Engineering to Consulting - Should I Bother?

Hi y'all,

First of all, a little background: I'm an MS student in engineering at a target school (Stanford). My prior expertise has been almost all research with some industry engineering (intern with GE Aviation) mixed in. Research has been getting awfully tedious and specific lately, and consulting seems like an interesting and diverse area to work in. HOWEVER, I have pretty much zero business/consulting experience, which I would think places me at a pretty large disadvantage compared to the other candidates. I do have pretty stellar grades: 3.89 now, 3.98 undergrad in engr, math, and statistics (not at Stanford though).

The consulting bug's bitten me pretty hard and I'm prepared to work my ass off over the summer (not interning due to research commitment for a fellowship) prepping for case interviews. But before I go into full consulting mode, I'd like to know if the top firms will even give me a chance for first round for fall recruiting. Hopefully if I can land that then a summer of case prep will be enough to take me rest of the way.

Thanks guys!

 

MBB doesn't care about what you study, only where you study. This is why you see students at top Law/Med Schools get recruited. If you're at Stanford, you've got nothing to worry about. Just make sure to be know your technicals cold, and you'll be golden.

Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is like calling your neighbor a hermit because he doesn't come over to your property and break your windows.
 

Yeah most top consulting firms do consider students with engineering profiles at target schools. But the major disadvantage is that you will still get into undergrad analyst level roles and not the MBA level associate roles, so its like your masters has not much value. Also apart from cases, work on experience/personal part of the interview as well. All the Best!

 

Thanks for the input. I did figure that I'd be competing for the entry-level positions. However, I saw that some companies had separate "advanced degree" recruiting. Is that mainly reserved for PhDs or would an MS be considered for that as well?

 

Hi, I will give a little bit about myself, I am currently doing Masters in Engineering at MIT, with undergrad in mechanical engineering. I interviewed with McKinsey and Bain couple of weeks back for the undergrad positions. I was told by the recruiters that I was not eligible for Advanced Degree positions since they were meant for PhDs etc. MS graduating after 2008 were not considered for associate level positions at McKinsey and were only directed towards business analyst positions.

 

Your situation sounds an awful lot like mine, I'm actually a mechanical engineer as well. It's disappointing that our MS degrees don't seem to count for much, other than maybe giving a slight edge over the undergrads. Sounds like you're well on your way in the recruiting process though, so good luck to you! Just out of curiosity, are you a recent convert to consulting as well, or were you always interested in the industry?

 
Boilermaker:
Your situation sounds an awful lot like mine, I'm actually a mechanical engineer as well. It's disappointing that our MS degrees don't seem to count for much, other than maybe giving a slight edge over the undergrads. Sounds like you're well on your way in the recruiting process though, so good luck to you! Just out of curiosity, are you a recent convert to consulting as well, or were you always interested in the industry?

So are you currently in ME MS at Stanford? I started there in ME MS as well, although I switched over to MS&E after two quarters. My undergraduate degree was in ME, too.

As for the advanced degree recruiting, I actually interviewed at McK (along with a few more buddies) for that role because all my buddies and I had about 2 years of experience working in the industry. I got past the initial screening test / interview, but I didn't make it past the 2nd round interviews. This was back in 2010.

 

Yeah, I'm doing my MS in ME right now. I've given some thought about MS&E, but since I'm funded by the ME department on a fellowship, I figured I'd at least finish this (free) degree. I came straight from undergrad, so I guess advanced degree recruiting is out of the picture. If you don't mind me asking, where did you end up working?

 

I did try for BA positions at consulting firms after my undergrad and McKinsey dinged me after 6 rounds of interview :(. I did have some interest to continue for a Masters, which I thought would give me an edge in engineering while giving me an opportunity to still pursue consulting or other sectors as an option if I needed to (I work closely to the Operations Research and Operations Management area).

 

Boilermaker, just for future reference, an MS is not really an advanced degree in the first place. MD/JD/Ph.D are advanced degrees. BA/BS/MS are entry level degrees. This is why people start out as analysts in IBD despite having an MSF.

Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is like calling your neighbor a hermit because he doesn't come over to your property and break your windows.
 

Hey all, thanks for your comments. I'm not terribly concerned with which level exactly I would go in as. An analyst's salary might be lower than an MS-level salary at an engineering firm, but I don't plan to continue for my PhD and my impression is that without one an engineer's upward mobility is somewhat limited.

My initial worries were that I would be auto-dinged when compared to all the other Stanford kids, engineering or otherwise, who have been dreaming/preparing for consulting for years. It seems the general consensus is that I still have a shot, which is very encouraging. Time to brush up on my business 101 I guess...

Just a general question, how long have you guys known that you wanted to do consulting? I never knew what consultants actually did until earlier this year, haha, nor did I know that they hired engineers. My ugrad placed well into top engineering (Lockheed Martin etc) but I never heard of anyone doing consulting. Here, it seems if you're not doing a startup then you're going consulting/Ibanking. I feel like such a hick.

 

I'm in IBD, but got offers from McK and Bain out of undergrad (dinged from BCG). I didn't know much about Consulting until my Junior year, when I attended a McK informational. I was set on Banking, but the McK guy sold me on consulting so well, that I ended up applying anyways.

Don't worry about being a Grad student. I finished my undergrad at an Ivy, and the Grad students were on equal footing with the rest of us, provided that they knew their case studies.

Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is like calling your neighbor a hermit because he doesn't come over to your property and break your windows.
 

I second many of the comments made on this board.

Your degree combined with you grades will definitely not put you at a disadvantage. I am with McK, and having screened resumes before I can tell you that I certainly would not skip a Stanford Eng with a 3.9. Also, don't be ashamed of your internships. McK does a ton of ops work, and knowing how a company looks from the inside is VERY valuable.

I am have a BS/MS in engineering and actually worked in R&D for a couple of years before joining McK as a Junior Associate. The norm is to reserve that position for people with an MD/JD/PhD or MS+2/3 years of exp, so you'd likely be considered as a Business Analyst.

I never knew I wanted to do consulting (or what consulting even entailed) until I was about 1 year into my R&D job and prepared for a couple of months, so you've got plenty of time.

In theory there's no difference between theory and practice; in practice there is
 

I dont know what u mean by MBB but if you are talking about management/strategy consulting, it is virtually impossible. If you want to cross over from being a pure technical guy to a business professional, your best bet it to do business development at an IT firm(again difficult but not impossible). This will increase your odds of exiting the IT industry all together for a non-IT consulting firm. Even better - do an MBA.

 

Well, as the saying goes it's like doing open heart surgery with a hacksaw- it's possible but why make it so hard on yourself? Strategy firms hire hundreds of MBAs every year, the number of people who come in like you want to, probably number in the single digits. Even then, they will 99% of the time be in the IT group anyway... there are numerous reasons why they prefer MBAs but I'm not going to get into those.

getting hired into MBB as an experienced hire from the tech industry is near impossible. Even if you're really good, most likely you'd be hired as a "specialist" and who knows what kind of advancement/career path that leads to. The only person I know, experienced hire from tech industry into McK as a actual consultant (can't remember his level, maybe associate) went like this:

Top undergrad (international)

Stanford computer science masters

Engineer and some top tech firm (I think Siebel?)

Harvard Business School MBA

Marketing Manager at Microsoft

McKinsey

So yes, MBA is still required...

 

Don't listen to SLE, engineers transferring careers into consulting after a few years is somewhat common. I've worked with a number of pre-mba consultants or analysts that decided after a year or two they no longer wanted to be an engineer.

Your best bet would probably be to talk with your friends at Deloitte and Accenture and see if they can do anything for you. Even if they just pass you along to a more senior member of the firm, meeting with him/her will go a long way towards getting you in for an interview. Cold calling HR or getting referred to the entry level analyst recruiter also could be very helpful.

This transition is extremely plausible if you work for it. That being said, if you feel you could get into an MBA program that these companies recruit from after 1-2 more years of putting up with your job that would probably be the smoothest transition.

