Rising Senior Desperately Needing Advice on FT Recruiting please advise

Hi all,

I am a rising senior at a top-10, non-Ivy target school, double majoring in economics/political science. I am committed to a career in consulting, and all the top firms (MBB, Oliver Wyman, LEK, ATK, Deloitte S&O etc.) recruit on campus. However, I am extremely worried that my resume won't pass the initial first round screening.

The Good: Great School Name Great SAT/ACT Scores (34, 2300+) Relevant Major

**The Average: ** I've had three internships, two in finance, but none at recognizable, name-brand places. Sophomore year summer: finance internship in boutique IB Junior Spring: business development internship in large in multinational corporation, well known abroad but not so much in the US Junior Summer: private equity internship in very small fund, did a lot of research/grunt work

I did finance internships because I thought I was initially interested in going into IB, but realized it was not a good fit for me in terms of interest.

The Bad: My GPA. Due to a lot of personal and family issues junior year, including ending a really abusive relationship, I couldn't focus on school and my GPA TANKED. I have 3 Cs from this year in microeconomics/finance/quant heavy classes, leaving my cumulative GPA at a 3.62, but the Cs were all during semesters where I overloaded in coursework/credits, and received As in everything else. However, this is a downward trend on my transcript.

I have been networking for the past month with alums/first year associates from my school, but am concerned I will not get interviews due to my transcript, especially my poor academic track record junior year. I know that MBB is pretty much out of the question, but how do I best position myself for other firms?

Given that consulting recruitment is extremely competitive, what are the best jobs to apply for to position myself for business school/rebranding for consulting recruitment later on?

Thank you all so much for any advice!

5 Comments
 

Ut alias veritatis qui sunt. Aliquam omnis officiis deleniti labore dolores consequatur quisquam. Rerum neque accusantium magnam ab. Accusantium excepturi pariatur maiores reprehenderit aut.

Ea dolor quia provident excepturi corrupti. Incidunt alias ipsa voluptatem similique. Quidem fuga maxime eaque voluptas non voluptatem ducimus ipsa. Quae pariatur nisi et qui.

Ratione alias temporibus non. Qui soluta quod optio quia et voluptates. Rerum in eius culpa.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • 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 99.0%
  • 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 99.0%
  • 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 (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $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 (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (634) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”