Hi everyone,
I'm currently in the final year of my Master's in Management at the University of Mannheim. For the past three years, I've worked in Audit at a Big 4 firm. I genuinely enjoyed the work and originally envisioned starting a long-term career as an auditor. During this time, I also had the chance to explore my creative side by initiating and piloting internal strategic projects, which were supported by senior-level executives.
However, as I approach the end of my studies, I've started to question whether Audit is truly the right path for me. I realized that I particularly enjoyed the strategic aspects of my role much more than the core audit tasks.
The challenge I face now is that most of my experience lies within Audit. Aside from that, I only completed one internship at a leading DAX company, which had a connection to strategy but was more focused on digitalization and marketing.With roughly 6–7 months left before graduating, I’m hoping to complete two internships of about 10 weeks each. My key question is:
Do you think there’s still a realistic chance for me to break into a Tier 2 consulting firm like Strategy&?
If you were in my position, how would you approach the next steps strategically?
Would you recommend trying to enter the consulting/advisory division of a Big 4 firm first, or would it make more sense to aim directly for a Tier 3 consulting firm like zeb or Horváth to build a stronger strategy-focused profile?
I would be extremely grateful for any advice or thoughts you might have – thank you so much in advance!
Expert case by
However, due to my audit focus, I missed out on some opportunities to strengthen my profile, such as joining a student consultancy. Another disadvantage is my relatively weak Abitur (2.9).
My main concern now is whether I can realistically be confident enough to apply for an internship at a Tier 3 consulting firm. I’m worried that if I get rejected or don’t receive an invitation, I may not get another chance within the next 6 months. My impression is that firms often say, “apply again once your profile has improved” — which usually means in a year or more.
That’s why I want to plan my next steps strategically and avoid missing out on valuable opportunities. It might be the case that my profile isn’t quite sufficient yet for Tier 3, but with a Tier 4 or Big 4 advisory internship, I could significantly improve my chances in the short term.
So ultimately, my question is: based on the information I’ve provided, do you see a realistic chance of landing a Tier 3 internship — perhaps in roles where a finance background is particularly valued?
The aspects of my profile that I believe could stand out are:
I’m completing my master’s at a target university in Germany.
During my time at a Big 4 firm (as both intern and working student), I independently initiated internal projects, pitched them to senior executives, and secured support to pilot them — which, as I was told, was very uncommon at my level. I executed those projects successfully.
I don’t want to overstate these achievements — they’re not extraordinary — but perhaps they’re enough to strengthen my case for a Tier 3 internship. Still, I’m unsure whether that’s truly the case.
So the big question is: Am I ready to aim for Tier 3 now? Or would it be more strategic to first gain experience through a Tier 4 or Big 4 advisory internship, then work my way up to a Tier 3 internship, and finally target a Tier 2 full-time offer — assuming everything goes smoothly and I get a bit lucky?
If you want to be conservative apply to Tier 4 and Big 4 first and see what the feedback is before testing with Tier 3.
Happy to help!