Taking a gap year after graduation
I want to work for strategy consulting firms MBB/OW/Marakon etc after graduation. But at the same time I want to take a year out in between uni and work. So will it look bad or hinder my chances if in my final year of uni (coming up) I do not apply to any graduate programmes, focus on grades, graduate, take a gap year and then apply to FT roles for starting the year after? Will this look bad to employers?
Over the gap year I want to focus on pursuing my hobbies and just chillout. I don’t want to work for a firm nor do a masters nor a startup or whatever.
Gaps in the résumé are something you’ll always have to explain, which is why tons of recruiting guides have responses to those questions. I understand it’s nice to unwind and relax for a bit, but have you ever had NOTHING to do for an extended period of time? It seems nice to have a year-long summer, but I assure you, it’ll likely grow old by month 6 or 7, and then you may have to explain it while trying to recruit.
The firms you’re mentioning are all prestigious and recruit undergrads as well; I think that you’re honestly better off setting up your future by just pushing through that burned out feeling. Consider taking a really light course load your last semester and focusing on those hobbies, or living in a completely foreign country. If you’re feeling rough about it now, I don’t think you’ll be loving it a year from now when you have to recruit for a competitive job and then subsequently work Monday-Thursday for 20 hours each day, most weeks.
To get over the gap in my CV, I’ll just work at a retail store like Walmart or target for 2 days a week throughout the year?
No. That might be even worse than nothing
how about taking a gap year before i graduate? would that be okay?
They will potentially wonder what you did that year, especially if you don't have an internship for the summer. If you graduate in a normal time frame (less than 5 years, preferably in 4) and you spend 2 semesters doing whatever you wanted, they wouldn't know the difference. You'd have to have summer internships though, so it's not like you'd get to just take a full year of doing nothing.
Basically, if there are no question marks on your résumé (i.e. "what is this gap from?") then you'll be fine. If you have a 3.95 and you took 5 years to graduate, you could lie and say you needed to slow things down and work during the semester, taking less classes, to pay for college, but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST lying. Your honor is worth more than taking a break and lying about it because you felt wrecked by school.
I think you have many options, as long as you do something productive during your time. You don't necessarily have to do nothing; why not go on a study abroad? Most of those are a joke and are a good way to explore the world/chill out while not looking dumb.
DO NOT skip recruiting in your final year of university. Once you graduate MBB+ will look at you very differently than when you're still a student, regardless of how fair or rational that is. Trying to recruit post graduation will make things significantly harder for you. I would recommend recruiting as if you plan to start working on a normal timeline, and then once you secure and sign an offer you can talk to your future employer about a gap year. MBBs tend to be pretty receptive to incoming BAs/As/ACs taking a gap year. At my MBB alone we have 2-3 kids a year defer their offer to the following class. As long as you're doing something productive (you'll need a better answer than "just chill out") it shouldn't be an issue. To give you some idea, I've had friends volunteer for congressional campaigns, build houses in Africa, coach a sports team in their community, work for a local newspaper, etc.
Oh wow how long can you defer to? Can you do it with firms outside MBB like OW etc? Do they pay you during your deferral?
Haha sorry not chill out but I want to honestly put some more time into my sports, I want to see whether I can go competitive, school hasn’t allowed me to put in as much time as I wanted. Also maybe work at a mature startup/VC.
Also, God forbid, but suppose I weren’t to get any offers in my final year? What should I do then? I can’t really afford a masters :(
If you're at a toptarget school like HYPS, and don't want to become a teacher, try reaching out to the hiring manager at your schools career services center and talk to them candidly about your passions like the peace corps, TFA, working with a micro financing team in Africa, or becoming a 7th grade algebra teacher.
If it were me, I'd lean towards Africa/7th grade algebra as they are certainly unique experiences, yet not neccesarily 'chill'. Doing something interesting could keep your skills relevant for consulting, but playing COD and doing nothing probably won't
Recruitment channels are set up for graduating seniors through college recruitment pipelines, which you'll lose access to after you graduate. Taking a gap year would likely make things much tougher
Many firms give offerees a choice of start dates, so you'll have a good chunk of time off in between graduation and work starting up. Late fall is a common option, some even January - hopefully that's enough time to chill out
how about taking a gap year before i graduate? would that be okay?
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