 
ProspectiveMonkey:
Don't listen to SLE, engineers transferring careers into consulting after a few years is somewhat common. I've worked with a number of pre-mba consultants or analysts that decided after a year or two they no longer wanted to be an engineer.

Your best bet would probably be to talk with your friends at Deloitte and Accenture and see if they can do anything for you. Even if they just pass you along to a more senior member of the firm, meeting with him/her will go a long way towards getting you in for an interview. Cold calling HR or getting referred to the entry level analyst recruiter also could be very helpful.

This transition is extremely plausible if you work for it. That being said, if you feel you could get into an MBA program that these companies recruit from after 1-2 more years of putting up with your job that would probably be the smoothest transition.

That's encouraging. I will definitely start applying through the websites at least. I definitely don't want to stay in my current job or pursue an MBA for the time being. Any other tips and advice? What was the upperbound for work experience for these engineers that you know who've transitioned from an unrelated field?

I will also start reaching out to friends at some of these consulting firms. It's a little embarassing asking them to refer me to analyst positions they started out doing as fresh undergrads 4 years ago, but oh well.

 
ProspectiveMonkey:
Don't listen to SLE, engineers transferring careers into consulting after a few years is somewhat common. I've worked with a number of pre-mba consultants or analysts that decided after a year or two they no longer wanted to be an engineer.

Your best bet would probably be to talk with your friends at Deloitte and Accenture and see if they can do anything for you. Even if they just pass you along to a more senior member of the firm, meeting with him/her will go a long way towards getting you in for an interview. Cold calling HR or getting referred to the entry level analyst recruiter also could be very helpful.

This transition is extremely plausible if you work for it. That being said, if you feel you could get into an MBA program that these companies recruit from after 1-2 more years of putting up with your job that would probably be the smoothest transition.

thanks, that's exactly what i said.

 

Another thought I had was to go back to school and get one of those BS master's in engineering management degrees from MIT, Dartmouth, or Duke:

http://sdm.mit.edu/

It sounds like a lot of money for a degree that's not that reputable in my opinion, but it does seem like another way into consulting for a quarter of the price of an MBA? Any thoughts on this. I'm still miffed at the fact that it's harder for me to get hired now as an entry level analyst vs a fresh grad. Hopefully, I don't get lumped in with the experienced consultants when I do apply.

 

The key is to read the financial/business press (Google News/Finance, Wall Street Journal, Economist) so that you have a grasp of the issues businesses face and approaches to solving them. Unfortunately, this is somewhat of a long-term process so might not be extremely helpful for an impending interview.

The only alternative I can think of is to do so many cases that you identify most of the significant variations and can effectively "fake" the broad business exposure.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks, Dazedmonk. It is a really good advice and I am immediately beginning to read those. Thanks, Jnaz. I haven't read Case in Point already. I already browsed and read several sources on Case Interviews. All were really useful for solving the case itself with structure, but none did really help me get this insight. Hope "Case in Point" will do. I am in Western Europe, but not in the UK. :)

 
peinvestor2012:
Stay away from DC. That's public consulting. You/she don't want to be there.
The consulting event that she went to took place in DC. But she wants to be in New York for full-time opportunities (as mentioned in my OP, I believe). Also, by "friend," I definitely mean friend and not me, as I'm going into banking and not consulting, as you can probably tell from this post.
holla_back:
Serious question: why choose chem over petro at UT?
From what I understand, although petroleum engineering is certainly the more lucrative major by median salary figures and overall stronger program at UT Austin, chemical engineering develops a wider skill set and thus increases the range of possible career opportunities.
 

She definitely has a shot at firms like Deloitte/Booz/PwC and it is not too late to get on their radar. Unlike banks, only 30-50% of analyst classes at consulting firms are made up of the previous summer's interns, meaning that they hire a significant number of analysts for full time positions each year. Like banks, consulting firms recruit in the fall, and a decent number of them should have OCR at UT-Austin (I'm almost positive that PwC and Deloitte S&O do).

I would advise her to start attending company info. sessions, reaching out to alumni, and attending any networking events hosted by the firms she's interested in. Consulting is just as (if not more) networking heavy/dependent as banking, so definitely get started now.

 
Zzari:
She definitely has a shot at firms like Deloitte/Booz/PwC and it is not too late to get on their radar. Unlike banks, only 30-50% of analyst classes at consulting firms are made up of the previous summer's interns, meaning that they hire a significant number of analysts for full time positions each year. Like banks, consulting firms recruit in the fall, and a decent number of them should have OCR at UT-Austin (I'm almost positive that PwC and Deloitte S&O do).

I would advise her to start attending company info. sessions, reaching out to alumni, and attending any networking events hosted by the firms she's interested in. Consulting is just as (if not more) networking heavy/dependent as banking, so definitely get started now.

Thanks very much for your response, Zzari. That's great to know. I know that UT Austin has a strong OCR, but I'm not sure if McComb's OCR is open to engineering students. That's something that she'll have to look into.

It's also very important for my friend to land a position in one of these firms' New York office. Coming from a regional school like Austin, do you think that it's reasonably possible to land a spot in New York? I know a few friends from UT Austin who are doing consulting/business analyst positions at firms like McKinsey and Bain, but it seems like they've all placed regionally (Dallas, Houston, etc.).

 

She has a decent chance at 2nd tier firms. Her credentials are good enough even for MBB if her school is a target (a big if, and I don't know the answer) and if she networks.

But breaking into NYC office is going to be tough. Firms tell you that you shouldn't think about such things when you're picking the offices you apply to, but it does make a difference. NYC and SFO offices (at least at my firm) are quite a bit more competitive than the other offices because everybody wants to live in those cities (apparently--I personally don't see the appeal).

Plus, for NYC, your friend will have to compete with a large number of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Wharton, Columbia and even some Stanford kids.

So unless your friend is absolutely set on going to NYC, I'd strongly advise him/her to consider Houston and Atlanta offices. My guess is that that'll give them a better chance if getting an offer.

 

^Pretty much spot on. It's definitely possible to go to NYC or another big office from Austin, but will require good networking with alumni and professionals in those offices. However, it's important to consider that choosing a city like NYC changes who her competitors will be and thus may make landing a spot much harder.

If you don't mind me asking, why does she have to be in the NYC office? If there isn't a reason other than the fact that it's NYC (which may be reason enough depending on your point of view...), she should definitely consider Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, LA/SF, etc. If you're working at Deloitte/Booz/MBB, you're going to be traveling M - Th anyways and it's pretty easy to get staffed on national projects and projects in cities you want to work in. I know a girl in my office (West Coast) who loves the East Coast and flies to and from Boston every week. It's not ideal, but she definitely pockets a lot more (lower taxes and COL as opposed to Boston/NYC) and is exposed to the same work and people as the consultants working on her project based in Boston.

 

Thanks again, guys.

I'd rather not disclose why she has to be in NYC, but suffice it to say that she has some really good reasons that go far beyond just wanting to be in the city. I definitely agree that location is less important in consulting than it is in banking, but this is unfortunately a consideration that she has little flexibility on.

Given that breaking into New York consulting is an option for her if she works hard and networks, is networking in the realm of consulting similar to banking? For example, my networking process (for banking) was:

1) Find alumni in alumni database / LinkedIn 2) Reach out through email, ask for a time to speak 3) Have a good conversation, establish connection 4) Ask for recommendations on other individuals to speak to 5) Repeat 1-4

How much time does she have to network? Does full-time consulting recruiting normally take place at the beginning of the academic year for seniors?

 

My background is very similar: ChE, junior summer in petrochem, sophomore summer in consumer goods R&D. I will be starting at a MBB firm soon, so it's definitely possible! UT is a target for consulting, so just find a way to sneak into the events for business students (although it should be open to engineers as well). I just applied online to the MBB firms with no networking whatsoever and got interviews at 2/3, so it's really not that difficult if you have a strong background.

You (or your friend) can message me directly for more information or advice.

