Opinion: Aside from Prestige, McKinsey is the worst MBB to be at

Change my mind: McKinsey is only good in terms of (layman) prestige when compared to other firms. Here's my thoughts...

  1. Compensation - BCG pays the most (base)
  2. Training / Mentorship - Bain has formal global training and the best informal mentorship models
  3. Specialization - BCG has similar level of industry coverage, Bain/LEK is better at PE, boutiques specialize and outperform in specific areas (e.g., Clearview, Accenture)
  4. Talent - Even across MBB, no real adv/dis here
  5. Exit Opps - Even across MBB, no real adv/dis here
  6. Innovation - BCG is better known for innovating/challenging status quo for different business problems; McK is known to dust off reports
  7. Alumni - Yes, it's the largest but at what cost? Quality of relationship might be less impressive than, say, Bain. Does this matter given many recruits already come from target schools with impressive alum bases & even non-target school people can go to a M7 MBA and get similar levels of alumni base or bust your ass and network.

I don't really see why people keep saying McKinsey is miles ahead of the other firms but enlighten me. Why McKinsey?

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