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Public Health at the University of Cambridge

Good afternoon everyone,

I live in New York City and work at a homeless shelter as a clinical case manager. I perform several job duties, including psychotherapy and finding housing to clients who have a mental disorder. I have a master's degree in public administration.

In the future, I would like to become a public health administrator managing several health programs, including those related to mental health.

The University of Cambridge has a M.Phil in Public Health that is appealing http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/mph/
The program is one year in length (compared to two years for most U.S. master's degree programs), program's cost is US$24,800 (compared to more than twice the cost at some U.S. universities with the strongest public health programs), and provides knowledge minimally needed to work in the public health field. I would apply for entry in October 2008. To summarize, in my view, the University of Cambridge offers a wonderful value for education regarding my desired field of study. The plan is to return to the U.S. to endeavor to achieve my ultimate career goal.

For those of you who are members of this forum and attend or are former students of the University of Cambridge, describe the social environment at the university, particularly within its 31 colleges, and the surrounding communities and natural environment.

P.S. I am an avid Liverpool supporter since the 1987-1988 season.

Reply 1

glaucon

8

describe the social environment at the university, particularly within its 31 colleges, and the surrounding communities and natural environment.

That's quite a broad thing... do you have specific questions?

Which college you are at tends to make a big difference to your experiece of university life (although I guess less so at graduate level). For info on what living in each college is like see the sub-forum on colleges.

The surrounding communities - well lets just say 'Cambridge Bubble' most students don't really get to know anyone outside the university. There are lots of homeless people and 'Big Issue' sellers and lots of tourists.

Natural environment - It's a small city. The river looks nice but is dirty. There are quite a few green areas that are easy to get to. From my experience the weather isn't great, but it's England. Its not too hard to get to the villages, but most people never go there. The surrounding countryside is mostly crop farming.

Reply 2

coldfish

12

Grr. I really hate the way people always comment on the fact that Cambridge has a relatively high homeless population. Why is that significantly important?

Reply 3

thefish_uk

14

coldfish

Grr. I really hate the way people always comment on the fact that Cambridge has a relatively high homeless population. Why is that significantly important?

It's something that's very hard not to notice, especially if you're out at night.

Yesterday a bunch of us got a takeaway from Dojo and ate it on some grass nearby. And this random chap called Andy Pandy who looked just like a 40-year old tramp in a coloured jacket and hat came up to us and started saying he could analyse our mind by getting us to put coloured cards in order of how much they appealed to us.

Reply 4

glaucon

8

Grr. I really hate the way people always comment on the fact that Cambridge has a relatively high homeless population. Why is that significantly important?

Because MikeU said that he's been working with homeless people... they all seem nice enough, and to be fair they're the locals that students actually might begin to recognise... There's probably lots of loaded upper and middle class people living around Cambridge too, but I've never met one.

Reply 5

gooseymcgoose

11

Not really answering your question, but will the degree explicitly help you go onto what you want to do next? What is the typical career path into that position?

On homeless people in Cambridge... this might seem like a very offensive question, but why do homeless people choose to stay in Cambridge? It must be one of the most expensive places on the planet to just exist. Convince somebody to buy your big issue, and you're still only a tiny fraction of the amount you'd need to buy say a sandwich from a shop in Cambridge. Somewhere up north, and I bet your purchasing power would triple. I'm talking long term homeless people here. If they did ever get into a position to start thinking about housing, the rent on a cardboard box in Cambridge will get you a penthouse in some cities.

Reply 6

MikeU

OP

The typical career path would be to obtain a public health degree, so one could increase his or her chances of gaining employment in a public health department. After a few years, one can advance into positions of increasing responsibility, eventually obtaining a leading position in the public health department. Because I have a MPA, and with the combination of the public health degree, advancement should be easier.

About the homeless population, this is a major problem here in NYC. My interest, if I were to be accepted to Cambridge, is to discover how many of those homeless people have a psychiatric disorder and what services are being provided for their recovery. People with mental illnesses tend to become homeless quicker than the general population. I am glad we are discussing this issue because it is important and should not be overlooked.

Glaucon, I will ask about the colleges in the appropriate forums.

Reply 7

glaucon

8

Just a tip on the colleges, all of the colleges have graduates, but there are some colleges which are solely for mature students/graduates, which is an interesting option. They are Hughes Hall, St Edmunds, and Wolfson, but it depends what kind of environment you want. (Lucy Cav is graduate too but all women, and New Hall and Newnham are also all women)

Reply 8

Supermerp

2

glaucon

They are Hughes Hall, St Edmunds, and Wolfson, but it depends what kind of environment you want.

And Darwin and Clare Hall.

Reply 9

Tom

15

gooseymcgoose

On homeless people in Cambridge... this might seem like a very offensive question, but why do homeless people choose to stay in Cambridge? It must be one of the most expensive places on the planet to just exist. Convince somebody to buy your big issue, and you're still only a tiny fraction of the amount you'd need to buy say a sandwich from a shop in Cambridge. Somewhere up north, and I bet your purchasing power would triple. I'm talking long term homeless people here. If they did ever get into a position to start thinking about housing, the rent on a cardboard box in Cambridge will get you a penthouse in some cities.

Rich city = rich pickings. You see 20x the big issue sellers in Cambridge per km than in a poor city like Plymouth for example (although, the numbers there seem to be rising. And the city center's getting richer and more studentified)

Public Health at the University of Cambridge

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