What location would you choose?

The Choices: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Toronto and Washington D.C

If you could choose 3, and your app. would be directed to that specific office, what would you choose.

I love the idea of NY or Chicago, but I don't know if it is harder or easier to get a position there vs a lesser known city like Dallas or Houston.

I am thinking 1. NY 2. Chi 3. Boston

(This is via the choices Bain has given)

 

It's an ambiguous question & you don't mention any variables at work, so it comes down to personal preference. However...Not factoring in the job offer, cost of living, commute or age:

  1. NYC
  2. SF/Silicon Valley
  3. LA/Boston
All the world's indeed a stage, And we are merely players, Performers and portrayers, Each another's audience, Outside the gilded cage - Limelight (1981)
 

Being in Texas, I can say Dallas is a boring city. Bar hopping in Dallas is like driving for 30 minutes trying to find a place and then drive again. The city is way too spread out. I am in Houston and while driving is the norm here, if you live in Midtown or the Galleria, you maybe only need to drive like a mile or so to find a good spot. You also got Rice Village and a much younger population in Houston than in Dallas.

As for the other locations, most have a ridiculous cost of living. So with that in mind, I would probably look at D.C. and Chicago. Cost of living is still high in these places, but much better than SF/NYC.

Array
 

You've definitely got to think about how hard it would be to get into an office and how competitive you are as a candidate. The notes about NYC and SF are dead-on. I'd also add for Bain that DC is a new office with lots of internal interest and transfers. I'd chat with different people at the global event and see where you'd fit best and have the best chance of being hired.

"Just go to the prom and get your promotion. That's the way the business world works. Come on, Keith!" - The Boss
 
The Boss:

You've definitely got to think about how hard it would be to get into an office and how competitive you are as a candidate. The notes about NYC and SF are dead-on. I'd also add for Bain that DC is a new office with lots of internal interest and transfers. I'd chat with different people at the global event and see where you'd fit best and have the best chance of being hired.

If I am not a competitive applicant, (Low GPA) what office should I go for in your opinion or where can I find out which office I should go for?

 

Lololol everyone picking expensive cities.

I live in Philly. I've yet to have a project in Philly (already had 11 projects) and I live a mile away from the airport. Bought my own house and am renting it out to tenants as I'm only here on the weekends. While y'all spend $1500+ on rent I'm getting positive cashflow AND I still go to NYC for Happy Hour events and stuff like the WSO conference ($13 bus ride).

Cost of living is DEFINITELY a factor. If you're traveling, why are you paying to live somewhere part time, especially in a job so demanding that you'll need the weekend to recover? As consultants, we advise for logic yah?

Then again if you're incredibly energetic I can understand cities for networking specializations (ex: tech in SF).

 
Best Response
Xepa:

Lololol everyone picking expensive cities.

I live in Philly. I've yet to have a project in Philly (already had 11 projects) and I live a mile away from the airport. Bought my own house and am renting it out to tenants as I'm only here on the weekends. While y'all spend $1500+ on rent I'm getting positive cashflow AND I still go to NYC for Happy Hour events and stuff like the WSO conference ($13 bus ride).

Cost of living is DEFINITELY a factor. If you're traveling, why are you paying to live somewhere part time, especially in a job so demanding that you'll need the weekend to recover? As consultants, we advise for logic yah?

A couple things:

1) With the exception of NYC, SF, and Boston (and perhaps LA), the cost of living isn't that much higher than in Philly. In Chicago, for example, you can pay $1000~1200 and get a very very nice place. If you want, you can have a decent place for $700 or 800.

2) It's because I'm busy during the week that I don't want to be stuck in a boring city during the weekend. The free time I have is extremely valuable, and I want to be able to do whatever I like doing without having to travel long distance. (Who wants to travel just for Happy Hour events...?) In a big city, I get to sleep in my own bed and enjoy everything that the city has to offer, whether that's world-class dining, cultural activities, sports events, concerts, or just going out at night. That's why I could never live in Philly.

