sfu4mph

SFU MPH's Program - Advice from a Graduating Student For anyone trying to decide between SFU and another university, I am a current student at SFU (population health stream), and this is my last term. If you have your heart set on going to SFU, or that's your only offer, I do not recommend reading my post. If you have other offers, I would suggest considering those universities. I've REALLY disliked my graduate education at SFU; in fact, it feels like undergrad. Most of the students would concur that they treat us like children (some would say infants). Even students who did their undergrad at SFU complain about the grad program. The class sizes are huge. 801,802,803,845 (all required courses for all streams) have class sizes over 50 (up to 70). They admit a lot of students because they want the money (i.e., it's become a degree mill). And I've had more classes taught by sessional instructors (most of whom were terrible) than by tenure-track faculty. So getting reference letters for jobs, etc. is very difficult. Most students also complain about the supervision they get (most profs aren't on campus), and everyone has to have a supervisor. Also, courses 900 and 901 are a complete waste of time (and they occupy every Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., but it's another way they can make some money). Also, most of the core courses have a lecture and a tutorial on separate days, so in your first year, if you only do two core courses, and 900/901, you should expect to be on campus 5 days a week (and SFU is not an easy campus to get to, and yes, it's really, really ugly and dreary in the winter). Also, SFU doesn't have a lot of course offerings. Students often do courses at UBC or UVic (distance) etc. through the Western Deans' Agreement. Some of the sessional instructors this term have been so bad that students have created petitions, etc. The Faculty always has these sit-down meetings with students, but nothing ever comes of it. So previous students have tried to improve things, but the Faculty completely disregards everything we say with excuse after excuse. If you don't believe me, look at some of these reports produced by the SFU's Faculty of Graduate Studies (the FHS - HSCI - was generally rated the lowest of all the faculties by its students). Also, keep in mind that this report was produced before they opened the flood gates to huge classes. My cohort - 2011 - was the first big (50+) cohort. So things have gotten worse. And that whole accreditation thing: that only means that SFU agrees to teach certain courses and to cover certain content in those courses; it has NOTHING to do with quality. I truly do not enjoy telling you this because it also degrades the value of my degree, but I wish I had someone tell me this before I went there. BTW, UBC does have a great international reputation, and it classes are limited to 25 (many classes actually have class sizes much less), and most classes are taught by tenured faculty. And UBC is cheaper and so are some other universities so don't let a few thousand dollar scholarship sway you into going to SFU. There are TAs opportunities available at SFU, but they are a lot of work for the pay. If you have other options, please consider them. https://www.vancouver.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/dean-gradstudies/admin/staff/memos/Grad%20Student%20Exit%20Survey-%20Faculty%20Version.pdf https://www.vancouver.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/blog/programprofiles/student-survey-reports.html

As my name implies, I'm attending SFU's MPH program in the Fall. Anyone else???

Check out the "USB Hidden Flash Drive Watch" at thinkgeek.com http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/watches/a8bc/ It's actually great looking and you'll always have a flash drive, and only $49.99! It's cool, yet geeky! What more could you want from a watch??

The biggest factor in finishing a dissertation or thesis is PERSERVERANCE. Yes, writing is definitely a skill, but as you noted there are books and peers to help, and that's what your committee is for. It definitely helps to have had the master's experience of writing a thesis, or writing experience, such as for peer-reviewed publications, and knowing what you would do differently with a PhD, but it's by no means insurmountable. One thing I would recommend, not from personal experience, but having seen it many times, is if your committee is more trouble than help, change the members (one or more of them) sooner rather than later. And I don't mean they shouldn't challenge you, but if the dynamics aren't there early on, they won't be a few years down the road. Remember, if it was a piece of cake, everyone would have a PhD.

To my fellow SFUers: I finally received the formal offer from the SFU's Director of Graduate Admissions and Records. It had the link to pay the deposit ($250). Just thought I'd post this to alert anyone who hasn't received it that it should be coming soon. Cheers.

