McKinsey & Company Bain & Company How likely is it that I’ll make it to MBB middle east offices without an ivy league degree? A BCG opening is a great fit, have long consulting experience in the related field between Dubai, Saudi and Qatar. Also a bilingual (Arabic/english). I graduated with distinction in my university (Dubai based) but not ivy league. Currently working in the bay area, California.

Boston Consulting Group Bain & Company McKinsey & Company

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

No one on here is able to tell you the right answer. Only the recruiter from that office can. So apply!

If you have a referral anywhere in the world, it’ll help your chances

Source: I’m a non-Ivy experienced hire

likeuplifting

Wrong, I can tell him.

You don’t need ivy background.
I was in Dubai office and ivy BUT lots there were not ivy; lots from top European MBA programs like Insead

like

You miss 100% of the shot that you don’t take.

That said, you should know better than I do that Middle Easterns are brand mongers

likesmartfunny

The majority of people on my teams in BCG Dubai didn't go to an Ivy League school. Do a quick LinkedIn search and prove it for yourself.

The Ivy League is eight schools in the Northeast of the United States. Lots of smart people come from a lot of other places.

like

Thank you! Didnt take it as a nitpick. Appreciate the explanation. I actually reached out to a friend who will refer me 🙏🏽🙏🏽

like

Not sure why you’re fixated on the ivy league degree part — having relevant work experience is way more important if you want to be an experienced hire. Ivy league pedigree certainly won’t hurt but that’s secondary

like

Thank you! Thats what the job description has, and what I hear of MBB! But I guess I shouldnt worry about it too much!

LolZ why would you need an ivy degree for a Middle East office?…there are no Ivy League schools there

like

Welp, I got that wrong 🤷🏽‍♂️ The job description says top tier not ivy league.

I think you should ask - what is the best way to achieve your goals, rather than if you can achieve them. The only thing someone can say after you have applied is no.

Having worked in Dubai I think your background sounds great. And while Dubai is a very brand conscious place - I would think someone with your experience would have a shot

like

Thank you so much! I will give it a try and see.

Ivy Leagues aren’t as meaningful in the rest of the world compared to the US — simply because there are a lot of great schools outside the US (Oxford, LSE, HEC, NUS etc.) and also in the US, which in many cases are better than the Ivy League unis. Target schools in the ME are global so will include both US and non-US top schools, including a few very good universities in the region like AUB or NYU AD. So I would say that you definitely don’t need an Ivy League degree, but you would need a very strong academic background like in all BCG offices. Just apply and see, and if you’re scared your academic background isn’t solid enough then focus on the work experience!

like

Depends on the subject e.g., LSE Economics is better than many Ivys in economics, same for instance with HEC Finance etc. And you’ll probably find a better job in Europe with a degree from a top French Grande École for instance than many of the Ivys (esp. Cornell, Brown etc.). Anyways it’s a very US-centric view in my opinion, although of course there is no doubt the Ivys are some of the world best universities.

Bainie from Middle East offices here, I’ve helped with recruitment in the past year and can confirm we recruit from some US schools that are not ivy

helpful

57.63% likely.

Thanks everyone for the very useful insights. Started with referral and applying for the three consultancies. Who knows, maybe you’ll see me in a couple of months if you are working in the gulf.

Related Posts

What are some of the roles fitting for a developer if someone doesn't want to be a developer anymore. Any tech jobs which pay 150k+ but not a developer role. Want to step out of programming as one is not good at it.

like

Can some one refer me for finance transformation role at Deloitte?

like

Hi fishes,
Need some career advice.
I have 4years of experience in the field of content moderation and management. I worked with Genpact at 3.5lpa last drawn for 2.10years and recently joined Accenture on September,2021 for 5lpa(been three and a half months).
Not happy with the package and level after getting to know the inside details. I aspire to become a team lead by end of 2022 and Accenture doesn't have that ace of promotion. What do I do and which company do i try for at what time?

like

Any associate administrative healthcare career opportunities in South Florida area for recent college graduate with clinical experience? Not looking for another MA position.

like

Hiring managers- what wows you at design presentation interviews? I’m hearing a lot of “cohesive story” and “show your process”- would love to hear stories about candidates that stood out to you.

like

Lots of talk about inflation, layoffs, hiring freezes, pay cuts, and stressful job shifts lately. Does anyone have any advice or encouragement to share for those who have been impacted or fear that they will be soon?

