Do "Post-Offer" Bootcamps/Coaching Really Help (e.g. Highbridge Management Academy)?

hey!

you’re totally right to be skeptical. I started at McKinsey without doing any post-offer bootcamp, and honestly, you’ll get everything you need through the firm’s onboarding and on-the-job learning. MBB invests heavily in training, mentoring, and feedback loops, so an external program usually won’t add much. what can help though is working with one experienced consultant before you start—someone who can show you how to structure slides, manage workload, and communicate with managers. I do that sometimes with my mentees, and it helps them feel more confident early on. but no need to spend hundreds on a big bootcamp.

best,
Alessa :)

The reality is: most new MBB consultants don’t do these, and they ramp up just fine through the firm’s own onboarding, formal training, and real project experience. MBB invests heavily in structured training, apprenticeship models, and on-the-job coaching — and your first few months are designed to be a learning curve. You’re not expected to be plug-and-play on day one.

If you’re already bringing the core skills (structured thinking, communication, learning agility), a $500+ external course probably won’t move the needle. At best, it might give you a psychological head start. At worst, it could introduce unhelpful habits or frameworks that don’t align with your firm’s style.

That said — if you feel you’re coming in with serious gaps (e.g. super non-traditional background, low confidence in Excel/slide building, never worked in a corporate environment), there might be value in a focused, targeted refresher — but you don’t need to pay for a full-blown "academy." A few curated YouTube videos, a strategy book, or 1–2 sessions with a mentor will give you 90% of the benefit.

So: no, you don’t need this to succeed at MBB. Your time is better spent relaxing, reading something light but strategic, or even traveling — because once you start, that’s when the real learning begins.

Honestly, I'm not sure how you could run a far comparison. 

There will certainly be a difference between the people who get the MBB only training and those who also get on top extra support from the outside. 

Now, in terms of the outside support, you can expect to be a difference between 1-to-many models (highbridge) vs 1-to-1 models (coaching), especially in terms of tailoring (which to my mind is exactly where you need specific help when starting on the job). 

I've worked with many candidates on their performance in MBB in roles from BA to EM and it helped them, just in the same way I would've benefitted from help when I was in their shoes. 

You might also find this guide useful:

• Expert Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant

Best,
Cristian

Personally, I have told all my coachees who have gotten their offers to just enjoy their time before they start work. I took 4 months off before I started consulting, and on hindsight, I wish I had asked for more time. Taking a bootcamp then would have zero impact on my trajectory. 

The big issue I have with these bootcamp or post-offer style programs that claim to help you ramp up or set you apart, is that they can never replicate the true complexity of case work. A set of exercises or a 'mini project' is going to give you a taste of what it's like on the job, but it's not really going to really test you like the real job will. From what I've seen, many of these programs take maybe 1 week, or 2 weeks of your time, or require you to do some assignments over a course of time. But practically speaking, how different will the depth and quality of the materials going to be, versus the trainings you get once you are in MBB? I would argue it is minimal. At BCG, the first training you join as a new joiner is already a week long training. And at every tenure you have key trainings that will last a week or so. 

Moreover, if there is a program that requires you to do the course WHILE on the job already - this definitely makes no sense IMO. If you had that much time to spend, I can guarantee you that time is better spent on making sure your current case work is exceeding expectations (e.g. making sure your output for the week has ZERO errors, planning ahead for the next week etc). 

So.. 

1. Would MBB training be sufficient to help you ramp up?
   • Yes
2. Could you benefit from "post-offer" bootcamps?
   • Yes but minimal/not exponentially if you have not started at MBB. If you havent started - TAKE TIME OFF AND ENJOY LIFE INSTEAD
   • Definitely No, if you already started the job at MBB
   • Arguably more benefit if you are in a boutique firm that does not have as structured training as MBB
3. Are there use cases for on-the-job coaching, even when you are in MBB?
   • I would argue yes, but for very specific use cases
     1. i.e. you have a specific problem or complicated situation and want a 3rd party, experienced and objective perspective on how to handle or navigate the situation. Most of the time, I have advised coachees on thinking through staffing decisions, or how to navigate a delicate stakeholder situation
     2. i.e. you do not have access or do not have sufficient access to internal mentors or reliable sources of advice within the firm - this could happen sometimes to smaller offices or to people who have 'fallen through the cracks'
     3. i.e. you need manager/principal level inputs to a level that is more than what your friends/career advisor can give you, e,g, maybe you need to talk through a critical market sizing methodology or model logic or are stuck on how to analytical solve a particular problem
   • Note that none of the above scenarios or use cases involve me trying to build up your toolkit (which is what many of the bootcamps are claiming they can do)

Lastly, I guess the heart of your question is around "how do I perform well on the job in MBB?". This requires a more nuanced understanding of the nature of the job than is easily explained in a post. Drop me a DM - happy to share some insights from my own journey (fast promoted twice in BCG, you can check out my LI profile).

Hi there,

Most people don’t pay for post-offer bootcamps like Highbridge. The training you’ll get at MBB plus learning on the job will be more than enough. Those programs can be nice for confidence but they’re definitely not necessary or something most consultants do before starting. I suggest you enjoy your time before you start.

While good training and support never hurts, most consultants are successful without ever having used those programs. The consulting firm tries to give you any tool / training you need to perform.

Of course, if you are struggling with something, coaching would be a good option. But here I would really focus on coaching (solving your specific problems) and not on a generic non-tailored program.