3.9 GPA, semi-target, hard science/math major...few offers/interviews. Should I look elsewhere?

Hi all,

I have a little over a 3.9 at a semi-target (Cornell) in biology and math with a minor in comp sci and significant AEM coursework (practically done with the major requirements). last summer i did healthcare consulting/marketing at a respected, midsized firm (top 100 for consulting, but not very special), as well as PWM with Merrill lynch last fall. i also have plenty of ECs with leadership (president/club founder) and significant research experience (even publications). but to date i have only gotten one interview (and not through OCR but a personal connection). i was dinged by OWFS, Mercer, and BCG. Waiting on Deloitte BTA, but I've waited two days to hear back so I'm probably am not

i don't understand if the problem is with my work experience, major , or something else. I've networked very hard with Deloitte and OWFS and even participated is special programs with both firms. What am I doing wrong?

FYI: I have also applied for investment banking/ capital markets positions at several BBs with slightly better results. I thought having some prior consulting experience/finance experience and a good GPA would be a lock for first round interviews, but friends with much lower gpas in fluff majors are already confirming their final rounds/superdays/even offers. Do I still have any hope for this recruiting season?

I admit I haven't networked as much as I should have with every bank/consulting place I applied to, but a lot of the people on the OWFS interview list have never even gone to an info session.
Also, for the record, I'm an Asian female, not eligible for any sort of minority recruiting aside from BS women's events (that have done little for me in terms of interviews/networking).

At this point, I'm considering giving up pursuing consulting for FT and just going to grad school for sciences. Sorry for the long rant, just really discouraged by the lack of interviews while everyone is interviewing like crazy.

Any advice or feedback is appreciated.

 

Sounds like you should be getting first round interviews. (You're applying for SA, right?)

How many firms did you apply to?

Perhaps your resume is raising red flags for some reason.

Don't believe everything you think.
 

CU student here.

For what it's worth, my understanding was BCG was absurdly competitive here this year (maybe all years). That said, almost all of my interviews were with banks I pursued pretty hard in networking. Your resume sounds solid. I'm at a loss as well. Perhaps firms are worrying that you'd choose grad school anyway? That's the only thing I can think of off the top of my head.

 

You have some good stat's, however your background seems a little all over the place. Just coming from reviewing a lot of resumes, for instance a Cornell Econ major with a 3.4, maybe plays a team sport, involved in a frat / sorority, active role in an investment club or something, maybe a summer internship at a small hedge fund in their home town doing some applicable valuation stuff and puts in some leg work to get in front of some the bankers before OCR would definitely be competitive candidate and get interviews I'd think.

Haven't seen your resume, however from what I see here I'd be like "what the hell am I looking at here?". Do you want to go to grad school? Are you thinking of joining the Peace Corp or Teach for America? Do you want to be doctor / programer / actuary / marketing gal / financial adviser?

Also keep in mind I've actually seen some Cornell resumes looking for IB gigs, and can say you have some very competitive classmates. +3.9 GPA's in Applied Econ and EE, respectable IB SA's their frosh summer, some with previous BB internships the previous summer going into last year SA, super friendly and posed over the phone, research assistants at the B-School, etc.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Stringer Bell:
Haven't seen your resume, however from what I see here I'd be like "what the hell am I looking at here?"

But this sort of thing seems to be the MO for consulting firms. I'm working at MBB next year, and less than half of the offerees who hadn't interned the previous summer had previous management consulting experience. The rest worked at tech startups, quant prop shops, hard science labs, PR firms- nothing that would indicate a strong interest in consulting.

Don't believe everything you think.
 

This is a year with insane competition. Banks are running smaller summer programs, there are yet more kids who want to get into the industry ... where in 2006 you could have a 3.5 with no prior experience and pull an interview easily, now you need to have been networking for months, have multiple people pulling for you at resume selection, have great experience, strong ECs, and a stellar GPA. It's almost too much to ask for.

I agree that your background seems a bit unfocused. I suggest that you start tailoring your resume to industries. I don't know if you're using the same document for both consulting and banking, but if you are, that's an issue. It's called selective portrayal. You need to paint a picture of you as the absolute best, most hell-bent on banking candidate when you apply there, and vice versa for consulting. Best of both worlds on your resume gets you nowhere, I'm afraid.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

i do have separate banking and consulting resumes, but i used the standard IB format for both. I highlight more finance/investment-related ECs/work on the IB one, and on the consulting one I mostly highlight diverse classes, my summer internships, and interesting on-campus projects.

@Joe: I also thought I fit the MO for mgmt/strategy consulting fairly well--great lab experience, smart hard worker (i regularly take 22+ credits a semester, including grad engineering/bio classes), involved on campus (i'm in an investment club on campus-on the e-board too- and am taking a b-school modeling class as well).

as for red flag, i don't have a good freshman year internship (NYS dept. internship) though, so I'm wondering if that is hurting me. other than that, i don't have any lapses in my academic records and i have steadily increased my EC load and involvement, but i'm wondering if i come across as bland and uninteresting in m resume--my hobbies are running, hiking, cooking, mostly boring stuff.

as for networking, i only started networking last fall, and even then i didnt go to all of the event i should have due to scheduling conflicts (really really busy with classes/ECs/studying in general).

i've talked to a McKinsey recruiter about my background/forwarded him my resume, and he said it's fine, even preferred by consulting firms. i've also gotten in touch with Bain recruiters to for advice and feedback.

what am I going to do if I can't lock an IB/mgmt consulting internship this summer? without one, i feel like i'm shot for FT next fall, i'm really worried about where i will stand compared to this summer's interns. i'm embarrassed to talk to my friends about it too, because a lot of people assume i'm interviewing heavily now due to my stats.

....should i just start cold calling/emailing? i feel like that's the only last-minute networking i can get done now.

 

@ joe: i applied to 5 consulting firms and 7 bbs/boutiques for IB/public finance/capital markets/ one IM position. i've also been to 3 cornell days as well and had done a 3 week externship/winternship with GE capital this winter. at this point, i'm applying to everything that is remotely relevant to my profile on CCnet. the ironic bright side of this whole situation is that i am on top of all my classwork for the first time right at the start of the semester, because i have so few interviews.

 

Don't beat yourself up. I went to a target school (wharton) and had a high gpa (3.8+) and i didn't find a job right out of college. It really sucked but things did work out.

 

Just a question relating to this, I've also met people recruiting right now with high GPAs who did not get offers in hard majors. Is it normally due to a student's status as an International Student? Where firms would have to sponsor the student?

 

@syoon; i just became a permanent resident, so i'm in an "adjustment of status" position, I get my offical documentation in a month. i indicated this in my applications. am i disadvantaged because i' not a u.s citizen? i though PRs were the same as citizens when it comes to work authorization.

 

Cornell senior here.

I do feel your pain. I know many people at Cornell who got shut out of OCR entirely. Just within my social circle, I know at least a dozen seniors who landed less than 2 OCR interviews for i-banking or trading positions last OCR cycle despite having 3.5+ gpa.That being said, it fucking sucks.

I had 3.5 GPA in Econ, had top strategy consulting internship experience, applied to 20+ banks and 9 consulting firms last OCR for FT recruiting, and got 1 fucking interview for banking and got 2 interviews for consulting. I was so mad that I almost broke my laptop, after seeing emails notifying me about my rejections before first round.

I think the major problem with Cornell is its gigantic class size. There are what, something like 4000 students per each grade at Cornell. You can bet that a ton of Cornell kids are gunning for top consulting / banking jobs, and the level of competition just to get 1st round interview is fucking insane. Employers interview 20-30 kids at first round, and imagine just how many Cornell kids apply for jobs... you do the math, the odds of landing interviews on campus isn't in your favor.

I think smaller schools with strong OCR, such as Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Duke, or Princeton are FAR better than Cornell regarding OCR due to less competition. (less students applying for jobs)

My guess is that unless you network hard with bankers months prior to OCR AND have finance- related internship experience AND have 3.6+ GPA, you stand virtually no chance of getting an interview.

My advice? Look outside of OCR and apply for everything, network, and try to find anything you can. I got a boutique consulting job offer (which I am not too happy about btw), and this firm doesn't even come to Cornell to recruit. I just sent out a fuck ton of applications everywhere, cold emailed a bunch of HR recruiters, and did some networking and landed some interviews for consulting. (no interview for banking)

Good luck.

 
Sexy_Like_Enrique:
Cornell senior here.

I do feel your pain. I know many people at Cornell who got shut out of OCR entirely. Just within my social circle, I know at least a dozen seniors who landed less than 2 OCR interviews for i-banking or trading positions last OCR cycle despite having 3.5+ gpa.That being said, it fucking sucks.

I had 3.5 GPA in Econ, had top strategy consulting internship experience, applied to 20+ banks and 9 consulting firms last OCR for FT recruiting, and got 1 fucking interview for banking and got 2 interviews for consulting. I was so mad that I almost broke my laptop, after seeing emails notifying me about my rejections before first round.

I think the major problem with Cornell is its gigantic class size. There are what, something like 4000 students per each grade at Cornell. You can bet that a ton of Cornell kids are gunning for top consulting / banking jobs, and the level of competition just to get 1st round interview is fucking insane. Employers interview 20-30 kids at first round, and imagine just how many Cornell kids apply for jobs... you do the math, the odds of landing interviews on campus isn't in your favor.

I think smaller schools with strong OCR, such as Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Duke, or Princeton are FAR better than Cornell regarding OCR due to less competition. (less students applying for jobs)

My guess is that unless you network hard with bankers months prior to OCR AND have finance- related internship experience AND have 3.6+ GPA, you stand virtually no chance of getting an interview.

My advice? Look outside of OCR and apply for everything, network, and try to find anything you can. I got a boutique consulting job offer (which I am not too happy about btw), and this firm doesn't even come to Cornell to recruit. I just sent out a fuck ton of applications everywhere, cold emailed a bunch of HR recruiters, and did some networking and landed some interviews for consulting. (no interview for banking)

Good luck.

What does "top strategy consulting" mean? If you were a summer at MBB and can't get interviews then your resume must scream "I am a retard." If it wasn't MBB than it wasn't "top strategy consulting." Either way, this doesn't make sense.

 
Powerpoint Jockey:
Sexy_Like_Enrique:
Cornell senior here.

I do feel your pain. I know many people at Cornell who got shut out of OCR entirely. Just within my social circle, I know at least a dozen seniors who landed less than 2 OCR interviews for i-banking or trading positions last OCR cycle despite having 3.5+ gpa.That being said, it fucking sucks.

I had 3.5 GPA in Econ, had top strategy consulting internship experience, applied to 20+ banks and 9 consulting firms last OCR for FT recruiting, and got 1 fucking interview for banking and got 2 interviews for consulting. I was so mad that I almost broke my laptop, after seeing emails notifying me about my rejections before first round.

I think the major problem with Cornell is its gigantic class size. There are what, something like 4000 students per each grade at Cornell. You can bet that a ton of Cornell kids are gunning for top consulting / banking jobs, and the level of competition just to get 1st round interview is fucking insane. Employers interview 20-30 kids at first round, and imagine just how many Cornell kids apply for jobs... you do the math, the odds of landing interviews on campus isn't in your favor.

I think smaller schools with strong OCR, such as Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Duke, or Princeton are FAR better than Cornell regarding OCR due to less competition. (less students applying for jobs)

My guess is that unless you network hard with bankers months prior to OCR AND have finance- related internship experience AND have 3.6+ GPA, you stand virtually no chance of getting an interview.

