Do I stand a chance of being invited for PhD consultant interview at BCG despite history of low academic scores?

Question

Hi,

I am currently doing an industry PhD in France, in collaboration with a well-known enterprise and a university ranked among the top 3 in the country. I have a little more than a year left to finish, and I’m planning to apply for Advanced Degree positions / PhD Consultant roles at BCG France.

My goal is to become a consultant, and I’m actively working towards that—building my profile, developing personally, and enhancing my skills to get a foot in the door at BCG and land an interview.

What haunts me, however, is my past academic record. My undergrad and grad scores were average, around 14/20 (roughly 70%). I worry that, despite all the work I’m putting in now, those earlier results might hold me back and prevent my application from moving forward.

Here is my profile:

Past achievements:

Won first place in an inter-company competition.
Published papers in top-tier conferences as part of my research work, with opportunities to travel across Europe.
Published patents.
Received a merit-based scholarship for graduate studies.

Future plans to improve my profile:

Sports: I play golf and plan to compete in mini-tournaments at my home club. If I win, I believe it would be a strong point in my favor.
Speaking skills: I’ll be competing in a public speaking competition in the coming months.
Continuing to publish and attend top-tier conferences in Europe.
Preparing for the GMAT—scoring well might help balance out my academic history.
Volunteering in local community associations.

With this being said, I put a lot of faith in my current position. I believe it gives a strong advantage to my profile, as I’ve been both an employee in a reputable company for three years and a student at a top-tier French university.

Despite all this planning, there’s still a small fear in the back of my mind due to my undergrad and grad scores.

I would really appreciate your point of view—do you think all of this could still go to waste because of my past academic performance? Or do you think the path I’m on and the progress I’ve made so far can help me overcome that?

Thank you !

Answer 1

Hi there,

I am a former BCG senior manager and I would say the following: it will be hard but not impossible especially as France is very competitive. There are a few ways in:

Network: try to find someone senior in BCG that can mentor you and vouch for you
Skills: try to identify key skills that are of interest for BCG today (eg AI) and find a way to get them
Work experience: try to get a strategy like role for a key BCG client. They will appreciate your network and knowledge of the firm

I did coach someone with a similar profile and the way to secure an interview for him was by leveraging my network for an introduction and positioning his work experience in a way in which it would be valuable for BCG

I you want to discuss more, don't hesitate to chat me.

Answer 2

It’s certainly possible, and in my experience there is a bias towards more recent academic achievement - I.e. a prestigious phd a top 3 university

The most important thing you can do is really refine your application and highlight the personal leadership achievements that top consulting firms are looking for

If you can leverage your university’s alumni network and find someone willing to refer you, that would be a big plus as well.

Best of luck, and let me know if you’d like to chat.

Answer 3

Hi,

Scores are one of the factors, but not the only factor.

It's great that you are trying to improve your CV - and honestly thats the best that you can do.

What is out of your control is the competition - what happens if someone else has equally strong experience PLUS good grades?

But that is not something you can change - and it's not like you are going to stop now even if someone here says so.

So, for now, just push forward and try.

All the best!

Answer 4

Hey there,

Your concerns are completely valid, but honestly, your profile sounds quite promising for BCG. While academic performance matters, it's never evaluated in isolation—especially for PhD/Advanced Degree candidates. What you’re doing now speaks much louder than your earlier grades: top-tier research, patents, published work, a strong corporate partnership, and meaningful extracurriculars show both excellence and well-roundedness. Your current trajectory, combined with a solid GMAT (if you go for it), will help balance out any concerns from earlier academics. Just make sure your CV tells a clear, sharp story of impact, curiosity, and leadership.

You’re absolutely on the right path—keep going, and don’t let old grades hold you back.

Best,
Alessa :)