Student voices: Studying the BSc Population Health Sciences at UCL
13 February 2023
Mona, a second year BSc Population Health student tells us more about her time on the programme and why she particularly looks forward to module selection.
My first year
During my first year of studying the Population Health Sciences BSc, I gained thorough knowledge in epidemiology, social determinants of health, and statistics, as well as fundamental ideas in public health and research methods. I have been able to learn about the core conceptual frameworks and quantitative evidence of the social influences that impact one’s health, and the reasons why this may potentially lead to health inequalities.
Some of my favourite modules in my first year were: Epidemiological Transition and Perspectives of Global Health. Both modules explored the history of global health. The first module focused on demographic and health trends, whilst the other provided a worldwide outlook on key interventions on health worldwide.
Other than the core content of the modules, I believe that I have gained a lot of independence and I have learnt how to be more efficient with my workload. Moreover, thanks to a relatively small cohort of students, I have been able to get more involved in schemes run by my department, the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and in the Faculty of Population Health Sciences.
Outside of my degree, I was very pleased to know that UCL has a wide range of societies you can join which are course related or extracurricular. Some that I have attended include the Climate Action Society, Environmental Law and Life Science Society, and Students for Global Health Society.
What's next?
I am always very eager to select and start new courses because my degree allows me the option to select from a variety of modules outside of my department. I love being able to customise my degree to suit my individual interests, academic skills, and potential career paths.
Additionally, I am also excited to see where this course will lead me in the future. Indeed, I intend to use my population health degree to pursue a career in global health, or potentially into sustainable policy through further graduate studies.