My advice? Look outside of OCR and apply for everything, network, and try to find anything you can. I got a boutique consulting job offer (which I am not too happy about btw), and this firm doesn't even come to Cornell to recruit. I just sent out a fuck ton of applications everywhere, cold emailed a bunch of HR recruiters, and did some networking and landed some interviews for consulting. (no interview for banking)

Good luck.

What does "top strategy consulting" mean? If you were a summer at MBB and can't get interviews then your resume must scream "I am a retard." If it wasn't MBB than it wasn't "top strategy consulting." Either way, this doesn't make sense.

I did summer analyst gig at one of MBB.

I had 3.6 GPA when I was recruiting for MBB, plus I had a connection there so I got the interview, aced it, and got summer offer. MBB didn't give me return offer after internship. Actually, only around half the summers were given return offers in our office, also I fucked up one assignment and got into an argument with an analyst, which didn't help me.

My gpa dropped down to 3.5 because I stopped giving a fuck and I took all hard classes junior year, and to my surprise, I didn't land many interviews at all for FT recruiting my senior year.

Consulting firms at OCR have a very hard GPA cut off, and even Deloitte S&O recruiter told me that the min gpa cutoff they are looking for is 3.7, and anyone below that will be dinged regardless of work experience. She told me that in 2007 when economy was good, 3.5 gpa was sufficient, but in this economy, you basically needed at least 3.7 gpa just to land an interview.

Plus, I found that lack of finance experience hurt me for banking recruiting as well, not to mention FT recruiting for IBD is fucking dead compared to SA. Each bank hired like 1 kid from my school from FT recruiting, and if you didn't get into banking as an SA junior year, you were most likely fucked.

Lastly, top strat consulting includes MBB, OW, Parthenon, Marakon, Monitor, Mercer, L.E.K., Booz, and even Deloitte S&O. All these firms are top notch and the level of selectivity among these firms is very negligible. That said, MBB does have the most prestige, but all these shops are very elite strat firms.

 

I'm a college senior and did decently during this past consulting recruiting season. Here are a few thoughts--I apologize if any of this is too obvious:

Just looking at your stats, and thinking back on my and my friends' experiences, it's strange that you're not getting consulting interviews. You have an excellent gpa in majors that are far more rigorous than econ, which most of the kids you're competing against are probably majoring in. Your work experience is definitely fine for a junior applying to internships.

I would focus on presentation at this point, and make sure that your resume explicitly shows skills useful to consulting (e.g., working/leading a group, creatively finding a solution to a problem, working around incomplete and imperfect data, presenting a complicated idea or finding to those with less knowledge than you.) I'm sure you've heard this before, but make sure it looks PERFECT with no typos, as some firms will ding for that.

One thing you might want to do is play up your bio major. Many consulting firms do a large amount of healthcare work, and are very proud of their healthcare practices. You could try making the argument in your cover letter/resume that your bio classes/research got you interested in consulting and will help you during healthcare engagements.

Finally, just remember that consulting internship recruiting is VERY competitive, and there are very few slots. Things are easier in the fall for full-time recruiting, and it's not uncommon that a firm that dinged/waitlisted you for an internship to interview you for a full-time position. Just make sure you do SOMETHING--it doesn't even have to be consulting or banking--this summer, and you should be okay.

 

pororo: its ur immigration status. unless u have a physical green card in your hand, you are pretty screwed.

i remember I had an EAD (employment auth doc) which legally gave me the right to work anywhere for indifinite period of time. but i still got denied everywhere (btw, i ended up threatening to sue a firm for discrimitation after i pointed out that legally they could not deny me based on my immigration status if i had an EAD and that very quickly changed the firm's mind. i ended up not working for the company in the end ... cus well they were obviously assholes :) ).

