Hi everyone,
I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining BCG as an Associate in a few months. Before starting, I’d love to make the most of this time and prepare as well as possible.
For those of you who have already been through this phase:
1. What are the must-have skills or habits you’d recommend building before day one?
2. Once I join, what should I focus on most during the first few months?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Huge congratulations on the offer—that is fantastic news and a massive achievement. The impulse to prep is perfect, but I strongly advise you resist the urge to dive into technical skills like advanced Excel modeling or obscure frameworks; the firm will teach you those on the job.
The most critical preparation you can do now is establishing resilient meta-skills and removing cognitive friction. This means setting up your systems now: practice inbox zero, get your calendar management tight, and develop routines (sleep, exercise, diet) that you can sustain under extreme pressure. Your first few months will feel like drinking from a firehose, and you don't want to be wasting cycles figuring out how to pay a bill or schedule a haircut. Also, spend time reading dense business publications (WSJ, Economist) focused on speed—the ability to quickly synthesize complex industry context is key.
Once you join, your singular focus for the first 90 days must be managing up and learning the unspoken rules of the engagement team. Analysts often assume success is defined by perfect technical deliverables, but it's not. It's defined by proactiveness and communication. Always clarify the "so what" behind a request, not just the mechanics. For example, instead of asking "How should I structure Slide 5?", ask "What decision is the Partner hoping to enable with the findings on Slide 5?". The highest leverage thing you can do is never, ever go dark. Provide proactive updates—even if you're stuck—so the Project Leader knows you're managing ambiguity.
All the best for a great start!
Congrats!
These are great questions.
I've actually collected learnings for your questions specifically in the following guides:
Expert Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant
Expert Guide: How to Manage for Lifestyle in Consulting
Have a read through them and reach out if you have any follow-up questions.
The most important thing is to be open to feedback. And when you don't understand the feedback, be open about that too and ask for further explanations. This is the only way in which you get better.
I'd also encourage you to focus less on developing 'hard skills' e.g., R coding, and rather learn more about emotional intelligence and working with clients. This will make a much bigger difference over the long run.
Last but not least, it's also fine to do absolutely nothing before joining aside from enjoying time off. You know have a great job starting soon and can just smell the roses for a while. Travel, read, spend time with friends - do whatever you've been wanting to do for a long time.
Best,
Cristian
