Advice on Breaking into Consulting from Semi-Target UK
Currently studying politics at a semi target (Tier 2 school for BCG). Looking for advice on breaking into Management and Strategy consulting at MBB (ideally). Currently a 2nd year and am expected to graduate with a high 2:1, have been looking at options on what to do when I graduate for a few months. Am currently favoring an Accounting and Finance Program at LSE. LSE brand is really respected, especially in the US which I'm hoping will get eyeballs on my resume. I'm also looking at MiM at King's, potentially LSE as well, however my research is telling me those are much less respected degrees, especially the King's one.
So, I'm now applying to any internships available at MBB (long shot) and Big 4 (Audit, anything Consulting related etc.) however I'm again at a disadvantage as most UK postings, while being open to all degree fields, require being a full time resident (though the ones that dont I have applied to). And most if not all US side listings limit the criteria to Business, Finance etc. students. Can politics students actually get these roles? or are they going mostly to people in relevant roles? How, as a politics student, do I demonstrate that I can handle the subject as well as a Business student?
To sum it up, I'm a bit lost and would appreciate guidance from anyone that's come from somewhere similar (Politics degree from a semi target) and broken into MBB. What are the paths and what are my best options.
self bump
self bump
At Exeter I would definitely try and push for a First. Not essential but most people at my MBB have Firsts and it definitely can make a different in getting an interview. I would also recommend going for a masters. MiM is fine but it's important to do a masters a top uni (i.e. I would only consider a masters if it is at Oxford Cambridge LSE Imperial or Warwich). A First at Exeter + a Masters at one of those unis would be enough for MBB.
I would also try and focus on brand name internships. The role itself isn't that important as long as it's transferable to consulting (e.g. could do IB/in house strategy/corp dev/ product management etc) but would definitely try do it at a company that's the top in their industry (e.g. F500/FTSE100).
Then at uni both at Exeter and if you do a masters, try and get some leadership positions through societies. Again, doesn't have to be consulting related, being on the committee of any major society is good enough.
Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.
Will definitely try for a first, currently in 2nd year averaging a high 2:1 so it's definitely doable if I lock in second semester and third year, if not I'll be right on the cusp 68-69% which I'm told employers recognize as basically a First, however obviously an actual First is better. Leadership positons for me is a bit more tricky, I'm in a lot of sports related societies however I play for fun and am not on the actual team so I haven't gone for any leadership positions. i honestly haven't interacted with the society events too much and thus am not well known in the community and don't believe I would get a commitee role. Am currently attempting to get more involved with a new Politics Think Tank type society so hopefully I can attain a high position by the time I graduate. I'm also going to join the consulting soc which has their own student consulting company, so hopefully that will also look good although it wont be a leadership role.
In terms of internships, I'm applying to pretty much anything relevant, which at this moment is a lot of Audit/Accounting and very little strategy, business/product dev or IB. I'm obviously really late for those application cycles, I believe the latest of which ended in January (some are rolling although it seems unlikely i'll get those). So will have to proactively apply for Summer 26 at this point. Honestly, it is a bit discouraging applying to Business/Finance intern roles, can't help but think that there's definitely someone that actually studies Business/Finance at a higher target or even from my own uni that would get the position over me. I guess I'm looking at it from the companies perspective and wondering why would they hire me? when they can take someone that has relevant coursework and probably a more relevant internship (currently interning at a geopolitical consultancy) than me.
In terms of the Masters, I'm also wondering about a Politics or IR Masters, would the target schools for these subjects be different than the ones you mentioned, for example to include SOAS or King's (they are slightly higher reputed in Politics than Business/Finance) . However tbh, I'm much more heavily considering Finance and Accounting as I think I need those core level finance classes after essentially only writing essays for the past 3 years.
Really appreciate your input, Thanks again.
(Also, quick addition: Is Warwick a target Masters? Have heard its just below LSE and ICL for undergrad but it's not a Masters target.)
Yeah defo try for that first, but ending on 68-69% is hardly a dealbreaker. I was in a similar position halfway through second year where I was on course for 67%. Had to lock in a lot more for second and third year final exams and as they were weighted more I ended up on a First.
On Leadership positions, tbh I was the same I hadn't really interacted with society events much which I do regret. I managed to get on the committee for a decent society in my third year and also had a leadership role in a consulting club. For the consulting club, I joined as a regular consultant in second year and then took on an Engagement Manager/Project Leader type role in third year so I'd recommend you do the same if you can't get that leadership position straight away. The Pol Think Tank society looks great too, MBB love people with diverse interests like that.
On internships, yeah the application cycle is largely Sept - Nov for banking and Jan-Feb for consulting so it's a bit late. There are still internships open in various sectors e.g. I saw an Amazon internship earlier this week open to penultimate years. Or just some marketing/operations/corp strategy type internship at a Fortune500 would be great and comparatively easier to get than consulting/IB. I wouldn't worry about the course itself, people at my MBB have come from all sorts of courses. In fact I think there's more Medicine/Engineering people than Business/Finance. The university matters a lot more than the course.
