Non-Target + MBB vs. HYP + Tier 2 Consulting

Fair amount of content on WSO about consulting recruiting, but in terms of exit opps, would you say these 2 hypothetical candidates are on even ground? Or is one more likely to have better opportunities moving forward?

I'm mainly thinking of exit opps in terms of corporate strategy and development roles, PE, and startups. My thinking is that MBB is really the ideal place to begin your career and keep as many doors as possible open (outside of IB), but if you are a top student at HYP working at OW/Deloitte/S&, are your exit opps any worse or any better?

4 Comments
 
Best Response

This is a pretty ridiculous question, but non-target to MBB will likely win out. Non-target making it to MBB shows drive and hustle to network into the gig. HYPS to T2 could be a symptom of not understanding how to network into a job. These skills are incredibly important when finding exit opps.

Also more generally, the cream of the crop from a state school > average kid from an ivy IMO.

 

Occaecati quisquam ex consequatur aut soluta aspernatur. Nisi minus dolorem facilis cupiditate. Nihil consequatur eius vero id dolor molestias iure.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (170) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1164) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (633) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”