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Seeking Advice: BCG Associate vs. Experienced Associate Application

Background

  • Education: Master’s, Carnegie Mellon University (Dec 2024)
  • Current role: Associate, KPMG — Bay Area (6 months full‑time)
  • Past BCG experience: Reached the final round for Bay Area Associate recruiting last year
  • Goal: Join BCG in San Francisco or Silicon Valley

My Question

Given I’ve been working full-time for 6 months and hold a non-MBA Master's, should I:

  1. Apply to the campus Full-Time Associate position (even if I’ve graduated and am working), or
  2. Wait for a Bay Area opening and apply via the Experienced Hire path?

If I pursue the experienced hire path, should I wait until BCG’s Bay Area office posts a specific opening, or should I apply 3 months before my intended start date, even if it’s not listed yet?

 

1. Job description: BCG Associate position:

Undergraduate and non-MBA Master's students from all fields of study and backgrounds with graduation dates between December 2025 – August 2026 are welcome to apply.

My concern:
Does this mean that recent graduates who have already started working full-time (like me) are no longer encouraged to apply for this campus track?

 

2. Job description: Experienced Hire Associate position:

We hire Experienced Hires for Associate and Consultant positions.
Associates typically have 0–4 years of full-time work experience, while Consultants generally have 4+ years of experience and/or an advanced degree (e.g., MBA, PhD).

Additional Info:

  • This role appears to be open year-round, depending on office needs
  • BCG notes: “For experienced hire roles, it’s generally recommended to apply about three months before you’re available to join.”
  • Currently, only Boston is listed as recruiting for the Experienced Hire – Associate position

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar position or has insight into how BCG views recent grads with 6–12 months of full-time experience. Any thoughts?

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edited on Jul 08, 2025
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

  1. If you are no longer a student, you do not qualify for OCR and thus fall into the experienced hire pool/route
  2. Apply when you are ready and/or the blacklist/ban period is over. They do not always advertise open positions on LinkedIn

All the best!

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