I need some advice please. I made it to the final round of interviews for a Product Owner position. Since I’ve been dealing with rejection for almost two years of getting into Product does anyone have any tips to ace the interview? Also my goal is PM. Do you think a move from PO to PM is obtainable? I’ve done some research and according to Marty Cagan the PO & PM should be one individual. To this end is the PO position seen as redundant? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Anyone from AstraZeneca willing to chat about a potential referral? Interested in an AD role posted.

like

Which level in consulting opens the most exit opportunity doors? (C, SC, M, SM, etc)?

like

I just graduated with an MSW here in California and was offered a mental health therapist position with Wellpath. I went through three interviews, and none of the people I spoke to could give me a pay range. Does anyone here work for Wellpath in a jail setting and know the pay range? I understand each state and county will be different, but at least I know what they could offer me.

like

Is Azure Specialist a hunter/closer? Not sure what equates to an AE role for Azure. Seems like MSFT has different job titles than AWS AE.

like

What are some top questions/FAQ about the company/role (benefit specifics, culture, etc.) that candidates would love to be answered during a typical hiring process?

like

Our firm is hiring for ITS director, ITS manager and ITS senior. If any one is interested happy to connect you with the recruiting team.

like

Hi everyone! Wondering if anyone can help me out with a referral to Deloitte or KPMG for a Scrum Master or Project Manager position. Open to other companies as well. 😊

like
like

What are questions I should be prepared to answer in an in interview for an Associate Copywriter role? I used to be in project management, so the questions were different...

What are the exit options for someone who practices state administrative law in Texas?

I work on electric utility cases before the Public Utility Commission. It's so specialized I'm not sure what to do if I ever want to leave my V100 firm.

I'm considering whether I should try to switch practices to have more options later on.

Thanks for your help!

like

Hello everyone.
I have only 1 offer with me with
15 days remaining of my notice
period.
Ideally I would have joined the
company, but the company is
EPAM.

I have been seeing many posts
here about layoffs.
Can anyone please help me
with a referral?
YOE: 6 years
Tech Stack: Python backend

Note:
Few friends here have helped me with a referral. Though not for all the interview is scheduled, I am very thankful to them.

like

I’m getting ready to start my FT position as a HUC (Health Unit Coordinator) in Labor and Delivery. I know it will be a while before I do anything of the sort, or IF I do anything of the sort. But I wondered if there were any other HUCs on here who crosstrained? (Wether as a PCT Patient Care Tech, Medical Records, or Telemetry?) was it worth it?

like

Good morning!

Still trying to figure out this whole Fishbowl thing, so here goes my first post.

I would love to get into provider credentialing, but all employers I've looked at want at least 3 years of experience. So, I'm looking at Provider Network Coordinator roles, because I'm finding some of those roles don't need AS MUCH experience. I'm a RHIT, and have been working in healthcare for nearly 10 years.

Any input on employers is appreciated!

like

More Posts

like

What are the best ways to increase my assets and decrease my liabilities? Specifically for the age range: 21–30, paying down my student debt, need to pick my next investment targets

like

Hi! Wanted to get thoughts from those who have exited to a startup from MBB/T2. Have an offer from a series C start up — would take ~$20k base cut but with bonus (annually) would make about 25k more TC plus RSUs. Much better WLB and great people. Is the base cut normal? Thoughts?

like

Best wine app? Wanting to catalog the bottles I have, see stats, get notified when wine is coming up to drink (out of hold periods), etc.

like

how are the quarantine workouts going ?

Mid- level writer worried I can’t make enough money in this industry. What are successful pivots people have made? Tech?

like

Any idea what’s the salary like for a L61 TPM at Microsoft in UAE? Looking to move from Redmond to Dubai and was wondering how my salary would change.

