Transferring Location Flexibility within MBB

Hi, longtime lurker here. How flexible are MBB in terms of changing location after you start? So say one goes to Booth/Kellogg and then lands one of the three in Chicago for a summer position. Is it possible without too much luck/hassle to then transfer internally to the desired office when one starts full-time?

 
Best Response

Maybe. But I would suggest that you don't play the location game. In some years, remote offices hire more, in others, you're better off near your schools home office. Upfront is a gamble; you don't know what the needs will be. I have friends who have played the game and won, and others who played the game and were stuck in a location or group they didn't want.

If you have a legit life occurrence (serious relationship, etc) the offices tend to be understanding. But in some cases they may ask you to reapply to another office etc. In other cases they won't have a need and won't be willing to make a switch.

A lot of people go to the Chi offices from Booth/Kellogg, but the remote offices all have alum that will go further to bat for you. It's a wash in my opinion. Just app for the city you want to be in full time.

 

This brings up the issue of whether you should apply to a remote office upfront or go with the office with more of your school's presence. If you apply to the office closer to your school, they will definitely take some students from your school but you are competing against people from your own school. If you apply to a remote office, you don't have the benefit of the office normally taking people from your region but I have also heard that remote offices would want more diverse talent coming outside of their core regional schools.

What do you all think? Is it better to apply to an office that normally recruits at your school or a remote office?

 

Someone who actually works there may have better insight (Karl Pinkington, for instance), but if I am not mistaken you are hired into an Associate position out of MBA here in the U.S., but I may be incorrect.

That said, and take this from a grain of salt as it is based on my own research, I believe it's not impossible to get into a U.S. office from INSEAD, but most U.S.-based positions are recruited out of MBA business schools">M7 + a few other programs -- the U.S.

Also, are you saying that 25 is "older"? I know Kellogg has an average age of 28 from last year and I myself am 32 and headed there this fall (outlier, of course).

 

Maybe I was a bit unclear, but I am already employed by an MBB and have an offer to come back for an associate position after the MBA, hoping to transfer internally to a US office within 2 years or so after graduating (hopefully in an EM position).

I am trying to increase my chances for an internal transfer and was wondering if MBA choice has any influence on that.

 

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