 

Oh and she will likely receive a return offer from her upcoming internship, so she won't have to worry too much about searching for a traditional engineering career. That said, she should do her best to perform at the highest level during the summer because it really is a great learning experience.

 

Frankly, I think that if your long-term goal is to break into MBB, that LIKELY reflects a lack of maturity on your part. That's fine; you are just leaving university and you aren't a mature professional.

The reality is that even at MBB, most people who take jobs at the BA level are ready to leave after 2-3 years. Let's say that you go with the engineering firm. Your best case scenario is 2-3 years in Engineering, then 2 years of B-school, then MBB. At that point, it will be ~5 years and you will be ~27. If you are 22 now, imagine yourself at age 17. People change.

If you join the consulting firm and you LOVE it, you might be able to go to MBB directly with the right networking. Or here are a few other things that could happen: - You realize you don't want to be a consultant, you want to actually execute - A great role opens up at one of your clients - You realize that F500 work (consulting or full-time) is often bureaucratic and boring, so you join a small and fast-growing company - You decide to be your own boss and start a business - You realize you'd have more fun and be more respected as an Engineer. You go to a F500 engineering program or similar.

TL;DR: Don't overplan. If you want to be a consultant, go be a consultant, then figure things out.

 

I was in a slightly worse situation than you last year. I was Mechanical Engineering at a top 50, didn't bump up to a 3.2 until second semester, and much more mediocre EC's.

You can bullshit some response to the GPA question but in reality the reason you "only" have a 3.2 is because you're in one of the most difficult academic majors in the world and the barely passed poly sci recruiters (they're usually not actual consultants) don't really understand this.

When I was going thru recruitment I saw Deloitte had increased their minimum from 3.2 to 3.4 and didn't even bother speaking to them. Deloitte is definitely a great firm to work for however if I were you I'd look at the other big 4 + Accenture firms that are recruiting at your school. From what I've seen they have lower GPA minimums. Unfortunately the minimum is usually truly a minimum and they'll filter you out if you don't meet it. The only plus that Deloitte has is slightly more prestige (apparently?). People on this site jerk off to what rank/tier the internet tells them that their firm is but don't let that force you to focus only on Deloitte/MBB. You will get paid a similar (very comfortable for out of UG) amount and work on similar projects in any big 4 + Accenture firm.

The engineering GPA is definitely a setback when applying for consulting jobs but keep in mind that you have skills that those with easier majors don't have. Highlight your quantitative and analytical experience as well as team experience, especially if you led the team (or thought you did). If you want you can try and boost your GPA this first semester senior year by minoring or taking classes in something in Business/Econ. It will definitely look good during recruitment and will actually help you on the job more than any hard engineering knowledge. You can easily crush a business/econ course as they are extremely easy coming from an engineering background. I barely got to a 3.0 in my engineering courses but had a 4.0 in econ which helped A LOT in boosting my GPA. Also it's usually pretty hard or impossible to get this information before graduating but if you could find what percentile ranking you are within your major that will definitely go a long way.

It might get frustrating coming from an engineering background and finding that no one gives a shit that it's much more difficult and GPAs are generally much lower but hang in there and you'll be fine. You're in a much better place than I was last year and I ended up accepting an offer at another Big 4 firm.

 

Dhman, based on your GPA, an MBA is the option with the highest likelihood for success, though there is a chance you could break into the industry prior by networking with the firms you're interested in. Reach out to friends in consulting, friends of friends, your undergrad career team, and friends that may be clients on consultants. Any of these contacts can make an introduction, which will likely lead to at least a phone interview. The online application process is must less likely to yield any results. Good luck!

 

As an engineer who went into consulting, I can give you my superficial read based on the info provided.

Your background suggests more a business process consulting path like PwC, IBM, etc. - Industrial Engineering being seen as likely a good grounding in terms of process and organization. Not sure about IT background requirements and how they apply. I haven't worked in that area so have only an outside-in perspective.

In MBB without a high-powered PhD/MD/JD, it is difficult to break into the post-MBA level, and you'd be competing with 4.0 GPA Ivy-league types for business analyst positions In interviews conducted by other 4.0 GPA Ivy-league types.