Just joined this bowl.. looking to throw 3K into crypto then dollar cost avg, recommendations on allocation %?

like

Are there conferences that showcase new software that agencies might be interested in for things like project management, creative development, etc? Or any resources that aggregate and review what’s out there?

like

Have the opportunity to become a Chief Strategy Officer of a 3 hospital system. Only catch is it’s in the california desert region… would have to leave a major city with friends and family for the job. What would you do?

like

This fishbowl isn't really active, is it 🙄

like
like

How do you explain logistic regression on an interview?

like

I start at Deloitte on Monday and just received my subpar laptop (expected). Do we get anything else from Deloitte as part of onboarding? Any work accessories, swag, etc.? I legit just got a laptop and charger and that’s it

like

What are you thoughts on Gartner consulting? Looking at a Senior director position...

Do guys like to go through their SO’s phone to check what kind of apps they have? Are they genuinely interested in that or is that a sign of distrust? Been in two relationships, and both guys did that. Not sure if this is a common excuse or normal practice.

Any opportunities for high paying strategy/CEO Office roles? Management consultant with total 6yoe. Looking for 50 LPA+

like

Hey,

I'm a data science fresher looking for referrals,

Interested Domains: Data visualization, Technical support, Marketing, ML ( computer vision)

Key skills: AWS EC2, Lambda, MongoDB, Power BI, Excel (Intermediate), Marketing and branding (SMM, SEO), Python, SQL, Linux ( any distribution except Arch)

I have worked on 4 startups since 2017, having hands-on experience with many tools and I'm cross functional and can learn and fit according to any environment.

Thank you.

like

Not work related - but can anyone suggest a good 3 night itinerary to check out Cornwall? Thank you ☺️

like

Additional Posts in Consulting

Uber driver has now commented on "too many Mexicans", "all those trans people", and, my personal favorite, "all those communists on SNL."

like

Is WLB better at S& than MBB/Tier2 or worse?

I feel like it’s probably the latter because of Utilization/PwC culture, but want to validate.

like

July 4th, 1776. The original Brexit

like

What’s an appropriate salary for a PMO Manager role at Apple in California?

like

Anyone got pwc mobileiron installed on their personal ipads? Is it even worth it?

like

Where are my fellow straight consultants playing with men while traveling? ;)

like

Used up most of my points and bought a pair of tickets for family friends to see their mother who is dying of cancer. After seeing a picture of those wonderful people together again I broke down.

like

Best SPG/Marriott hotels in downtown NYC? Thoughts on 11 Howard?

like

Accenture peeps what is typical raise % from C to M in strategy?

like

Does anyone here find the headrest on their office chair super helpful? I've never had one, and can't imagine it's necessary as I shop for a new chair, but want to make sure there isn't something I'm missing.

like

Anyone here have experience, or have any knowledge about, working at an internal strategy team at a Big Law firm? Interested in making a switch into strategy, but unsure if working at law firm is the correct move. Thanks!

like

So how are the Performance Calls going at Accenture? What is the Promotion process now?

like

What tips do you recommend to calm one's nerves during in-person meetings? I get very nervous to the extent of almost shivering. I wasn't always like this, but the pandemic and wfh have completely thrown me off my game. I'm fine in virtual meetings, but live meetings get the better of me.

like

Dixon Hughes Goodman Risk Advisory, anyone know anything? What is the consensus?

like

I need EY CPE credit before year end. Does anyone know of easy CPEs or ones that do not have a test?

like

Anyone else ever dealt with a severe „writers block“? Like not being able to produce a single slide? Full on anxiety and not sure how to push through this.

like

If you join any of the Big 4 as an experienced hire, is it possible to get laid off before your first project?

like

Any EYers willing to help another EYer out? I know there has to be something out there other than AML...

like

Autistic fish: How do you tell people you're autistic w/o saying it outright? If you could ask for help/support to grow at work, soft skills in particular, what would you ask for?

like

How do you figure out who your spirit animal is?

likefunny

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal