consulting

While the odds are this post is relegated to the WSO trash heap-to grace the eyes neither of monkey nor MD-on the off chance my story could be helpful to someone in a similar position as I was a year ago, I wanted to share. The moral of the story: if you're better at math than schmoozing or stuck at a non-target school due to finances save yourself years of pain and self-loathing and GO INTO TECH! After discovering WSO during my junior year at my T30 semi-target UG, I spent most of my waking moments of the following year in pursuit of an analyst slot at an MBB/T2 firm. I became obsessed. My

18 Apr 2021

Applications are starting up so figured I'd set up a thread similar to last year so people could ask questions or share updates as they prepare for recruiting season. Giving back to the community I heavily lurked last year for sure! Below are links with deadlines for firms with applications updated for 2021. Summer Programs: McKinsey Insight (March 28, 2021) Bridge to BCG (March 30, 2021) Bain ADvantage (March 21, 2021) Connect to Clearview (April 12, 2021) Link to LEK Path to Putnam Clarion PROPEL Transition to Trinity Charles River Associates PhD Symposium Other firms that hire PhDs include

20 Feb 2021

Ive been thinking recently. Based on what I've read from this site or heard from others, Most people who join MBB/T2 end up staying there for 2-5 years, maybe getting an M7 MBA along the way. They sacrifice a lot in their 20's due to the work hours and stress of succeeding at a top school and their firms. But at the end of the day, unless they make partner, they usually end up at corporations side-by-side with people who took a more 'normal' or less prestigious route, going to a state school and working 9-5 throughout. If that's the case, then is all the effort (top undergrad --> 60 hrs/week

21 Jan 2021

A good friend of mine is deciding on where to go to school as they just got off the waitlist for UMiami and it is their dream school and top choice, but they have gotten into some other schools that may provide better opportunities when it comes to finance (they're interested in IB, consulting, PE). They got into Northeastern, Tulane, Elon and Fordham. My question is, how is UMiami with regards to finance, does it place well? Is there decent recruiting? Does one have a shot at Wall Street if they work hard? Any input is greatly appreciated!

10 May 2021

Hey All, I've been in Strat consulting for a while, however am leaving it for greener pastures. Before I go I would like to give back to the community, with a gdrive full of prep materials I found and organised while I was preparing for my consulting interviews. Although it is focussed towards consulting, there is a lot of useful information for other finance interviews: shorturl.at/ksFIZ Hope it helps!

09 Sep 2020

I'm interested in consulting WashU pro: semi-target for MBB consulting, easier to enroll in business school, smaller class sizes con: tuition cost (not totally unaffordable though), weather, location, not-well-known school Berkeley pro: cheaper option, in-state con: large class sizes, more competitive, idk how consulting placement is, no guarentee into undergrad Haas business school

01 Apr 2021

Hello! I recently got into both schools, and feel incredibly lucky to have this dilemma before me, but alas. Any input on either school's consulting experience would be greatly appreciated. I guess the first thing I want to ask is if there are any significant differences in placement for either school? I dunno, but the small class sizes and business degree from Cornell seem more interesting to study than hard econ. Consulting is what I want to do right now, but a second question would be which school would be better for keeping my options open as far as the world of business is concerned. What

07 Apr 2021

Figured it would be helpful to create this as a way for everyone to update each other when/if they receive offers for this summer's program. In 2019, decisions were released May 8th (Wednesday), while last year decisions weren't released until June as a result of COVID. Appreciate everyone's input/info when they get it!

