Best use of 1-year deferred start gap

First of all, congrats on the offer!!!

If I understood correctly, you’re still a student and will remain at university until your start date, so technically there isn’t really a “gap year” Am I getting that right? If so, you’re already in a good spot and there’sno red flag here

If instead I misunderstood and you do have a real gap to fill, I wouldn’t overthink it The best use of that time is to pick one or two meaningful things and do them well:

• Relevant work experience (preferred): startups, scale-ups, corporate strategy, VC, product roles; anything problem-solving heavy but not direct competitors (respect your clause
• Internships or part-time roles during university if timing allows
• Exchange / thesis / strong academic performance if you’re still studying
• Something distinctive: entrepreneurship, NGO work, or a personal project with clear impact..
• Optional: light skill-building (Excel, basic coding, finance), but don’t over-invest in courses

At the end of the day, what really matters is the story: you want to show that you used that time to build problem-solving skills, take ownership, and create some form of impact.

Hope this helps,
Best,
Franco

Hi there,

Nope!

The typical career is 40 years.

6 months does not make a difference.

I took a 4 month gap. The goal? Get bored and ready to go before the tough job. It's the best opportunity to take time off, when you have a high paying job locked in and security!

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Know that no-one can perfectly prepare for the job and that's the point: You will mess up, you will learn, you will be trained and supported. That's OK!

First: Read the 25 tips in my consulting handbook here: https://www.spencertom.com/2018/01/14/consulting-survival-guide/

Second: Attend an academy. There are so many great training programs that prepare new graduates for the consulting world! I'm part of a few myself. Feel free to shoot me a message and I can point you in the right direction!

Third: In terms of things you can learn/do to prepare beforehand:

1. Daily Reading — The Economist, The Financial Times, BCG/McKinsey Insights
2. Industry deep-dives — Learn, in-depth, how the industries/companies your office advises, work. (PM me for an industry overview template)
3. Analytics tools — Alteryx, Tableau, etc.
4. Excel: link — Pivot tables, working with data, key functions (vlookup, index match, count and sum if/ifs, sumproduct, concat, etc.), hotkeys, financial modeling
5. PowerPoint: link — Wireframing, lead-in titles, best practices/standards, different layouts, quickly editing/updating slides, thinking in PowerPoint
6. Presentation skills / sharp communication — there are some great online/virtual classes for this (including the academies mentioned above)

Fourth: In terms of doing well in your role when you're there:

1. Understand the context/prompt (what role are you in, what company, who's watching, etc.)
2. Understand the objective (what, specifically, is expected from you...both day to day, and in your overall career progression)
3. Quickly process information, and focus on what's important — take a lot of information and the unknown, find the most logical path, and focus on that.
4. Be comfortable with the unknown, and learn to brainstorm — think/speak like an expert without being one

In summary, there will always be a flood of information, expectations, competition etc. and not enough time. Find out which ones matter when. (i.e. be visible and focus efforts on the things that people care about)

Fifth: Here are some great prior Q&As for you!

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-makes-a-good-consultant-how-to-get-a-good-review-6790

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-hard-is-it-to-excel-in-top-consulting-firms-6762

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-become-an-engagement-manager-and-partner-quickly-6722

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/need-to-learn-skills-in-the-ample-free-time-before-starting-at-an-mbb-what-should-i-do-6774

Congrats first. Having an MBB offer while still at university is a great place to be.

On the gap: you are still a student. That is not a gap that needs explaining. Nobody will raise an eyebrow.

On what to do: the competitor clause limits your consulting options but not much else. Get work experience in something you are genuinely curious about. PE, a startup, corporate finance, any sector you actually want to understand. Not to fill your CV but because real experience makes you a better consultant. People who have only ever done consulting often have a narrower view of how businesses work.

On studying: only worth it if it fixes a real gap. Weak quant skills, learn financial modelling. Want to pick up Python, do it. Studying just to have something on your CV for a job you already have is a waste of a year and a half.

On the anxiety about others having things lined up: most of your cohort is in the same boat and will figure it out as they go. Do something interesting, not something that looks good.

First of all, congrats — you’re in a great position.

I’ll be very direct, because I think it helps here: 1 year over a 40-year career makes no difference. This will not put you “on the back foot” in any meaningful way.

The real question to ask yourself is simply: do you need or prefer to have an income during this period?

If yes, then it makes sense to look for a job. It doesn’t have to be perfectly aligned with consulting. Roles in VC, startups, fintech, or other dynamic environments can be great because you’ll get exposure, ownership, and learn quickly. But don’t over-optimize — the goal is to stay active and gain some experience.

If instead you have more flexibility, then this is actually a very unique window — and one that likely won’t come back later in your career.

In that case, I’d strongly encourage you to use it for something you’ll remember long-term. Not something that just “looks good on a CV,” but something that, in 40 years, you’ll look back on and think “wow, I’m really glad I did that.”

That could be:

• learning a language you’ve always wanted to speak
• traveling for an extended period
• working on a personal or entrepreneurial project
• taking a course in a topic you genuinely care about
• volunteering

It really doesn’t matter what you choose — what matters is that it’s meaningful to you.

Also, don’t worry too much about how this looks on your CV. Once you join MBB, that will quickly become the main signal, and this period won’t be an issue.

So instead of trying to optimize for perception, think about what you would regret not doing. That’s usually the best guide.

These days, this kind of gap will not be an issue as long as you use it "productively" (e.g. internships, structured language program) to "cover" your CV. It will, though, certainly be talked about and you will be asked about it for over the next few years in (job) interviews. Need to get comfy with that (I speak from experience here).

You should front load and get your ducks in a row for what you might consider long-term. If you plan on (potentially) doing an MBA or another degree, do the GMAT/GRE. If you plan on switching careers (e.g. IB/PE after a few years at MBB), prep the technical aspects (the broad concepts at least to let them sink in and work on them continuously).

More importantly, spend time on your personal development. Use the time to learn another language, travel, read, and become a well-versed, critically-thinking (rare these days), empathetic (even rarer) young professional (vs. a bland person with no edges, no opinions, and nothing to say). You will be working in a people's business (consulting), likely working in an office (people) environment for the rest of your life. Being able to connect to, work with, and motivate a wide array of people from different academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds is paramount. This last part will, assuming you master all the technical tradecraft, have the biggest impact on your career.

Enjoy your time off.

hey there :)

first of all, this is a great position to be in, so no risk of being “on the back foot” for MBB. they don’t expect you to optimize every month before joining.

the gap is not an issue at all as long as you use it intentionally. best use is a mix of something structured plus something personally meaningful. a job outside consulting (startup, corporate, NGO) is great, especially if you get ownership. additional study is fine, but only if it adds real value or interest, not just to “fill time”.

what matters most is that you can tell a coherent story of how you used the time to grow, not which exact path you chose.

if anything, this is a rare chance to do something you won’t have time for later.

happy to brainstorm ideas with you if you want :)

best,
Alessa :)

First of all, congrats!

That's a great position to be in - having the certainty of a job lined up ahead of you.

To clarify a few points

1 You don't need to do anything because if you're still in university that won't be a gap in your CV

2 If other people have other internships lined up until then it doesn't mean you need to do that too 

3 Think rather about what you want to do long term, what your priorities and vaules are, and then think what you could do in this intervening time that is aligned with that

I also wrote two articles for those who are soon joining the industry. Hope you'll find them useful:

Expert Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant

Expert Guide: How to Manage for Lifestyle in Consulting

Best,
Cristian