Big 4 tech consulting or Credit Rating Agency (structured products) for future MBA?

Hi WSO,

I'm a senior at a state school with a decent reputation. I have a 3.6 GPA in accounting and management information systems. My previous internship experience is in back office strategy at GS and at a large Fortune 500 company. I currently have offers from a big 4 and a CRA.

At the Big 4 I'll be doing tech consulting for financial services firms. CRA will have me performing research on structured products.

I like the CRA better as I believe it has better exit opps in banking/equity research and could position me better for an MBA. It's also something I believe I'll enjoy more. Big 4 on the other hand pays $10k more and comes with internal mobility and exit opps as well. the Big 4 has more name recognition, but the job just doesn't interest me. I need the money, and that 10 k makes a huge difference.

If I'm targeting top 10-20 b-schools will they favor one job/company over the other? I would like to do consulting or equity research eventually. Both involve advising clients and also come with a good amount of quantitative and qualitative analytical skills. Big 4 might set me up for consulting in the future after b-school, and Moody's would be good enough for equity research/structure products banking without b-school I think.

Can anyone help me out with what b-schools would like to see more, or what steps I should take when I am at those specific firms?

3 Comments
 

I don’t have personal experience with this, but I know of at least one person who went from a credit PE fund to ER with no MBA in between, after doing undergrad at a semi-target with a non-finance major.

"There's nothing you can do if you're too scared to try." - Nickel Creek
 
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