Your opinion requested

Question

Let me give you some context. I have 3 years of experience as a project manager at a KKR-controlled renewable energy platform, where I managed portfolios of up to €35M across 5 European markets (Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, and Denmark).
I hold a PMP certification with Above Target results. I am currently completing my MSc in Corporate Finance at EDHEC with a 3.8 GPA and a merit scholarship in the top 10%. My bachelor's is in Management Engineering from the University of Parma, I graduated with 87/110, but I completed the entire degree while working full-time. The company sponsored my studies.

My question is: for the firms I am targeting, Simon-Kucher, Roland Berger, Kearney, does an 87/110 get filtered out automatically before reaching a human, or does it go through? And if it does reach a human, is the 'I was working full-time with employer sponsorship' narrative sufficient, or do I need to strengthen it in some other way?

Answer 1

Hi,

Short answer: no, an 87/110 is very unlikely to get you automatically filtered out — especially with the rest of your profile.

Let me explain how this is usually looked at.

First, most consulting firms don’t use a single hard GPA cutoff in isolation (especially in Europe). There are thresholds, but they’re applied in context. What recruiters really look for is a consistent signal of performance.

In your case, your profile already tells a strong story:

solid recent academics (EDHEC, 3.8, top 10%)
relevant experience (project manager, multi-country exposure, €35M portfolio)
professional signal (PMP)

That tends to outweigh a mid-range bachelor grade.

Second, the “working full-time during your degree” point definitely helps — but only if it’s clearly visible and easy to understand. Recruiters won’t guess it.

Instead of just stating the grade, make sure the context is explicit on your CV, e.g.:
“Completed full-time degree while working full-time (company-sponsored)”

That changes how the number is perceived.

Third, for firms like Simon-Kucher, Roland Berger, and Kearney, your recent trajectory matters more than your starting point. Strong master’s performance + relevant experience is exactly what they want to see.

Where you should focus instead is:

making your experience impact-driven (not just responsibilities)
showing clear progression and ownership
having a sharp story for why consulting (especially given your background)

Because at your level, interviews are much more about that than filtering.

If I had to be very direct:
your bachelor grade is not your bottleneck.
Your positioning and how you present your experience will matter much more.

If you want, I’m happy to take a look at your CV — small tweaks in framing can make a big difference in how this is perceived.

Best,

Soheil

Answer 2

Honest view, especially if you’re targeting Italy: the bachelor grade may matter, particularly at screening stage.

In Italy, grades tend to carry more weight than in some other markets. I can’t tell you there is a hard automatic cut-off everywhere, but it is quite possible it can have an impact, especially in automated screening or very high-volume recruiting.

Abroad, I’d worry less.

And candidly — I spent 4 years at Simon-Kucher and, being honest, I almost never saw CVs with less than ~105/110 in the traditional graduate pipeline.

That doesn’t mean 87/110 makes you non-viable. It means you may need to manage around it, especially in Italy.

The good news is: your profile has a lot that compensates:

strong professional experience
good brand (KKR-backed platform)
international exposure
PMP
strong MSc performance at EDHEC Business School

And importantly, the fact you completed your bachelor while working full-time is a real contextual element — but I wouldn’t rely on the narrative alone to neutralize the issue.

If you’re applying in Italy, I’d probably try to move through referrals where possible.
Given your profile, I think that’s smart anyway.

Also, this changes meaningfully once you have your MSc result. A strong master’s performance often helps rebalance how people view the earlier undergrad signal.

So my take:

yes, it may create friction in Italy
less so abroad
I’d use referrals/networking to mitigate it
and I would absolutely still apply

With your experience, I wouldn’t self-select out.

Feel free to DM me if you want to think through positioning or target firms — happy to help.