MHA for Healthcare Consulting?

I am a junior at a non-target that will finish this year with a 3.5 GPA (i got a 2.6 my freshman year, 4.0 the next two), with a double major in history and Health Administration.

i want to go into healthcare consulting, but given my current resume/work experience i don't have much of a chance of getting interviews, much less an offer. top students at my school are rarely successful in any sort of consulting recruiting, and my credentials are, from what i've seen, far from good enough.

I enjoy what i've studied, so i would enjoy going to grad school as well. if I get a MHA immediately following undergrad, will i have an easier time getting a healthcare consulting offer? i expect to hustle and need to excel in grad school even if my chances are increased, but it's somewhat difficult to figure out.

would a MHA not be optimal? if not, what should i consider instead?

thank you.

3 Comments
 
Best Response

MHA grad here, formerly in strategy consulting, now in heath tech. I think it really depends on what you want to do longer-term. Do you plan on staying in healthcare? Are you okay with 1-2 years of extra schooling and the associated tuition?

You basically have two options at this point:

  1. Begin aggressively networking now at firms with a healthcare focus that that recruit right out of undergrad. Huron and Navigant are two that come to mind; I know that the Chartis Group also takes select undergrads (though, with your credentials, they may be tougher nut to crack).

  2. Apply to programs with a strong consulting presence on campus. JHU, Michigan, Columbia (MPH, but Health Policy and Management track), NYU (MPA), and Cornell (Sloan program) are a few that come to mind. They'll care less about the perceived prestige of your undergrad program and more about your GMAT/GRE, essays, recommendations and internship experiences. The more you can tell the story, the better.

Regardless of which of the above you choose to pursue, getting some sort of meaningful experience this summer will be important. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more.

 

Agree completely - this is sound advice. What are you doing this summer? This will be key in telling your story to get into healthcare consulting and getting exposure to analytics, which is key at that level.

 

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