Apply for internship or wait for full time?

Hi there,

Q: Should I hold off on applying to MBB for internships and just apply for full time when I will have much more case prep?    

If you apply for an internship and are rejected, you can apply again for full-time the next year. Therefore, I don’t see any downside in applying for an internship.

If you put enough effort and work on the right resources, you should be able to be ready for interviews this year as well, even if you don't feel you have enough prep now. You can find some tips below:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

Good luck!

Francesco

Since you can apply for a full time role even if you do not make it during recruitment for an internship, in my opinion it makes sense to apply. You still have time to truly dedicate to case practice and perform well. Applying for full time roles is fine but your probability of success is much lower as a lot of positions will have been filled by interns.

Nope. 

They won't ‘remember’ you. 

And even if they do (which they won't) it's not something that they will hold against you. 

I've met Partners in McKinsey who got in as BAs on their third attempt. 

Apply as early as you can. 

The more shots you get, the better.

You learn a LOT just by going through the recruitment process.

Attempting it now for an intern role, even if it doesn't work out, will position you way better for when you'll apply for full time. 

You'll know what the interview feels and looks like. You will have received feedback on your performance. And you will have built a base.

And that's the worst case scenario!

Best case, you actually get an offer.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there, 
There isn’t a significant downside in applying for an internship now as you can always apply for full time next year.

There are benefits to applying for internships :

1. Experience: The process itself can provide valuable experience and feedback, helping you understand what to expect.
2. Networking: You’ll have the opportunity to network and build relationships 
   
   All the best, Regards Ashwin

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

• First of all, apart from the ban period, I see no reason not to apply for internships, even if you may not be successful (which is the case for about 98-99% of all applicants). Consulting firms do not hold a grudge on you.
• Moreover, the decision whether to apply for an internship or a full-time position should depend primarily on whether you are convinced that consulting is a good long-term fit for your career.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Apply for both.

• If you go for an internship now, you might get an offer. This could transform into a return full-time offer at the end of the internship. 
• In the worst case, you don't get an offer now. You could still re-apply for a full-time role after that.
• In a nutshell, applying for an internship now gives you more chances to eventually succeed in getting a full-time offer. Additionally, you gain more valuable interview experience and feedback.

There is still enough time to prep until the internship interviews will take place.

All the best,

Florian

Hi there,

you should apply for an internship regardless. You might actually get it and then the chances for a fulltime return offer increase considerably. 

In case you don't pass the interview process, you can still apply again for a full-time position next year. And you will likely be better prepared since you've already experienced real life interview situations before.

So it seems like to me that you don't really have anything to lose here.

Best

If you do that you will be simply wasting one attempt, and most importantly, one opportunity to go through the real process and learn from it.

Apply now and, if not successful, apply again next year.