Difference in prestige between M, B, and B
I know and I’m pretty sure most people know that MBB firms are top notch for a consulting career. But in the grand scheme of things, does the difference in prestige (if there is one) between M, B, and B really have that big of an impact on consulting career success (and/or having good exit opps)?
No
Each have their own specialities but those are rarities. Majority of the time it makes no difference.
There are a few very rare places that are almost exclusively ex-McKinsey like Citadel, but that’s very uncommon.
True for all of them at different companies
Bain at bain
Depends on geo too
The general consensus is that McKinsey is slightly above B and B in terms of prestige, but at this point it’s like picking hairs. They all pay basically the same, do the same work, and carry strong name recognition, and the exits are all similar (can get into PE, startup, tech, corp strat from all 3).
Work at an MBB currently - tbh there’s no difference all compete for same work all have same exit ops, similar people - You could say McKinsey is more prestigious but to most corporations that are buying work it’s all the same - McKinsey is more generally recognizable - the general person will know it similar to GS for better or worse
For all intents and purposes that matter, they're the same in the major geographies. McKinsey has the most general name recognition but (1) that's often for reasons that aren't good and (2) it's not a meaningful difference for "people in the know". Executives understand that the trio represents the best in the industry.
One caveat is that in emerging geographies, McKinsey can sometimes be a step ahead / have a distinctive brand.
Wouldn't say there is much of a difference in general, but in the M&A DD space, I'd say Bain is generally regarded as the best, especially for PE.Everything I've seen from them is top notch and I know a few Bain guys that have moved into Megafund PE as a natural progression.
Curious as to why do you care about prestige?
McKinsey: International, better than BCG and Bain
Bain: Private Equity, better than BCG and McKinsey
BCG: On par with the above, maybe a sliiiiight edge in highly technical fields as they tend too hire more PhDs than the others
Overall: no true difference
McK hires the most MDs, PhDs, and JDs by far.
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