HELP wanted for picking a school!

[tmiaj1]

So I basically got in multiple schools for environmental health  study.

But I am debating on either choosing Emory, Columbia, or BU.

I personally love BU, and Columbia. Columbia gave me an offer for 2 year climate health certificate program for environmental health. And BU switched me to MS to do environmental health research, which is unexpected.

I applied for MPH global environmental health for Emory and also got accepted.

 

Now, I do not know which one is the best.

Can anyone who happen to be in the program give me some info about those schools and research and career options?

 

 

Thanks!!

[AlphacentauriC]

I'm giving u a subjective, emotional based advice:

 

1. Columbia. Why? They hv nyc, which means many internship chances. Plus... '100 Girls' the movie was made at columbia

2. Emory. CDC around the block!

3. BU. best program. Boston has many options for jobs, etc. Plus, I have never been there, but I love New England, summers in Cape Cod, etc.

 

So....I would choose Columbia, then BU then Emory last.

[masgniw]

I think two important things to consider are:

1. Financial support - who is going to help you pay for the biggest chunk of you education? Don't dig yourself into a financial hole just for a master's degree.
2. Are there faculty members at these schools you are dying to work with? While it's not a make or break thing at the master's level, having a solid faculty advisor/mentor helps you get the most out of your experience.

[sqrwtrmln]

I went to college in Boston and it's a very expensive city to live in, basically as bad as NYC for housing etc. So that's another thing to consider.

[Femtastic]

I went to college in Boston and it's a very expensive city to live in, basically as bad as NYC for housing etc. So that's another thing to consider.

 

Would you recommend Boston? Besides the cost of living there? I did my undergrad at UC Berkeley and really liked the culture/diversity.

[tmiaj1]

I'm giving u a subjective, emotional based advice:

 

1. Columbia. Why? They hv nyc, which means many internship chances. Plus... '100 Girls' the movie was made at columbia

2. Emory. CDC around the block!

3. BU. best program. Boston has many options for jobs, etc. Plus, I have never been there, but I love New England, summers in Cape Cod, etc.

 

So....I would choose Columbia, then BU then Emory last.

Yeah, I agree with you

BU offers me MS instead of MPH, which is awesome! and Columbia has the program that I am interested in studying but I do not know much about the job outlook so I have to email them.

I saw the renting problem in NYC and the cost , but for a long run, columbia is definitely my best choice.

[sqrwtrmln]

Would you recommend Boston? Besides the cost of living there? I did my undergrad at UC Berkeley and really liked the culture/diversity.

 

I absolutely love Boston! It's a great city, all the perks of city living without being overwhelmingly huge or anything. I would happily go back there, if given the opportunity! 

[Machaon01]

Hey,

 

I've travelled  a lot and Boston is easily the most racist city that I have ever been in.  So much so that as a person of color I was constantly stopped at Logan after 9/11.  It was so bad that my company would fly me into NY, put me up in a hotel and then send me by train to Boston just to avoid Logan.  I've been to the city several times since, and it is still the most segregated city that I have ever seen. I dated someone in Boston and she visited me in Durham and what surprised her the most is that she would see black people and white people in the same place.  That does not happen in Boston. And the cost of living is crazy, if you do decide to go, try Somerville.

 

I think Columbia is having serious financial problems. But a lot of programs are.  But they seem a little more cut-thoat about it. They're letting go anyone who doesn't have enough NIH funding to pay their salary and then some (SMS just let go Kim Hopper who was doing some great work in NYC in mental health).  I just interviewed there, and it seems like there has been a siginificant drop in PhD applicants and when I interviewed, their most pressing concern was whether I would be able to get external funding. That said, they get 650 new MPH students each year and it is really exciting being around them, plus Columbia has bought up all the real estate within spitting distance so their on-campus housing is really reasonable if you compare it to NY market rate. And from what I understand, unless you already live in the tri-state area it's pretty easy to qualify.

 

Talking to some of the PhD students, there is a big connection with NYC Health Department and also Pfizer (so definately take that clinical trials course even if you weren't thinking about it)

 

Anyway, just some random thoughts

D

[crayola_deville]

Hey,

 

I've travelled  a lot and Boston is easily the most racist city that I have ever been in.  So much so that as a person of color I was constantly stopped at Logan after 9/11.  It was so bad that my company would fly me into NY, put me up in a hotel and then send me by train to Boston just to avoid Logan.  I've been to the city several times since, and it is still the most segregated city that I have ever seen. I dated someone in Boston and she visited me in Durham and what surprised her the most is that she would see black people and white people in the same place.  That does not happen in Boston. And the cost of living is crazy, if you do decide to go, try Somerville.

