Here are tips to start your public health program the right way. This is not just going to be the regular advice of take good notes, pay attention in class, etc.. Coronavirus has changed how some or all of you are starting your semesters. School is not going to be the same for the next year at least.
This change provides opportunity. Opportunity for you to learn a new way to learn. Allow yourself to become more resilient. We all are living in a time of change that is forcing a lot of innovation in many industries. Why don’t you try to make innovative changes in how you approach school right now.
You should start by noting your strengths, weaknesses, worries, and hopes for the semester or year ahead. You got this!
Support The Public Health Millennial on BuyMeACoffee
(Related: A Simple Guide To Crush Your First Semester of Grad School)
1. Set Your Goals and Form Processes
You have probably heard me say goals are great but systems are better. Goals are important as they give you direction and something to work towards. But maybe your goal will limit your true abilities or it will stop you from seeing other opportunities (chances for new goals). It’s more important to focus on the systems or processes around what you do to achieve your goals.
What sounds better?
- I’ll try to get an A in my Biostatistics class
- I’ll review my notes after every class and study weekly for 1 and a half hours
When you focus on only a goal then you may be able to hit it, but what about the goal after that? If you don’t have the systems in place to continue the work that got you to the goal in the first place then you are more likely to falter after hitting the goal.
Systematizing how you work will always help you outperform a goal in the long run. Goals give you the direction to work towards, but goals can always change as you get more information. Get the best of yourself by using both goals and systems.
2. Reverse Engineer
Reverse engineer the path you want to follow. I will say that the public health field will certainly create new jobs and opportunities that you won’t know of until later on. Nonetheless, going back to the last point, having an idea of where you want to get (a goal) will surely set you up to find out what will be important to get you there.
For example, I had the vague idea/goal of wanting to get into ‘Program Management’ after my MPH (Yes, I know very broad lol). This allowed me to realize what skills and knowledge sets will be most important to advance my early career. This allowed me to tailor an internship experience to get me ahead.
A great way to reverse engineer in the simplest form is to look at Public Health Professional LinkedIn profiles. This will let you to see what they have done and what skills have been important in advancing their career. So get on LinkedIn and check out those profiles. And if you have questions or want to learn more about what those people do – reach out to them. This will help you to build your network.
Remember the ultimate goal is to get a job after you graduate.
(Related: 9 Keys For Success in Grad School)
3. Start Thinking About Internships
Too often, students focus too much on school work and forget the importance of getting a good internship. Course work is great, but everyone does that. Internships are where you can apply what you learnt and gain experiences you can speak about in the interview process. The last tip about reverse engineering should give you some ideas on what sorts of internships would be most helpful.
Lots of internships have switched to virtual which gives many new opportunities for students who may not have access to different internship sites. It is on you to reach out early and get in touch with potential internship sites. Reach out to your school’s internship coordinator or connections on LinkedIn to find new opportunities. You can also reach out to students ahead of you or alumni to see if they have any opportunities.
It is never too early to start thinking about internships. Remember there are a ton of other students who will be looking for the good internships. So do yourself a favor and start thinking about internships early on.
(Related: The Guide to Getting a Good Internship in Grad School)
4. Find Interesting People
Public health is a vast field with many career opportunities. Depending on what you want to do, different professionals will resonate more with you. I find there is so much value in finding and listening to others career paths. There is so much to learn from how others navigate their public health careers.
A great and easy way to find out more about interesting people is through reading books and memoirs. Books can be a great way to learn about public health stories. There is also documentaries and docu-series that can be helpful.
Another way to find people interesting people is through informational interviews. An informational interview is when you reach out to someone to find out more about them, their job, career path or even a specific topic. This can be useful to not only gain more knowledge or see if a career resonates with you, but also creates meaningful network connections. Connect with people on LinkedIn and reach out to find out more about them through informational interviews.
Also you can check out my podcast, The Public Health Millennial Career Stories Podcast on all podcast platforms and YouTube.
5. Find Time To Connect With Your Cohort
Peer learning is so important. I was able to learn so much from just interacting with people in my cohort. As many of you may know, I didn’t know much about public health before starting my MPH. Therefore I gained so much from peer learning and just conversations with my cohort.
If you want to do this, you will have to be a lot more intentional than I had to because of COVID-19. I hope that your programs are putting times in place for you to interact with your cohort. If not, ask them or just go out and do this yourself. Public health is a field with many paths and learning from your cohort can help you to learn about new and exciting paths.
People in your cohort are going to be going through the same struggles as you and this can be a great time to build those connections for the new normal. Don’t undervalue just how much you can learn and gain from your cohort. So make some time to connect and learn from others in your cohort.
6. Enjoy It
Time flies. Whether you’re starting a new program or starting a new semester in your current program – the time is going to fly.
So be sure to enjoy your journey. Enjoying the small parts of the program. The long nights, the tough exams, the funny moments – they will make it even more worth it in the end.
What you learn in classes are important but you have to make the most out of your experience. Remember you are more than just a student. Enjoy things outside your program also – take on new experiences. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and in hindsight you will surely enjoy that you did so.
Bonus
1.
Let’s be real out here, we know that mental health is so important. Many (if not all) schools have free mental health services. Use them. We are not able to function at our best without our mental health being in tact. Physical and mental health are so important. Covid-19 has shown just how important it is for us to set aside time for our mental health.
Set some time aside to see a therapist, go for a walk, do some meditation or mindfulness. Your mental health will thank you.
2.
Make a plan. A plan, similar to a goal, is a great way to keep yourself on track. A plan allows you to focus on what is essential and spend less time on those things that are non-essential. You can use a plan for your classes, your semester, your program, or even your career journey.
Though you can plan, things never go according to plan which is why it’s even more important to plan. With a plan, you are better able to pivot than if you didn’t have one. It allows you to make small adjustments as you go along your journey. Start with a plan, but ensure you have flexibility for learning and adjustments.
Summary
Starting or continuing your program during a global pandemic is not something that you had envisioned. I hope that you all are safe and able to be thankful for what we have.
This article covered:
- Set Your Goals and Processes
- Reverse Engineer
- Start Thinking About Internships
- Find Interesting People
- Find Time To Connect with Your Cohort
- Enjoy It
I showed some ways that you can start your public health program on the right track. This article should be helpful in allowing you to optimize how you start this semester off. As always, put your best foot forward so that you are able to attain all you deserve.
What are challenges do you for-see in your public health program?
