McKinsey from DC Area non/semi-target
I’m looking into attending GMU this fall (underachieved at a magnet school) and I was wondering if anybody could tell me how well it places into McKinsey and other consulting firms. I heard from the people there that the top 5-10 students in Finance can usually make it into McKinsey and the rest work in Management or IT Consulting from the Big4 in McLean, VA. How would a student go about getting an internship and/or job offer from McKinsey from a non/supposed semitarget like GMU, and would it be more advantageous to transfer to a school like UVA in order to do so or is being a top student at GMU enough?
.
Sorry if this was unclear but I’m actually not at GMU yet, but I will be a freshmen next year. I’m not in any clubs but I would love to know what opportunities to look for ASAP there.
.
freshman year the most important thing is to focus on a 3.8-4.0 GPA, volunteer somewhere and join a club or two.
cold network as hard as you can when you start sophomore year and be proactive about internship opportunities, then keep networking into full time. if you don't get a summer spot its ok just keep working hard
when you are looking at mckinsey also network with people at other strategy and consulting shops such as Deloitte S/O, strategy&, parthenon, OW, etc. the most important thing when attending a non-target is casting a wide net
i think i know the magnet school you're talking about (if its in nova), and i went there too!
note about GMU- the business program there is not ranked well, i highly doubt most people would consider it a semi-target
i doubt you'd see 5-10 students from there get into McKinsey, or even the Big 4 for consulting (I go to a much larger state school (5000+ people per graduating class), and routinely 1-2 people a year gets a MBB offer)
If you want a top offer from the school, there are generally two ways: 1.) network like crazy, have a 3.8+, land solid freshman & sophomore year internships through connections and whatever else you can do, and then have someone with good standing at McKinsey/wherever refer you (this still might not be enough though - I had 4 internships and a 3.8+ and didn't land an MBB internship, so take that for what its worth)
2.) transfer schools after freshman year: I'd say this is the best route, get a 4.0 freshman year (which shouldn't be too hard after going the school I think you did for hs), and apply to transfer out. You should be able to get into a wide range of schools (like UVA, CMU, etc)- that will have FAR better exit opps and chances to place well
As a junior at a non-target who was once in your shoes, I can tell you that it's definitely possible to succeed there (while I didn't get MBB I did get consulting offers from 3/4 arms of the Big 4, as well as a few IB offers), but it's a hell of a lot easier to just transfer to a place where succeeding in recruiting is commonplace.
second the transfer comment. add it to my reply to you as well
.
.
I think I realized after going to the stem school people are thinking of that STEM is not for me, but finance is more of my passion.
.
definitely keeping your gpa up and transferring is your best bet
Born and raised in the DC area and know plenty of people in consulting. I agree with others that I'd get a great GPA freshman year and then transfer. GMU isn't a semi-target, so transferring to a school that is a target for most consulting firms is your best option.
Just want to chime in that if you end up loving GMU, made a bunch of friends, and NETWORK like crazy then anything is possible (Non-targets get MBB and Tier 2s, not common but happens). However, as mentioned many times, strive for a high GPA to keep all these options open. Best of luck.
Firstly, whoever told you about GMU's employment is wrong. GMU is not a target so I don't think that many will get into McKinsey. GMU grads go into a variety of companies not just the Big 4. Even in the Big 4 a lot will go into Accounting/Audit.
Why are you looking at just McKinsey? What within McKinsey would you want to do?
I would recommend trying out as much as you can at GMU. Hopefully, later you'll be able to get some leadership experience.
I think for any job you'll fare better being a standout at GMU vs. being one of the herd at UVA.
.
Well I heard about how students have gotten jobs at McKinsey from the admitted students event there. I know that I'd want to do either consulting, IB, or equity research, and consulting seems the most likely from GMU.
I've also heard, though, that some companies will not even read your resume unless you're from certain schools. My dad's friend is a VP at CS who said that unless I go to UVA, he's helpless to even tell HR to consider my resume. I'm not sure if it's the same way for consulting, though, and would love to hear more information on how consulting recruitment works.
Easiest thing to do is to go onto their campus recruiting pages to see if GMU is on there. I agree with the others that while anything is possible, the odds are stacked against you for MBB and the other big strategy firms. Your best bet for MBB would be to kill it in undergrad, go to a top MBA program and recruit for MBB from there.
Consulting and IB have the most standard recruiting processes. Companies recruit from certain schools, but every so often, a non-target can get an interview and then you are on the same playing field as everyone else. This will require a ton of networking from GMU. I still suggest you kill it your first year and then transfer to UVA.
.
Provident quis libero aut facilis blanditiis omnis facilis in. Omnis alias maxime non qui magni magni distinctio.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...