Related Posts
Mentor
More Posts
Pro
Additional Posts in All Things MBB
McKinsey & Company Received Senior Expert offer from McKinsey & Company and need advice. I have 20 years of experience, two elementary aged kids, and supportive but full time working spouse. I’m comfortable working 60 hours per week but don’t want to go over that because I want to remain active with my family as well. Is that a pipe dream? If so, why? If not, what tips and tricks do you have for success?
Community Builder
Coach
Agreed with BCG1. This is incredibly tone deaf.
Mentor
The vast majority of consultants went to schools where MBB doesn’t even recruit, and even then, the majority of people who apply don’t get the job. Your question is basically like asking someone who went to Boston College why they went there instead of Harvard or MIT
That wasn't my intention. I know people who chose state schools over Ivy Leagues for a variety of reasons (often financial) so was wondering if there was something similar. Again, I know it comes across that way though, which is why I noted that in the original post.
That’s a valid question - there may be many drivers for applying to other firms
1) It may be a matter of whether one was trying to get a job in consulting or only MBB. MBBs are obviously extremely competitive to get into and if one is aiming to make a career in consulting, it just makes sense to apply to other firms as well - the life is comparable (relative to switching professions obviously) and different firms offer different values. Travel vs. no travel / type of work / size of the organization - all lead to very different experiences
2) as it was pointed out earlier - depending on the school you’re from, options may be limited
3) work life balance - MBBs have a very specific appeal but there is a work life balance consideration that comes with it. Other firms may offer you an option of being able to have more flexibility in hours / projects.
4) title / position - again depending on your background, you can aim for a higher title in some specialized firms vs. generalist tracks at MBB
5) previous networks - this might be not a big factor alone but combined with others mentioned above, could play a big role since networks are quite beneficial to further your professional goals faster
Didn’t have high enough GPA (3.2) to due to engineering background to be competitive for MBB for a target state school so only focused on T2 and B4 and didn’t want to do engineering work
Out of undergrad I was in a different firm. I didn’t go with my initial MBB offer because of location. I went to a T2 firm in a different geography.
Subject Expert
I think you should answer what drove you to apply only to MBB. That’s the real question. Diversifying the amount of firms one applies to is probably the standard.
What else were you doing/before?