Hello fellow students,
I wanted to get a poll going or figure out the general consensus on these two programs. I am happy to say I was admitted into both programs. Cornell even gave me a small scholarship. Some things to consider below:
- I currently live in the south
- Columbia is 30 minutes away from my dad (I have never lived with him, which could cause issues)
- I am 25 and feel that moving to Ithaca, NY would make me a better man because I would be on my own
- I currently own a house and a car
- Scholarship is less than 5k
- Sloan seems like the oldest of the two programs
- My goal is to be a hospital executive in a non-for-profit ideally, but life takes turns
- I plan on getting a job to supplement me while I study
- Sloan is 70kish, Columbia is 77-80Kish
- During Sloan interview and even after I felt that they genuinely care and are selective on who they choose into the program. Columbia just sent the letter of acceptance.
- I plan to apply to fellowships after graduation (HCA, Massachusetts General Hospital 2 year fellowship, UCF One year fellowship)
Thank you for your time. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Living on your own with no support won’t necessarily make you “a better man,” especially if that means you will have to go into more debt. There are lots of ways to develop independently while still living with parents or other family members.
By my calculations, Columbia’s two-year, full-time MHA program is $18K a semester, making it about $72K total (4 semesters). Columbia’s ridiculous fees come out to about $10K per year, or $20K total, making the full cost of tuition + fees (NOT living expenses) about $92K. I am assuming that if you go to Columbia you will live with your dad, but assuming that you do not, you’d have to add another $50K at least in total costs to live frugally in the city. That brings the total cost up to $142K+.
Cornell’s full-time tuition is around $33K for the full year, and they estimate that other costs (including room and board and medical insurance) add up to about $25K. So that’s a total of around $58K for a year, or $116K for two years.
Cornell’s program INCLUDING room and board, therefore, is only slightly more expensive than Columbia’s program WITHOUT room and board. Given that, I think if you prefer Cornell that you should go there.
Thank you! What about academically? Do you think any of them standout? I know both are great schools. I asked my step sister and her coworkers have graduated in both schools, but for psychology.
How did they end up on your application list? Go back to that to see if you feel one is stronger, or has an emphasis you prefer.
Have you ever lived in NYS or elsewhere north of where you are now? Both of these might require a significant upgrade of your winter wardrobe.
What will you do with your house? Can you rent it out and see some kind of profit so that you have money to put toward living expenses in grad school? What about the car? It would be handy in Ithaca, and would mean you have more options on where to live, but might not be useful if you end up in NYC. Check with your insurer to see if there is a cost differential for location too. And NYC is not impossibly far from Ithaca. You could see your dad on breaks.
Before you get too confident about finding a job at either location to help with costs, do some investigation on the workload. When I was a grad student in ag science at Cornell in the last century, the MBA, MPA, and MHA students generally did not have jobs until their second year, and in most cases those were assistantships for classes that they had been very successful in during their first year. Do you have a job skill that will help you quickly land work that pays well but also allows you a flexible schedule?
What other programs are you waiting to hear from?
Hey Happy!
Thank you for the feedback. Yes I have done research on both programs. From what I have been able to surmise, The difference is that Cornell has an internship component and Columbia has a sort of health case simulation. In addition, cornell allows me to take lots of classes from other schools, which tailors my degree. In terms of living In NYC, I have never been there more than summer breaks.Yeah, I know I will need way more winter clothing.
In terms of my house, yes I was planning on renting it. My mom more than likely will stay behind and take care of that. She currently lives with me.
I currently work as a patient representative at one of the top 10 largest healthcare systems I have worked there for 3 years. I would probably aim for a part time in that area in a local hospital or clinic.
The only other program I am waiting for is Florida international university, which is a joint degree in finance and business administration.
Again, thank you for your input.
I went to Columbia for public health. It’s well-known in public health/health in general, and is a great school for making connections and finding your way into a job, especially in New York and other cities in the Northeast. It’s not, in my experience, a super nurturing environment that’ll help you find your way if that’s what you’re looking for.
When I was at Columbia (between 2008 and 2014), the MSPH went through a full-scale review and overhaul of all of the public health programs there, particularly the professional master’s programs. When I first started, I don’t think the MHA program existed; I think they created it (using the strengths of the HPM program) based on demand for this kind of degree within the Columbia health/medicine ecosystem. I know that the professors were pretty thoughtful about putting together professional skills development experiences for the students. I think the HealthSquare Simulation was begun because internships are usually lower-level experiences for students, whereas the exercise was supposed to give students experience making decisions from an executive’s standpoint.
However, if you want an internship while you’re at Columbia - you can easily get one. Pretty much everyone I knew at Mailman who wanted an internship was working in one. There are TONS of Columbia alumni, researchers, and affiliates in the New York area who can help arrange that for you. Given that Columbia also has executive MPH and MHA programs, you’ll probably also be in class with a bunch of healthcare executives who are already actively working in the New York healthcare administration scene and are trying to earn their degree while they work.
Cornell, however, also has a strong foothold in health/medicine with Weill Cornell. Since most of their medical facilities are in New York, though (we shared space with them at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital), I’d be curious what kind of internship placements they have in their MHA program given that it seems to be in Ithaca.
Re #5. don’t know if it’s relevant but there have been undergrad pre-med students who have posted on CC that they did internships at Weill Cornell over the summer.
Perhaps there are opportunities upstate for during the year. Though time for such may be limited if taking a full course load. OP should of course look into what is available specifically since I don’t know.