I am currently trying to decide between Michigan’s School of Public Health (4th US News) and Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health (5th US News.) I would be a global health epidemiology student at Michigan and an infectious disease epidemiology student at Columbia. My goal is to work for a large NGO like the Gate’s Foundation or a public health institute like the CDC doing infectious disease/vector-borne disease work. I plan on pursuing loan forgiveness either way and will need to work for a 501© or the govt.
University of Michigan Global Health Epi:
Pro - Seemed like a super strong alumni network, people really loved the school and the epi students seem to get jobs
Pro - Seemed to have really great professors that we very approachable on admitted students day
Pro - Love the requirement for an international health internship and capstone, I believe the school gives me the best chance to work internationally if I decide I want to pursue that.
Pro - Definitely had that feeling of home and “fit” for me and was part of the main campus
Pro - Seems like more of an opportunity to get a PhD if I decide I want to pursue it, but leaning against it.
Con - Not so sure about the CDC connections/PHAP connections which is what I want to get into. Might be more research than practice focused.
Con - Public health at UMich seems to be more community health compared to state department of public health or federal/NGO.
COA is 62,916 a year as an OOS student with no scholarships, which is the case for me.
Average salary for Epi students was 55-60k
Columbia University Infectious Disease Epi:
Pro - Strong name/Ivy League
Pro - More of a focus on infectious disease which might be more marketable than global health epi
Pro - More job opportunities for public health in NYC with the NYC health department/UN
Pro - More practice based
Con - Not part of the main campus (with the med campus) and has less of community vibe
Con - Not sure students love going to Columbia instead of love going to an ivy.
Con - Facilities aren’t as good
COA is 66,073
Average salary for Epi students was 68k
Should I assume that the salary difference is mainly based on cost of living differences or are Columbia students getting better jobs and opportunities compared to Michigan students?
How would the reputation of Michigan compare to Columbia in the public health world?
I went to Columbia Mailman, although not in epidemiology.
Michigan and Columbia are viewed about equally in the public health world writ large. I would say Columbia has a slight edge just because of the more prestigious name among some folks, but keep in mind that my experience comes from mostly being on the East Coast. Michigan has a pretty good reputation there too, though, and as you mentioned a huge alumni network.
I wouldn’t say that Mailman has less of a community vibe - well, perhaps comparatively it does, I don’t know. I’ve never been to Michigan. But the MSPH community felt pretty real to me when I was there. I also don’t see it as a con that it’s not located by the main campus. It’s located with all of the other health-focused programs, which is a positive (you’re nearby all the other health sciences students). The neighborhood around MSPH is also a whole lot cheaper than Morningside Heights.
Columbia has pretty strong connections to the CDC (and for sure to DOH, which could be an interesting stepping stone to the CDC). Also tons of Columbia students work internationally both during the program as their practicum and after the program if that’s what they want, so I don’t know that Michigan necessarily gives you a better chance - it’s just a different chance. I wouldn’t say people “love” going to Columbia, but for a professional program I’m not sure that really matters.
I think the salary difference is probably due to cost of living. A lot of Columbia students stick around New York or end up in other high-cost cities like DC and Boston.
The real question is do you want to borrow $120K worth of loans for a career that pays on average between $55-70K? I know there’s the PSLF and IBR, but it’s still putting an enormous loan burden on yourself that you can’t repay and you’ll have to pay taxes on the part that’s forgiven. Also, you never know what’s going to happen - you might get an excellent offer at a non-503© organization. My roommate from grad school did this - she ended up with a great offer at a great salary from a for-profit consulting firm in public health. You don’t want to be in the position to have to turn down good jobs because of your loan burden.
Thank you for your view on the Columbia School of Public Health!
One of reasons I prefer a continuous campus is that you are more of a part of university life and there is the opportunity to TA which I don’t think is really available if I was to go to Columbia. I have heard rumors that basically everyone leaves the campus once class is over and that there is no one there on the weekends.
I have heard of Columbia’s connections and that is one thing that is a big sell but I also worry that I could get more lost in the shuffle there but the employers that recruit at Columbia, according to its website, are impressive.
I think I have basically decided at this point that I am willing to borrow the money. According to the website, you don’t have to pay taxes on the amount that is forgiven though this is subject to change. I understand there is risk involved in what I am doing. I kind of doubt I would have a strong possibility of getting into consulting anyways at a school with a lesser reputation so that’s not really a worry for me. Also I am 100% committed on going into non-profit or government work, it is what I feel passionate about.
- As a graduate student you are not really going to be part of "university life" the way that undergraduates are. There aren't that many extracurricular clubs and orgs that you'd belong to - maybe a few, of course, but not a bunch like in undergrad. You're not going to be going to on-campus parties and sports games or whatnot. Being a graduate student is different.
- However, the continuity of the campus has nothing to do with your ability to TA. That has to do with the department you want to TA in and the opportunities available. Usually as an MPH student you can't TA until your second year, and then you can TA first-year courses. Whether or not you can TA in the undergrad department of your major depends on the individual major.
- Yes, people tend to leave campus after class is over...because most people live off-campus and there's no need to hang around. No, people do not hang out on campus on the weekends...because it's graduate school. I highly doubt the Michigan grad students are hanging around on campus on the weekends, too; even if they live in grad student housing it's a different kind of environment. And if they live off-campus in and around Ann Arbor, they're not hanging out on campus on the weekends. Grad school life is a completely different animal than undergrad life. That doesn't mean that grad students don't socialize and have fun. It just means that campus isn't the center of the social world the way it is in undergrad. (And with good reason, too. With so much of New York to explore and have a good time in, why would we want to hang out around campus all evening when we could go to a good bar or catch a show?)
If you had told me at the end of my PhD program that I would be working at a for-profit tech company on something that has nothing to do with public health, I would not have believed you. I’m not saying that you absolutely will. I’m just saying that the large loans constrain your options. Of course, it is up to you to make that choice.
@juillet is is not typical for MPH programs to be funded?
No, it’s not typical at all. Most people pay for MPH programs primarily with loans. Sometimes you can get a research assistantship, and occasionally there are scholarships available from some schools.
@Vikingboy11 - I respectfully disagree a bit with @juliet. I grew up in Michigan and got my MBA at Michigan. Even for grad students, Ann Arbor is much more of a traditional college experience. Ann Arbor is one of the top college towns in America and its hard to compare it to a campus in the middle of Manhattan. I’m not saying one experience is better than another, just different. And it’s true that graduate students have different priorities and interests than do freshman, but Ann Arbor still revolves around the university. The population of Ann Arbor is 115,000 with 30,000 employed by the university and 45,000 students. The stadium seats 110,000 and football Saturdays are a big deal, even if you don’t care much about football!
I didn’t see that the original post was 11-months old. So my gratuitous opinion likely doesn’t matter at this point.