Washington University in St. Louis MPH

[holykrp]

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!!

[holykrp]

Bumping...

[sqrwtrmln]

This matters a lot to me as well. I would point out that the WUStL MPH program is housed in their school of social work, which is ranked #1 on US News. But I definitely want to hear what other people's experiences have been/how well-received their MPH degree is!

[holykrp]

On 3/4/2015 at 4:07 PM, sqrwtrmln said:

This matters a lot to me as well. I would point out that the WUStL MPH program is housed in their school of social work, which is ranked #1 on US News. But I definitely want to hear what other people's experiences have been/how well-received their MPH degree is!

What are your thoughts? Where are you leaning? I got into Columbia as well and also Emory and Pitt, but no funding at any of those. Just turned down Columbia because their financial aid package made me laugh out loud.

[sqrwtrmln]

Yeah I have no idea what I'm going to do. Columbia and BU are best for what I want to do, and I got a scholarship from BU but even so the difference in cost is not really a big enough deal for it to matter. And then there's WashU which has been so friendly and forthcoming with scholarships and fellowship opportunities but I have no idea about their reputation in the real world compared to the other programs i got into.

[gnarls_barkley]

Yeah I have no idea what I'm going to do. Columbia and BU are best for what I want to do, and I got a scholarship from BU but even so the difference in cost is not really a big enough deal for it to matter. And then there's WashU which has been so friendly and forthcoming with scholarships and fellowship opportunities but I have no idea about their reputation in the real world compared to the other programs i got into.

 

What do you want to do with the degree? Work, PhD, MD, etc.?

[sqrwtrmln]

I'll probably work for a couple years, but my end goal is to get an MD.

[holykrp]

I am in the same boat. Probably going to get the MD later on. I am deciding between Emory or WashU currently, but leaning toward WashU. It sounds like they have close ties with their medical school, so it'd be a great opportunity to do some research there, and with the scholarships it's a lot less expensive than Emory; the difference could pay for about a semester or more of medical school.

[sqrwtrmln]

Yeah WashU is looking like it's the least expensive option for me as well. I'm really looking forward to their admitted students weekend because I want to hear what the alumni have to say about their experience and how well-accepted the degree is.

[RainbowGold]

One of my close friends is a 2nd year SW and PH student at WashU. As someone had noted, their SW program is fantastic, but their PH program is still developing and very few places recognize them. A lot of the focus in the school is concentrated on their SW students (it is within the SW school after all), so she's felt that the resources of their PH students is limited. She did mention that new students have more stringent requirements now, I'm not sure what this would mean in terms of being a more recognized among the PH field though.

Edited March 20, 2015 by RainbowConnection

[holykrp]

One of my close friends is a 2nd year SW and PH student at WashU. As someone had noted, their SW program is fantastic, but their PH program is still developing and very few places recognize them. A lot of the focus in the school is concentrated on their SW students (it is within the SW school after all), so she's felt that the resources of their PH students is limited. She did mention that new students have more stringent requirements now, I'm not sure what this would mean in terms of being a more recognized among the PH field though.

What do you mean by few places recognize them? Like it is hard for her to find practicum/job opportunities? It seemed like from their stats their graduates had some pretty solid results and even higher starting salaries than some other schools. 

[holykrp]

For what it's worth, I've decided to hedge my bets on WashU and also apply to their MBA as a dual degree since it is well established and recognized. If I go there, that would make me feel more comfortable with the new program, since the network would be outstanding. The network is the main attraction to Emory, which is what I'm deciding between.

[sqrwtrmln]

I just got a very confusing email from Emory admissions telling me congratulations again on my acceptance, but I was on the waitlist and as far as I'm aware that hasn't changed. Could be another wrench in my plans! Good luck with the MBA program!

[holykrp]

Are you planning on visiting WashU? Did you end up getting into Emory? Those are the 2 I'm deciding between

[DRK]

The Public Health (MPH) Program at WashU is developing. You can get a great education there. More advanced classes are available at the medical school where various programs are also available (i.e. Applied Health Behavior Research (MS), Biostatistics (MS), Clinical Investigation (MSCI), Consulting — Business of Health Care (MBA Concentration), Genetic Epidemiology (MS), Population Health (MPHS), ) What is available is more than enough to obtain a great education. Good Luck!!!