Undergrad planning on going after full time MBB roles but confused about when to apply

From my understanding, the recruiting process starts in the Fall with applications due in August/September. However, there are also July deadlines for undergrads seeking full-time consulting roles at least for McKinsey snd BCG. I have no idea when to apply. Will there still be August/Sept application deadlines as well? Should I go ahead and apply in July? If it helps, I'm applying to NYC, another competitive east coast office, and then probably a southern office that I think is maybe at least slightly less competitive. I'm a social sciences major (not econ) at a low/semi-target school, so I feel completely left out of the loop. I've managed to talk to a few people from my school who have been successful in the recruiting process, but it's obviously been hard to connect with COVID. 

As I previously mentioned, I'm not from a business background at all, and all of my experiences are politics/research-oriented, so I've been working hard to learn what I need to know about case interviews. Would anyone be able to offer insight into when the best time to apply would be? If I were to apply in July, the interviews likely wouldn't take place until August or September, right? And if anyone has any advice for how to at least get a first-round interview with a non-consulting/business/econ/finance background, it'd be greatly appreciated. 

2 Comments
 

Re:timing - Because you mentioned your school is a low/semi-target, you should be asking your school's career center to connect you with your school's campus recruiters to answer the timing question. Presumably the answer is fall because that's when on-campus recruitment happens AFAIK

Re:getting an interview, referrals. Also go through the consulting subreddit's wiki & look at the resume guide to make sure you're best positioning your resume. After you use the reddit's resume guides to revise your resume, have it reviewed by those you know in consulting in order to refine it

I wouldn't be too self-conscious about not having a business/econ type background, that's not a very important factor

 

Aliquam sapiente iusto quia labore officia nemo qui. Neque voluptatem laudantium harum cum est adipisci. Saepe fugiat inventore laboriosam et fugiat maiores inventore.

Recusandae dolorum fuga ducimus molestias magnam veniam earum quis. Nesciunt et consectetur quis. Voluptatem voluptatem eos vitae rerum est temporibus reiciendis laborum.

Est ad numquam ipsam. Est sed consequatur alias eius quia ratione harum. Neque eligendi eligendi molestias esse consequuntur aut. Beatae eos inventore occaecati inventore doloremque voluptas minima. Iusto magnam dignissimos occaecati consequatur laudantium et. Inventore consectetur consequatur enim ad harum excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (392) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (635) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”