dancerjodi | Grad School Stuff

So, I need to start studying and practicing for the GRE . . . its too late for me to get into any programs for the fall but I'd like to start something in the spring.

I was looking into some programs at BU and Harvard for Public Health that seemed to have a good emphasis on research and the social sciences . . . the problem is they cost so damned much, I don't want to take on more stafford loans!

I'm thinking of applying to a few programs anyway and checking out all options but this one is looking like it may be the best for me both in subject matter and cost:

http://www.umb.edu/academic_programs/graduate/cas/applied_sociology/

I almost double-majored in psych and sociology as an undergrad (just like I almost double-majored in psych and english); so this wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me. I like the fact that its a research based program but its focused on the social sciences (something general, I wouldn't be locked into healthcare like I am now).

I wonder though academically how it compares to other programs, I mean - how do you know how good a school is? By what it says in Newsweek or US News and World Report? By talking to Alums? State schools in general don't have the same reputation as private colleges (or at least in undergrad land they don't) . . . does the same hold for grad school? Does it vary by the state/program?

Hmm . . .

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Grad school is evaluated based on the Program much more than the school. A classic example is my friend who graduated from Smith and is now doing doctoral work at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill..you wouldn't automatically think of a smith grad going to UNC from Smith but UNC happens to have one of the top 5 clinical psych grad programs in the country. Research the program before you research the school.

Oh and I took the GRE twice and did badly on it. I'm also a Smith grad and got A's at smith but i test horribly on standardized tests. I even took Princeton Review classes to study up for it and still bombed it. I told myself that I wouldn't take it more than twice..and I won't. I have no immediate plans for grad school but I think grad programs definitely look more at the whole package than at just the scores. Moreso than undergrad schools, unless they're really competetive.

Hope that helped a little.

yay!
another 7 sisters grad!

di, mount holyoke class of '97

gena, Smith '98 :)

Yeah, I graduated from Simmons with a 3.7 GPA but don't do week with standardized tests . . . this is going to be a tough one for me.

The thing about the program is - what I'm looking for is a bit specialized so I don't think there are that many programs period to compare it to.

Chapel Hill is also one of the best around for Public Health . . . I have a couple of co-workers that went there (I'm looking for something in the Boston area though).

Thanks for the advice/encouragement.

as I make myself look dumb on my own comment . . . I didn't do WELL on standardized tests

So I'm home sick today - I have an excuse :)

Well in your case, if there aren't too many programs to compare it to and you know you're staying in Boston then just go for the one that is most affordable/doable and don't worry about how it looks on paper. That stuff is really subjective. In most cases when applying to jobs it matters way more to an employer that you have the required degree at all, not where you got it from. Good luck!

the Hämster and i have a little GRE study group thing going... wanna join?

Just as long as it isn't on a Tuesday night or Saturday morning when I have dancing

you made an umlaut!

di

The programs I have been looking at haven't seemed to even require the the GRE all the time -- of the four schools I've looked at, only 2 want it, and those two don't seem to emphasize it.

I need to find some more programs for what I want -- a blending of technology and art/music.

Talk to Marc LoCasio since that's what he's doing for work :)

I was looking into some programs at BU and Harvard for Public Health that seemed to have a good emphasis on research and the social sciences . . . the problem is they cost so damned much, I don't want to take on more stafford loans!

my friend is finishing her PhD from harvard in public health. epidemeology, i think. anyway, she's had some excellent experiences with the program.

as for the cost. see whether your company has any sort of tuition reimbursement program. companies get tax breaks for helping employees improve their education. at boston scientific, they refunded tuition at 100% if you maintained a certain grade or above, and the classes were related in some way to working at the company. i.e., even if i were an assembler of devices, i could go to school for an MBA and get reimbursed since that might prove useful to me w/the company in a future position. however i wouldn't be able to pursue a degree in marine science and get reimbursed since BSC had no marine based positions at all. get it?

check with your HR department.

in addition, you might also find that you qualify for grants from the school itself and/or teaching positions to help defray the costs of tuition. plus, there's a place called the grantsmanship center in downtown boston somewhere that houses a library of foundation & grant information from all over the country who give away money for every single cause under the sun. it's worth looking into. (their website doesn't have information on individual center locations.)

good luck!

julia.
who also should be looking into grad school...

My company will reimburse up to $3500 per year if you get a B or above on a course (so it would cover like, 1 course from either the BU or Harvard Programs).

Since I'll be doing this part time I don't know if I could do a teaching position . . . I'll have to look more into the grant thing :)

Thanks!

i have a ton of GRE practice software if you'd like to borrow it. i have two programs. one seems like a kid thing, with games and stuff, and the other is a conservative cliff notes thing. but you're welcome to them if you like.

I think we'll be all set . . . I have a book and I think Developer and Halo do too. But thanks anyway :)

FWIW, one of my law school professors taught at Harvard School of Public Health, as well as my school. She told me that it was her impression that the students at Harvard who were not MDs or JDs were not well respected, and were consequently unhappy with the program.

In addition to considering cost and location, I would talk to actual students, current and former, to decide what school to go to. After a program reaches a certain level of "goodness" (as defined by things like academics, job placement, accessibility of professors) your happiness with the program is much more important that USNews and World Reports, or any other outside evaluation, in my opinion.

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