NikiChicki17

Hey Lime44! I'm actually in the same exact predicament as you, struggling to make a decision between MGH's and Columbia's direct entry Psych NP programs! I feel like I change my mind every other day. Like you, I am drawn to Columbia's Ivy League status, as I feel it has a much more nationally-recognized and respected reputation. MGH has a great reputation in the northeast, but I feel as though people in other parts of the country associate the MGH name with the prestige of the hospital and have no idea it is actually academic institution as well. For me, this is important because I'm not positive I want to live in the northeast once I graduate. I'd like to know if a PMHNP degree from Columbia vs MGH lends itself to substantially better and more lucrative career opportunities in other parts of the country, or if it simply does not matter given the current and foreseeably increasing demand for Psych NPs. I've talked to several people in the field regarding this, and their opinions vary considerably. Seeing as we haven't received our financial aid package from Columbia yet, as it stands, MGH is about $60k cheaper than Columbia. If money weren't a factor in my decision (unfortunately it is--and a major one), I would ideally like to attend Columbia. However, I can't justify the extra cost (including moving from Boston to live in a more expensive city) with the uncertainty that I would be much better off with the Columbia education on my resume. And, it's not just about being better off financially and employment-wise when I'm finished, it's also about the experience I will have while in school. Like you, I attended the MGH open house last week. Those 2 hours neither deterred me nor convinced me to attend the MGH program. I was hoping it would sway me one way or the other. Perhaps Columbia's accepted student open house next Friday will help! I could be wrong on this, but the way I feel about the two programs is that Columbia is much more of a "school", where as MGH is, at its foundation, a hospital that happens to have an "academic wing". This presumption is based upon the differences in the application process at both schools, my subpar experience taking 2 online prerequisite courses at MGH, and my frustration with trying to contact different offices at MGH IHP, where the number on the website would be a non-working number, or lead to a different person, different department, or someone's personal voicemail who would not return my call, etc. Without attending both schools simultaneously, I'm unsure how to make an informed decision regarding which school will offer me a better educational experience. After all, we are about to commit 3 years of our life to these very expensive, time-consuming programs. I just want to make the right decision!