Adam Sinensky- Wharton (UPenn)

Name: Adam Sinensky
Age: 33
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Education (undergrad): Univ of Pennsylvania – Bioengineering
MBA: Wharton School, graduated 2015

Describe a typical day:  There is no such thing.  Every day is what you want it to be.  Granted there will always be a few classes, some group meetings, things that could be classified as networking and things that could be classified as social activities.  But other than putting things into buckets, every day is jam packed, very enjoyable, but no 2 days are alike,

Where did you work before B-school:  I spent 8 years at 2 different consulting firms, focusing on the pharma/biotech sectors.  The two firms were ZS Associates and Navigant Consulting.  I worked in both NYC and SF prior to Wharton.

Why did you choose this business school:  For me, the one certainty was my interest in healthcare.  I wanted to go to business school to explore parts of healthcare outside of pharma/biotech.  Wharton’s healthcare management program was perfect for me because it was focused on healthcare but gave me exposure to classes, students, and networking across the spectrum of healthcare.

What’s your best advice to an applicant:  As we all know, business school is expensive.  Really think through YOUR reason for wanting to go.  There are tons of valid reasons, but you need to be comfortable with your reason because it will make your application seem more honest.  Also, you will be able to focus your time at school on what matters to you.  That may be starting a new business, learning a new sector, networking, or something else.  But because your time at school is highly restricted and time management and making time tradeoffs are a challenging part of business school, be sure you know why you are going.

What is/was the most enjoyable part of business school:  The people.  I know it is cliche, and it is hard to understand until you go through it, but you get to meet some amazing people.  And I am not just saying this from a networking perspective.  But you spend so much time with people that you build really strong friendships in a short time.  It truly is a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience and the relationships you build are going to likely be more impactful to your life than the diploma you get.

Hardest part of business school:  Managing your time and making trade-offs.  There are always things to do and you will have to manage your time wisely.  Everyone at business school comes from impressive careers where you had to manage your time, but it was in a different way.  Typically the goals were set by someone else (your boss) and it was a matter and managing your time to achieve these goals.  At business school, you get to set your goals.  Every day you are going to face decisions of what to do with your time.  Rarely are you going to be lacking for things to do.  And you will have to make choices confidently and with conviction, otherwise you are always going to second guess your choices, which is something that will make business school much less valuable than it can be.

Working after graduation:  I am working at RelayHealth, which is a healthcare IT firm in the San Francisco bay area.  I joined a leadership rotational program, which will allow this ex-consultant to try out a variety of operational-focused roles so that I can learn and also see what fits me well.

Proudest Achievement:  The long-term connections I have made at my various jobs and schools.  My relationships with mentors and those I mentor have stayed strong long after I have left that school or company.  I am proud of all of these relationships, whether they are ones where I am the mentee or the mentor.  While companies often assign mentors, I strongly believe it is important to find your own ‘board of directors’ for your career and maintain those relationships as long as you can.

Favorite MBA Courses:  One was a healthcare services course that gave us a great overview of this sector, with a variety of great guest speakers who shared with us the diversity of businesses and business models in that sector.  Additionally the final project was pitching an  LBO of a healthcare services company to a panel of PE partners, which was fun to do.  The other was an accounting course (which I was surprised this was a favorite of mine) that was focused on understanding how to critically evaluate companies through their disclosures and financial reports.

Fun Fact:  I have been boxing for about 7 years.  And I had the great opportunity to box in front of 2,000 people at the Wharton Fight Night event that helped raise >$65,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia.  Yet one more example of the great and unique opportunities that exist during business school.

Bio: I recently received my MBA from Wharton, majoring in Healthcare Management.  Prior to business school, I worked in healthcare consulting, with a focus on portfolio and commercial strategy for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.  Since graduating from Wharton, I have been part of the leadership rotational program at RelayHealth, an industry leader in healthcare IT, focused on interoperability and healthcare analytics.