EY-Parthenon vs. ZS Associates?

Hello!


I got two post MBA offers for EY-Parthenon and ZS Associates in the San Francisco, CA offices. They are both pretty comparable in terms of compensation (EY-parthenon is just a tad bit higher in total comp). My background is in the life sciences (I worked in research for 4 years, procurement for 1 year, and sales & marketing for the last, 6 years pre-mba) and I have heard that ZS Associates focuses on this industry with various types of projects (sales, marketing, operations, and some strategy). I'm hoping to either go over to MBB, with a focus in life sciences/healthcare, or exit to the pharma/life science/biotech industry in the the future. I have also heard that EY-Parthenon's life science practice is growing, and that they mainly focus on commercial due diligence and pure strategy work, which is something that I have never done and could be a great experience for me.

Which firm would be the best avenue to do this? What are the differences in culture and types of work? Is one much more prestigious than the other? They both seem like excellent places to start a career in consulting, so I am struggling a bit to make a decision. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Note: I did get another offer from a small boutique life science consulting firm too, but at this point am not really considering them since these other two offers offer quite a bit more in compensation and also are pretty well known.

-Skm

 

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