No internship - what now?

After stressing out all summer and fall about recruiting and internships, it's now winter of my junior year and I still don't have an internship. I'm not sure at all what I've done wrong -- I go to a respectable state school (umich, berkeley, uva, unc, ut), have a 3.7, two internships. I've practiced at least 60+ cases and have landed 5 interviews, 2 second-rounds, and still have nothing. I'm involved on campus, in leadership positions, and am socially normal.

With consulting recruiting season coming to a close, anyone have tips on what to do?

10 Comments
 

Keep your head up; I was in the exact same spot last year, if not worse off (3.8 @ a target, mediocre experience, not a ton of campus involvement). I only had one final round for consulting. That summer, I did an admittedly unsexy ops internship at a Fortune 50, but I had a great project which I was really able to talk about in interviews for FT. Ended up landing an offer from a Big 4.

I felt the pressure. At times, I also thought I was cooked for good. But you just gotta work with what you got and keep on keepin on. Go intern at a place where you'll be taking on tough challenges, developing your skillset, and making a real impact (brand name also helps too). Kick ass in the summer, keep networking, and be ready for the fall. Apply everywhere: MBB, Big 4, T2s, boutiques, little 50-man shops. Stay sharp with casing and have an idea of what you can talk about for behaviorals, but beware of overprepping. And most importantly, find a balance between recruiting, school, and life; it'll pay off.

Good luck! 

 

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