I'm a sophomore at a top target looking at strategy consulting as a career path.
I know that consulting firms only offer summer positions to rising seniors, but I'm wondering as to how to best position myself for that opportunity.
I spent last summer at a boutique consulting firm abroad.
Would it be better to spend my summer at another boutique consulting firm, at a F500 in-house business/strategy department, or working at some finance-related boutique (my current gpa essentially precludes brand-name finance internships)?
i was in a similar situation as you this past summer and i ended up working with a company called ivy insiders. they're a national test prep company that's run very entrepreneurially: with Kaplan and Princeton Review, they do all the work, and you get paid hourly; with II, you do more work, but you split the revenue with them. So more upside and more downside.
What they said in the interview, and which I've come to agree with, is that at this stage in your life, companies are mainly looking for signs that you can get the job done. and driving $30,000 in revenue and $12,000 in personal profit in three months in a market that had never heard of your brand before like i did shows that you can get the job done. investment banking and management consulting are shameless about their not caring about inexperience as long as you have the grades, scores, and other qualifications. so i'd take advantage of that.
so long story short, most big firms aren't going to want to take you because of your age. that's what i found out. i think you're best off doing something else business-related, preferably entrepreneurial and also preferably with some sort of structure (i learned that it's very helpful). so whether that's working for a startup in silicon valley (there's a job board for that if you're interested), or ivy insiders, or something else, right now i would focus on other avenues and come back for formal internships next year. just my $0.02.
bumpity bump.
I think getting a big name on your resume might be a good thing for you to do...F500 strategy might be the best way for you to do that. Do you have offers for all 3 yet?
f500 strat.
.
As was mentioned above, spending a summer in a F500 strategy group would definitely help your candidacy. My vote goes here.
LOL @ Ivy Insiders. They're such a scam.
LOL @ Ivy Insiders. They're such a scam.
Okay update on this thread. I only have one offer on hand right now, but I have a number of final-rounds (and middle-rounds) coming up. Which of these do you think would prepare me best for an internship/career at MBB? Rank them?
JP Morgan Freshman/Sophomore Program (IB) Citi Sophomore Diversity Program (IB) Jane Street Associate Trading Target Summer Business Analyst Boutique TMT Strategy Consulting Boutique Capital Management PwC Financial Risk Dow Jones Financial Markets Journalism National Economic Council
JP Morgan, then Citi, then Jane Street.
JP Morgan, Citi, then Target. I would say Jane Street, but not if you want to dive into consulting.
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