 

@ppandey: why? i would have indefinite PR work authorization whenever employers used e-verify or any sort of background check. besides, my actual green card paperwork has been processed and approved, so i have the status; the actual thing will be in my hands in a month.

 

I guess it depends on situation to situation, but i would not rely on the INS to do anything. its the worst organization in the US govt. in my experience, i had to start actually showing my GC when applying to show residency (or provide the alien #, if u have that u shud be fine).

But ya, i would not be surprised if the INS fucked up somehow and have not updated ur records. Here is an example:

in college i did not have my GC and only the EAD. one of my friends wanted to go out and took my drivers license (he was under 21) to get into a bar. he got caught and so my ID was confiscated. ok no problem, i just had to get a new one. so i show up to the DMV, request a renewed license and they say "sorry we cannot issue you a license because you are 11 years old" "uh... ur kidding? do i LOOk 11 to you?" "our records indicate you are 11" "but im not, obviously. i have had a license for 5 years now" "o looks like u just renewed your EAD and on the new EAD it says you were born in 1997" "obviously thats a typo, i was born in 87" "sorry we cant help you. u need to go get a new EAD" "Shit..."

so i go to the INS to get a new EAD. "we need a valid drivers license to give u a new EAD" "but i cant get a new license without an EAD" "sorry we cant help you"

it took me over 5 months to get a new license until FINALLY some1 at the DMV realized the absolute absurdity of the situation and decided to look at my passport.

 

i have an SSN so i don't think i have a problem with status. If I can't get consulting or BB banking, should i start contacting boutique investment banks? i'm afraid that if i dont get anything, i'm screwed for FT consulting and definitely for banking. how should i contact boutiques? i am really grasping at straws here, so i dont care about the hours (but i really cant afford to intern outside of the NYC area) or even getting paid anything--i need need need any experience i can get.

just met a sophomore who interned at bridgewater last summer...i really feel like there's no more hope for large shops for me this cycle if i'm competing with people like this...

 

I agree with Alvysinger here- DON'T give up hope of landing a FT consulting gig if you don't intern at a consulting firm this summer! Why not recruit for tech and spend your summer in SF?

Don't believe everything you think.
 

I agree with Joe Monkey, don't give up. I have a politics/International relations-heavy background and I never did a consulting/banking/finance-related internship. It was very very tough getting interviews, but in the end I got offers from 2 top strategy houses, one of which is a MBB.

If you can't land a consulting or banking internship this summer, look into internships in industry or something else with a big brand name. The summer before senior year, I interned at the UN and then the following spring I interned at a major think tank. During my consulting interviews this past fall, interviewers picked up on those two experiences and asked me a lot of questions about it (how selective was the application process, how prestigious was it, etc). They were very keen on the prestige-aspect of it. In short, get some really big brand names on your resume this summer if you can't get anything consulting/finance-related.

 
pororo91:
how do consulting and/ or BBs feel about working in social media or well-known startups and/or nonprofits (like clinton foundation, UN, etc) if there is a lot of financial work involved in the internship experience?

Not sure about consulting FT recruiting, but if you didn't get banking SA as a junior, you are almost fucked for banking recruiting FT. FT recruiting for banking sucks, and each bank hires like one kid from FT recruiting. Basically, over 90% of analysts come from banks' summer analyst program.

not to mention, if you don't have banking-related summer internship after junior year, it is the kiss of death for IBD recruiting. I had MBB consulting internship after junior year, and banks dinged me for FT recruiting.

That being said, consulting employers aren't as picky about your work experience as banks. they just want to see high gpa, some work experience (doesn't have to be consulting or banking), and your ability to do well on case interviews.

