In episode 2 of Beyond Class Hours, I sat down with Vers Abelada (Magna Cum Laude, UP Manila) to make Public Health feel way less intimidating—because I remember researching it before college and literally seeing people say “don’t pursue this if you want your mental health intact.” Vers breaks it down beautifully: Public Health is hard science with the heart of humanity. Yes, there’s microbiology, parasitology, and so much chemistry, but it always comes back to how communities can actually use the science—through health promotion, communication, and real-world application. We also got super specific about what the program looks like in UP Manila: the two tracks (Medical Laboratory Science vs Population Health), the kinds of deliverables (lab reports, papers, community projects, health materials), and the three-leg internship setup in fourth year (PGH lab internship, community immersion, then a track-specific placement). Vers also explained the RSA (Return Service Agreement) and why it shouldn’t automatically be seen as a negative. If you’re curious about careers, we talk research, policy, DOH/NGOs, academe, and yes—medicine, but with the reminder that Public Health is more than just “premed.”