06 May 2021

Currently stuck between the first 3 options in the title for Undergrad, but leaning towards UCLA. Any advice for which school would best set me up for a career in IB or consulting is appreciated! Also waitlisted at Cal Berkeley, Cornell, Northwestern, and Georgetown. Have around 10 days to decide on those I've been accepted to. UCLA Pros: International Brand Recognition Highly Ranked Great Student Life In the good part of LA Can intern in LA in the summers Decent Economics Program Decent but very large Alumni Network Diverse Student Body Decent Alumni Network between undergrad and Anderson If

21 Apr 2021

I'm a fairly lost hs senior who was admitted into Ross, and I've been hearing great things about how well it places into finance but I haven't seen anything on how it places into MBB and top consulting positions. Does anyone know if Ross places lots of students into these positions, and whether or not recruiting is based off of what consulting club you're in like the bb and eb recruiting?

13 Apr 2021

Anecdotally, the kids from my school who summered at MBB (BOS/NYC/SF) were working just as much if not more than the IB/PE kids (minimum 12 hour days at least 5 days per week). Pre-COVID, how many hours on average were consultants working?

07 May 2021

Hi I will be attending the Kelley school of business this fall as a direct admit. I'm wondering if Kelley is a semi-target without the investment banking workshop. For instance if you place in the capital markets and banking workshop would it be a non target? Additionaly for consulting would those familiar with the industry consider it a semi-target or target by being in one of the consulting workshops? Thanks

26 Apr 2021

So this is an unprecedented year for admissions, and tonight wrapped up all my college decisions (note to any future applicants, do not talk about adding intellectual diversity to campus by being a southern white male conservative...). Please note that my goal is to work in either management consulting or IB out of undergrad. What do y'all rank my options/waitlist opportunities in order? Which options should I accept over Mendoza if they were to become available (besides Wharton obviously)? Acceptances: Notre Dame guaranteed Mendoza, U Mich (Ross decision is still pending), W&L, Clemson Honors

06 Apr 2021

As someone with little experience in consulting so far, I am curious where management consultants come into play in the standard M&A process (besides the DD). Does anyone have a specific example of tasks?

15 Feb 2021

Hi everyone, I just had a Bain AC final round interview yesterday (4/1) and was wondering if anyone else also interviewed on this date and has heard back on decisions yet? How long should we typically expect to wait before hearing back? Thanks!

02 Apr 2021

As a former MBB case interviewer, I've interviewed a lot of people and have seen people make very small, avoidable mistakes. It's often very nuanced things that push the edge to good versus great. Just because you "crack the case" doesn't necessarily put you in the 'great' category. Yes, you need to crack the case, but also have to do it in the right way. Many people crack the case and still don't get invited to the next round because others were simply better in different dimensions. Below, I've put together a "cheat sheet" of the things you must know across the major phases of the consulting recruiting process, in particular for the MBBs. For the rest of the tips, feel free to PM me. 1) Your resume and cover letter

14 Oct 2014

Target (HYP) and incoming analyst at a TMT Consulting firm with target pipelines (think Altman Solon but newer/smaller, founded by ex Altman Solon people). Serve alot of major PE clients, etc., comp in line with MBB. Wondering what exits look like at a firm like this, if the optionality in general in term of exits will be similar to MBB/T2, and if I would be able to compete with ppl at those firms exits wise. Have done the linkedin search stuff but wanted a more broad appraisal.

12 Apr 2021

What is the highest realistic salary someone can achieve in IB, Consulting, SWE, and Quant. My friend and I were wondering which job position makes the most. PS: I am not joining the field because of a paycheck.

21 Feb 2021

I'm going to be enrolling in UCSD this fall most likely, and I was wondering how difficult it is to break into non-MBB consulting. Consulting interests me, and while it sounds like MBB has its major benefits, it seems like that's pretty out of the question for a non-target. Also, is there a location benefit from being near two of the biggest cities in America? Thanks for any help

02 Apr 2021

Can someone provide insights on Wedbush Securities (LA)? Specifically their ER dept? What % of summer interns get full-time offers at Wedbush? And what do the exit opportunities look like? Can you transfer into IB later? Can you get into ER at some other top firm (JP, Goldman, etc)? How does the compensation compare to consulting firms?

