UF is actually #6 public state college. Emory is 20 in national rankings–and UF 28. Now if we add in affordability…
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Your future goal is to attend graduate school and work in public health. You can do that by attending one of the Florida public schools. Students accomplish this all the time.
(Fsu or usf but not PaCE, alas, so you really ought to compare FSU, USF, and Emory. UF should be off the table.)
Emory has stronger, more prestigious ties, that’s true. But ultimately it’s what you do. Yes, if you rise through a lab at the CDC it’s better than in a research lab at USF but to be a PI with a research lab at USF the professor and the research topic will be seriously strong, generally with a national grant.
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Let’s make a rule on CC that you can’t have senior member next to your name AND quote US News rankings as a data point.
Agree- not PaCE. UF should be eliminated.
Can the OP tell us again if Emory is affordable? How confident is he/she that the relative will cover tuition at Emory for all 4 years?
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When you apply for jobs (in life), what you’ve done is far more important than where you worked.
So let’s say you are seeking a manager job, running a division somewhere - with P&L and other responsibilities. The people at the company hiring have worn one hat. But someone at an unknown, non branded company has worn a lot of hats.
They likely have a better chance at the job unless the one comes from within.
Where you go to undergrad will matter much less.
When I pulled Emory MPH students off of linkedin and found Millersville (sort of a West Florida or North Florida level) and the other schools I did, those were the first kids I found.
Listen Emory is wonderful - if your family can afford it and grad school, then FANTASTIC.
But there is a huge price differential - and other schools can get you to the exact same place.
So that’s what you need to decide.
The likelihood that you’re going to get a much better result for your spend than you could get elsewhere isn’t great.
But that only matters if affordability is an issue - and not just four year affordability.
But you are putting way too much importance, in my opinion, in ranking - that you would consider UF just blows me away given the suboptimal opportunity.
Honestly, while FSU would likely be the better four year experience, I do know USF is known for public health - but FSU likely will deliver for you too.
Best of luck.
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Quite confident that it’s affordable. I have repeatedly asked if there’s a smarter way to use this money, and if there is a necessity for retirement funds, emergency funds, investments, siblings future, etc. My family feels confident that Emory is a comfortable and justified investment as long as I work hard, and build connections for the future. I’m very lucky
Is there an advantage to going to a large school, for the alumni network?
I would say that it depends on the school, not the size.
If you attend a Florida public (not UF) will this money be available for grad school?
Given Emory is 100% affordable for your family with no hardship, I would choose it over UF PaCE (this answers your original question).
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Then, Emory.
Your real choices if interested in science research are USF, FSU, and Emory, and since Emory is affordable then it’s Emory.
Alumni network doesn’t necessarily depend on size but on how connected to the school the alumni are, especially professionally (ie., willingness to mentor or offer opportunities.)
You also need to ask about research opportunities for undergrads and for freshmen, both on and off campus - again, at USF, FSU, and Emory, because a PaCE student won’t be considered for research.
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I would not spend an extra $40 or $60K a year for alumni.
Most are not getting jobs via alumni. It’s nice for schools to market. They might help with informational interviews.
That’s a big expense for a “hope”. I’m looking at Cornell’s career states - they post the source of jobs - in public health, alumni is a big zip.
I’m not saying kids won’t find contacts via alumni. That’s not a reason to spend $200K more IMHO.
As long as it’s affordable I would choose Emory.
Lots of kids these day find jobs via LinkedIn. To be clear, Linkedin is a means to access alumni networks.
Even when kids don’t access the initial opportunity directly through alumni they are eventually able to leverage alumni contacts into insights and opportunities. As someone whose kid has first hand experience with leveraging a schools alumni network, I would be careful not to under appreciate the value of alumni network.
It is not the size of the network that matters but its quality and degree of engagement and in your case Emory seems to offer an affordable advantage. The importance and value of alumni network typically is greater as you go up the prestige ranks.
I would also highlight your use of the term “comfortable” in terms of affordability. Not everyone has the same financial resources or value system. No matter how well intended, anyone giving you advice (including me), will be basing that advice upon their own biases and as justification for their prior decisions. It is human nature.
You are soliciting feedback from strangers when what really matters are you and your families opinions.
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Let me note - when a school lists alumni and a school lists linkedin - they are two separate things. Kids today find jobs via linkedin and indeed “listings”.
Kids that find alumni via linkedin are ostensibly listed as alumni. I inquired at one school that also lists source (not Cornell) and confirmed. I have a personal student contact at said private school and they asked the career center for me. This school also lists the source of info in their career report. It’s why they have a "linkedin’ and why they have an “alumni.” There are many parents on this website, including private schools, noting their kids are conducting their job search on linkedin and indeed.
I said upstream - if a school is affordable, then great. People can spend $$ wherever they want. No issues at all if a student decides to go to a pricier school and it dosn’t impact their family.
But my most recent comment was simply saying - if one is choosing a school solely for a perceived better alumni network, then $200K plus seems an awfully lot of money for doing so for the small likelihood that it might ultimately provide a job.
If a student wants to spend $200K more - than fantastic.
But hopefully there’s another reason beyond - the perception that the alumni network is better. In most cases, students will regret that expenditure if that alone were the reason for choosing a school.
I hope this isn’t the start of a debate on the value of alumni networks.
Strength of alum networks is only one of many considerations that have been discussed in the entirety of this thread.
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OP-
Do not underestimate the value of profs, PIs, research supervisors, internships etc when it comes to jobs and grad school applications.
You will need stellar letters of rec from people who know you well, who can speak to your strengths, who can discuss transferable skills, and who understand the career path you are entering.
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