Best Path to Break into MBB Consulting

Hello,

Congratulations on your two options. I actually recently spoke with a McKinsey recruiter and I was told that for junior consultants they look for excellence in one of these three areas: grades, internships or extracurricular activities. So I would strongly suggest to focus on one of these!

I have interviewed and hired many entry level consultants (including at BCG) and what I would recommend is to go online and search on LinkedIn for the profiles of analysts that work for the consultancies of your choice and in the location of your choice because this is going to give you a very good overview of the skill sets and the profiles that these consultancies are looking for.

In addition, you will understand whether or not these particular apprenticeshis give you the development opportunities and the skillset wich is sought after in these consulting firms.

Should you like to have a concrete discussion on whether this opportunity would make sense for you or would be relevant for the consulting firm of your choice or how you can get other opportunities that might be even more relevant, please don't hesitate to chat me.

Best of luck,

Sasha

Hey - there’s no right answer here, because the paths to MBB can be very varied, and you’re still early!

I’d suggest option 1 or 3, combined with an MBA in future, might be the highest-probability route.

Even if the apprenticeship in option 2 offers DD experience and an ACA, I don’t recall seeing many MBB consultant in London without an undergrad degree, except for a few athletes or military people.

Remember that for recruiting at undergrad level, especially in the UK, most successful MBB applicants are from target or semi targets (I.e., Oxbridge, UCL, Imperial, LSE, then Russell Group unis). That’s not to say it’s impossible from a full non-target, just a lot harder than normal. 

If MBB is the goal, an MBA might be helpful for you further down the line, since it will open up another route to apply.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

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

• I would strongly advise you to opt for the option that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:
  • Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., personal growth, culture, international exposure, location). After that, score the three options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in three scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
  • Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
  • By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Great that you have in mind so early in advance. 

Basically, it comes down to two things: ability and brand. They are to a certain extent interlinked. 

Ability - has to do with whether you would be able to actually pass the interview. So here is about practicing case studies and developing your reasoning ability and business logic. Being part of internships where you can practically develop these skills or doing a degree in a related field, helps immensely. 

Brand - has to do with whether you show a track record of excellence (such as being part of distinctive universities or organisations). Going to a target university also then makes it easier to get to the interview stage, both because of the learnings you'll acquire, but also because it signals to the firms that you are high worth candidate. 

You might also find this guide helpful:

• Expert Guide: What Do Management Consultants Do?

And also this one on how to develop your application strategy:

• Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy
  Best,
  Cristian

Hi,

I would say that to break into MBB consulting - there are a few common paths.

1. Straight out of college
2. MBA
3. Experienced hire / lateral hire

For #1 - they will be looking at college brand name and grades as a filter/proxy. Not impossible to break into from a non-target but very difficult.

For #2 - this is often the reset/pivot for many people and some firms hire the most (in terms of cohort size) from MBA graduates 

For #3 - either you have a big brand name / strong role (i.e. front office at bulge bracket bank; brand mgmt at FMCG), or you are already doing a related strategy type consulting role at T2/T3 (e.g. strategy team at Kearney/OW/Deloitte/Accenture)

All of our current options IMHO are not strong options for MBB 'strategy' consulting if you ask me. 

Of course you could always try and lateral after these roles but sounds difficult if you ask me. So, maybe better to think a mid-long term view (5-7 years), and try and go the MBA route as a backup option.

You are still young - and while it's great that you are showing ambition now, just know that there are many things that could happen that would be out of your control. Enjoy life and the process :)

Hey there :)

Totally fair to feel unsure, these are big decisions. If MBB is your end goal, the strongest path is usually one that gives you both brand and progression toward top academics. The Forvis Mazars option with ACA and M&A exposure could set you up well for a later jump, especially into Tier 2 or eventually MBB via MBA or Master's. The Accenture path gives strong brand early, but tech/data might be harder to pivot from unless you shift internally.

City Uni on its own won’t open many doors for MBB, but could work if you later move into a top Master's.

At 19, your path is just starting, you can get to MBB through any of these with the right strategy later. Go where you’ll learn most, grow fast, and then plan the next step.

Best,
Alessa :)