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Hi All, My sister has done Computer Science engineering Bachelor degree and has 5 years of work experience in India. She is applying for MBA at https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/full-time-mba/ and https://kelley.iu.edu/programs/full-time-mba/academics/majors-minors/marketing.html. Her overall goal is to get into Software Product management. Any suggestions if any of these MBA’s can open path in the desired space or if she is better of doing an MS in Comp engg. to further develop deeper Technology skills. Thanks
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One year won't get you credit at either. If you're interested in PE work Bain is the clear choice. We're also the strongest overall on the West Coast.
Thanks for the reply! What does the project mix look like in PEG? E.g. Is it 90% CDDs?
And what if you were unsure if you wanted to do PE work long term?
Congrats! If PE go with Bain, anything else BCG - coming from someone in the PIPE practice
Sad. Maybe next time ;)
Rebutted some of the misinformation here in another comment, but firstly congrats! Both great options, so good luck with your decision. My general thoughts:
- For PE work there is still a huge difference. Bain is clear #1. The types of work we get access to is much better as a result (the best buy side DDs, fund strategy, HF strategy, portfolio work) and we don’t spend all our time doing sell-side work. BCG has grown their practice by hoovering up sell-side work
- On the west coast, Bain is the biggest of the three and the market leader for tech corporate work. Less so in tech work for non-tech companies, but this is a big focus area and growing quickly
- BCG is better at corporate work for Healthcare and FS, as well as public sector work. Another comment alluded to Bain being bigger in PE due to the head start. The same can be said about corporate work with BCG. Bain has more headroom in corporate, BCG in PE
- Typical timeline for promotion at Bain is 3 yrs vs 2 at BCG. The Bain timeline builds in a 6 month externship, if you don’t do that then it is 2.5 years and the 6 months really doesn’t make much of a difference. If you want to stay long term then Bain comp is better as our profit sharing is amazing, and at SM and above you get access to PE coinvest opportunities
- Think about who you clicked with the best. I’m biased, but I think the Bain non-work experience is second to none, particularly for early career professionals.
- Bain has a local office staffing model which means you work with people from your home office. This typically means less travel as you don’t have to co-locate (but you still travel to clients together). It also means you forge much stronger bonds with your office
- Anecdotally (from multiple friends), hours are better at Bain. Probably partly down to less travel, but it’s also a huge focus for our leadership teams and part of their comp is tied to team experience
A few adds
1.) A very small percentage of BCG's work is Sell-Side.
2.) There is a nuance to the culture and analytic approaches of the firms. BCG is culturally programed to approach things from first principles and push towards the bespoke answer. Bain pushes harder on 80/20 and standardized approaches. It shows up in the emphasis on things like deal benchmarks and standard value creation playbooks for mid-market companies - that posters highlight. Over generalizing, but in general McKinsey and BCG tend to serve larger clients on longer programs and Bain has historically served more middle market and PE clients with shorter projects. The client base and approach shape firm cultures and are something to consider as you think about what type of work you like to do and what opportunities you want. If you really like first principles thinking and novel approaches then BCG may be better fit. If you prefer working in more standardized approaches then Bain may be a better fit.
3. Bain tends to assert their comp model is better - due your diligence. Comp is super complicated, especially as you look long term with things like firm equity. Short term, BCG is typically first mover on pay raises etc and has far better benefits. Expense policy is also better at BCG (think better hotels, restaurants, first class flights) which often shows up in better points/vacations. The perks are just better overall at BCG.
4. My teams work the same hours I did when I was at Bain. PE work is intense no matter where you are
Same as Bain 1 in terms of getting tenure credit. If you’re doing well, it should be 2 years to promotion at BCG but idk how that compares to Bain
Early direct promote to MBA is usually 2.5 years and on-time direct promote to MBA is usually 3 from undergrad. One thing to note is that most Bain ACs take 6-month externships (whereas BCG doesn’t seem to do as many secondments).
OP, in case it matters to you, C1 to SM was always historically slower than McK’s and BCG’s from a title perspective (responsibilities tend to be bigger for an SM1 vs an EM1 or PL1 fwiw), but that is much more fluid now and more on an individualized basis than it used to be. Still faster on average at BCG, again when you compare titles vs responsibilities (candidly, the title is probably more impt for exits).
Bain 100%
nope both Bain / BCG will make you go through the 2 years before a promotion. believe it’s different with mck
Progression is faster at BCG (2 years vs 3 post MBA) but Bain is stronger traditionally in PE. Do as you will with that information.
Not going to argue if Bain or BCG is better - both do similar work, if you want to do PE then go Bain if not BCG - it’s pretty simple on that
After that question - tbh it just depends on who you liked working with more - people personalities are very different between Bain and BCG - so whoever you liked working more with go there.
Good luck and excited for you to make the jump to either - both firms are great!
Lol maybe I need to meet more Bainies then but yah honestly I don’t like this BCG vs Bain comparison - both are great - both will give good benefits and pay - I would say @OP go with the type of people you like more cause you’ll spending a boat load of time with them
For PE Bain is probably stronger, but there isn’t a huge difference.
Collocation happens weekly, and has been strong post-reopening. Some hiccups with recent case spikes nationally, but collocation is a strong part of the PIPE value prop, especially in these times.
Your hypothesis is right that it’s mostly CDD work, but there’s also sell side and portfolio work in the mix as well.
Also feel like Bain’s 3 year promotion to post-MBA level is a bit off long, especially given the loss of 1 YOE. Is this the right way to think about it?
@BCG6 it’s known that Bain is better at consulting for tech companies in the US market in terms of market share and client perception, especially out of the SF office which I think is much bigger than ours or Mckinseys even if they’re relatively smaller globally. They’ve historically had some of the marquee clients in tech.
BCG is much better at digital (tech for non-tech companies) vs MB, they made an early play to get into this space and compete as a premium product vs. Deloitte/Accenture. The others are still catching up. I’m not sure how much Bain values this aspect as part of their firm strategy, they are building capabilities/assets from what I can tell.
Mind if I message you about recruiting from a T2?
Not at all!
OP, how did the process of getting tagged to PEG/PIPE come about? Did you have the option to join the general strat groups?
It was different between the two firms. BCG had put me in PIPE candidacy once I applied, and Bain asked during the interview process if I would be interested in working in PEG.
Hold up..do you have a masters
? What firm did you work for before and how did you get an offer at MBB? What are your college majors?
Just undergrad degree (finance, but don’t think major matters), am currently at a T2 in the US. Applied for experiencing recruiting a few months ago.
Would 2 YoE make a difference in Exp Hire recruitment? Not to hijack the thread 😅
I think folks with 2 YOE in a T2 will generally come in with 1 year or tenure credit, but those who are more knowledgeable here should correct me if I’m wrong.
What T2 were you at? Any advice on getting interviews and the interview process?
Can DM if you want!
@OP which office are you looking at? Happy to help give details on my experience if it happens to be Chicago or NY
Sure thing, feel free to dm
Are you already in the PE group of a T2?
Not sure if my end goal is PE, it doesn’t seem that way right now.
My current firm is great, we work with a lot of different (and top) funds and have good DD deliverables. Just thought it’d be refreshing to lateral and have a stronger brand (considering PE or not).
Would any Bainies be willing to provide a referral for my application to Bain Advantage?