Sarjana Bhatia

What motivated you to pursue postgraduate study?

I am a doctor by profession and have therefore organised several health camps in India to increase menstrual awareness in the rural population. The pandemic provided me to look at the plight of the people with a bird’s eye view.

It highlighted the evident lacunas in the management of healthcare delivery system.

This motivated me to pursue my masters in health management to further my aim to contribute efficiently to attain a robust healthcare system in India which is the need of the hour, understand the healthcare system better, recognise the emerging trends to come up with innovative solutions to bridge the gap between identification of issues in healthcare systems and the delivery of services to all which is a basic necessity, as well as adopt an integrative approach to my decision making capabilities.

What were you doing before applying for a postgraduate degree?

I practiced as a Dentist in India before applying for my masters program.

I also started a voluntary organisation in India that worked to spread awareness on menstrual hygiene and reproductive health in young adolescent girls residing in the slums after being a part of several health awareness and oral hygiene awareness camps in Maharashtra during my undergraduate programme.

Why did you choose City St George's?

City St George's, University of London offers a comprehensive course of my interest with a global outlook towards applied skills for ambitious professionals working in global healthcare.

The multidisciplinary academic team brings their diverse perspectives and experiences to the students that helps them enhance interpersonal skills and provides practical experience with collaborative learning.

The uniquely designed interdisciplinary course structure is also what caught my eye.

How are you finding studying in the UK?

I am from India and my life in UK is very different from what it was back home.

As an international student, there can be minor inconveniences like difficulty in finding an accommodation in the city, increased cost of living, learning how to be independent along with missing your family.

But the city is accepting, and one gets accustomed to the lifestyle in no time.

There is a paradigm shift in methodology adopted during lectures to teach us. Assignments are more about practical application of the concepts that we learn throughout the module rather than being completely theoretical.

My favorite part of being in London is that I get to interact with people from varied backgrounds and different perspectives, it helps me to learn something novel from every person I meet. The UK is like a box of opportunities provided you use it judiciously to attain your goals in life.

What does a typical week at university look like for you?

We have in-person lectures two days a week which are very interesting, informative and dynamic, which usually leaves the students weary. I usually end up going to any of the beautiful cafes in the vicinity with friends to unwind.

On the other days of the week, I work at an end-of-life organisation as a digital marketing assistant. I take keen interest in yoga and usually go for a run in the evenings.

To mark the beginning of the weekend after a long hectic week I prefer going for salsa classes, it is a nice way to meet new people at the same time enjoy a dance session with friends.

Whenever I have spare time in between I usually try working on new startup ideas which I could work on in future. I end my day with a nice skincare routine and journaling about my day. This helps me to connect with myself.