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Anonymous A

16 hrs ago

Asia

First 2 weeks in BCG - Am I the only one feeling this way?

Hey, my first two weeks at BCG have been intense beyond what I expected. I was staffed on day two with basically no proper onboarding (they're consolidating it for next month), working remotely with a tiny team where everyone's traveling. I'm also balancing how many questions to ask while showing I can navigate ambiguity. Between the knowledge gaps, learning curve, and delivering within a week, some days I feel pretty defeated.

It's this mix of feeling lost and overwhelmed while barely having time to settle in. I'm too drained to even think about networking right now, which feels backwards since I'm not doing myself the service of making myself 'known,' if you get what I mean.

Is this normal, or am I struggling to adapt to a completely different ball game? (I reckon this is how they filter for capable, high-performing employees.) I'm wondering if this is just the expected environment, whether others felt this way when they started, and if it gets better with time.

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Top answer

Kevin

Coach

edited on Jul 19, 2025

Hi there,

That happens more often than you think - don't worry, you're definitely not alone. Many of us felt the same way in our first weeks at MBB, especially with immediate staffing and little onboarding.

A few quick tips:

Don't be afraid to ask, but do so in a goal-oriented manner: Ask structured questions instead of worrying about bothering people. It shows curiosity, not weakness. Try to offer hypotheses and solution-oriented questions whenever possible.
Try to travel with your team if possible: It helps build relationships and gives you informal moments to ask questions, which reduces the feeling of being isolated.
Keep clear notes of what you learn: Asking is fine and the learning curve is supposed to be steep, but repeating the same question signals chaos rather than curiosity.
Focus on surviving, not networking: Building connections will come naturally once you’ve found your rhythm on the project. No need to do it in the stressful onboarding phase.

It does get better – the pace stays high, but you’ll adapt.

Happy to chat if helpful!

Mariana

Coach

14 hrs ago

xMckinsey | Consulting and Tech | 1.5h session | +200 sessions | Free 20-min introductory call

Hi there,

I was also staffed in a similar project in my first week of work. All of my colleagues were in different countries and no support was given.

I felt bad, cried a lot and discovered almost everyone faces the same things (tears included).

Try to understand what tools the company provides you to excel at your job. For instance, at least at McKinsey there are experts to help you with almost anything. Content-related (if you have questions related to the scope) and task-related (if you need help with excel, alteryx, PPT, etc).

If you know the names of the people that joined the comoany with you, it may be interesting to reach out to them, to find your group.

It will get better!

Best,

Mari