Best pre-MBA job? MBB vs A&M vs FTI
Currently in processes with all 3 outside the U.S. and want to hear people’s thoughts on which would be best.
MBB - Generalist
A&M - Private equity performance improvement (PE ops and due dilligence)
FTI - Economic and Financial Consulting (valuations consulting for litigation)
Have a deferred MBA admit to HSW. Want to optimize for the best learning experience and exits into ether IB or interesting industry roles.
MBB or A&M PEPI
A&M if end goal is CFO, CEO, or PE Ops Partner.
MBB if goal is essentially anything else.
I had a similar hunch. But am much further along in the FTI process- what do you think of it if I had to take it? I’m aware valuations consulting is a bit more niche but could be a useful stepping stone to eg Investment banking especially from a HSW.
I genuinely think they’re all great opportunities in their own way. Assuming you end up receiving offers from all 3 firms (which would set you up astonishingly) my first piece of advice would be to not listen to anybody giving you advice without any substantive reasoning. IMO, I honestly think the A&M opportunity would be best since you mentioned interest in IB, and you’d likely get compensated better than MBB (that comes with the cost of longer hours). I feel most will tell you go with MBB because of brand name, without actually understanding the nuances of the different opportunities here. And since you already have your MBA locked in, prestige shouldn’t be of much consideration to you here (IB firms won’t seriously be more likely to hire you for Summer associate positions bc you worked at MBB vs A&M - will come down to your relevant skills + story). To actually get at your question about the FTI opportunity, however, I would really try to lock in the other 2 if possible. Not at all because I think the other 2 are “more prestigious” or anything like that. Purely because the A&M/MBB opportunities will expose you to a much greater variety of work streams and business problems. I think you will have a substantially more robust set of skills and problem solving capabilities at A&M/MBB, which will give you much more to talk about in future mid/post- MBA recruiting. If I were you, I’d bet on myself, ask for additional time to accept the offer with FTI if it comes down to it, and have that as a last resort option after going through the other 2 processes.
If you want to do IB or PE post-MBA and are actually interested in learning how to role up your sleeves and get things done, I think A&M would be best. MBB is better if you just want brand name or non-finance-related work in the future, but I personally don't see how strategy experience helps much with intensive financial modeling work. A&M has brutal hours though from what I understand, so if you want something a bit less intense and still get branding while learning skills, maybe MBB is the move.
I wouldn't even bother with FTI, especially if it's not restructuring. Valuations for legal disputes is super niche work and A&M is just as, if not more, well known than FTI in the "other" big 3 grouping
Thank you for the detailed reply. I agree with your reasoning, but here’s another follow up: would you take a very good MM IB offer over MBB/A&M?
IB is my intended post MBA goal, but I’m also wondering if I should maximize my Life experience by working in consulting first while I’m still young and can deal with the travel, since I should be able to recruit easily for IB from B school.
On the other hand, heading into IB and potentially recruiting into PE before the HSW MBA could open up a whole lot more doors.
Other factor is that I’d have to move for this IB job to a much more expensive city where I’d save a lot less than the MBB/A&M locations
You've already got a lot going for you, so if I were you, I'd go with MBB and enjoy your life a bit more than worry about preparing for your post-MBA plans. I'm sure MBB works hard, but I hear people at A&M get absolutely destroyed. You're well-compensated at A&M for it, but there's more to life than money IMO.
Also, rightly or wrongly, MBB also will get you interviews at many places in finance, so it's not like you're closing options. If you really, really value the paycheck, go with A&M, but I'd highly encourage you to stay general for now until you find your passion. FTI would be the worst of both worlds (besides WLB), so I wouldn't even bother considering that one.
I always knew finance was my calling, but I'm an exception to that rule and even for me, it took 10+ years and dumb luck with staffing to figure out what I'm interested in doing medium-term. You might go into MBB and realize you'd rather a more sustainable schedule in consulting for less money than go into IB where a 60 hour week is like PTO.
MBB. Being 22 years old and a generalist out of college is a great time to explore different industries and functions.
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