Political Science into consulting?
Hey guys,
I'll start my undergrad in political science in a few month and I'm already thinking about ways to transition this into consulting. Is it possible to secure a position without econ/finance classes or should I think about business minor?
I'm from europe, but interested in working in the US as well, if that matters at all.
I appreciate any information.
Why don't you just change from Political Science to something relevant...
...because poli sci and government is fine for consulting. Take some econ classes, maybe minor. But it's not a huge deal.
Get a 2:1 to 1st from a target school and do some internships and extracurriculars. If you do that, you should be pretty set.
If you're still don't feel you have enough relevant knowledge or a good enough school, get a masters in a business related degree from a target.
Essentially what i did as a poli sci major.
You're probably fine. I know lots of people who went into consulting from poli sci or public policy majors in undergrad-- without getting a grad degree. And I'm talking top tier-- MBB. Then again, they came from top 30 US schools.
If you can demonstrate an interest in the business world and have some solid grades in a few quantitative classes, your choice of major is not (or should not, anyways) be a big deal.
I know some poli sci guys at highly regarded consulting firms, but most are at D.C. for obvious reasons.
Could you elaborate on their background, their firms, and industries? Thanks.
I am close with a couple. One is at Booz Allen, the other at Deloitte Consulting. They got in from networking and one earned some type of MS in Security (National Security). They were top notch students and very outgoing.
I was able to transition effectively into consulting from the political science background. Currently I am starting in july with one of the Big 4 consulting. What I did was pick up an econ. minor my freshman year to make my background more credible for internships, plus I just enjoyed taking business classes. After a while Liberal Arts will get repetitive and subjective, so econ was a good change of pace.
My advice is either pick up a minor or double major in some business. When you interview leverage your skills saying that poli sci teaches you power structures that take place, while the business background gives the ability to understand cost and benefit of choices. Also poli sci teaches you how to network like a beast and liberal arts really keeps you out of the mindset of being narrow minded in your thinking. Tbh I dont think that i would have gotten my foot in the door for the internships that eventually led me to job offers if I did not have my econ minor to fall back on. plus one of the senior consultants that I interviewed with was a poli sci major in college, so we are definitely out there. Just stay focused on what you want after you graduate and keep your eye on the prize.
Or just switch to a businesses degree and you wont have to worry about trying to explain to the employer why you can be relevant.
The Econ double major/minor is definitely something to consider. Alongside relevant internships you should look into extracurriculars which have to do with consulting and business.
I also double majored, in accounting and political science. I have yet to fully capitalize on the combo (it literally is just a matter of more time, networking and effort), but I definitely do not regret it.
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