BCG Final Round: Halfway Rejection and Next Cycle Consideration

Question

Hello everyone,

I am an MSc Political Science student at one of the flagship universities in the UK. After my final (5th) interview with BCG, I received a call from HR. They informed me that while my interview process was not negative and they were satisfied with my performance, the current pipeline is very competitive. Consequently, they won't be able to offer me a position this cycle, but they still want to consider me for the 2025 intake (though an offer is still not guaranteed).

I just graduated with my bachelor's and was very keen on getting into consulting. However, I'm quite disappointed now and need some insights on how to proceed and understand what is going on. Below is a summary of the process:

In October, I applied for a BCG associate position in both London and X offices (X being my home country). The London office directed my application to X, and the process began. The entire process took a staggering seven months from application to the final call, during which I had five interviews (one HR, three case, and one final behavioral with a senior partner). The seven-month duration felt long, and whenever I inquired about the delays, they mentioned either scheduling issues with interviewers or ongoing process evaluations.

Nevertheless, I completed the final round on April 25 and received the call on May 28 after asking HR for an update. They assured me that my interviews were positive and that they were content with my performance. However, due to the highly competitive pipeline/pyramid structure of 2024 intake, they could not offer me a position now but still want to reconsider me for the 2025 intake as the process was positive. They emphasized transparency in their communication, given that the process had already spanned seven months, and they didn't want to prolong it further. When I asked for negative feedback, they said there was none.

I was deeply disappointed by the news because I performed well in the case interviews, and the final senior partner interview felt like a formality, with basic questions like "Why consulting?" and "Why BCG?". I was hopeful about receiving an offer.

My question is: What should I do next? Why might I have been rejected despite a seemingly positive interview process? I asked if they could offer me an internship or refer me back to London for an internship while I wait for the 2025 reconsideration, and they will get back to me next week.

Any ideas why this might be the case overall? My hypothesis is that the X office primarily hires engineers or business majors, making my Political Science background quite unusual for MBB in that country. I think when it came to the final hiring decision, they opted for a candidate with a more conventional background, especially in a period of reduced hiring.

I would greatly appreciate any input or suggestions on what to do next. I really want to get into consulting, but this incident makes it feel like it might be impossible even if I do everything right.

Thank you in advance for your insights and advice.

Answer 1

Hello there,

I'm truly sorry to hear about your recent disappointment after the lengthy interview process. I empathize deeply, having experienced a similar setback following my final round at BCG's Philadelphia office. I remember feeling devastated at the airport on my way back, questioning whether my consulting dreams would ever materialize. At least in my case I was very clear on why I was rejected. You seemed to have done well on all your case interviews. Having said that, I did manifest my dream of working for MBB by cracking my McKinsey interviews. Below I list a few things I did to make it happen and I hope it helps you in your journey

Keep the Faith: If your goal is to work for MBB, persist in that belief. It might not happen this cycle, but perseverance and resilience pays off. Cultivate a positive outlook (I know I know much easier said than done but these character traits are exactly what separate people and extraordinary people). Life moves forward, and so should you
Understand Hiring Cycles: Consulting hiring is notoriously cyclical. As a recruiter at McKinsey, I've seen years of over-hiring followed by more conservative periods. Currently, it's a lean time in the industry, making competition fiercer than usual. Your non-selection likely isn't based on your background. MBBs don’t do that - factors such as office hiring quotas or stronger candidates might have influenced the decision
Plan Your Next Steps:

Stay in Touch: First of all you have a fantastic opportunity next year. All these firms have stay in touch programs designed for promising candidates who weren't extended an offer this time. This is something to celebrate and ensures a smoother/possibly shorter process (e.g., fewer interviews) when you reapply
Broaden Your Horizons: In the meantime, consider other opportunities, whether in different consulting firms or in other industries. My stint at Amazon before joining McKinsey was incredibly enriching
Go where there is still demand: If feasible, look into consulting roles in regions like the Middle East (e.g., Riyadh, Dubai), which are actively hiring (the only offices I know off). Your recruiter can provide more specific guidance.
Network Intensively: Use this time to expand your network across various firms and offices to better position yourself for the next hiring surge

Hope this helps and please feel free to reach out in case you have follow-up questions.

Cheers

Nilay

Answer 2

Firstly - what you went through is a lot. It is very difficult to do these many interviews over 7 months and come so close to an offer and not get it.

As tempting as it is to jump to how to get a consulting offer, I strongly encourage you to take a break. You will get a lot of clarity by taking 1 month off from applying and focusing on other activities you enjoy. After a month, you should really think about what your goals are and if consulting is your first choice. Given that you made it so far with BCG, you are a very strong candidate so do not worry about that.

That being said, they are not lying to you - the last 2 years have been really hard for consulting from a recruitment perspective. There are significantly fewer new roles and especially in Europe where the economy has been quite sluggish. It may even work in your favor to spend 2-3 years doing something else you love and pivoting to consulting when the market conditions evolve.

All the best,
Udayan

Answer 3

It's not you, it's them :)

The thing is... you passed the interviews, they actually want to give you an offer, but given their current pipeline they cant. Of course they didn't manage well the process, and most likely your less common background for a probably smaller office made this harder for you.

But on what was under your control, you did well.

And you also did well to ask for the internship.

Now, how to proceed? Accept their offer or promise, whatever it is, and go on with your life as if you don't have it. With the confidence that you actually had 5 interviews and you did well. And that your performance while interviewing in very different moments in time - that is great consistency.

Good luck for the next steps.

Answer 4

Hi Alex,

Sorry to hear about the rejection, I understand the frustration, in particular after such a long process. In terms of your questions:

1) What should I do next?

I would recommend applying to other consulting firms. Even if they allow you to interview for the London office, it is very risky to apply to just one company. There might be multiple reasons that might prevent you from getting an offer, some of which are not in your control (in your case, it seems your target office was simply not hiring much).

You can find a list of companies ranked by prestige below:

▶ Top 15 Consulting Firms by Revenues and Prestige

2) Why might I have been rejected despite a seemingly positive interview process?

From what you shared, it seems that the office was not hiring much. They might have had candidates they considered slightly better and could not extend further offers due to a lack of project demand. There might be other reasons but it is difficult to judge without additional information.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi Alex,

Sorry to hear!

Unfortunately, in the current times, this is not uncommon. You made it very far and probably would have received an offer 1.5 years ago with this performance.

I would see this as a sign of strength and as a positive, not a negative (even though it truly sucks in the moment…).

Given your case skills and experience as well as your desire to work in consulting, I would kick-off the process with other firms (MB and tier-2) and go through interviews and potential job offers while waiting for a reply from BCG.

Go for it while you are still in case mode.

Alternatively, think about different offices and locations, e.g., in the Middle East. You could also ask BCG HR if it is possible to get a referral for one of these offices.

Fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 6

Sorry to hear about this situation.

It must be really frustrating.

Basically, if you have other options, you should pursue them in parallel.

First of all, you should try and get clarity on whether consulting is really what you want to pursue in the coming few years.

If yes, then it makes sense to do whatever is the closest to consulting in the coming period.

So let's say that going for the BCG interview in a year is one area.

Another is to try to apply to other firms that are still accepting applications at the moment.

Another one to would be to do some consulting volunteer work for a local organisation.

Basically, anything that would strengthen your value proposition.

Sharing here a guide on how to approach the recruitment process to minimise the probability of these situations coming:

Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Best,
Cristian