Consultant Undergrad Internship Trajectory

From what I have seen, the common path on getting into IB is as follow:

Freshman-PWM, Sophomore- boutique SA, Junior- BB SA, Senior- BB FT offer.

However, I am interested in management consulting but I am uncertain of what it takes to get there. Do you guys have suggestions?

 

While it's true that consulting recruits from diverse backgrounds ,there still are somewhat standardized paths to consulting from your junior year summer to MBB FT.

1) Consulting internship to consulting FT (either within the same firm or switching from one firm to another) 2) IB internship to consulting FT 3) F500 corporate internship (mostly in strategy positions--"Business Analyst" programs) to consulting FT

The above three covers a good portion of an incoming class.

 
Best Response
pnb2002:

While it's true that consulting recruits from diverse backgrounds ,there still are somewhat standardized paths to consulting from your junior year summer to MBB FT.

1) Consulting internship to consulting FT (either within the same firm or switching from one firm to another)
2) IB internship to consulting FT
3) F500 corporate internship (mostly in strategy positions--"Business Analyst" programs) to consulting FT

The above three covers a good portion of an incoming class.

+1 this. I was number two on that list, while the vast majority of my incoming class fell into that one of the three buckets.

 
Walkio:
Consultancy is a lot more about industry experience, and many firms are also willing to consider you if you're from 'abnormal' backgrounds.

In IB, the process seems to be stricter and more regimented. Junior internship > FT > MBA > Associate.

thank god for management consulting!

Get it!
 

While the OP should have used the search function, a few thoughts:

  • Only a fraction of full-time consultants had summer internships. There are simply far fewer summer internships to go around. Given the supply and demand for those limited slots, getting one is very hard
  • Consulting firms look at the whole package -- SAT score, GPA (in some cases, alums from your school look at your transcript to put things in the proper context), extracurriculars, and yes work experience all factor into who gets an interview. You have some control over some of these elements. Once you get an interview, it's then all up to your performance -- many resources exist to help on this
  • This may be a bit too much of a generalization, but I would say that the IB process cares more about your ability to crank out output and your desire for the job (IB generally and the firm in particular). Consulting cares more about raw intelligence and critical thinking. While networking can be helpful in consulting, it is generally not necessary -- you can get an interview without networking, and if you nail every interview you will get an offer. Obviously, many top people can get offers from both industries, but they are looking for slightly different things
 

Aut non fugiat saepe. Quo enim consequatur delectus nam perspiciatis est. Reprehenderit eaque tenetur quas dolorum. Dolorem qui id omnis sit perspiciatis harum autem cum.

Nostrum sit repudiandae exercitationem ad itaque tempore temporibus. Omnis dolore quia et. Ea et fugiat facilis provident. Magnam dolorem dicta quia sit cumque omnis quidem. Ea magni in nulla cum maiores earum soluta. Dolores mollitia odio vero deserunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (586) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”