Better for PE: McKinsey or M7 MBA?

Thank you for asking this question. I am EXACTLY in the same position.

McKinsey. You need PE exp pre-MBA in order to get PE post MBA. Go to McK do PE practice.

I think you're reasoning is sound and assuming you're 26 or 27, doing two years at mckinsey wouldn't hurt your admissions chances. One thing to be concerned about is if McKinsey writing a rec since they're expecting you to transition to a post-mba position...

McK

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to add, if you do mckinsey you will probably get admission to W (not H/S because they like younger candidates)

Definitely go to McKinsey, great opportunity

What if it is McK Ops Consulting, not general strategy?

Bump

McK -> top MBA -> PE

Mckinsey. They will pay for your MBA. Good chance to go into HWS.

MBA. I've been working at McK, entered Top MBA and then realized that McK experience is not competitive for PE since they have so many post-MBAs with prior PE experience that they first screen them, then IB guys and only then consultants. I've never seen McK person who could manage this career switch after MBA. Moreover PE practice in McK is tiny and does not exist in every office (many of them don't have it at all or it's represented by engagement managers and higher profile employees) - most likely you will end up doing every kind of project and will not be able to pick. MBA on the other hand will lead you to either small PE or a BB IB after which, in couple of years, you will be a good candidate for a big PE fund if you will still want it...

Also McK will pay for your MBA only if you will commit to go back to them for 2 years :)

Doing McKinsey if you want to go into PE is just plain stupid and quite WSOish.

I'll preface this by saying that I've never worked in PE but I have several friends in the industry.

I think you should do Mck. My understanding is that post-MBA PE positions are substantially harder to land than pre-MBA because these are usually partner track positions. So if this is your goal then you should take every opportunity available to improve your profile.

Currently you have work experience with little to no relevance to PE, you would go to a b-school other than H/S/W where most PE recruiting happens, and you'd likely have to go into IB with no guarantee you could move to PE after that. Infact you'd have a significant disadvantage relative to your peers with pre-MBA PE experience.

Alternatively you could work for Mck for the next 2 yrs, likely gain admission to H/S/W then try to network and land a spot at a small PE shop or more likely you'd have to go to IB and then try for PE after that. At that point you would have improved your chances significantly by having the clout and network of an Mck alum and IB experience which is a rare and valuable combination and could give you that edge to land a PE spot.