Photo: Håkan Soold

“Do the best you can". These are the words of advice from Marc Miller, final year student of the Master´s Programme in Public Health Sciences: Societal and Individual Perspectives at Stockholm University. And if anyone should know, it is him. He has been a basketball coach for most of his life, encouraging children and young people to do just that, do the best they can.

And it is this desire to do good, to help people that drives Miller and has led him to study first psychology and now public health.

Every class I take I walk away with something I can take forward to the next class and to the rest of my life.

He earned a bachelor´s degree in psychology at California State University Fullerton in 2004. A degree it to him ten years to finish. Partly due to the American education system where, unlike in Sweden, if you don't pass a test, you have to start a course all over again. Partly due to enjoying life and taking time to do other things as well.

Having to try again breeds a resilience

Miller cannot say which system is better, both have their advantages and disadvantages. But the American system tends to make you work harder, he believes.

“It breeds more of a fighting spirit and builds a certain resilience within you. And I am not embarrassed to say that I had to work hard," says Miller. “One reason why I like studying public health. I would like to push more for having people developing some kind of resilience."

The fact that his bachelor's degree in psychology from the US was not accepted when, after a few years in Sweden, he wanted to do a master's in psychology didn't make him give up either. Instead, he settled for Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University, where his degree was recognized.

“For me, public health was something where I could use my degree in psychology and put forth and come up with some new and invigorating ideas," says Miller.

Studies made him realize the impact social status has on health

Currently, he is at the beginning of his final semester of the Master´s Programme in Public Health Sciences and is very happy with the studies so far.

“It has been an awesome journey and along the way the teachers the Department of Public Health Sciences have been great. I have learned a bit from all of them and they have spent time with me to communicate and help me understand what I need to get better at. And every class I take I walk away with something I can take forward to the next class and to the rest of my life," says Miller. “And as I am going through this I´ve realized the importance of those aspects of health you do not always think about and talk about. Like the societal perspective and the impact social status has on our health."

A couple of tips to other students

As for the future, after taking his Master´s degree, he has high hopes of getting a good job where he can make use of all the skills he has acquired along the way. For besides his studies in psychology and public health and coaching basketball for many years, he has also worked in finance in the US, as well as a substitute teacher at an English school in Stockholm.

“Well, I guess I am your typical non-typical person. And now I will have the opportunity to get in a lot more places and say, `I have a master´s in public health, I have a bachelor´s in psychology and I have a background in finance," says Miller.

When it comes to succeeding in your studies, Miller have a few tips to offer.

“Do things early. I am bit of a procrastinator myself and I often wait until two or three nights before something is due. Don´t do that," he says.

And again, reflecting on the insights the studies in public health sciences have given him – inequality and how socioeconomic status gives certain people an advantage in life – he is back to the concept of doing the best you can.

“This has helped me realize that life isn´t perfect and you won´t be able to fix everything. But you do the best you can. So my inspirational comment is that. Do the best you can," Miller says.

Applications for the Master´s Programme in Public Health Sciences: societal and individual perspectives is open for application and closes 15 January.

Håkan Soold