Medical student interested in consulting

Hey! 

Have seen plenty of medical students make the transition to consulting.

FUN FACT: At McKinsey Brussels office, we once had a nuclear-scientist-turned medical-doctor-turned-national-level-pole-dancer -> he turned out to be an absolute rockstar digital consultant -> in the end, intrinsic is all that matter!

Short answer -> So by all means, feel free to apply directly out of med school!

Top five skills that matter: 
(a) Top-down communication skills 
(b) Problem-solving skills 
(c) Ability to be structured (instead of speaking in laundry lists) 
(d) Being at ease with analytics / numbers etc. and 
(e) Having good general business acumen

On doing a Masters: 
Skip it! Consulting firms hire medical grads directly (costs you time and money without moving the needle too much)

On F1/F2:
Clinical experience helps, especially for healthcare consulting, but it's not a dealbreaker either way. If you're genuinely torn about medicine, do F1—it gives you conviction and optionality. If you already know consulting is the move, apply straight out. Just be ready to explain "why consulting" without sounding like you're running away from medicine.

Remember! When I think of friends who had a medical background at McKinsey, it was quite natural that they got actively pulled into Pharma / Life Sciences / Health care type of engagements once they joined the Firm. The cool thing is that while you are seated around the client's table, you have a lot of credibility which can really work to your advantage as a young consultant. A pharma client would love a medical doctor who can also help them solve their business problems!

hey there :)

I can confidently mention that I know many friends who followed this path successfully, both applying straight from medical school and after some clinical time, which shows this is a well trodden and accepted route rather than an exception. Firms are very familiar with medical candidates and value the profile when it is positioned well. If you want to talk through how to frame that in applications or interviews, feel free to reach out.

best,
Alessa :)

Great questions and you’re actually in a strong position with a medical background.

1) Background & skills
Consulting firms actively value non-business backgrounds, especially medicine, because they bring strong credibility in complex topics. In fact, I've experienced many times that consultants with a medical background were preferred for certain projects. You don’t need deep business knowledge beyond basics like understanding revenue vs. profit. What matters more is skills such as structured thinking, top-down communication, analytical thinking, etc. all of which you can build through targetted case practice.

2) Master’s vs. applying directly
Only do a master’s if you find it valuable or genuinely want to study further. It’s not a prerequisite for consulting. Many firms also support MBAs later on if that’s something you decide to pursue.

3) Clinical experience first or not
You don’t need to complete F1/F2 to be competitive. Plenty of candidates apply straight out of medical school and are successful. You can always apply and see how far you get and if it doesn’t work out, reapplying a year later with more experience is very common and well accepted.

Overall: don’t over-optimize too early. Start preparing, apply when you feel ready, and adjust based on feedback. 

Hi there, 

I've coached multiple doctors who got offers into MBB so your profile is familiar. 

Overall, doctors are seen really well by consulting recruiters. 

The most important thing for screening (because that's the only concerning part if you have a non-traditional background) is to make sure that your CV demonstrates you have consulting-like skills and a long-term interest in consulting. 

That means try and do consulting-like work, even pro-bono, or get involved in anything that resembles the sort of work you'd do in consulting. If your school has a consulting club, get involved with that too. Try to do internships, even if they are for smaller companies. 

This way you build a base of evidence that you actually care about this industry and you have the skills and experiences to prove it. 

Feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions. 

Best,
Cristian

This is an excellent pivot point. Medical degrees are highly prized at MBB—you automatically start with a significant edge over most undergrads because of the rigor, complex decision-making, and specialized knowledge you’ve mastered.

Your focus right now should be on closing the skill gap that physicians often face: business fluency and structured problem-solving. Forget experiences that just look good on a medical CV; prioritize activities that directly map to consulting skills. This means joining or leading university strategy clubs, taking on executive roles where you manage budgets and teams, or performing pro-bono consulting projects for charities or student unions (showing tangible impact and hypothesis-driven thinking). The only course worth considering is intense case practice and learning basic accounting/valuation principles if you have zero background.

Regarding timing, you are usually better off applying straight out. MBB views a medical degree as a powerful Advanced Professional Degree, often allowing you to enter on the Associate or Consultant track, depending on your final classification. Applying straight away avoids unnecessary delays. While clinical experience (F1/F2) adds valuable credibility, it does not improve your ability to pass the actual bottleneck—the case interview. If your ultimate goal is consulting, delaying for two years of clinical work is generally an inefficient trade-off unless you secure a highly specific rotation focused on policy or administration.

Hope it helps!