Boomeranging to consulting after short late-stage startup stint - bad look for MBA?

Hi there,

A short 5–6 month stint at a late stage startup is not a red flag for MBA admissions, especially given your prior MBB background. What matters far more is how clearly you explain the decision and what you learned from it. Framed as a deliberate exploration of entrepreneurship and ownership, followed by a thoughtful realization about where you do your best work, this is a very credible story and one admissions committees see often.

MBA programs generally value candidates who test hypotheses about their careers and reflect honestly on the outcomes. Returning to MBB can actually strengthen your narrative if you can show maturity, self awareness, and renewed commitment rather than indecision. As long as this is not a pattern of repeated short stints, a single brief role like this will not meaningfully hurt your application.

Happy to help you on your journey to secure a role if useful.

Best,
Evelina

A 5-6 month stint isn't ideal, but it's not a dealbreaker either. What matters is how you frame it.

MBA admissions care about your story making sense. Short stints raise questions, but they don't automatically hurt you if you have a good explanation. "I tried something, learned it wasn't the right fit, and made a decisive move" is a reasonable narrative. It shows self-awareness, not failure.

Here's how I'd think about it.

The good news: you have MBB on your resume, you took a risk on a startup, and you're self-aware enough to recognize when something isn't working. That's a mature career move, not a red flag.

The concern: if this becomes a pattern, it looks bad. One short stint with a clear reason is fine. Multiple short stints suggest you don't know what you want.

On going back to MBB, this is actually a strong signal. Boomeranging is common and respected. It shows the firm valued you enough to take you back and that you had options but chose consulting deliberately.

For MBA applications, frame the startup stint as intentional experimentation. You wanted to test ownership in a different environment. You learned what you value: agency, fast pace, intellectual variety. You realized consulting fits you better. That's a coherent story.

Don't hide the short stint or make excuses. Own it. Admissions officers appreciate honesty and self-reflection more than a perfect linear resume.

One practical tip: if you're going back to MBB, stay for at least 1-2 years before applying to MBA programs. That gives you a more stable recent tenure and strengthens your application.

You're fine. Just be intentional about the story you tell.

Hey there, 

Short answer: this is far less “weird” than it feels and it’s very manageable for MBA applications.

A few important points:

1) MBB already anchors your profile very strongly.
Having MBB on your CV is a huge positive for any top MBA program. Admissions committees are very familiar with MBB, explore & return paths and generally view them as high-caliber signals, not red flags.

2) A 5–6 month startup stint is not a dealbreaker, it’s a story ;) 
Short stints matter much less than why they happened and what you learned. Late-stage startups can look very different on paper vs. in reality, and trying it out to test ownership and autonomy is a rational career experiment.

3) Framing is everything.
The narrative here is:

• you deliberately explored entrepreneurship / ownership,
• you learned what type of environment you thrive in
• you realized consulting is where you perform best at this stage,
• and you acted decisively rather than drifting.

That shows self-awareness, courage to take risk, and mature reflection, all things MBA programs value.

4) “Failure” isn’t a problem if it’s thoughtful.
Trying something that doesn’t work out, incl. entrepreneurship, is often viewed positively when framed well. Many candidates talk about wanting to take risks but few actually do. You did, learned from it, and adjusted.

5) School context matters, but not as much as you think.
Yes, some schools (e.g., more traditional Ivy League programs) can be slightly more conservative. Even there, this profile is not problematic if the story is coherent and confident. At most schools, this would be seen as exploration, not instability.

Bottom line:
This won’t hurt your MBA chances if you own the story. If anything, it can strengthen your application by making it more differentiated.

If you want, I’m happy to help you pressure-test the narrative you’d use in essays or interviews.

This is an incredibly common trajectory, so take a deep breath. I’ve seen countless top candidates manage these short pivot stints successfully, especially when the end goal is returning to the fold via an MBA.

Here’s the reality for both AdComs and future MBB recruiters: your anchor experience is the prior success at the firm. That carries significant weight. The 5-6 month startup role is not a scarlet letter; it is a data point that proves intentionality and self-awareness. AdComs are looking for candidates who understand their motivations and have tested their assumptions. You ran a professional experiment, got definitive data (it was a poor fit due to bureaucracy and limited agency), and learned that you thrive in the consulting environment. That is a strong, mature narrative.

The risk isn't the tenure—the risk is how you frame it. When crafting your MBA essays and interview answers, you must pivot away from "I quit because it was bad" to "I strategically tested a hypothesis (that I wanted more ownership in a less structured setting), found the reality differed significantly from the premise, and in doing so, definitively confirmed my fit for the high-impact, analytical environment of consulting." Make the short stint sound like a successful, albeit quick, diagnostic effort.

Focus entirely on showcasing the learning derived from that half-year, and how that learning makes you a more dedicated and insightful candidate for business school and, subsequently, the firms. Boomerang candidates are gold, and this quick external exposure only makes your eventual return more credible.

All the best!

hey there :)

this is not weird or bad at all if explained well. MBA programs and consulting firms are very used to short exploratory stints, especially for former MBB consultants, and a 5 to 6 month late stage startup role reads as a deliberate career experiment rather than instability. what matters is that you can clearly articulate why you tried it, what you learned, and why it confirmed consulting as the right long term path. boomeranging to MBB is very common and generally viewed positively, and for MBA admissions this kind of self awareness and informed decision making usually helps rather than hurts. happy to help you frame the story if you want.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there, 

I don't think this would look bad for your MBA application. On the contrary, I think this is a unique experience that you can leverage / talk about in your MBA application. It can make you stand out from the pool of MBB consultants. 

It is not that important that your start up worked out or not, or how long / short you stayed in the late stage startup. What matters is what you learned from those experiences, how you have grown during the time, and how you tell the story. 

I bet you have some great stories to tell. 

Best,

Emily

Wow. You had a startup in parallel while being at MBB? When did you manage to sleep at that time? 

Joke aside, I've seen a couple of people returning soon after leaving. It's not a problem at all. And if any future employers ask, you can always provide the honest answer you gave here as well. Everybody is going through a learning experience, everybody is working to find their way, so as long as you're open and honest about your situation, nobody can hold anything against you. 

Best of luck with the return!
Cristian

Hey,
A short 5-6 month stint is not a red flag for MBA admissions and is fairly common. The key is how you frame the narrative. Admissions committees value self-awareness, decisive action, and clarity of purpose.
Your story is strong: you explored an entrepreneurial path to test a hypothesis about your career fit. You can explain that you gained firsthand insight into late-stage startup operations and, through that experience, developed a renewed appreciation for the problem-solving, teamwork, and impact you uniquely enjoyed in consulting. This demonstrates maturity and informed decision-making.
The most important thing: frame the exit positively. Instead of "bureaucracy and poor fit," focus on what you learned about your own working style and the specific professional environment where you thrive and contribute most effectively. Returning to MBB becomes a purposeful choice.
Kateryna

I think your MBB experience will weigh more than the startup experience.

As with anything in consulting (and also applications) - story is everything. If you have a strong story to explain it, it would definitely not be negative. Though given it was so short and didn't succeed, the 'upside' or plus point to this I think would be capped, especially when you look at typical achievements of profiles who place in top MBAs.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. 

Hi there,

It will only be weird/bad if you can't elaborate reasonably why your time there was so short. If you frame it as being decisive and courageous, it could still fly. If your story is ambiguous and unclear that hints at capability issues, then that's a different story.