You can try and look at more objective measures -- which one is more expensive? which program offers you better funding? which program offers you better post-degree opportunities (which, of course, means you need to know what kind of opportunities you might want, because they will likely be different for the two schools and which is better depends on what you want!)? which program is better ranked (and does that matter)?
One thing that sometimes helps me is to pretend I have made a decision. Spend a day thinking "I am going to X!" and see how that feels. Does it feel right or like you made a mistake? How about the other option? At the end of the day, sometimes you just have to make a choice. Both options sound good, and since none of us can see the future, you will never know what the other road might look like. You just take the one you chose and invest your energy in making it the best you can, not in speculating about things you can't change.
Thanks so much for all of your help! I finally made a decision and I feel pretty good about it!
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On 6/19/2017 at 1:26 AM, fuzzylogician said:
Hello there, please don't cross-post the same question multiple times. I've removed your other posts. To get responses, you might want to ask better questions. Asking which is better, NYC or Boston, is like asking which is better, pizza or a clam chowder. It depends on so many factors, not least of which is plain old personal taste. What are *you* looking for? What's important to *you*? Both cities will be very expensive. Both have a lot going on. Both have good public transportation. Boston is colder, NYC is more crowded. I could go on, but I don't see the point. As for the programs, again, what are you looking for? You can ask about their placement record, and presumably they might set you up to work in different locations, so that's something to think about. What specifically do you want to know?
Not to mention, you already have a thread going with lots of opinions about both schools, so why ask again?
Thanks! I guess I've just been going through quite the decision paralysis, and I was hoping to get more insight.
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How does NYU's Master of Public Health program compare to that of BU's? Also, is New York a better city to study public health or Boston?
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What do people think about NYU's Master of Public Health Program?
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On 6/8/2017 at 9:31 PM, COGSCI said:
Currently doing my PhD at a Canadian institution
Good luck with your decision
Ah nice! Thanks! Good luck to you as well!
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How is student life at the Boston University School of Public Health? Do people feel that they are constantly stressed? How is the workload? Do people feel that they have free time to pursue extracurricular activities?
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On 6/6/2017 at 2:23 PM, COGSCI said:
Well it really depends on the discipline but not really. Just figure out which program is going to be best for you in terms of experience and cost. You can figure out other things once you start the program. I think the most important thing right now is for you to find a concentration (or two) that you are interested in and see which school has a better reputation and set of courses available.
Thanks! By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what school do you go to? I feel like I've seen your username on the forums here.
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1 hour ago, COGSCI said:
In your case (BU vs NYU), not really. What I was trying to say is that your academic experience won't be considered as a MAJOR factor when you apply for jobs after you work in the field for that long. When you first start, it is not about where you got your degree. It is about what you DID during your MPH years (and before) and what concentration (again, biostat, epi, policy, and so on).
Thanks! Is there a particular scenario in which where on went to school to get their MPH would matter (not my schools specifically)?
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9 hours ago, COGSCI said:
If you want to work at NY public health (gov branch), it would be helpful for you to network and know how they operate. It is not essential but definitely helpful. NYU public health is not even ranked yet so that is how new it is. Maybe after 5 or 10 years, it will be just as good as BU but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field.
As for accreditation, I don't know so you should look at their websites or call them directly.
Thanks for your help! Just out of curiosity, does it matter where you get your degree when you first graduate (I saw you said "...but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field")?
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On 6/2/2017 at 9:15 AM, COGSCI said:
Seems like you are more interested in exploring the public health field. BU has a better reputation (for now anyways) because NYU's global health department is very new. If you are thinking about working in New York upon graduation, I would go to NYU so that you can do you practicum at one of the agencies and network there. You can also do practicum in NY if you choose to go to BU. I am sure BU will let you because some of my friends went to different countries for their practicum.
Community health itself is a very broad term. So you need to think about which population you would like to work with or what kind of job you want (epi, policy, biostat, health promotion, and so on).
Thanks! Yeah, I'm still exploring, and I'm hoping that the core classes will help me figure out where I want to be in public health. How important is it to do a practicum in the state or city that I want to work? As NYU grows, how do you think it will place? I'm also a little confused about NYU's accreditation. Is it just the program that's accredited, or is it both the school and the program? Is there a difference?
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5 hours ago, COGSCI said:
Congrats on getting into two awesome schools! BU has a better reputation for public health but if you want to do community health, NYC is a great place for it.
You would also need to think about where you want to work after you graduate. If you are interested in working or pursuing your PhD in NY or Mass, you could make a decision based on that.
Lastly, cost of living & degree can also be an important factor to consider.
Thanks! Just out of curiosity, what does reputation involve? In other words, does BU being the more reputable program mean that it has a higher quality program? I've lived in New York all my life, so there is a likelihood that I may want to work and live there. However, I'm also open to relocating, especially if it means that I'll have a job. Should I be pigeon-holing myself in one state? Also, do people who attend BU strictly work in Massachusetts or Boston? Also, even though I'm currently interested in community health, I'm also open to changing concentrations. I don't really have a background in the other concentrations, but if I'm interested in the other concentrations, I might switch.
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I got into NYU and BU's MPH programs, but I'm having a hard time deciding which school to go to. I'm thinking of pursuing community health, though I may want to switch concentrations once I take the core classes. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks!
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22 hours ago, syza said:
I just graduated from the Sociomedical Sciences dept at Columbia. I was thinking between Epidemiology, Environmental Heath, and Sociomedical Sciences (SMS) depts for the MPH or PhD in a social sciences like Sociology of Health or Medical Anthropology. I wasn't set on my decision of SMS, but after my first semester I knew that was the department for me. At Columbia we all take the same classes in the first semester, the Columbia MPH Core. You can then change into other depts after that if you wish. It fortunately worked out well for me.
Thanks! Did you know what you wanted to do career-wise entering the program (or do you know now), or did you just know where your interests were?
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On 5/8/2017 at 11:11 AM, syza said:
I am currently completing my MPH. Most people here do not know what they specifically want to focus on when they first start. Many places you can even change your department after first semester. It's a very flexible degree.
Thanks! If you don't mind me asking, what school/program are you currently attending? Also, how sure were you about the MPH program and your concentration when you went in doing it?
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I was admitted to the Boston University Master of Public Health program! Just out of curiosity, are any of you still uncertain about the concentration you've chosen? Do you think you might change your concentration after completing some course work? I'm just wondering if anybody else is in the same situation as I am.
Should I be pursuing a Master of Public Health degree if I'm not entirely sure where I want to be in public health? Would it be an issue to enter the program and then explore where I want to be in the program? Is it a common occurrence, or do people usually know what they're doing 100% when they enter the Master of Public Health program?
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Should I be pursuing a Master of Public Health degree if I'm not entirely sure where I want to be in public health? Would it be an issue to enter the program and then explore where I want to be in the program? Is it a common occurrence, or do people usually know what they're doing 100% when they enter the Master of Public Health program?
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Should I be pursuing a Master of Public Health degree if I'm not entirely sure where I want to be in public health? Would it be an issue to enter the program and then explore where I want to be in the program? Is it a common occurrence, or do people usually know what they're doing 100% when they enter the Master of Public Health program?
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What school has a better MPH program, George Washington University or Boston University? Also, more specifically, which school has a better Community Health/Global Health program?
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Which school has a better MPH program, George Washington University or Boston University? Specifically which school has better Community Health and Global Health programs? Thanks!
Having Difficulty Deciding on a Public Health Concentration (MPH)
in The Lobby
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Thank you for your help! Did you concentrate in community health or something similar? How was the job market for you? What would hustling entail (coursework, just being persistent, etc.)? Thanks!