Congrats on UBC and UVic! It's good (but somewhat stressful) to have choices. When I was trying to decide between UBC and SFU I did up a table too. I have to admit SFU is a bit slooooowww. But as long as we're in the same boat, I'm okay with that. My advice - go with your heart/gut. Either one (UBC or SFU) is a great choice. And until you have to put your money down, don't rush. It's too bad there's isn't more funding out there for MPHers. Most universities favour the research students. All the best to EVERY new MPH student out there! Cheers.

SCHOLARSHIPS for ALL SCHOOLS? Previously some people on the list have mentioned that they received scholarships (between $3000 - $5,000) from UBC. Has anyone from other schools received scholarships? And if so, for how much? Just curious.

Have any of my SFU future colleagues received FORMAL letters from the Dean's office with information about paying the $250 deposit? If not, would you kindly post when you do receive the letters? I will do the same when I receive mine.

Unfortunately, it's only MPH wannabes who are on here (generally).

Not a problem. I'm just glad they've started moving on this stuff. I'm in the population health stream too, so I guess I'll be seeing you in September unless SFU changes its mind about me In which case, I'm in trouble since I've declined UBC.

Uh Oh! Okay. Now, I'm worried. Did anyone else from SFU get their formal offer of admission? What stream were you in? At least, you can rest now/concentrate on other things. I looked at UVic, but the fact that they limited one's CV to a few pages was enough for me not to bother. And it's brand new so that's another major downside.

Try to chill. We're all in the same boat (I'm assuming). We'll bombard them Monday if we haven't heard anything by then.

Thanks for the info. Just getting a scholarship for a professional degree (anywhere, including UBC) is quite an accomplishment in Canada. Most go to PhDs or research masters. You must have quite the impressive CV?? Congrats (even if you decline it). Which uni are you leaning towards? I'm assuming you must have accepted or declined UBC's offer by now? They wanted me to let them know a month ago, but extended it a bit.

Hi Anastasia HF, As with the other respondent to your question about why SFU over UBC for me: I, too, went to UBC and actually worked there, so for me it was a bit of the "been there; done that" phenomenon. I'm looking to expand my opportunities and experiences. I think UBC is great; it's one of those big name schools in Canada and is known internationally. It's very strong on the quantitative side which is actually what I'm interested in, but SFU has those courses too. I actually think that sometimes the smaller universities try harder because they don't have the cache that the big ones do. You're less of a number. Also, SFU's FHS currently doesn't have any PhD students, and grad schools are very hierarchical which likely changes next year at SFU. So schools tend to favour, although not on purpose, students at the highest level, so at UBC I'd be competing with PhDs in epi or research-based masters students for 'attention'. Also, under the Western Deans' Agreement you can take courses at UBC if there's really something there, but not at SFU. SFU's program is more established and accredited. It is more work though since SFU requires a project or thesis which is only 3 or 6 credits respectively, but a lot of work. So for that, I would suggest to all students to try and do something publishable. Also, SFU has required seminars on public health practice and practicums which you only get one credit for, but, I'm hoping, are focused on practice and less theoretical than a traditional graduate course tends to be. So that will be, I'm expecting, another couple of hours a week the first year. I'm assuming you know about tuition differences (UBC is cheaper for domestic, but more expensive for international than SFU), and the location of UBC is preferable, but both campuses aren't really close to downtown Vancouver (20 to 40 minutes). It's all a personal choice. It's not as if your career aspirations would be in jeopardy if you chose one over the other. All the MPH schools in Canada are good, and a graduate education is affected much more by the student's initiative than the school itself. They will all have their good points, and their downsides. It was a difficult decision for me too, and it's all depends on the individual. I hope this helps and isn't even more confusing for you. (And thanks for answering my McGill question). Cheers

Thanks for responding. I do know that UBC's SPPH is very strong in epidemiology. I'm not familiar with U of A, but many of the UBC MPH core courses are focused on epi, and they have many more electives (you might want to check out UBC's MSc and PhD in epi). They have to do additional epi courses. You could do those additional courses as electives. Also UBC has a very good international reputation. It's probably better known than U of A. I'd also check out things like tuition. UBC is actually quite a deal (very good quality for the price), and you've got a scholarship there! Even that on the CV is a benefit. I hope that I'm not complicating your thinking. Best of luck to you in your studies.