 

Having been on both sides (recruiting and recruiter) at one of these firms, I honestly think you just need to CHILL OUT....my experience has always been that the people that optimize every last thing about their collegiate experience to fit in well at a consulting shop or IB tend to not end up with the offer and the obsessing over it tends to give a bad impression of your EQ when networking/at recruiting events/interviewing

Good luck and have fun!

 
pororo91:
@Enrique: $%#@#%$#%!!!!!! I have no more hope for IBD then.... how about asset management/investment management/equity research? or if i cant get IBD, what about FT for more back office-ish roles like risk, research, etc? headdesk this has been such a shitty day so far, i bombed my psets and i got freaking attacked by a dog, and now i'm fucked for IBD, can things get any worse?!!

I don't know dude. You still have shot for consulting. like i said, consulting employers aren't as picky as IBD regarding your work experience. Just do something legit for this summer and it doesn't have to be consulting or finance. Consulting employers just want 'smart' people, so having a high gpa and doing well on case interviews is pretty much it.

Yeah, but for banking, unless you snag something for SA this summer, there is a very good chance you won't get anything during FT recruiting as a senior. FT recruiting for IBD even at Harvard/ Wharton sucks, compared to SA recruiting as a junior. Most banks fill their IBD analyst class with their summer analyst program. This is just a fact.

 

pororo91, nobody on WSO takes Sexy_Like_Enrique seriously. Maybe he's right this time. Who knows? He's wrong so often that it's safer to just ignore everything he says.

Please, for the love of God, don't give up on a career because a (nearly universally derided) individual on an anonymous internet forum said you didn't have a shot.

Don't believe everything you think.
 
joe_monkey:
pororo91, nobody on WSO takes Sexy_Like_Enrique seriously. Maybe he's right this time. Who knows? He's wrong so often that it's safer to just ignore everything he says.

Please, for the love of God, don't give up on a career because a (nearly universally derided) individual on an anonymous internet forum said you didn't have a shot.

let me guess, your alt account user name is 'Prospective Monkey', isn't it?

 

@Enrique, I can confirm that FT IBD recruiting at Wharton sucked in 2009 and 2010. They filled out their FT from the SA ranks. So yes, without IBD SA experience landing FT IBD is ridiculously hard, but not impossible. But consulting firms don't give a damn. You can volunteer for a cause and that might even look better for FT consulting than some random summer internship at an unknown firm.

 
madkappa:
@Enrique, I can confirm that FT IBD recruiting at Wharton sucked in 2009 and 2010. They filled out their FT from the SA ranks. So yes, without IBD SA experience landing FT IBD is ridiculously hard, but not impossible. But consulting firms don't give a damn. You can volunteer for a cause and that might even look better for FT consulting than some random summer internship at an unknown firm.

Thanks for your verification. FT recruiting for IBD at Cornell last year was pure shit, and just ridiculous. Many kids with 3.9+ GPA in hard majors didn't land more than 2 first round interviews. Unless you land I-banking as a junior for SA program, you are almost likely fucked for IBD.

That being said, posters such as 'Joe Monkey' and "prospective monkey" - shut the fuck up, lol. Don't attack me for saying something that is accurate. Do your fucking research first before shitting on other posters.

 
Sexy_Like_Enrique:
That being said, posters such as 'Joe Monkey' and "prospective monkey" - shut the fuck up, lol. Don't attack me for saying something that is accurate. Do your fucking research first before shitting on other posters.

SLE, I'm not interested in any sort of feud, and this will be the first and last time I ever engage in this discussion with you.

Are you right this time? Perhaps; I really don't know much about IB SA recruiting (and BTW, as someone who got dinged before 1R, neither do you). But being correct is not the same as being credible, and you are not credible.

Please, take a moment to reflect on your SB:MS ratio. WSO users have judged that you are not a valuable member of this community. With the poor judgement and immaturity you display every day on this site, it's not hard to imagine why you didn't receive a return offer from your summer internship.


pororo91, sorry for derailing your thread. Please listen to what Roark said above.

The only characteristic shared by all the students in my recruiting class is that they're genuinely interesting individuals. Another finance/consulting EC won't make or break your application. Your time is far better spent pursuing a passion.