13 Apr 2021

In a casual informational interview, what kind of questions are best directed at Partners? Which questions should you save for individuals who are more your "peers" (associates, consultants, analysts, etc.)? How should your questions/tone differ when interacting with these different groups?

03 May 2021

Applications for full-time analyst positions at the following firms are now open unless otherwise stated. Get after it, monkeys! See you on the Street ;) Front-office IBD, S&T and/or Research Deutsche Bank Evercore (superday scheduled for 8/8) Lazard Lazard Middle Market Wells Fargo (Application was available 7/23. Appears to have been temporarily delisted) Perella Weinberg Partners (Applications under review as of August 5) Lincoln International (Application always available. Deadline unknown) Goldman Sachs (Applications closed 7/27) Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) (Application available 8/15-10

05 Sep 2014

Hello, I am a recent graduate from a top 25 university, where I studied math and finance and came out with a strong, but not phenomenal 3.70 GPA. I was in the honors program and I would like to hope that many employers recognize the strength of a 3.70 given the math degree. Around graduation, I received a couple of offers from boutique investment banks and a couple offers in risk at top tier Wall Street banks, but ultimately chose to join the commercial bank of a well known, but not top tier, bank: please note that this bank is unique in that their leveraged finance group (the group I sit in)

22 Jan 2021

After 1 year of searching, 700 practice cases, and 200 informational interviews I got 2 job offers at two 2nd tier consulting firms. I started searching in June of last year and spent my first three months networking. I managed to speak to about 150 people during that time (mainly through LinkedIn). I was able to secure three interviews during the fall of that year: 1. At a 2nd tier consulting firm, through a partner there. 2. At one of the MBB firms, through a recruiter I spoke to who liked my story. 3. At a boutique consulting firm, through an alumni of my school.

31 May 2014

I recently accepted a job at a MBB firm and have a lot of free time until I take on my final semester. Happy to answer any and all questions regarding recruitment during COVID, prepping for case interviews, choosing between internships, etc. To help you get a better understanding, I provided some background information below GPA: ~ 3.75 Internships: Corporate Finance Intern @ Fortune 200 (Junior Year), Finance Intern @ a very small marketing firm (Freshmen Year) Involvements: five organizations including an undergraduate consulting club (President / VP for three of them) I did not land a

11 Jan 2021

Hi everyone, I have offers from Amazon software engineering and EYP SSG for junior summer and am not quite sure how they compare. So far I've loved all the people I've talked to at EYP so the culture there is definitely better. Also, their focus on software companies is something I'm really interested in. However, Amazon just pays so much more (almost $4000/month more this summer) and I anticipate FT pay to be much higher too. If I'm looking to eventually transition into strategy roles in tech/startups, which would you recommend? Thanks!

12 Feb 2021

Hey, I am an international student and I just got offers from the business schools at Durham (UK) and Fordham (NY) and from the liberal arts school for Economics at UT Austin. I'm not 100% sure about what industry I want to go into yet but I really like trading and consulting at the moment. Since I did not get into McCombs I'm worried I will be gatekept from accessing certain resources and recruiting events whereas Fordham is known for its business school. I think Durham on the other hand is very prestigious but I'm not sure not their business school is seen at the undergraduate level. UT is

08 Apr 2021

i will be interviewing with Altman and wondering what their case style is. I don't have much time to prepare. i heard they are more quant. are they similar to McKinsey or more like Deloitte? are there particular problems they usually like to case? I know that they like to keep it within TMT sector but do they tend to skew go-to-market, etc?

23 Jan 2021

Not really sure if I would be a competitive applicant or not. I'll be attending a target school this upcoming fall and currently have a cGPA of 3.85.

