Alex Green IV

Meet three individuals, all getting Masters of Science degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University with a basic focus in Nutrition. Two will graduate with Masters in Applied Physiology and Nutrition; the third will receive a Masters in Nutrition Education. They believed that they were making an investment in their futures in challenging disciplines at a competitive Ivy League institution. None of the three say that it was what they expected. From the curriculum, to the professors, to the preparation that it offers for starting career—the programs lacked. So now each of these students will be left to either to go through more schooling, which means more debt, or be relegated to jobs like the ones they have as Clinical Research Coordinators.

Name: Christina Bellino
Age: 24
Hometown: the suburbs of Washington D.C.
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Undergraduate Major: Nutritional Sciences (B.S.)
Graduate Institution: Teacher’s College (Columbia University)
Graduate Degree: Nutrition Education (M.S.)
Future plans: Registered Dietician Program

Name: Kathryn Whyte
Age: 24
Hometown: Albany, NY
Undergraduate Institution: Manhattan College
Undergraduate Major: Exercise Physiology (M.S.)
Graduate Institution: Teacher’s College (Columbia University)
Graduate Degree: Applied Physiology & Nutrition (M.S.)
Future Plans: Medical School/PhD in Exercise Physiology

Name: Ryan Walker
Age: 29
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Undergraduate Institution: Univ. of California at Santa Cruz
Undergraduate Major: Marine Biology (B.S.)
Graduate Institution: Teacher’s College (Columbia University)
Graduate Degree: Applied Physiology & Nutrition (M.S.)
Future Plans: Medical School

Teacher’s College
Courtesy of: Associated Press (AP)