Apply for full-time or internship at BCG?

Question

Hi,

I currently have 2 years left of my studies, but was invited by BCG to do an interview. I was given the choice between interviewing for FT or internship and don't know which one to choose.

Ideally I want a full time job there in the end, so I'm trying to figure out which of the two would give me the highest chances of that. What I've gathered so far is that there is almost no difference in the difficulty of the interviews, if anything the FT interview might actually be easier to get accepted at. From this, to me it would seem like a no-brainer to then go for the FT interview, but then I learned that you get locked out for a period (2 years I think) from interviewing if you fail at the FT interview, and that this does not happen at the internship interview.

Do you have any corrections or additions and which would you go for?

Answer 1

Hi,

I would advise applying for the internship position for the following reasons:

The difficulty of the internship interview will be lower (as the expectations are lower)
The competition you will get will be less severe (as you won't compete with lateral hires, only uni students with limited experience just like you)
You will have the chance to apply again next year if you are rejected (which happened to me as well, my internship application was declined, but I was invited for FT interviews next year)
If you have the chance to do your internship with them, you can convert this to a FT offer if you perform well

Best,

Deniz

Answer 2

I have a slightly different approach to this question. While FT might make sense, it is always always critical to see whether you actually like the role. An internship is a great way to assess the industry and realize whether you would enjoy your time at the firm. Before going into prestigious companies, many students convince themselves it is the right option for them only to regret it later. Hence, my suggestion would be to apply for an internship, assess the company and then make an informed decision about FT later.

Answer 3

Hi,

The variable here is your level of preparation:

If you are well-prepared or you are sure you can prepare - go for a full-time role
If you are not confident / don't have time left - try an internship first

I would prepare and go for a full-time role.

Best

Answer 4

Hi Anonymous,

I assume if you go for the internship you could start before the period you could start full time. If that’s the case, I would go for an internship for the following reasons:

Even if you get rejected, you can usually reapply for a full-time position.
You can expect that if you do not get accepted after the internship, you would have also not passed the trial period after a full time offer, while sometimes if you do not get accepted after the trial period as a full time you may have passed the internship step, since they could still give a second chance with the trial period. The internship thus gives you more chances to land a confirmed full-time offer when your superior has some doubts about your performance.
It helps to clarify whether you want indeed to work in strategy consulting / BCG.

Best,

Francesco