Master's degree at target school (from non-target undergrad) for consulting?

I will graduate at the end of this summer from a non-target school with a degree in economics, and my objective is to get into MBB or a Tier 2 consulting firm within a year or so. I was originally a pre-med biology major before I recently switched to econ, so unfortunately all my experience is clinical (research, hospital volunteering, etc.). The closest thing I have to business-related experience is a econ paper that I'm working with a professor to get published.

At this point, I have two options - I can attend a one-year masters program in Health Policy at the London School of Economics, or I can spend the next year doing internships or a full-time job if I can get one. Which route would make me a more attractive candidate for top consulting firms?

Some things to consider; - I have pretty good grades (3.9+ GPA) and good test scores (2300+ SAT) - I am open to working anywhere, both within the US and abroad (I plan to come back after a few years for business school) - Although I will be paying the LSE tuition out of pocket, money isn't really a factor in my decision - Because of the way that the LSE program is structured, I can probably fit in part-time internships during the year, and the program curriculum includes an internship for next summer.

3 Comments
 

Interesting - if that's the case, it seems like I'd be in much better shape come recruitment time. I think I remember seeing that some of the Scandinavian McK offices hire masters grads as junior associates, as with PhDs.

 

Itaque tenetur vel sint necessitatibus a. Veritatis ut aperiam accusantium amet eos. Saepe molestias eos vel inventore est ea fuga. Dicta porro qui minus omnis cum.

Omnis occaecati et id consequatur voluptatibus vel quia. Tempore aspernatur recusandae ea quaerat vel incidunt. Ut nihil aut in natus ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.5%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.0%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (111) $232
  • Manager (167) $172
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (635) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (162) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (575) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (175) $100
  • 1st Year Analyst (1152) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (205) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (625) $67
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”