Devastated - Rejected after all 3 MBB final-rounds

I do have a BB IB offer, but MBB has always been my dream job. Made through extremely challenging first rounds, got final-round invites from all 3, but was also rejected by all 3.

Really devastated - given the hard-work I put into all of this & the fact that I made to the final rounds of all 3 but did not get a single MBB offer.

Everyone around me is saying how I should be proud of my BB offer & just relax, but I am extremely unhappy with myself to the point of losing sleep & diet (maybe I am an overachiever/have insecurity issues, but I just can't get over this)

 
Most Helpful

There are other consulting firms out there. Many with great reputations and interesting work. Always a challenge when your focus is so narrow. T2 is a great outcome and can also result in a move to MBB within early yrs (if that even matters once you're in the game). If you can't get MBB out of your head, you can always do the MBA reset after two yrs of BB IB. Good enough to get MBB final round and BB IB offer means you'll be quite competitive for M7 (little secret - unlike many yrs ago where MBB essentially recruited from four MBA programs - you can get there from T15 or so. Schools like UVA and Vandy and UT, etc. place in MBB all the time so not as much pressure to have to be HSWC).

Congrats on your IB offer. Be open to exploring that world too. maybe you'll like it and want a career in banking . PE. Life has many twists and turns. Broaden your view a bit and rise tot eh occasion!

 

Was in the same boat, spent hundreds of hours on casing, did final rounds of MBBs twice, and only secured a T2 offer. When I received that final rejection call, I felt as if the world’s gonna collapse. But it didn’t. And I was able to get through it by telling myself that life is a very very long journey and this is really just one tiny step along the way. Also, after all, MBBs are just ... firms. Given you’ve landed a BB offer, just be proud of yourself and your achievement.

Enjoy the ride and see where life will take you—and keep it in mind that unlike being a student , in reality, hard work does not always pay off, and we just need to learn to accept it. The true success is not about making it every single time, but about being able to persist through challenges, pick yourself up and carry on. One perspective that’s really helped me is that when you really think about it, life is never about happiness. A majority of our life is about pain, sadness, or just boredness. So when you actually feel happy or get what you’ve longed for, you should be grateful, because those are actually the rare happenings in life. Welcome to the real world, my friend. Best of luck!

 

"Enjoy the ride and see where life will take you-and keep it in mind that unlike being a student , in reality, hard work does not always pay off, and we just need to learn to accept it. The true success is not about making it every single time, but about being able to persist through challenges, pick yourself up and carry on. "

Wise words. A friend of mine who coached high school sports and mentored several who have made it to the pros would always tell the kids, "Hard work doesn't guarantee you anything in life, but not giving it your all and not doing the little things almost always guarantees failure." Take care of everything you can do, accept the results, figure out where you need to improve and go after it.

 

Im obviously a intern but some seniors at my school did BB/EB SA and are heading towards MBB for full time. Anything is possible!

 

i didnt get an interview at any of MBB for both intern and FT recruiting. then i managed to secure an interview invite about 9 months into my first job which converted into an offer. 

if MBB is what you want, then you should re-recruit when you get the chance. coming from BB IB and having made it to final rounds with all 3, id be extremely surprised if you werent given another chance

 

It's important to consider that a LOT of people in MBB got in after multiple attempts. Read through forums and fishbowl etc. There are quite a lot of them who experienced a similar scenario to you. I also know several who lateraled from IB. You are in an advantageous position. Building a career trajectory won't always take you in the direction you want or expect, but as long as you are making solid concrete steps and milestones, you can do a lot. Accept the IB offer, run with it for a year and see where it takes you. 

 

This is an unfortunate situation, you gotta keep your head up, getting a BB offer is not easy, so your already doing so well! As for MBB, there will always be more opportunities out there for you, losing sleep or diet over this is definitely not worth it! Your health is your wealth :)

 

Have been through this as well except was only selected for 2 of the MBB and it was devastating to get the rejection call from big M. Especially since it was my first rejection. Overall everything turned out alright. A career and a life is long, you will have other opportunities to join those firms if this is truly what you want to do, stay focused and keep improving your skills. Any rejection is painful for an overachiever, sometimes doesn’t matter how small or large the potential outcome was.

 

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