 

I can see you moving into consulting at a Tier 2 or Big 4 firm, probably in an operations/process type role.

The only way I see you going to MBB if you're interested in that is going to get your MBA at a top program. And even though I have limited info on your profile it looks like you may have a shot at a Top 10 school.

 

Agree with the comments above. You will probably be considered for the post-Bachelors position, and not for the post-MBA position.

In terms of getting into an MBB, as you know, competition is quite strong for MBAs. It is even more competitive for post-PhD folks, simply because there are so many of them applying for few spots. However, I think competition is toughest for post-Bachelors. These kids (I'm 30, so I can call them kids) are exceptionally sharp and accomplished. Compared to that pool, the 3.1 GPA will be quite a red flag, to be very honest.

I would recommend doing a great job at your current company, doing an MBA, and then applying.

 

I went to a no name state school with a sub 3.0 undergrad GPA. I was an engineer in aerospace for a while.

Accepted to M7, then took a job at MBB, and I've been a consultant for 3-4 years now post MBA.

It's probably your best bet -- focus on M7 MBA to get into consulting. Nail the GMAT (750+), get some cool non-work experiences. I mentored a club for 3 years at a local high school with some cool stories. I also worked at a startup in my spare time and spun the "entrepreneur" angle when applying. It was a 2 person startup, and we were income/cash positive.

Shake your tail feather, hustle, and put together a good application. If you're smart/determined enough, you'll get in and the rest will fall in place. If you're not, you won't.

 

Let's put it this way: It's better to go to Dartmouth engineering (weak program) than a school like even Georgia Tech, even though the latter by far has a better engineering program. It's about overall school prestige because generally they attract smarter students. Also, it doesn't matter what type of engineering. Industrial and Operations sounds the most relevant (at least at Michigan they have financial engineering courses within the IOE major). Remember that engineering definitely has a hierarchy of difficulty, so you might want to take that into account as well.

 

As I just said in an earlier post, it depends on your performance. Quality of engineering program is definitely factored into the hiring decision. If you can get into a better school and still be at the top of your class, then go for it.

Being top at a relatively lesser school (but don't push it - the schools you mentioned are on the low end of the core school recruiting) is better than being middle of the pack at MIT. As long as M/B/B recruits at your school, being in a strong program and getting high grades, as well as having strong leadership and test scores, you'll get looked at.

I've seen people shoot themselves in the foot transferring to a top school and then underperforming.

Good luck

 

As I just said in an earlier post, it depends on your performance. Quality of engineering program is definitely factored into the hiring decision. If you can get into a better school and still be at the top of your class, then go for it.

Being top at a relatively lesser school (but don't push it - the schools you mentioned are on the low end of the core school recruiting) is better than being middle of the pack at MIT. As long as M/B/B recruits at your school, being in a strong program and getting high grades, as well as having strong leadership and test scores, you'll get looked at.

I've seen people shoot themselves in the foot transferring to a top school and then underperforming.

Good luck

 

Hi :) So i've gone through the grueling consulting rounds in London and have come out with several offers from top consulting firms:

  1. a top 15 school isn't enough. If you're sure you want this (MBB offer) then go to Oxbridge and do a 1 year masters in something that will also give you time to prep.

  2. big 4 is much easier to get into over their elite strategy divisions (ex. PwC over Strategy& or Deloitte over Monitor); try the easier less competitive route and then try transfer internally.

 

It's a private school (Ivy/Ivy Level). I think a 3.5 in Engineering is equivalent to like a 3.8 in Economics at my school. I do think the sheer importance of GPA to consulting is a bit off putting. If I knew I would go into consulting, I would have easily pulled a 3.8+ in another major. I'm not trying to make excuses at this point but rather trying to maximize my chances. What should I do to make up for the "slightly low" GPA?

 

I definitely understand how GPAs vary across majors. Unfortunately, from my experience (going through the recruiting process and now being a school rep for an MBB office), the GPA expectation is not usually lowered just because someone is an engineering major. However, networking is always a good idea and can help make up for any parts of your application that might be considered substandard.

