Hello all, I am not sure how to phrase this exactly so I will try as I could really use some advice from people of all backgrounds but especially those with a more Arts background (no MBA, etc.). Not trying to offend anyone who is super stressed about the case studies (I'm more stressed about getting offered an interview in the first place to be honest) but I'm just a bit confused as to me it just seems like fun common sense problem solving with math and business terminolgy...
I never heard of cases until a few months ago when I learned about consulting and decided it was what I want to do. I have a BA in History and am about to get my MA in Cultural and Linguistic Studies. Despite this background I've always been quite quick with mental maths thanks to my method of education as a child (Montessori), and I grew up with parents who owned a business together so I heard a lot of these conversations from a young age.
I've of course been researching cases a lot, and recently started listening to Victor Cheng's LOMS, as I have a 4 hour roundtrip commute to work several days per week. It's been a much better resource than I anticipated, however to be honest I'm just a bit confused. So far everything I've heard (from the solutions to the questions asked to find them) seem like total common sense, using of course some math to get there. I know this is quite simplistic which is where I need help. I'll hear where the candidate is going and know it's in the totally wrong direction/they are missing the point/etc. To be honest I've been terrified of these case studies since I first learned about them, and now I'm at the other end of the spectrum where I don't see why everyone freaks out...of course there's pressure/stress but it feels like just common sense problem solving which is something I enjoy.
I know that it's not so much about finding the correct answer in a case interview, as it is about showing the interviewer your method/that you have a clear and structured thinking process, etc. I've yet to learn anything about frameworks other than the basics because I seem to read a lot about people getting so trapped in these frameworks they hinder their success more than they help - and my normal/creative problems solving skills are some of my best assets.
I guess my question is, it seems to be that I have the logical thinking down, I'm just worried about not being structured enough...but I don't want to fall into the framework trap. Does anyone have any advice?
Same with for learning a lot of this business terminology. At this point I can solve the cases, but I just sound a bit...not uneducatated, but a bit too simplistic if that makes sense.
I hope this post makes some form of sense. Any help is appreciated!
(edited)