"The Master of Public Health is a well-organised and exciting course. Students will have the chance to meet different people, develop their skills and build capacity for their future work through this wonderful journey."
After I got my bachelor’s degree in health management and communication, I was quite interested in health-related things and wanted to keep studying in this field, so I decided to study the Master of Public Health. The fact that the University of Melbourne is ranked 17th globally for public health was really attractive to me.
The Master of Public Health has provided me with various opportunities to explore different areas of public health, which has helped me to figure out my passions. When I first started the course, I was unsure which specialism I would like to focus on. After I began learning epidemiology and biostatistics, I gradually realised the magic of conducting research and using that research to help policymakers make decisions. I’m now doing my capstone project and really enjoying it.
The best things about studying at the University of Melbourne is that it has different programs, activities and conferences which allow students to meet people from diverse backgrounds and build networks. I met my lovely mentor through the Mentoring Program, and she shared lots of her experiences with me which has been really helpful.
My capstone project is a quantitative research project that aims to investigate Chinese international students’ mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19. Doing research allows me to focus on the topic I am really interested in and learn everything I can on this subject. It also helps me to put what I have learnt in class (data analysis, epidemiological knowledge etc) into practice. I’m quite enjoying the process and I am finding that I am really interested in research-related work. I might look for some epidemiological research work in an academic setting after I graduate.
Studying online during COVID-19 was quite challenging for me at first. Not being able to go to the face-to-face tutorials or having the chance to meet fellow students was hard, since everyone was so isolated during the lockdown. But thankfully, our school launched a weekly ‘check-in and catch up’ program. This program helped me build and maintain the connections with fellow students and staff during the lockdown.
I understand COVID-19 is a nightmare for most people, but because of COVID-19 I have realised the importance of public health. This makes me start thinking about what I can do to contribute to this field in the future, which inspires me to study harder.
The Master of Public Health is a well-organised and exciting course. Students will have the chance to meet different people, develop their skills and build capacity for their future work through this wonderful journey. The course encourages you to push beyond your comfort zone and be open-minded, try different things and figure out what your passion is.
All the staff and students here are very supportive. They are willing to offer help wherever they can, so don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.