25 Apr 2021

Hi ! I am a high school senior with a 3.7-3.8 gpa and a sat score of 1460. I got a mail from Stevenson Institute of Tech today stating that I've been shortlisted for Priority Application through the college board student search service. I'm not sure as to what that entails apart from a priority merit scholarship consideration and if it's a marketing gimmick. Also I saw that it has a decent rep for it's engineering but since I'll be applying for Economics or Finance (up for discussion) and want to break into IB, PE or consulting in NYC(in that order of preference), what's the rep for business

14 Nov 2020

I have been going through regular IB interviews, so not too sure what to anticipate for FTI. So, what can I expect in an Interview for FTI Corporate Finance (lender services to be specific)? Any input on this is appreciated.

18 Sep 2020

Can someone please provide insights on NERA Economic Consulting. Specifically their Antitrust and IP department. What % of summer interns get full-time return offers at NERA? What do the exit opportunities look like? Is it common for employees to enter management/strategy consulting later in the Big 3s or the Big 4s? How does the compensation/job security compare to Equity Research jobs?

13 Apr 2021

Vanderbilt or UVA McIntire undergraduate for business/finance consulting? Thank you so much in advance!

12 Apr 2021

Hi all I just want to know if there are any companies doing consulting recruiting right now.

04 Mar 2021

How well does Northwestern place into MBB consulting? I'm currently a freshman at NU who's interested in the field and was just wondering how I should be using my time throughout college? What type of internships, lab research, clubs etc? I'm a little lost about what to do and would love it if any of you guys gave some feedback. Thank you and have a great day!

30 Dec 2020

Hi, I have received an FT offer from Kearney, L.E.K and Accenture Strategy. I am leaning towards Kearney just based on who I have met from the firms, the kind of work they do, my interview experience etc. I have a few questions I wanted to know on Kearney in particular: 1. Most importantly, what are the exit opps like? Has anyone worked at Kearney and exited into PE or VC? Would also like to here from other alumni that pursued other exits, what was your journey? 2. I wanted some thoughts on the comp in Kearney, i know the bonus is only around 10% (not great), but overall how does the base

04 Dec 2020

I'm a university student who wants to leverage my language knowledge for a finance and/or consulting career. I am a junior from a well known non target in Los Angeles and given Covid, may not even secure a paid finance internship for this summer, considering my failures to get any offers so far. Because of this I'm thinking of starting off getting my CPA by doing an extra year of school. then working audit or TAS Big 4, MBA, then consulting. In the long run, I want a career that gives me the most lucrative and abundant opportunities abroad. Is consulting the way to go? Or should I look more

21 Nov 2020

Basically we are doing research into what consulting firms need to do more of to get the top grads to apply to them and make sure that they are actually addressing what we want from the job/company esp now COVID has hit and we want to see what our Generation would actually value (see link in bio) And if you have any other comments or want to chat about any of the 'realities' of consulting just shout, definitely happy to help anyone if they want insights into consulting

31 Dec 2020

Hi, I am an incoming MBB consultant post-MBA and I will be starting in a few months. Any advice on how to best get prepared for my new role? Any advice on books to read / skills to sharpen before I officially start? Any advice will be helpful, thank you!

13 May 2021

I haven't seen much info about this so I decided to create a post about it. Does anyone know how strong A&M's Management Consulting group is relative to MBB, Big 4, and Tier 2/3 consulting? How are the exit ops in terms of MBA placements?

19 Oct 2020

For those needing a bit of inspiration: How I passed an internship offer for top 10 strategy consulting to my best friend, who had been looking for a job for 2 years. People involved: 1. SENIOR MD in charge of country's group, who forwarded my email. 2. BEST VP ever who received my email and passed my email to his wife that night. 3. VP'S WIFE who is management at the strategy firm and emailed me next morning. I received an internship offer at my current employer in Singapore (not this one); thus, recommended my best friend to the VP's wife. He is now Hong Kong's first intern at her strategy firm. This is exactly how you should approach cold-emails. Be humble, be open-minded, and as luck may have it, someone will notice. Good luck. -James

01 Dec 2010

Hi folks, I am interviewing right now and would like to pick your brains. I'm broadly interested in opportunistic developments, but do not have a strong preference for a particular asset class. I am far along in my candidacy for: 1. A Land Acquisitions/Entitlements Role with an Energy Asset Developer and 2. An Analyst Role at a Full-Service Real Estate Consultancy/Advisory (they do some opportunistic work and cover every asset class) I feel alternative asset development, especially wind/solar will see incredible demand in the next decade and option 1 sounds like an opportunity to position

04 May 2021

Just realized recently that I hear a lot about consultants getting tested on a client-by-client basis. While, I hear nothing about Investment Bankers doing the same. Even though they work with very similar clients. Why is this? Is it cause the simply work with different parts of the business?

