Accept Fulbright and decline FT offer at Deloitte?

I am graduating in may, and got offered a FT position in the consulting practice at Deloitte, which I am pretty excited about. I don't got to a very prestigious school (CU Boulder), so I was pretty lucky to land it.
I also applied for a Fulbright scholarship in Tajikistan. If I end up getting it, I am wondering whether or not I should accept it and decline Deloitte or just stick with Deloitte. The reason I am seriously considering the Fulbright is because I am really going to need to bolster my CV if I have any chance of getting in to a top B school. I want to stay in management consulting so obviously this is important.
So how prestigious do you think the Fulbright is? I would also combine it with language study in Persian/Russian. Is it something that would definitely be worth taking the time to do, or do you think its impact on my chances for B school will be negligible? Thanks in advance for the advice!

 
Best Response

I can't speak to consulting (I'm a first year IB analyst) but I believe you cannot limit yourself to such a narrow frame of mind. Fulbright will not land you a spot at a top b-school, however nor will a job at Deloitte. It's all about what you make of whatever opportunity you choose and your ability to market yourself.

The fact that you posted a question suggests to me that your seeking validation to take Fulbright over Deloitte, and if thats the case just go for it- Don't be scared.

Have faith in your ability to utilize the seemingly "non-traditional" experience to your advantage.

 

I'd personally take the Fulbright over Deloitte. It essentially allows you to delay your job search by a year (a year is enough time to find a new job if you're aggressive enough), and makes you more interesting. Who knows, you might meet some girl out there, start a kick-ass business, and say screw b-school. Fulbright hands fucking down.

Oh, and Deloitte isn't THAT great of a firm. If you play this right you can probably interview for MBB during your year off (I did).

 

Congrats on the offer and good luck with the Fulbright! I never post, but I'm compelled as this question is close to my heart. Quick background: MBB analyst, significant other doing the Fulbright, know a few folks at Deloitte.

Nothing wrong with Deloitte...but you should absolutely go with the Fulbright. Notwithstanding the opportunities for personal growth that may arise, given your stated goal to attend a top b school, the Fulbright is your best tactical move. It will differentiate you from other consulting applicants in a positive way, and you'll have a chance at moving to a better firm.

An admissions officer is looking to admit the best applicants in any field. If you do the Fulbright, you can be one of the "best in class" in the "prestigious scholarship bucket" whereas if you go for Deloitte, you will be fighting an uphill battle against the McK guys in the "consultant bucket."

I think your best course of action is Fulbright -> interview for a regional office at another firm during your Fulbright year (either international or something close to Boulder) -> conquer.

There IS a chance that you do the Fulbright, blow all your interviews, and end up unemployed, but I think it's pretty small, like 10-20%, and the upside you're getting from that risk is disproportionately large.

Good luck!

 
strategybird:
There IS a chance that you do the Fulbright, blow all your interviews, and end up unemployed, but I think it's pretty small, like 10-20%, and the upside you're getting from that risk is disproportionately large.

Good luck!

Personally, I think it's less than 10-20%... congrats on the Fulbright, I think you should go for it.

 

If I were you, I'd do Fulbright in an instant. It's a great opportunity for personal, professional, and academic development. I guarantee you will remember that year in Central Asia for the rest of your life. If you could get Deloitte coming out of undergrad, it's almost a lock you can get a similar caliber type job after Fulbright.

As an aside, I know someone who did good-but-not-great LAC ---> Fulbright ---> Deloitte S&O (4 yrs) --> HBS c/o 2016

 

If you were from Tajikistan and were choosing between Fulbright to go to the U.S. and Deloitte in Tajikistan, I would say Fulbright. But why on Earth would you want to go to Tajikistan instead of joining a perfectly decent consulting company in the U.S.? Experience at Deloitte is respected anywhere in the world. How are you planning to use your experience in Tajikistan? Seriously, you want to spend a year there just to have a better chance to get to b-school? The only promising development in Tajikistan I know of are some recently found hydrocarbon plays, but these will likely just be grabbed and exploited by China, so are unlikely to create opportunities for a Westerner.

 

I am a foreign citizen, currently doing Fulbright Masters program in USA - I don't really think that if you pursue a career in business, doing TA in Tajikistan will help you...Here in DC I know a lot of americans who have Fulbright under their belt and except you are intending to work in international relations/policy/place like world bank - I don't see it as a pedigree for top consulting firms...Personally, I haven't been invited to a single interview to MBB or other top 10 strategy consulting firms and believe me, I have a very interesting background even without the Fulbright...So think twice about it...Deloitte's management consulting practice is quite good imho.

 

Try to defer your offer if you can. Consider that you will not be able to interview for position in the USA if your are in Asia and that Deloitte is good enough to help you to join top schools (chicago, tuck, etc.) and also hbs if you are a top performer there.

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 

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