March 13, 2015

You know Niket. Whether it’s from class, a general body meeting for the Drexel’s Society of Future Health Leaders, or reading about him in Who’s Who Among Students in American Institutes & Colleges.  Maybe you interacted with him during his Co-op in  the CNHP Marketing and Communications department.  You’ve probably unknowingly read the articles he’s written for Chartings (now Off the Charts) in his time as a student worker.  The fact of the matter is, you know Niket.   But how well do you know him? 

Niket Subhedar is a senior in the Health Services Administration program, completing his studies in March in anticipation of June graduation.  He is the president of the Drexel Society of Future Health Leaders, and was recently nominated to be included in Who’s Who Among Students in American Institutes & Colleges. 

The Backstory:

I came to Drexel in 2011 as a Biological Sciences major.  After a year and a half, I decided to switch majors into Health Services Administration because I wanted to understand the business side of health care as opposed to just the clinical sciences side.  I added the HSAD major, but continued taking my Pre-med requirements because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to medical school or not.  The only thing I was certain about was that I wanted to be in the health care industry.   Since then I decided my interests lie more on the management side.  I’ll be completing studies in March with a BS in HSAD and a minor in Business Administration.

Which class did you enjoy the most?

My favorite class in HSAD was either Healthcare Economics or Healthcare Policy.  I loved economics because it was a very traditional business course, and I like very “business-y” things.  Healthcare Policy was interesting because we learned relevant information about how healthcare is dealt with on a political level.  We learned about pharmaceutical regulations, how health care laws are enacted and how they go through the political process.  It gave me an idea of how scrutinized healthcare is in the US.  It was eye opening because people don’t realize how large the healthcare industry is, how many divisions and functions there are in healthcare, or how regulated it is. 

Which class did you find most challenging?

Non-profits in Health Care!  We had to conceive our own non-profit organization, come up with the background information on it, understand the finances, create a marketing plan and carefully explain the goal of the non-profit.  There was a 15-20 page research paper due at the end of the class.  It was hard to come up with a business idea on the spot, understand the ins and outs and apply what we learned in class to the paper.

Do you have a mentor?

My mentor is Michelle Sahl, PhD, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Health Administration.  I’ve known her since sophomore year when I started Intro to Health Admininstration.  She’s also an academic advisor for the club of which I’m president, Drexel Society of Future Health Leaders, which is the first club to represent students interested in health care management, but open to anyone generally interested in the health care industry.  She was my mentor through classes, but outside of class, too.  She’s concerned with student development and making sure students in the HSAD program get the most out of their Drexel experience.  She’s not only concerned about students doing well in class and being involved on campus, but also about career preparation: interviewing and finding jobs. 

Congratulations on being nominated for Who’s Who Among Students in American Institutes & Colleges!

Thank you!  The Who’s Who award is mysterious because you have to be nominated by a Drexel faculty member, and I don’t know which faculty nominated me.  I have a feeling it was Professor Sahl, but I’m not sure.  It’s an award for students who are very involved on campus and academically.

You’re a full time student, part time student worker, president of a college club, and you’re taking extra classes this quarter to graduate early.  How do you juggle your hectic schedule?

It’s all about time management, jumping into it, and following your passions! Drexel does a really good job at preparing you for tough schedules. Ten week condensed schedules and taking 5-6 classes each term is difficult, but eventually you get the hang of it. It was challenging at first, but most students, including myself, get used to it. The benefit is we get to take far more classes than students at other colleges, and our classes tend to be more specialized.

You’ve already landed a full time job at GlaxoSmithKline.  What advice do you have for students looking to start their careers?

It’s all about starting early!  I started applying to positions in the fall term of my senior year.  If you’re looking for a job right out of college, fall is when you need to start looking and applying.  I think more important than just sending out your applications is to get your name out there.  For HSAD students, there’s something called HNLDV where all these health care executives come together quite frequently to discuss issues.  It’s a great networking opportunity.  Get your name out there!  To set myself apart at career fairs, I made business cards for myself.  I went to Steinbright and asked to be put in touch with people I could email, and I revised my resume almost every week.  The power of asking is really underrated.  Sometimes if you just ask, you’ll get what you want.  A lot of it is networking, and a lot is perseverance.  Don’t be dejected if you’re not getting offers, it’s very hard to get a job these days, especially as a student with limited experience.  Just persevere through all the rejections.  I know I got my fair share of them.  It just takes one yes!  In November, I got a call from GSK, went through the application process, flew to Raleigh-Durham for the interview, and month later, I accepted a full time offer.  It’s all about hard work, perseverance and networking.  It just takes one opportunity, and once you get that, the sky’s the limit.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

At GSK, I am in the three year rotational program called the Future Leaders Program.  I’ll be rotating through various functions.  My hope is that after three years in the program, I’ll gain enough experience and do well enough that I can apply to MBA programs.  I want to go through the traditional process, getting the work experience then going to school full time for two years to earn my MBA.  I think business school is my calling.

What is your dream job?

My dream job is… it’s hard to say!  It’s difficult to say where I’ll end up.  It’ll depend on the experiences I go through.  I may want to do something else after my GSK program.  I’ll definitely stay within health care.  The education and experiences I’ve gotten from co-op made me realize this is what I want to stick with.  I think my dream job would be that of an executive in business development and global business, or going into a healthcare advisory/consultant role, helping streamline healthcare approaches.

How do you “Live It?”

I live it by… experience.  I think that’s how Drexel trains you.  A big part of our education is real world application.  I knew after co-op that I wanted to be in a professional business setting.  It’s not always easy, but after a while, your experience helps you to start learning about yourself.