The panelists at both the undergrad and "gap year" discussions during the Global Health Expo last week had a lot of good advice and resources to share. These programs affirmed to me the value of the Harvard community, the wealth of expertise and wisdom that exists among you all.
The panelists at the gap year discussion recommended several good web resources, including globalhealth.org, the listserv on the American Medical Student Association's (AMSA) global health site, and the directory of non-profit orgs from idealist.org. The challenges in global health are large and complex, and there are not clear-cut linear paths to exploring the field (or fields since it encompasses so many). As a result, learning to do informational interviews is such a good practice to get into. There are a ton of Harvard alumni who are happy to talk with you about what they do. Follow your curiosity and reach out to them via Crimson Compass. It's easier to conceptualize something like a job or organization when it's personalized.
One of the take-homes for me from the undergrad panel was to find a community here where you can discuss these issues. And, from the gap year panel, a take-home was to begin to develop your own framework for thinking about global health in order to know what questions to ask and to be able to critically evaluate the work of NGOs.
Below are the remainder of my take-homes (as interpreted by me). It's a fairly quick and dirty list. But first, the earth:
Undergrad panel (4 seniors)
- find an intellectual community or peer group and discuss issues
- equip yourself to speak the language of global/public health
- learn how what you can do now at Harvard connects to larger, longer-term goals
go for big questions; technical expertise by itself is easy - seek broader contextualization of issues
- distinguish between an organization’s ethos (e.g. social justice) and actual product
- get involved with a good organization; be okay with putting yourself at their service
- pick courses based on people and ideas primarily
- orgs are often reticent to involve undergrads; know what you’re getting yourself into
- it’s okay to struggle with whether or not a future in medicine is the best option--this is common!
- find mentors and see how they did it
- it’s an important geopolitical moment for global health…go for it!
Gap Year Panel (1 MBA, 1 PhD, 2 MD/PhDs)
- investigate specific organizations
- think about particular skill you would like to develop; what do I want to learn in the 1-2 years off?
- distinguish between an NGO’s mission statement and actual impact
- seek out mentorship and don’t just jump at any opportunity; some oversight will make the experience more fulfilling and less disorienting
- time off is time well spent--you will inevitably gain something from it; even learning to take care of yourself and pay your own bills is worthwhile.
- ask about the size of the organization (e.g. World Bank or community setting?)
- ask about where you’ll be living (e.g. among international crew or local people?)
- gap year can provide context to what you’re doing, what you want from your work
experience, in any form, can be formative; don’t underestimate this - learn a language perhaps
- use the gap year to explore whether you really need an MD
- make sure you know who the org is accountable to
- be wary of orgs that ask for money or sound too good to be true
- when you arrive, be sensitive to culture; observe and be friendly but don’t state solutions
honestly evaluate whether you’re really ready for grad school - do informational interviewing in the field (e.g. Crimson Compass, professors, etc.); word of mouth is valuable
Enjoy the long weekend!
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