22 Feb 2021

A few weeks ago I finished interviewing for MBA consulting internships and wanted to capture some of my thoughts while they're still fresh. There are lots of good resources for case interviews available, but most of the truly great advice I received for behavioral interviews was from personal connections. Below is my overview of tips for succeeding in the process. This is meant to be thorough, and reflects my experience through 20+ interviews. That said, it is likely not exhaustive, and I welcome any additions or comments you can provide. I'll add sections or elaborate, as appropriate. Acing

21 May 2014

Background: - Currently a senior consultant at a big 4 with a handful of projects under my belt. - Hoping to write CFA level 3 in May, I was planning to write it this summer but it got delayed because of covid. I am acing the mocks consistently now so I am pretty sure I can pass it. - Completed the FMVA - Undergraduate in finance from a non-target - I have a stack of trade thesis I write to trade my personal savings (mostly swing trading in FX and indices) I can show off in interviews and I made decent returns over the years. The analysis is all in macroeconomics. I know this is more hedge

11 Nov 2020

Hey everyone, currently at one of the mbb and starting my MBA next year, and I was wondering if people left at the associate partner/partner level to go into politics or high level government work. If so, what level of positions did they get and what can I do now to get in position to exit when the time comes.

02 Nov 2020

I'd like to hear from people with consulting experience on what their observations of nontarget coworkers were (MBB and tier 2). Was there even a noticeable presence of nontarget individuals, and if so what were their backgrounds? I ask because as a nontarget student I did pretty well regarding recruiting for high finance but had zero luck with consulting (despite networking, etc.).

16 May 2011

Hi - could anyone shed light on both of these firms (especially SKP because there is so little info on here). I'm in the process for both and I want to be better informed. Just wanted to know about: - reputation/culture: I know SKP is more well-established in EU but in the US I'm not so sure - work (specializations, scope, etc.) and salary (summer and full time) - visa sponsorship (especially for Mercer because I've seen mixed things) - exit/switching opps Would really appreciate any information. Cheers x

19 Jan 2021

So I have a final round with one of MBB in DC coming up, and after the interview, will have 3 days until my offer for a Tier 2 firm in Chicago explodes. For personal reasons, I would strongly prefer to be in Chicago, but would obviously prefer MBB. I got funneled to the DC office with the MBB firm due to a connection there. I know I would be happy at the tier 2, but weighing exit options, you can't beat MBB. All that said, what would MBB's reaction be if I were to get an offer, and then requested they change my offer to the chicago office? Should I bring this up at my final round, or will they just ding me for that? Realistically, I might consider taking the tier 2 over the MBB, so my threat is "credible" so to speak. Just not sure how best to handle this one.

24 Oct 2011

Got FT offers from Monitor Group NY and Bain Houston. Factors to consider: *I'm from NY and would rather be in NY to be with friends and, uh, be in NY. *I want to do organizational leadership, and heard Monitor does this more than Bain. *More interested in industries covered by Monitor NY than Bain Houston (oil). *I speak Arabic, and heard Monitor is sending a lot of people to Middle East from NY. Didn't get a good answer from Bain about working in the MIddle East. *Know more people at Bain than Monitor, but both seem like good fit. So, in the end, there are a few reasons why I like Monitor, but I also have to consider brand. How important is that? I'd like to move to industry after a 3-5 yrs in consulting.

19 Oct 2010