“I found my mentoring session with André very helpful, particularly because I came into it with very little understanding of commercial banking. My background is in life sciences and healthcare, and most of my career exploration so far has focused on consulting. Although I had become interested in commercial banking, I had not previously explored the area in any depth. I therefore needed a clear starting point and an honest conversation about what I should understand before deciding whether to pursue it.
André helped me establish that starting point. The session gave me a clearer way to think about commercial banking, how it differs from consulting, and what I still need to learn. Before the conversation, I was looking at opportunities and wondering whether I should begin applying alongside consulting applications. Afterwards, I understood that I needed to take a step back and make a more informed decision about whether the work genuinely interests me.
One of the most valuable aspects of the session was how it helped me recognise the gaps in my current understanding. I knew that I was new to banking, but I did not necessarily know which questions I needed to answer for myself. André’s guidance helped me think more clearly about where I am now, what I am missing, and what I should begin doing next. Having that direction was useful because it made the process feel more manageable. Rather than treating banking as a broad and unfamiliar industry, I now have a clearer starting point for learning about it.
A particularly helpful message was that I should first develop a better understanding of commercial banking and assess whether I actually like the work. I took away a sensible sequence: understand the area, decide whether it appeals to me, and then, if it does, commit to learning and preparing for applications. If I discover that the work does not suit my interests, I should be willing to recognise that and focus my efforts elsewhere. That advice sounds straightforward, but it was an important perspective for me at this stage.
The conversation made me realise that I should not rush into applying for commercial banking roles simply because I have found programmes that look interesting. Before the session, I was at risk of moving too quickly from curiosity to applications without having a strong enough understanding of the career itself. André helped me see the value of being more deliberate. I would rather make a considered application based on a genuine interest in the work than spend time applying to positions I cannot yet explain my motivation for pursuing.
Another important takeaway was recognising how substantial the differences between banking and consulting can be. Because consulting has been my main focus, it had become my reference point when thinking about other careers. The session helped me realise that I cannot assume banking will involve similar work, suit the same preferences, or require exactly the same preparation. I need to understand banking on its own terms rather than view it mainly as another option alongside consulting.
I also appreciated that the session was useful even though I did not finish it with a final career decision. At this exploratory stage, greater clarity about what I do not yet know is meaningful progress. I now feel better equipped to evaluate my interest, identify what I need to learn, and decide whether commercial banking deserves a more focused place in my career plans.
Overall, André was very helpful, and the session met an important need for me as someone starting with limited knowledge of the field. Its greatest value was giving me direction and encouraging a more thoughtful approach to my next steps. I left with a clearer understanding of my knowledge gaps, a more realistic perspective on the difference between banking and consulting, and a better sense of how to move forward before committing to applications.”
About a few years back, the stat i heard was roughly 70-80% of MBB consultants got into HBS or Stanford. I think that number is lower now due to increased competition and the schools' desire to get a more diverse class. Having said that, MBB is still one of the best places to work at if your goal is to get into a top b-school. I would say a top 5 is virtually guaranteed, provided that you don't badly mess up your gmat/essays/interviews. The ones who got into HBS/Stanford tended to have slightly stronger extras, a compelling personal story/background, etc, but at this level it can get pretty random.
damn it feels good to be a consultant lol
the number i heard during sell weekend was 92% of those who apply get into at least one of hbs, stanford gsb, and wharton
Yah, BCG was at my university and they said 60% of applicants to HBS get in.
Actually even business schools like certain consulting companies more. Kellogg likes people from Bain, BCG and Columbia get along well, McK and Insead get a long, ..
Generally management consultants do have 'a' top MBA school in their pocket easily..
Big sample size: 50-75% acceptance at each of the top 5 schools over time Small sample size, people I know applying this year (Round 1 only): 2/2 at HBS, 0/1 Wharton
So not a shoo-in everywhere, but if you applied to all of the top 3-5, I'd imagine a 90%+ acceptance rate to a top school.
Yeah, if you're at a MBB, a top 5 MBA should be a lock. Wharton is probably like 70%ish acceptance rate while HBS and Stanford are around 50-60%. This number used to be a lot higher a few years back.
Disney corporate strategy, on the other hand, has a 100% acceptance rate into HBS and Stanford.
