Target Schools and non traditional paths in the US for international students

Hello everyone,

I am a student from France with a deep interest in strategy consulting. I have already done a summer internship in a boutique firm in Paris and I really enjoyed it. I am writing here today because even though I know almost everything there is to know about consulting recruitment in France, there is a lot I don't know about the United States.

To put things into context, I am studying in an engineering school in Paris. My school is good enough to be considered by some consulting firms but not by all (Mckinsey, BCG, and OW consider us, but not Bain, LEK or RB...). I have decided to replace my final year of courses with a master's program in the US. I am still waiting on a few applications, but I already know that I have been accepted to Columbia University for a MS in Computer Science (CS is my field of study).

Now, my question is the following : with my profile (top5 engineering school in France + technical MS at Columbia), can I get through the screening in all the American firms, for instance in the NY office ? Is Columbia's prestige in fields other than CS (its business school, its undergrad...) what's going to get me a foot in the door? If I go to a CS master's program that is more prestigious than Columbia's (for instance, at Georgia Tech, UCLA or UIUC), will my chances in consulting be slimmer because of the prestige associated to the name of these universities, or will the greater prestige of these CS programs prevail ? (especially as some of these CS programs are really more selective than Columbia MS CS).

Thanks in advance for your answers !