“My mentoring session with Andre was extremely valuable and gave me the clarity and direction I needed at an important stage of my application journey. He was kind, approachable, and generous with his time, creating an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable sharing my experiences, asking questions, and discussing my doubts openly.
One of the most helpful aspects of our conversation was his guidance on how to organize and communicate my personal story. Andre helped me understand how to connect different experiences into a coherent narrative, identify the elements that matter most, and explain their significance more clearly. His perspective was fundamental in helping me see how to present my background with greater confidence, purpose, and authenticity.
I particularly appreciated his advice on what to avoid. He helped me recognize that including every detail does not necessarily make a story stronger, and that being selective can make a message much more effective. Our discussion gave me a clearer understanding of how to avoid unnecessary repetition, keep my narrative focused, and ensure that each part contributes something meaningful to the overall application.
Andre also provided valuable guidance on how to organize the application process itself. He helped me think more clearly about priorities, how to approach the different components, and how to make the work feel more manageable. Having a clearer structure has made a difference to my mindset: instead of seeing the applications as one overwhelming task, I now feel better equipped to approach them through specific, achievable steps.
Another important takeaway was his advice on how to use the coming days effectively. Our conversation helped me understand where to focus my energy, which tasks deserve immediate attention, and how to establish a realistic plan. I left the session with a stronger sense of direction and a better understanding of how to balance thoughtful preparation with consistent progress.
What made the experience positive was the combination of practical guidance and encouragement. Andre offered suggestions in a considerate and constructive way, helping me reflect on my choices while also making me feel supported. His kindness made it easier to engage honestly with the process and to see areas for improvement as opportunities to strengthen my applications.
Overall, this session was fundamental in helping me understand both what I want to communicate and how to move forward. I now have a clearer approach to telling my story, organizing my applications, avoiding common mistakes, and planning the next few days with intention.
I am very grateful for Andre’s support and for the care he brought to our conversation. His advice gave me useful tools, renewed confidence, and a more focused approach to the work ahead. I would highly recommend a session with him to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance, practical direction, and a supportive space to develop their application narrative. The session helped me turn uncertainty into a clearer plan, and I feel much more prepared to make the most of the time ahead and present my experiences in a meaningful and convincing way.”
For product mgmt I would say consulting, simply because product management is essentially setting up the strategy of a product and coordinating with SWE/designers, both of which are skills developed in consulting
I would say MBB in the SF/Bay Area will also be mostly tech work
You also have to consider the possibility that if you give up MS Menlo (a top top tier tech IB offer) you can be totally fucked if MBB doesn't work out. I know you're at a target school and probably have a great resume but it's a huge gamble. Plus, tons and tons of Tech IB analysts go to big tech and startup corp dev roles anyway.
Either MS menlo or MBB would you prepare you exceptionally well for those big tech roles with a slight advantage to consulting given the nature of the job. If I was in this situation I would choose MS Menlo on the premise that the risk of denying my MS Menlo offer and striking out at MBB is greater than the reward of marginally increasing my odds to land a big tech role
MS Menlo (and really any of the top tech groups) can definitely put you in the running for CorpStrat/BizOps, BizDev or Product roles in Tech. Just make sure you really tap into your school and firm's network in the area to get warm leads on top of any other HH or direct recruiting strategies.
Definitely apply to the rotational APM programs that hire experienced recent grads (off the top of my head I know FB, LinkedIn and Google are all willing to hire recent grads with top backgrounds).
Having a CS degree also helps a ton for signalling your "nerd street cred" which is typically a big stumbling block for people gunning for Product roles. By having one you can check the "I understand what the SWEs are saying" box more easily than someone wthout a rigorous/technical/quant degree. Not to say that it's impossible for those people, it isn't, but you'll need to prove your chops here some other way if you fall into the other camp.
Hahahah I love the "nerd street cred" part. STEM majors think any non-STEM majors are inbred imbeciles for some reason
Yeah, I think it's overplayed and unnecessary but that's how it goes I guess. It's kind of hilarious since I'm good friends with a ton of PMs who were English/History/Psych majors that run circles around some of the PMs I know with more technical backgrounds. A really big part of the PM role is having empathy for users and managing stakeholders with conflicting interests. That's not something you learn whilst buried nose deep in greek symbols or staring at an IDE for hours on end.
Why don't you directly try to recruit for product roles?
If you're not interested in PE/VC/Corp dev, you might not like the nature of work in IBD. I would try and recruit for MBB SF/Bay Area (though, won't go to a T2 consulting firm instead MS Menlo). It is possible to recruit for CorpStrat/Biz Ops after banking but you will playing catch up with your peers from consulting/PMs in big tech and you won't be building on your deal driven skill set from banking.
If you have a CS degree from a top school you will be fine either way, either consulting or banking would be a good gateway into major tech. It's more important that you "do well" in whichever one you choose, rather than choosing one or the other. So choose the one which you like and connect with more - the one where you will enjoy spending X hours a day doing actually the work. If that's banking, go for it, if it's consulting, same thing. And if you don't know, apply for both and decide later depending on what offers you get.
Neither? Why not big tech/ startup roles now?
Lot of big tech in the bay will value banking experience for product role (facebook is a great example of this). Can't speak to the MBB roles but I would imagine it would be held in a similar regard
product management is the new mba
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