How do consultants differentiate themselves for MBA admissions? (Originally Posted: 11/07/2011)
Hi,
Given that so many management consultants apply to top business schools, I'm wondering what sort of things consultants do to stand out? (of course this is aside from gmat score, etc.)
Is it enough to be a top performer and do interesting work at an MBB type firm, or does one need to do things on the side (start a business, serve on BOD of non profit, etc.)?
Kindly direct me to other threads if this has been covered already. I'm sure it has, but I haven't found anything substantial.
Cheers
i'm pretty interested in hearing some answers on this one as well...
GMAT score =)
There must be more to it than that!
outside of Harvard/Stanford, you're pretty much guaranteed...with H/S, you're better off playing the roulette.
There are very very few resumes out there where I would bet my life to say that he/she is guaranteed to get into HBS or GSB.
Yeah, there really isn't that much more to it than meets the eye. The other things that you mentioned (starting your own business, board of a nonprofit) - nobody actually does them. If you have time to start and run a company on the side while you're an MBB analyst, you're not sleeping, and legitimate nonprofits have boards comprised of much more accomplished people (I realize this is a generalization). Being interesting helps in the application process, but if there were a formula for being interesting, well then it wouldn't be interesting.
So from an experience point of view, it's pretty much going to be who got the most "interesting" projects at their MBB firm?
You're probably right; it'd be pretty tough to be a good analyst + start a good company at the same time
What if someone had a huge following in social media and a large presence on the internet... could that help with MBA admissions?
Unless they used their presence to do something substantial, then I'd say no.
I don't think GMAT is a huge differentiator...the average score of all North Americans from my firm applying to school is well north of 700. I'd imagine it's the same at the other MBB.
I'm banking hard on leadership experience in college and getting into MBB without going to a target school.
Do you see other people at your MBB firm doing outside things like starting a business/non-profit or other volunteering stuff?
Not while they're at MBB...some had that kind of stuff in college. A decent amount of people involved in non-profits, a lot of them mentoring and international development based. Small sample size, but I've noticed it's kind of regional...it seems like a midwestern and Canadian thing to do.
Get interesting projects in interesting territories. If you're working with mid-tier companies in the mid-west you won't be that interesting. If you're working with Mercedes in Germany, a non-profit in Brazil, Baidoo in China, etc. you'll be a much better candidate.
You can also try to join some of the initiatives within the firm (i.e. CSR) or start your own. I had set up a 'Social Committee' at my firm to hold staff events every month such as bowling, ice skating, etc. but I was in an emerging market. In places like NYC your back office staff will do all that anyway heh.
Thanks for your comments, petergibbons and Riffs!
Any other thoughts on this? I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything when it comes to consultants applying to b school.
interested in hearing more as well
My first manager at McKinsey went to Harvard MBA. His story: 1st of his class in undergrad (industrial engineering), ultra top performer at McKinsey (only BA on the office promoted to associate after 2 years, prior to the MBA), 770 GMAT and close to 200 hours spent preparing his application. No non profit work neither he started an internet company.
Out of what he listed he said that what mattered the most was the time he spent preparing his application and writing his essays. Oh, getting recommendations from the very senior partners helped a lot as well.
Thanks for sharing. Could you clarify one part: he didn't do any non profit work, but he started an internet company?
GMAT Score is king
It almost sounds like good GMAT score is table stakes.
What really seems to matter is spending the time to reflect, understand yourself, and engage in things that build towards a coherent "brand".
You might bomb the GMAT if you don't pay attention to that neither.
Consulting & MBA admit Correlation (Originally Posted: 09/02/2014)
So everyone knows that Consulting places significantly well/better into MBA programs. However, despite the correlation, there isn't much research into which direction this relationship works.
Does consulting work make/change a candidate to be more attractive for MBA programs? Or are the type of people who go into consulting better suited for MBA programs, regardless of field they works in? Basically, which way does this relationship work? Which is the cause and which is the effect? Any thoughts on conflation, confounding, causality and bias are welcome here, esp from science people.
Incidentally, do consulting admit rates differ significantly outside of MBB? eg. does tier 2 consulting (Accenture, LEK) do better on average than tier 2 banking (BMO, BNP)
@"AndyLouis" I think this post would be very helpful, could it be stickied? As always, much thanks for the consideration.
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