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BCG / Mckinsey rejection freeze time impact on campus placement

BCG MBB rejection final round
New answer on Oct 15, 2021
6 Answers
1.6 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Oct 13, 2021

I had applied to BCG in early 2021 while working at an e-commerce firm. I got through first 2 round by Mar 2021 but then had no response from them for a while. Assuming rejection I proceed to submit my MBA application and I am already going to start my MBA at INSEAD Jan 2022.

In Jun BCG got back to me 2 months ago,  I had 2 other rounds of interview. After 4 rounds, they decided to tell me that due to having lop sided experience and no MBA, they want to consider me only for specialist roles. I did not feel like saying no until I had an offer with concrete details. So I told them I was okay to proceed. Now 1 week ago they emailed me saying they are not going to make me an offer and I can only apply after 2 years.

Will this freeze impact me when and if I try to apply for BCG during campus recruitment event in INSEAD? I wish they had told me my profile was not fit for consultant and rejected me from the start, then at least it would have been at least a year already by the time I start B school. Now it wont be even 6-7 month, before I start applying for internships.

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Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 13, 2021
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear that things didn't work out on the first attempt. 

The freeze doesn't seem to work consistently across geographies and offices, so my advice would be to apply during campus recruitment (but don't have a strong expectations of your application going through). What can increase your chances of getting past the screening is to apply for a different role than the one you initially had in mind (e.g., apply for implementation rather than generalist track). 

Aside from this, do consider applying to other firms. That's your safest bet in this situation. 

Best of luck!

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Pedro
Expert
replied on Oct 13, 2021
30% off in March 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

Starting an MBA supersedes having a freezing period.

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 14, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

I don't think it'll impact your application significantly.

Good luck,

Anto

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 13, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

You should be perfectly safe, don't worry!

The MBA hiring process generally negates this freeze. If you're unsure/worried, feel free to check with HR, but you should be good to go :)

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Udayan
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 13, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

From what I have seen with people I coach, once you get into INSEAD they generally ignore the 2 year rule and you will be good to apply. You can also double check with the BCG recruiter at INSEAD, they should also agree with this assessment. Essentially going to a to MBA program is resetting the clock.

 

Udayan

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Agrim
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Oct 15, 2021
BCG Dubai Project Leader | Learn to think like a Consultant | Free personalised prep plan | 6+ years in Consulting

Unfortunate to hear your experience.

The best solution would be to check with the BCG HR/recruiter and get formal clarification. Most likely they will allow you to apply.

We all can only speculate here.

(edited)

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