 

I think Columbia is having serious financial problems. But a lot of programs are.  But they seem a little more cut-thoat about it. They're letting go anyone who doesn't have enough NIH funding to pay their salary and then some (SMS just let go Kim Hopper who was doing some great work in NYC in mental health).  I just interviewed there, and it seems like there has been a siginificant drop in PhD applicants and when I interviewed, their most pressing concern was whether I would be able to get external funding. That said, they get 650 new MPH students each year and it is really exciting being around them, plus Columbia has bought up all the real estate within spitting distance so their on-campus housing is really reasonable if you compare it to NY market rate. And from what I understand, unless you already live in the tri-state area it's pretty easy to qualify.

 

Talking to some of the PhD students, there is a big connection with NYC Health Department and also Pfizer (so definately take that clinical trials course even if you weren't thinking about it)

 

Anyway, just some random thoughts

D

[tmiaj1]

Hey,

 

I've travelled  a lot and Boston is easily the most racist city that I have ever been in.  So much so that as a person of color I was constantly stopped at Logan after 9/11.  It was so bad that my company would fly me into NY, put me up in a hotel and then send me by train to Boston just to avoid Logan.  I've been to the city several times since, and it is still the most segregated city that I have ever seen. I dated someone in Boston and she visited me in Durham and what surprised her the most is that she would see black people and white people in the same place.  That does not happen in Boston. And the cost of living is crazy, if you do decide to go, try Somerville.

 

I think Columbia is having serious financial problems. But a lot of programs are.  But they seem a little more cut-thoat about it. They're letting go anyone who doesn't have enough NIH funding to pay their salary and then some (SMS just let go Kim Hopper who was doing some great work in NYC in mental health).  I just interviewed there, and it seems like there has been a siginificant drop in PhD applicants and when I interviewed, their most pressing concern was whether I would be able to get external funding. That said, they get 650 new MPH students each year and it is really exciting being around them, plus Columbia has bought up all the real estate within spitting distance so their on-campus housing is really reasonable if you compare it to NY market rate. And from what I understand, unless you already live in the tri-state area it's pretty easy to qualify.

 

Talking to some of the PhD students, there is a big connection with NYC Health Department and also Pfizer (so definately take that clinical trials course even if you weren't thinking about it)

 

Anyway, just some random thoughts

D

[Machaon01]

Hi tmiaj1,

 

I'm a native New Yorker so i was able to visit Columbia several times, I didn't get my MPH there (I got mine at Berkeley) but the MPH students seem happy, and there is certainly an energy there, especally in global health. 

 

I'd be more than happy to talk with you

[sqrwtrmln]

I'm not a POC so maybe I'm naive but at least in the areas of Boston around BU/NU it's a very diverse community. I have a lot of friends from undergrad who are from all over the world and who have vastly different skin tones from myself, and none of them ever once complained about Boston being a racist or segregated city. To Machaon01, I'm sorry that your experience was a bad one, but I wouldn't let it rule out the city completely.

[kng229]

Would you recommend Boston? Besides the cost of living there? I did my undergrad at UC Berkeley and really liked the culture/diversity.

 

Having lived in both cities, I can say they are nothing alike, Boston is very different from Berkeley.  In Boston, people are much less friendly, more intense vs. west coast, food is good but doesn't match the Bay Area.  Far fewer festivals/cultural events (can't keep track of them all in the Bay Area!), unless you're Irish.  Boston has better history, great walking tours and architecture.  My wife grew up in the bay area and absolutely hates it here.  I grew up in Ohio, so I appreciate it for not being Ohio

[AlphacentauriC]

certainly, cost is an issue with new york city. In the long run, say you save $10k, but if you end up having a bad experience, or have limited job/internship prospects, then saving that $10k will hurt you in the long run. My point? Cost should not be the overriding factor. On my part in my pursuit of the best schools/the best job prospects, cost is not an issue really....I mean, of course I care about scholarships etc, but nickle-dmining myself at this point, not useful in the long run. So, if I get into the phd program at Emory/BU/Columbia in 2016, my choice of school mostly based on program fit to my plans, not cost. All things being equal, then definitely Columbia it is!