Interviewers really couldn't have cared less that I've published in a prestigious physics journal- they were far more interested in my role in the collaboration than its results. Like, I play a goofy intercollegiate club sport, and I probably spent more time talking the team than the rest of my resume put together.

Are you truly set on IB? If so, then you should probably devote yourself to finding an IB internship for the summer. If not, find a place you find interesting and do your best to kick ass, collaborate effectively, and make a real impact.

Don't believe everything you think.
 

another thing -

If you really want consulting, even for FT recruiting, my advice is to network heavily from now so that you will get plenty of first round interviews.

Cornell isn't the best for consulting OCR. I say this as a Cornell senior.

Last year, the following firms didn't even come to Cornell OCR for FT recruiting:

Accenture IBM McKinsey BCG Capgemini Parthenon Marakon Monitor L.E.K. Consulting

So, the best firms that come to Cornell OCR are firms such as Deloitte S&O, Oliver, and AT Kearney. Since not too many consulting employers show up at OCR, the competition for first-round slots is fucking intense.

You shouldn't wait until resume drop during FT OCR, submit your resume, and just smile. You should meet analysts, associates, etc and try to make sure you land first-round interviews from networking. Never just rely on OCR.

 
Look. You are doing no favors for yourself by running around throwing insults at other people who are evidently more mature than you.

This poster - "joe monkey", I am pretty sure this guy is same user as 'prospective monkey'.

For some reason, whenever I say something, this guy comes up attacking me, for no apparent reason, even if I am not saying anything wrong.

For example, I said getting into banking without SA internship IBD experience would be very, very difficult and that banks fill majority of their analyst classes with their summer analysts. This is just a fact.

How does this statement warrant attack against me?

Regardless of what topic you're discussing, what stance you have, the facts of the case, or your own personal research or empirical evidence... if you act in real life like half the twat you are on this forum

Lol at you for thinking how I behave in real life has any correlation to what I post here. Lol, just lol. Get a fucking life, buddy. This is a free anonymous internet message board, so I say whatever the fuck I want to say. I try to be very politically correct and well mannered to others in real life, especially when I interview, obviously.

In addition - I didn't mean to be a prick until this guy attacked me for no apparent reason, citing how I am not 'credible' and other bullshit. So what? Then don't fucking read my posts. Big deal. Some people on this site are such fucked up tools with no life.

it's no wonder at all you get dinged everywhere you apply.

I have a job offer, thank you. Read my previous post, again, I have an offer from a consulting firm, although I didn't get the return offer from my previous employer after internship.

Yes, the industry is in a major hiring contraction right now and recruiting sucks. People still get offers though. Running your mouth and preaching your own stories, even if they have a grain of truth, simply gets you more enemies than friends here.

OP asked the question, I answered. Simple as that. If you don't like my post, don't read. No one is forcing you to.

I said, since OCR for FT recruiting is going to be brutal for IBD, don't bank on that to fall through so plan accordingly. That advice isn't out of line with reality at all. Actually, another poster from Wharton confirmed that FT IBD recruiting even at Wharton is brutal and it would be really hard, even out of Wharton, to break into banking without IBD SA after junior year.

I also said that consulting OCR at Cornell isn't that strong (and this is a fact), so I advised OP not to rely just on OCR during senior FT to get the job. This isn't anything out of reality, again, nor does this kind of advice warrant others attacking me. So,what's the deal?

 

The deal is that one's personality shows wherever they are. Forum, in class, during an interview, wherever. It shines through, you can only cover it so much.

Congratulations on your offer. That's good, you don't have to worry about employment after graduation. What you ought to worry about, however, is how you interact with other people.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

uhh, i feel like my thread is getting derailed....Enrique, Posse, Joe do you have any resources for contacting boutiques? I need to start calling and emailing this week.