 

So hypothetically a candidate with a 3.9 majoring in communications would be looked upon in better light than a candidate with a 3.4 majoring in engineering? I wish strict GPA numbers weren't so important in this whole process but from everyone I've spoke to it clearly is.

 

Yes, but other factors are considered as well. MBB won't just grant an interview to any communications major with a 3.9 GPA. Quantitative skills are important, so SAT (or other test) scores are considered, especially the math portion. So, someone who sucks at math won't be given an interview. It also helps for those liberal arts majors to take quantitative-heavy classes on the side.

 

@NoName I can.

MBB isn't interested in how much time you put in to your GPA. (By the way, it's not a cake walk getting a 3.9 in any major at a top school.) They care about bringing people who are one of the best in each field; at the same time, they want people from diverse backgrounds because they bring different strengths to the table. (For example, writing is extremely important in consulting, and 3.9 history majors excel at that. 3.9 engineering majors usually are really bad at it.)

So, what they're doing is taking the engineering majors, history majors, business majors, etc. And I'm glad they do, because I love the fact that my firm hires people from different backgrounds--it makes it a much more interesting place to work.

Finally, I'd like to remind you that there are often more than enough engineers with 3.7+ GPA to fill ALL the slots if MBB wanted to. As such, favoring engineers over all other majors wouldn't help you out anyway. So keep your snobby attitude to yourself and work on doing some damage control by networking, etc.

 

I can't justify MBB screening criteria... sorry bud!

Yes, networking definitely includes speaking with the representatives and following up with them. Even better, find someone at MBB not directly involved with recruiting and get them on your side, so they can put in a good word for you to the recruiting team. Knowing someone else in MBB looks better than just having spoken with the recruiting team, because literally everyone has an opportunity to speak with the recruiting team.

 

Alright asshole, thanks for the great advice!

And that claim is utter bullshit. All entry analysts do the same type of work from what I've seen from friends that went into MBB. There's nothing a history major can do that I can't do other than recite obscure facts from 300 years ago. I'm sure there are plenty of bright engineers with higher GPA's than me but I'm certain I have things that they don't. I'll network well alright, don't you worry about that.

 

I'm the asshole after your condescending post about how engineering majors are so much better than history majors?

And you're still not understanding what I was saying, so let me clarify. BA's/A's/AC's do similar work, but each person brings different strengths and weakness to the team. History majors don't just learn how to recite obscure facts--they learn how to write concise, effective papers arguing a point. And communicating clearly--whether it's for internal e-mails, decks, whatever--is critical in consulting. In fact, it's one of the key skillset they track. And, given their backgrounds, an average history major BA/A/AC is better in this area than an engineering major BA/A/AC.

Enigneers, on the other hand, are taught how to solve problems/do rigorous analytics. That's also a key skillset an entry level consultant is asked to develop. So an average engineering major is better in this area than a history major BA/A/AC.

Again, that's why MBB look for people from diverse backgrounds. It's not just some bullshit phrase they come up with for their brochures.

You can think whatever you want about the screening criteria. But the MBB recruiting process is quite a robust one, and one that the firms spend quite a lot of time and resource thinking about and improving. (That's not to say it's perfect, but it's pretty good.) So there's a reason to why they do it in a certain way, and you don't get to just dismiss it because it doesn't help your case.

 

I'd like to say two things here:

1.) Even though I graduated from engineering with a 4.0, I definitely respect history majors for their ability to compile tons of qualitative information and synthesize/write huge papers. That skill is not at all required to do well in engineering, but is required to do well in consulting.

2.) I agree with @"pnb2002" that there are definitely many, many engineering students with high GPAs. The honor society for my particular major had a requirement of being in the top 20% of students in the department, and the cutoff was a GPA of about 3.85.

So, network for sure!

 

@"cloudten" I'm not sure where the name-calling comes from. @"pnb2002" is telling it like it is.

Anecdotally, I know more BA/A/AC's who majored in engineering or biz/econ than liberal arts, but don't know whether that points to quality of candidates or self-selection for consulting.

