Hey everyone,
Rising junior at UChicago (Econ/Data Science) preparing for consulting recruiting this summer/fall. Quick question for anyone who's been through the process or anyone with any information.
I have one F on my transcript from freshman year surrounded by A's and A-, 3.7 cumulative GPA with it factored in. The F came from an academic integrity violation during an exam for my econ class. I took full accountability, cooperated with university administration, and reached out to my professor directly. Under his permission, I was able to retake his class, and while the grade wasn't changed, I got an A- the next quarter.
I have a composed, honest answer prepared if it comes up. But my concern is whether it even matters - if an interviewer hears "academic integrity violation" in a fit round, are my chances essentially done? Or do people actually move past it?
To that note, will this even come up during interview? I'm not concerned if I'm asked during a background check, becuase to my understanding, they won't rescind over a resolved issue like this, given I don't lie or cover it up during the application process.
The rest of my profile is "strong", with internships that had measureable impact, and decent leadership experience. I also networked heavily and have a referral or 2 from senior consultants at most of the tier 2 firms.
For those who've been through MBB, specifically Tier 2 (LEK, Oliver Wyman, Kearney, Monitor Deloitte), or Big 4 interviews - did anyone ever have a low grade come up? Was it partners, managers, or HR? And did it actually affect the outcome?
To clarify, I don't plan to lie about this during the interview.
I would really appreciate any information about this.