It's the same argument about living in a shitty part of town vs. living in a decent part of town. There's logic for either side, and it's really up to your personal preference.

 
pnb2002:
Xepa:

Lololol everyone picking expensive cities.

I live in Philly. I've yet to have a project in Philly (already had 11 projects) and I live a mile away from the airport. Bought my own house and am renting it out to tenants as I'm only here on the weekends. While y'all spend $1500+ on rent I'm getting positive cashflow AND I still go to NYC for Happy Hour events and stuff like the WSO conference ($13 bus ride).

Cost of living is DEFINITELY a factor. If you're traveling, why are you paying to live somewhere part time, especially in a job so demanding that you'll need the weekend to recover? As consultants, we advise for logic yah?

A couple things:

1) With the exception of NYC, SF, and Boston (and perhaps LA), the cost of living isn't that much higher than in Philly. In Chicago, for example, you can pay $1000~1200 and get a very very nice place. If you want, you can have a decent place for $700 or 800.

2) It's because I'm busy during the week that I don't want to be stuck in a boring city during the weekend. The free time I have is extremely valuable, and I want to be able to do whatever I like doing without having to travel long distance. (Who wants to travel just for Happy Hour events...?) In a big city, I get to sleep in my own bed and enjoy everything that the city has to offer, whether that's world-class dining, cultural activities, sports events, concerts, or just going out at night. That's why I could never live in Philly.

It's the same argument about living in a shitty part of town vs. living in a decent part of town. There's logic for either side, and it's really up to your personal preference.

What a Philly hater! You clearly have never heard of this magical place called Wawa ;)

I've had a 4 month project in NYC and spent all my college summer internships there (half my family lives there too). NYC has an advantage in special events, I'll give you that (even though I can actually access them from Philly or alternate flight to NYC on any given weekend). I'll also give you the "walking" culture and the feeling of having 100 people on a sidewalk, if you really count that toward your vibe. However...

The food is the same (you just need 1 go-to place for each ethnicity type) unless you're a huge foodcart or "fushion cuisine" fan (as in it's a part of your weekly rotation).

The nightclubs/bars are more diverse in NYC, but Philly still has really strong places (again it's about quantity). Except a beer in NYC is like $15.

Anything that's a part of your daily routine is something you can do in Philly and for cheaper. ANDDDDD NYC doesn't have a lot of Popeyes locations. Auto-ding.

Now, if you gave me a choice between Philly/NYC if I could live there for free, of course I'd pick NYC. But factoring in everything I said, I mean yah sure, if you really want to take that 6 train to that bomb Indian Cuisine after you shell out $300 on a night out, then sure.

I'm a Sixers season ticket holder which I'm pretty sure is significantly cheaper than Knicks tickets AND they have just as strong (actually better) history (just wait until the Sixers land Andrew Wiggins). And I'm not even going to get started on the Phillies.

P.S. I could alt travel to NYC and stay with friends which I have done, but there's a magical experience to the Megabus that you just have to be a part of with the special group of people there.

 

From the recruiters I've talked to, your office preference isn't really important. You have to pass their initial screen (which is standard across the entire firm) and do well in the interviews, then they will place you based on your preference or where there is need if they don't have space for you at your top choices.

 

90% of the people who have offered their opinions clearly don't know much about the cities.

NYC and Boston are drastically different, the fact most of you have them as your #1 and #2 makes no sense. I understand it is an opinion but still...

One of the main reasons people love NYC is for the 24/7 life in the city. Boston is dead at nights.

  1. NYC
  2. Cali
  3. Chicago
Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Sorry if this got off topic from your possible city selection; I'm just defending non-core cities (outside NYC, SF, Chicago) using my own city as an example.

The broader point is that there isn't a "tier." There are individual preferences that you have to know before you get an informed answer.

...and yah, NYC and Boston are so, so, different. It should be clear to you which you'd rather enjoy if you had a firm grasp on your living area criteria.

 

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