Tbh I'm not too sure about target Pol and IR masters. I'd imagine as with any masters and undergrad, its the uni name that matters a lot more than the course.
Definitely, an entry level role in IB or HF can put you in a good position to move to MBB and especially PE. I've seen people do a year or so in IB, realise they don't like it and then move over to MBB. Only issue is MBB discount external experience a lot, so 1 YOE at IB would probably mean you come in as a new graduate at MBB. But MBB is a tough environment and that IB experience can mean you can outperform a lot and get those quick promotions. On PE, IB -> PE is the most common route into PE so that's ofc very doable.
Not too sure about Warwick being a target masters, I would have guessed it's a similar tier list for masters as it is for undergrad but don't quote me on that.
I'd look at BCG's leaked screening criteria from 2017 - it should give you a rough idea of what they are looking for and how competitive it is. It's worth noting that it's almost 10 years old and will have changed/become even more rigorous and selective.
haha yes I saw that a week ago on Reddit, hence why I mentioned that Exeter's a tier 2 school for BCG in the post. I'm guessing that SOAS Masters has been removed as a Priority uni, and TCD have been moved down to other Tier 1. Based on what the other guy said above I'm also guessing you need a Tier 2 1st plus Priority Masters to get pre screened yes. Intersting that they don't mention minimum marks for Masters, just the degree itself is needed. As a side note, honestly was suprised that King's was so lowly ranked, given that the list was 10 years ago, I was under the impression that King's reputation mostly degraded within the last 10 years.
The list is a bit outdated but the rough idea is correct. The final slide on the selective employers has also increased a lot to account for more employers in various sectors. The university tier list at the priority level and tier 1 level is roughly the same, TCD is still up there as it's like the Oxbridge equivalent for Irish people
Something that hasn't been mentioned much yet is that MBBs are not the be-all and end-all of consulting. A 2:1 from Exeter (plus interesting extracurriculars) may help you land at Tier 2 (LEK, OW, Kearney) or Big 4, both of which can provide an excellent career in consulting or serve as a robust stepping stone for MBBs after 1-2 years. I'd recommend looking into consulting as a whole a bit more, since the work done at MBBs, T2s and the strategy divisions of Big 4s (e.g., S&) can differ a fair bit. Additionally, there are plenty of interesting boutiques that offer great hands-on experience for graduates and end up giving you much more responsibility at early stages compared to larger firms. In summary, do your best to strive for MBB if that's the goal but do not shy away from other opportunities too.
Thanks for the insight. I'll definitely look into more tier 2 and boutique's . However if given the oppurtunity I think I would go to LSE even if it's just a diploma program (hopefully a masters as well) as my parents will pay for it and worst case I'll get those same jobs when I graduate.
UK semi-target graduate here, BA at McKinsey now. Breaking into MBB from semi-target in the UK is definitely not comparable to doing so in the US. London MBB has a reputation for prioritizing Golden Triangle applicants (Oxbridge + Imperial). However, it is doable, specially in recent years. Three colleagues from my cohort got into BCG and 1 into Bain. Here are a few things that will boost your chances of getting the interview:
Completing your "profile" with internships (e.g. finance internship if enrolled in a STEM degree)
The above might not be a generalizable rule, but surely is what I've witnessed in my experience at uni. Best of luck!
Thanks
What are the current semis?
del
No excuse to not get a first, especially in politics
based on? politics or at least my course is almost completely essay based, which are graded on a much lower scale given the nature of subjective answers in humanities subjects vs objective answers in more quant heavy courses. Very few if not 0 people in my course are typically getting more than a 75% on essays. There are proportionally much more people in quant subjects getting firsts than humanities. Typically the grade distribution for humanities are a lot of 2:1, very little 2:2’s or below and some Firsts. While in quant subjects you’ll have a lot of Firsts , some 2:1’s and some 2:2’s. Makes sense given you can consistently score 80% + in quant modules while that’s literally impossible in any essay based module.
A lot of people that end up with Firsts in humanities are right on the borderline going into third year which is where I am, again given you can’t score above 75 it’s hard to have a solid first. And since preponderance rules exist you can avg a 65-66 in second year and then get a few 70’s in third year and even tho ur avg is 68 you’d still end up with a first. So having a high 2:1 is seen by employers and schools as basically a first but just missed the mark, obviously there is a difference however it’s not as you make it seem
Neque laboriosam nesciunt dignissimos aliquam. Corporis ea dolorum praesentium iure et totam provident. Qui placeat assumenda quaerat. Qui aut harum hic ea aut non recusandae.
Ut modi minima velit accusamus aliquid consectetur. Dolorem minima itaque reprehenderit repudiandae.
Facere fuga maxime molestiae vel. Sapiente doloremque deserunt sit incidunt et. Rerum odit omnis doloribus est ut. Voluptatem a voluptatem veniam sed.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...