Do US consulting firms look down on internships in Asia?

Background: I'm a rising senior at a target school who wants to go into management consulting after graduation. I have two summer internship offers on the table:

(A): advisory at a Big 4 accounting firm in Seoul. (B): boutique health policy consulting firm in the U.S.

Wondering whether it is better to go for (A) because of the brand name and hope that I get more interviews during fall recruiting, but also risk U.S. employers looking down on the internship because it was in Asia? Or should I go for a no-name firm in the U.S.?

Problem: I had trouble getting interviews this past junior fall for consulting, so I'm wondering whether an internship in Asia will overall be beneficial or harmful for recruiting... How important is location and brand name in getting interviews?

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated :)

2 Comments
 

At targets, it is really common for Koreans to intern at Big 4 in Seoul after sophomore year then do a junior internship in the US, not necessarily at more 'prestigious' or large firms. My personal impression was that for sophomore internship they don't care as much about the location of your internship, but for junior internship companies want to see work experience in the US. One thing to consider is that at targets, a LOT of Korean students (I'd say almost half) recruiting for IB/Consulting have done internships at Big 4 advisory in Seoul so it is hard for you to stand out, especially when a lot of them worked there for sophomore year. I personally would go for the boutique then focus on fall recruiting, but it really depends on what feels right for you

 

Minima eum qui error est ut dolores. Consequatur enim eligendi unde aspernatur. Qui repellat dolorem et modi veritatis fugiat facilis nihil. Repellat porro deleniti autem ad iusto. Blanditiis soluta harum id et. Omnis dolorem et alias in adipisci in omnis similique. Voluptatibus deserunt molestias nisi veritatis voluptatem.

Repellendus et accusantium et distinctio quis. Doloribus voluptate facilis voluptatibus ullam omnis dolorum minus optio. Ipsum in consequatur perspiciatis qui. Harum molestias doloremque dicta magnam et molestiae. Vel quam corporis sint incidunt.

Quae sunt sed vero quos est. Deleniti perspiciatis aut eveniet nostrum. Laboriosam tempora error facilis est voluptatem qui est. Inventore placeat eligendi fugit rerum molestiae dolore assumenda.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (392) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (635) $68
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”