Big 4 advisory(FDD&valuation)-->Top 7 MBA?
Hi! In one sentence, I am asking what are the chances to break into Top 7 MBA from big 4 advisory (FDD and valuation).
I posted my question here because I got an offer and want to make an informed decision. Big 4 FDD and valuation is a small world so it is hard to find such info online and awkward to ask seniors before I even start working. Would anybody here help me understand the MBA perspective? I heard from a few college alumni that the almost everyone they know ended up in Top 7. How do you think based on your experience? Of course, further discussion on other exit opportunities are also very welcomed.
Many thanks! Your answer would help me a lot with my decision!
Not FDD (in a different service line) but applied successfully this year to M7. Friends at my firm in FDD also got into M7s. From what I've heard, you won't see many in FDD opt to pursue their MBA at a full-time top program because it's not needed to get promoted. Those who do pursue it are doing so to pivot to a different career (strategy consulting, general management, marketing, etc). FDD isn't a feeder in the sense that most aren't leaving to get their MBAs. But those who want it and put in the effort to build up their application do fine at the top schools. My FDD friends who applied did keep their application a secret from their teams until after they got in (so it wasn't something they were comfortable being open about with their department).
If you're deciding between multiple offers, make sure you like the work/team or at least will get the exit opportunities you want from it. Taking a job you don't like just for MBA purposes will make the 3-5 years feel very long.
Thank you so much for your insights! It is consistent what I heard from a few alumni. If you feel comfortable, would you share with me how you and your FDD friends obtain reference letter from employers, given it is better to keep application a secret?
And for those in FDD who chose not to go to MBA, what are the options except for staying with the firm? Many thanks again!!
I targeted a supervisor that I worked closely with for years and didn't mention my MBA goals until after building up that relationship. You'll get a sense of which managers have your best interest in mind after some time in the job. You can also target past supervisors that have left the job or use recommenders from your extra-curricular activities. You'll need two for the M7s.
Can't comment on exit opps as I'm not familiar with this. There have been good threads/AMAs here on WSO though that touch on that.
Big 4 Consulting to Top 10 MBA (Originally Posted: 02/21/2018)
Hi everyone,
I know there are some previous discussions on this topic but wanted to get an idea of the chances of getting in to a top 10 MBA from Big 4 Management Consulting. From reading previous posts it seems that it is rare. Is there anyone here who has gotten into a top 10 MBA program from a Big 4 Consulting position? What school did you get in? What was your background (position title when you got in, consulting group, years of experience, under grad GPA)
Appreciate it!
I am an Analyst at Deloitte S&O currently and most of the 3yr analysts who are leaving for an MBA program are headed exclusively to MBA business schools">M7 schools (Stanford, Tuck, Wharton, Booth, Ross, Northwestern). I actually haven't seen one person who went to a school lower ranked than UCLA (ranked 15 or so?) to date.
Pretty much everyone doing the GSAP program at Deloitte gets into a top 10 program - its a very common exit path (excluding H/S/W)
Many of my colleagues, across all service lines are going to be attending top 10 schools. Lowest ranked I've heard people get into is Duke, and I've met one person from Johnson (still a very great school). Most people I personally have interacted with post MBA here are Kellogg, Haas, and Duke. Kellogg dominates the midwest offices it seems; many analysts in my class have Kellogg in their top 3 target schools. Met one HBS who started as an analyst
Quite a few from india after doing MC from deloitte,pwc and some other npo experience,many have got into m7 (columbia and booth being common). Out of m7 lots of them are in stern,faqua,som,ross
Big 4 Consulting to Top 10 MBA program (posted in MC group too) (Originally Posted: 02/21/2018)
Hi everyone,
I know there are some previous discussions on this topic but wanted to get an idea of the chances of getting in to a top 10 MBA from Big 4 Management Consulting. From reading previous posts it seems that it is rare. Is there anyone here who has gotten into a top 10 MBA program from a Big 4 Consulting position? What school did you get in? What was your background (position title when you got in, consulting group, years of experience, under grad GPA)
Appreciate it!
i think this is doable with a high enough gpa and gmat
It's not rare, there are plenty of big 4 consulting candidates. If you're in a prestige group (Parthenon, Strat&, Deloitte S&O, etc) it's obviously more likely but plenty of folks from the broader management consulting functional practices get into top 15 or top 7 programs. It's very common.