A few other thoughts: - "Ivy level": No idea what this means. Either the school is in that particular athletic conference or it isn't. This designation is especially nonsensical in the context of engineering schools, since Cornell is the only Ivy renowned for engineering. - Public/private: In the context of engineering schools, it's just not that important. The top-10/20/xx are split pretty evenly.

Anyways, there is good advice in this thread. Your GPA is solid and your test scores are great. Focus the next few weeks on 4 things: - Resume: Get it perfect. Have it torn apart by WSO, peers, and especially your MBB friends. - Cover letter: Draft a great one now so all you have to do is tailor to each firm later. - Networking: Reach out to warm contacts (i.e. MBB friends and friends of friends). Lots of good advice on WSO on what to ask and how to build the relationship. - Story: Start high-level and build towards increasing levels of detail. 1) Elevator pitch / 90 sec. resume walkthrough 2) Why consulting? Why you?

With those out of the way, you can focus on OCR when school starts. - Networking: Quality over quantity. You need 1-2 people at each firm who could picture you working on their team. There's downside risk to trying to meet everyone. If 3-4 people are mildly positive about you and 1 gets a weird vibe, that probably hurts more than it helps. - Story (cont.): 3) Start drafting your interview stories. Write them down, practice them live. Check out my primer here: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/fitbehavioral-interviews-a-crash-… - Case prep: No shortage of advice on WSO for this topic.

Good luck.

 

If you're at an Ivy school you'll have a great network to draw on for landing an MBB position. I wouldn't doubt what the others are saying about how competitive it is and they have given you good advice about how to proceed.

 

@brj Thanks for the helpful response. I meant that it's a top 10 school but I didn't want to specify which one. Top 10 is clearly a target in my opinion.

@pnb2002 I do apologize for my harsh tone but I would be lying if I said that it didn't bother me the way GPA is looked at. At my school, literally anyone with half a brain can cruise to a 3.8+ in Economics or History if they put in an inkling of motivated effort. In engineering, you have to dedicate every waking hour to hope for a 3.5+. It's that stark of a difference in difficulty in majors at my school. You could say why I didn't study something else but consulting wasn't on my mind as an 18 year old entering college. I always thought of myself as a quantitative guy so I thought I'd give it a shot to keep doors open down the road.

Are there any tips people can provide on case preparation? I've been delving into some of the notable books but I feel like you have to go beyond those to land a job at one of these firms. Also, does doing Consulting related extracurriculars help? I have a friend who runs the Consulting club at my school and he could help me out. Thanks for the help!

 

Your resume looks pretty good... by the way of your description it seems as if these invites are coming through OCR? If so, and your networking + resume got an interview with BCG, I wouldn't worry too much about a rejection from ATK's Analytics Group. I'd keep focusing on networking with people in info sessions, alums, people working in nearby offices, friends, etc and practice cases so you can ace any interviews you get.

At competitive schools, there are so many qualified candidates that not everyone who gets offers at MBB even gets interviews at all three -- even with networking.

 
ocho:
Your resume looks pretty good... by the way of your description it seems as if these invites are coming through OCR? If so, and your networking + resume got an interview with BCG, I wouldn't worry too much about a rejection from ATK's Analytics Group. I'd keep focusing on networking with people in info sessions, alums, people working in nearby offices, friends, etc and practice cases so you can ace any interviews you get.

At competitive schools, there are so many qualified candidates that not everyone who gets offers at MBB even gets interviews at all three -- even with networking.

Thank you ocho for your comments. I have been going to my school career center many times to improve on it. Only some of the invites came through OCR but BCG did not. Actually, I got the BCG first round last year and my graduate GPA was still not shown since it was my first semester. That is why I suspect it to be my low GPA that is the culprit. I am trying to raise it to 3.7 after I graduate but are there anything I could have done to improve my work experience section?

searching
 

Hey anon56, no its not. The reason is because I checked with my friend who is also on F1 visa but got first rounds. She has the same educational background but chose to leave out her GPAs from the resume. That is why I am considering whether to do that too.

Thanks

searching
 

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