McK - DC or Waltham

Hello,

Congratulations on your offer!

I would advise you to pick based on your personal preference - where would you prefer to live? It might also be a good idea to talk to fellow special practice experts who are already at the firm in those offices to ask them about their experience.

Work-wise, given that you are a special practice expert, I wouldn't expect the work you do to be very different between the two offices (though feel free to confirm that with HR and/or colleagues). If your role is not remote, you will likely be staffed with clients from a variety of states, so your home office location is not of huge consequence there. If you are interested in government/public sector work, DC might be a good choice. 

Also, when you say Waltham, I assume you mean the Client Capabilities Hub? If so, it may be worth bearing in mind that DC is a larger office (whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your personal preference).

Hey there,

This is a highly personal decision since the work you do will be the same in both offices. 

Consider things such as 

• lifestyle
• culture
• friends and family
• cost of living
• …

and decide where you would like it best. For me, DC sounds much more appealing, but then again, it's highly personal.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

Congratulations on the McKinsey offer!

Q: They ask me to choose from the DC office and the Waltham office. Any suggestions?

I would structure the decision as follows:

Step 1: What would you prefer, DC or Waltham?

• If you have a clear answer, go for that, otherwise

Step 2: Have a chat with McK Alumni of the two offices 

• I would look for Alumni because if you ask current consultants they may be biased

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi there,

My personal view is that DC is going to be far better from a career + life perspective. It's a great, multi-national/cultural city with a lot to see + do. Office-wise, there will be a good diversity + amount of projects.

Now, I'm from DC so understand I may be biased :)

Ultimately, think about which city you can see yourself in!

It's totally a personal choice.  In terms of office set up, Waltham is a McKinsey “back office” where the majority will be on the expert consulting or firm service professionals (FSPs) while DC will be a combined office with consultants. 

Pick based on the location you want to be in during the weekends. Especially if you will be staffed on client projects during the week.