Hi everyone,
I will study at the Ivy League school as an exchange MBA student (the home MBA program is not the target school).
I have a consulting background but worked in Tier-2 in the developing market.
Does it make any sense to apply to consulting firms in the US or the chances are so low that it's better to invest in other things? (I don't hold American or Canadian passports)
Many thanks in advance!
Hi there,
Frankly, the chances are low, especially coming from a developing market.
If you want to optimize your chances, you should likely apply to other offices.
Of course, you don't have to pick one or the other. You can diversify your bets by selecting different offices for different firms. When selecting 3 offices in your application, you can have 1 of them be the US.
Ultimately, networking should play a role as well: The places where you have networked well and they seem to like/want you are where you will also likely have higher odds.
Good luck!
Hello!
TBD, the issue here is the visa.
MBA students in the US have either F1 or J1 visas, and both of them have a OPT extension and then STEM extension (this sums up to 3 years in the case of F1).
US in terms of VISA is a total nightmare, and this is one of the first questions asked when applying. And if you don´t have a US visa, I honestly think it´s close to impossible and I wouldn´t even try.
This said, talk to the recruiting people of both unis, they should confirm this.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi there,
To be very honest, your chances without Visa are close to 0 for the USA. But the easiest way to go around that is by joining BCG in your country and after approximately 6-12 months you will be able to apply internally for a role in the USA or anywhere else, or you could take any of the different programs available (e.g. Ambassador). This is quite easy for the top performers.
Good luck
Lucie
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(edited)
Its going to be very tough but not impossible with good planning, networking and strong application.
Depends on what you are willing to trade off by applying to US offices and not elsewhere with a better (and perhaps easier) chance of getting in.
All the best.
Hi there,
I would apply if I were you, especially if you'd like to be in the US long-term.
To good thing about having had some sort of experience in the US, even if it was as an exchange program, is that now you have a link / story to argue in your favour as to why you'd want to relocate to the US. This should come across clearly from your cover letter.
Many thanks,
Cristian