Also, I got more interviews (yay), but in tech/sales positions with a hedge fund and an AM place. Obviously going to give it my best shot, but would these places warrant an interview for IBD for FT? obviously boutique IBD is best but i will take anything i can get.

 
Best Response
pororo91:
uhh, i feel like my thread is getting derailed....Enrique, Posse, Joe do you have any resources for contacting boutiques? I need to start calling and emailing this week.

Also, I got more interviews (yay), but in tech/sales positions with a hedge fund and an AM place. Obviously going to give it my best shot, but would these places warrant an interview for IBD for FT? obviously boutique IBD is best but i will take anything i can get.

Just from reading some of your other posts above, you're not screwed, not by a long shot. You have superb grades from a top tier school in really challenging majors, you'll be fine, just calm yourself and don't over think things.

Not to beat a dead horse, but reiterating what I said, you need to focus your efforts. If you want to do IB this summer, then put the management consulting aspirations on pause, and direct your efforts exclusively on IB SA slots.

MBB and similar caliber consulting shops, as you've found out, are tough to get in with for summer internships. Consulting and IB are very different beasts. In IB, the firms role - in short - is to facilitate access to capital for a company whether through capital markets (equity or debt), private equity investments or an m&a transaction. That's it for the most part. It's a lot of repetition, so banks take on so many interns because it primes the kids heading for FT roles to get used to working through the deal process and the faster an analyst can get in the swing of going through motions the faster they can effectively perform their duties as a jr. person on the deal team.

Consulting however, is much more geared towards intellectual horse power and figuring out solutions for the client. The big consulting firms do have templated game-plans, but not nearly like IB, given that a consulting team has to handle a huge variety of problems that fall outside of just trying to get a companies stock price to go up. That said - and take McKinsey for example - bigger consulting shops typically do most of their recruiting on a FT only basis as there's not a big need for interns given their limited experience.

Going back to what I said, if you want to do IB this summer, tailor your resume to really project your candidacy to demonstrate a logical fit for an IB SA (if interested I'd be more than happy to look it over for you). Scour the Cornell job board religiously for OCR events and resume drops. Buy a Doostang subscription and start shelling your resume to recruiting contacts on there (just doing a quick search, there's dozens of SA internship opportunities). Talk to your friends / classmates who got a couple SA offers and see if they'd be willing to pony up some alum contacts from banks they turned down. Hop on the shortline to Manhattan and set up some informal coffee meetings with some Cornell banking alums one day.

Additionally, again given what I said about consulting, some other good summer jobs for you that would help you next fall for FT consulting would maybe be a good research position at a policy think-tank in Washington DC or working abroad somewhere dealing with complicated problems / issues that will put your education to use in practical "real world" scenarios.

Last thing. Why do you want to do management consulting and why do you want to do that instead of IB or any of the other work experiences you've had or vice versa? Seriously. If I where interviewing you, I'd absolutely ask you that question. If you haven't already, I'd suggest thinking about it a little bit and really put together a strong set of reasons (just for your own sake) as to why you want to head that direction professionally. IMHO, I think that would really help you out as you move forward. Hope all that helps.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

hey guys, is it better to first call or email boutique banks/consulting firms? I'm kind of scared to cold-call because I figured the HR/secretary person at the firm would just hang up....

 

Est maxime dolores laboriosam in iure. Quos aut consequatur velit aut. Iste perferendis voluptas nostrum officia.

Totam voluptas corrupti libero explicabo nobis quisquam. Et et esse minima. Id quam eum tenetur voluptatum ipsum.

Sapiente neque quis et dolorem odit ratione dolorem. Aliquid voluptates et impedit. Modi pariatur ut similique quos at necessitatibus ullam.

Eveniet voluptatibus necessitatibus dolorum. Quae sed ipsum dolores vitae labore est sunt. Ut voluptatem in minus modi ea exercitationem. Ex qui laudantium ratione.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”