That being said, it's a competitive bucket, you're certainly not guaranteed admission to an MBA business schools">M7 or t15 program. You'll need a resume, essays and recs that make it clear that you are a top performer. It's also common for folks to do 2-3 years of MC then 2-3 years in industry or elsewhere prior to b-school - if you were MC straight through, you'll need a better story. But in terms of age/experience, it's unlikely you'll be competitive after 2 years out from that background. 4-5 years of experience would be about right.
To Frank's point, GPA and especially GMAT should be competitive here as well.
Big 4 -> ?????? -> Top 10 MBA (Help me fill in the blank) (Originally Posted: 12/23/2015)
Hi Everyone,
I have been working at Big 4 audit for a couple of months since graduating. My medium term career goal (>5 years) is gaining admission to a top 10 MBA program. My undergrad GPA was 3.7+ and based on practice gmat scores I will likely be in the 700-750 range. I don't hate my job currently but in a few months I will be looking for a new one based on the premise that I could likely find experience that would be viewed better by admissions counselors in a few years. I have already passed all the CPA sections, and am a CFA level 2 candidate. Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations on what type of jobs I could reasonably obtain (obviously top consulting/banking jobs are out of the question) that would be a step above what I currently do, in the context of MBA admissions?
Thanks!
I know plenty of accountants who have gone on to a top 10 mbas.... in fact, an associate I work with two years experience out of a state school (had a 740 GMAT) just got into columbia.
Honestly though, you are looking at it wrong. Business school is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. Figure out what you actually want to do, and then see if business school is the best way to acomplish that. If you want to transition into Asset Management for instance (seeing as you have a CFA l1) network like hell, and get a job straight from accounting--I just did. It will save you about 400k by the time you look at opportunity cost, tuition and living expenses. An MBA should be used if you need a 'reset' or if it will help you advance in a career your already in.
Just my 2 cents
Hey bank-on-this sorry, I should have been more clear. I am dead set on using the MBA to transition into BB ECM. Really interested in markets, but not investing. Think I can leverage my CFA experience in an ECM role as well.
I would network straight in if could, but doing an MBA just seems like a more realistic option since obviously the odds of doing what you did are very slim.
Ah, okay. So your goal isn't an MBA it's ECM. In that case, an MBA is a probably an appropriate route...
That said: 1) I wouldn't get hung up on MBA business schools">M7 if you know what market you want. For instance, if you want to live in the southeast, you may get an MBA business schools">M7, but you could potentially get an Emory (still top 20) with solid scholarship who recruits your target market. 2) Regardless of where you want to go, Big4 won't hurt. Showing increasing responsibility, acellerated advancement (ahead of your peers) is way more valuable than job title. I'd kill it for another year in accounting, shoot for a 750, and pass L2, and make sure you have a community involvement rec and you'll be in great shape.
Good luck
As for market it is definitely going to have to be NYC because I'm from the area, work in the area currently, and just really couldn't see myself living anywhere else. I really appreciate the advice and congratulations on making it into AM!
I was in a similar position a a few years ago. I started in audit but wanted to do something finance related.
I took the GMAT about 1 year after starting and did well (760+). I applied to schools the following admissions cycle (would have had 2 years of FT work experience upon matriculation), and I got rejected from every top 10 school I applied to, despite getting into those same schools when I applied for law school. I wasn't even granted an interview. Straight up rejected. I say all of this just to show that work experience is key...even though I had all of the necessary stats on paper, I hadn't been working long enough to even get considered. If you chose to stay in accounting, you'll probably need 3+ years of experience to get into a T10 program.
Unlike you, I despised audit, so I filled in the '???' with consulting. I also started the CFA program. I planned to do consulting for 2-3 years, and if I didn't find the finance job I was looking for in that time frame, I'd reapply. Luckily, I found that job, and I didn't need an MBA or another '???' to get it.
You don't need an MBA, either. If you can network, you'll be fine with a CFA.
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