By Heream Yang
Maggie Sims
After graduating with a Mathematics degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Maggie Sims (MBA’21) launched her career in equity research at Baird, a financial services firm, conducting sell-side research on semiconductor stocks. Sims’s quantitative prowess led her to progress quickly from Analyst to Associate, and while she enjoyed her work, after 3 years in equity research, she began envisioning a different long-term career path.
Sims began looking into MBA programs that would empower her to pursue her long-time interest in healthcare. “I studied math in undergrad, and then I was covering technology and stocks and doing finance, but I always had an interest in healthcare,” Sims explained. “I wondered, can I take my interests and my current skills, and add new skills with my MBA to find a role that fits all of those boxes?”
Owen ended up being the only school Sims applied to. Luckily, it turned out to be the perfect fit due to its robust healthcare program and collegial student community. “I only applied to Owen because I had personal geographic limitations, but luckily enough, it was also just the perfect school,” Sims said. “I couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere else — culturally, class size, everything about it just felt like it was the right fit for me, and so it was a pretty easy decision once I got in.”
Through her time at Vanderbilt, Sims built up her healthcare knowledge and made the transition from equity research to healthcare strategy. After a successful summer internship at Optum, a health services and innovation company, Sims will be returning full-time as a Strategy Consulting Manager. “I didn’t know that I would end up going into consulting, but I’m so excited that this is what I discovered,” Sims said. “To be able to do such exciting work in the healthcare space with Optum, one of the most innovative companies, is a really unique and exciting opportunity.”
Click through the timeline below to find out how Sims landed her offer.
