I am a second year MBA student at a top 5 program. I have some prior consulting experience before coming. During my time at the program, I was focused on consulting/in-house strategy. Interviewed with a couple of consulting firms last year but no luck and recently interviewed at McKinsey. This past summer, I worked at a F100 corp strategy division and have an offer.
I interviewed at mckinsey for FT roles this past month and got rejected. Case feedback was positive, I think I get a little too nervous when pushed back on. Reason I say that is because I actually did much better in areas where I had received a need to improve rating and messed up on the math a bit, an area where my feedback was almost universally positive during practice. (>30 live cases)
I see the appeal of exit opportunities post consulting but am almost wondering if I have a mental block casing and at this point, is it even worth it to try again before graduating? When can I even apply again? My summer internship was great. Eventual goal is head of strategy at a large firm or lead my own firm (mid-size, smaller). I know I am lucky and blessed but it's hard to shake failing at cases over and over. Additionally, I am trying to figure out the best path forward. I don't see transitioning later in life as my partner and I want to focus on building a family in the next few years (she also has a phenomenal job). So a lateral to consulting later in life seems improbable.
Is it still worth pursuing consulting?
Hi! Firstly, congratulations on your return offer and sorry about the McKinsey interview.
Rejection might just be redirection in this case as your return offer is quite directly aligned with your long term goal. As it’s a leading company, you’ll still work with bright people and solve interesting problems. I think you can still apply for the Associate position in next year’s cycle but it may not be worth doing it just to give yourself the confidence that you can case well. You likely already can, and it really just comes down to performance and fit in that moment.
Recruiting during an MBA is hectic, so if you’re satisfied with your offer, take the time to unwind and focus on other goals/hobbies!
Hi there,
I get how tough that feels as many people struggle more with nerves than with the actual content. Personally, I also struggled with this when preparing for cases during my MBA. For me, I started to perform 10x better when I focused less on wanting the offer, and more short-term on just being curious about how to best solve the case (detaching myself from the idea of getting an offer).
Since you already have a strong F100 strategy offer you enjoyed, you’re in a good spot for your long-term goals. McKinsey usually requires 12–18 months before reapplying, so you could try again later if you want (you have nothing to lose if you do), but don’t see this as failure as you’ve got solid options, and there’s more than one path to where you want to be.
Hi,
sorry to hear! about the recent rejection.
That said, consulting is great. However, it is not the only path to success. So I would think whether other paths might be equally interesting and fulfilling - here strategy at F100 might be a really good alternative and also a path to head of strategy... Also not everyone exits to head of strategy roles, etc. especially in bigger companies (at least not on junior levels) ;)
Best,
Lukas
Hi there,
It’s completely normal to feel discouraged after multiple rounds of casing, but based on what you shared, it sounds less like a lack of ability and more like interview anxiety. If your long-term goal is a head of strategy role, you can absolutely get there through corporate strategy: that path is often more stable and family-friendly, and many leaders come from it rather than consulting.
You could reapply to McKinsey in 12–18 months if you still want to give it one last try, but it’s also perfectly valid to double down on your F100 offer and focus on growth there. Consulting isn’t the only route to strategic leadership!
Best of luck!
Sorry to hear it's been difficult.
Consulting recruiting is terribly competitive. The outcome doesn't depend only on ability but also on luck, so try as much as possible not to be hard on yourself.
The good thing about consulting though is that you don't need some innate talent to join the industry. As in, there isn't anything 'magical' that all the other people who got offers have and you're missing. It's rather a question of getting better though feedback and then interviewing and interviewing until you get an offer.
If I were you, I'd start by reflecting on the feedback I received from previous interview rounds. Consider getting a coach. Develop a better application strategy. And then go for it again. At least this way you know that you did everything possible.
Best,
Cristian
hi!
Given your background and clear long-term vision, it’s absolutely still worth considering consulting, but only if it truly aligns with your goals, not just for the “exit opportunities.” Since you already have a strong F100 strategy offer, you’re in a great position either way. You can reapply to McKinsey after 12–18 months, but if casing feels mentally draining and your internship gave you solid growth, it might make more sense to focus on excelling there and building your leadership path internally.
If you ever want to talk through how to position yourself for future strategy leadership or prep more effectively for a reapplication, I’d be happy to help.
best, Alessa :)
You are not the first person to burn out on casing. You are also not special for struggling with it. This happens to people who overtrain on volume and never fix the core issue — nerves under pressure. That is not a logic problem; it is a performance problem. A coach can break that cycle fast.
Consulting is still worth pursuing if you actually want it. But you need to stop romanticizing it. The lifestyle is brutal, and the exit options you think you want can also come from corporate strategy if you perform. You already have a strong F100 offer. If you enjoy it and it aligns with your long-term plan, you might already be where you need to be. But if you still want the brand, reapply once the window opens. McKinsey usually requires 12 to 18 months. Spend that time tightening your skills, not repeating old habits.
If you want to fix your casing under stress, go through Ace the Case Interview and work with a coach. If you want a broader perspective on strategy careers and how to pivot cleanly, the 360° Consulting Recruiting Course covers that entire path. But stop looping. Decide if you want consulting or not and act accordingly.
Hello and thank you for the vulnerability in this question - you're not the only one who is on the back and forth of should i do consulting.
Firstly, what i'd love to do is have a dialogue with you about this as this is a big decision that requires digging deep.
BUT in the space we have here to give a little food for thought - here goes.
If the exit is corp. strategy ( you said head of strat. at a large firm for example) and you already have an offer for that, does that feel fulfilling? Or do you think you would / will always look back and say 'what if'? The heart of this is, are you targeting consulting for YOU or because you think you should want it?
I'd love to continue the conversation but if not i hope this was helpful. Try to do a bit of a journaling exercise to evaluate the options (how they make you feel, consulting vs not) and what the overarching priorities are (you mentioned starting a family etc.).
Good luck!
