MBB realistic entry

MBB undergraduate business degree
Letzte Aktivität am 30. Jan. 2019
5 Antworten
3,9 T. Views
Anonym A fragte am 29. Jan. 2019

Hello!

I am a senior student from Australia currently on exchange at a Georgetown. I spent the majority of my undergrad operating a hotel business in regional Australia which deeply affected my undergrad grades. This involved the acquisition and operations of the business. As a result of this, I also never went for any big name internships. I did 1 year full time in a mid-tier accounting firm in Sydney. So, my GPA isn’t great. I want to get into consulting, and even if possible, an MBB. That is the goal.

I have a few options:

  1. Apply for boutiques and smaller firm in the US & UK. à do a masters degree for top uni à apply MBB
  2. Major Fintech startup in Barcelona à do a masters degree from a top uni à apply MBB
  3. Operate more hotels (1-2 yrs) à do masters à apply MBB
  4. Apply for MBBs directly in Australia

I guess my main question is whether any of these options seem realistic, and whether my ‘story’ and different type of operational experience help me at all in the recruiting process. Also another thing I wanted to find out is whether doing a Masters and getting a solid GPA will help also.

Thanks so much !

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Francesco
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antwortete am 30. Jan. 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

I agree with Vlad and Anonymous B, option 1 and 2 are the best for you right now. Unless you have a high-level position in the startup and assuming the consulting firm you will choose is international, I believe Option 1 would be the best out of the two.

Best,

Francesco

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Anonym C bearbeitete die Antwort am 30. Jan. 2019

Agreed with Anon B. If you are targeting MBB, BCG would definitely be the lowest hanging fruit that you can try for with your profile. It's a great firm and I've seen a couple of contacts getting in with a similar background to yours. Don't lose hope

(editiert)

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Vlad
Experte
antwortete am 30. Jan. 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

It really depends on the office you will be applying to. In general, the options 1 and 2 have the will give you more chance to apply.

Best

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Anonym B antwortete am 29. Jan. 2019

This is mainly for MBB - I think both option 1 & 2 will get you in the door at a Big 4 here in Aus with the right networking.

  • Options 1 & 2 could work - It will really depend on the boutique eg if you get LEK/OW etc then you'd be in a good position but anything else is probably too far down the ladder. It will also depend on the role in the start-up. If you are COO then of course if you play your cards right you will get an interview, but simply being an analyst may not cut it. If you take the fintech path, you could always look at BCGDV, Digital McKinsey etc. Deloitte Digital would be a fairly easy option IMO.
  • 3 is fairly unrealistic.
  • 4 is not an option right now.

I had a fairly average undergrad GPA in business and then did a masters in Australia and made sure i gave it 100% - It worked and I converted for an MBB offer.

If you do a masters, aim for at least 80% WAM and try to have a couple of EC's like a consulting club, hackathon etc. Also try to workout what type of consulting you'd like to do. If you want to get into BCG as a generalist, aim for a Masters in Finance (maybe with a few electives in IT). If you'd like to work on more tech and digital strategy, consider doing Comp Science, Elec ENG or Information Systems. Of course, you also need to be networking like crazy and building a great story up if you'd like to work in MBB here in Aus.

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Guennael
Experte
antwortete am 29. Jan. 2019
Ex-MBB, Experienced Hire; I will teach you not only the how, but also the why of case interviews

We need more information, including whether your school is target + what leadership roles you've had, if any. Overall though, I don't think your odds are great to get an interview => definitely suggest you make plans B, C & D. No worries though, that's most of us at your age. I got ignored once & rejected once before finally getting in on my 3rd try.

Regarding for the options you layout, a couple of comments:

(a) brand name always helps, but is not sufficient

(b) what you actually do matters a great deal as well

(c) how you progress is arguably even more important

Going back for an advanced degree (target school hopefully) where you also get top grades and show you matured will always help - but please don't do a Masters degree just to get into MBB: your odds will still be low (there were 60 applicants for 1 position when I joined BCG, and I hear it may be just as bad or worse today). Also, MBB is cool, but there are tons of other great companies and amazing jobs => don't put all your eggs in one basket.

PS: Operating a hotel is a pretty nice experience btw, which will set you apart. It might also help you explain middling grades, but not a slam dunk.

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Francesco

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