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Sep 04, 2026
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Career Resources
Career Advancement Opportunities
September 2026 Consulting
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Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
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Bain & Company 98.9%
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McKinsey & Company 98.4%
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Oliver Wyman 97.9%
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LEK Consulting 97.4%
Overall Employee Satisfaction
September 2026 Consulting
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Cornerstone Research 99.5%
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Bain & Company 98.9%
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Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
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McKinsey & Company 97.9%
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Oliver Wyman 97.4%
Professional Growth Opportunities
September 2026 Consulting
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Bain & Company 99.5%
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Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
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McKinsey & Company 98.4%
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Oliver Wyman 97.9%
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LEK Consulting 97.4%
Total Avg Compensation
September 2026 Consulting
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Partner (4) $361
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Principal (30) $294
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Director/MD (58) $274
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Vice President (52) $246
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Engagement Manager (114) $233
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Manager (171) $173
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2nd Year Associate (185) $142
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3rd+ Year Associate (116) $137
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Senior Consultant (355) $132
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Consultant (642) $122
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3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
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1st Year Associate (577) $121
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NA (16) $114
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Engineer (6) $114
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2nd Year Analyst (393) $104
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Associate Consultant (176) $101
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1st Year Analyst (1165) $90
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Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
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Intern/Summer Analyst (640) $68
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
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99.0 |
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99.0 |
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98.9 |
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98.9 |
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From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship
“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a breakdown to help you think through McKinsey vs. BCG in San Francisco:
Exit Opportunities
Travel Perks
How to Decide
Ultimately, both firms are top-tier, and your success will depend more on your performance and the relationships you build than the firm itself.
Sources: Bain vs. BCG for innovation and exits into tech?, Choosing between McKinsey, Bain, and BCG?, Q&A: I worked at both McKinsey & BCG
Congrats! I went with BCG because I liked the people I talked to during recruiting more, and I feel comfortable with my decision. Travel perks are also better here. McKinsey has a bit better name recognition amongst the general public, but once you get into the corporate world, you're splitting hairs.
I think best way to think about your decision is a) what projects do I want to work on? b) how easy is it to get on those projects? and c) will I have a good time on those projects (WLB, good managers, enjoyable co-workers)? My perception is that individual case work (e.g., are you doing lots of healthcare work vs. lots of PE work) is about 90%+ of what shapes exit opps vs. "prestige". It's fine to think about exit opps, but 2 years is a long time (and your exit goals might change in those 2 years) so I'd focus on thinking more about how much you'll like the job versus thinking about life after the job.
What yall got for travel perks over McKinsey?
Business class for flights 1.5hrs+, alt travel (so fully paid hotel/airbnb and flights if I want to go somewhere for the weekend on the way back from the case), higher spending limits for food, etc.
I had all 3 and went with Bain; McK was my second choice. BCG less strong on the West Coast.
McKinsey is generally recognized as number 1 globally. I’d pick them and never look back. Both super elite firms though.
Most cross offers take McKinsey, but not weird to take BCG for fit
I know many people who’ve been in cross offer positions and don’t let anyone tell you it’s weird not to take McKinsey. I know at least 3-4 people who’ve taken BCG/Bain over McKinsey and maybe 1-2 who’ve taken McKinsey over the latter. CULTURE is the most important. Which firm did you click better with? I had a Bain and McKinsey cross offer and I chose Bain. Every day I’m glad I didn’t pick McKinsey — my close friend there absolutely hates his job (he didn’t have a cross offer). But I also know people there who love their job. So ask yourself about culture and fit before stuff like travel perks (none of them have any real spending limits, on food or hotels, maybe some on air travel?). Pay is also basically the exact same, as well as benefits.
I used to work at BCG. Got cross-offered at Bain.
McK and BCG are much closer to each other than are with Bain. In general it’s McK>BCG>>Bain>>>>T2, so Bain just decides to over index on “culture” and “PEG” or “local staffing” to win cross offers
Especially at the MBA level, you will see the cream of the crop go to McK and BCG more than Bain. At undergraduate level, it’s already so hard to get one offer, most people take what they get and most cross offers (including myself) decide on intangible factors that have no real long term meaning.
Also I did not go with Bain because anecdotally more people didn’t like it there than McK/BCG. The nature of the work is pretty similar if you hate it at one you’ll probably hate it at another in most cases.
I will also say McKinsey’s investment in their alumni is unparalleled, though BCG is closing the gap. I will give that to them, as that’s a huge benefit people at this stage often don’t consider…
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