Consulting Firm Internships

While consulting firms often have GPA requirements, there are several options and strategies you can consider:

• Smaller Boutique Consulting Firms: Some boutique consulting firms may be more flexible with GPA requirements. They often value relevant experience and skills over GPA. Research and reach out to smaller consulting firms in your area or region.
• Healthcare Organizations: Consider applying for internships at healthcare organizations themselves. They often have consulting-like roles in areas such as healthcare administration, operations, or strategy. Your healthcare club leadership experience could be particularly valuable here.
• Networking: Leverage your college's alumni network or any professional associations related to healthcare or consulting. Personal connections and referrals can sometimes help you bypass GPA requirements.
• Internship Search Engines: Use internship search engines and platforms that allow you to filter opportunities by GPA requirements. Some websites, like Internships.com and Chegg Internships, provide this feature.
• Career Services: Consult with your college's career services office. They can provide guidance on finding internships that match your skills and experience, and they may have insights into companies that are more lenient with GPA requirements.
• Skill Development: Focus on building relevant skills and gaining experience through personal projects or freelance work in healthcare or consulting-related areas. This can help compensate for a lower GPA.
• Cover Letter: In your application, use your cover letter to highlight your leadership experience, club presidency, and any other relevant accomplishments. Explain how these experiences make you a valuable candidate despite your GPA.
• Interview Preparation: If you secure an interview, prepare thoroughly to showcase your knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for the field. Your performance in the interview can sometimes outweigh GPA concerns.

Remember that each company may have its own criteria, so it's worth applying to a range of positions and organizations. While GPA is a factor, it's not the only one, and your leadership experience and skills can be powerful assets in your job search.

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, while almost all top-tier consulting firms tend to have stringent GPA requirements, many boutique firms and mid-tier firms might be more flexible. I would advise you to have a look at the Vault consulting rankings.
• Moreover, leverage your network, especially connections made through your healthcare club. Personal referrals can make a big difference and might help offset the GPA concern.

You can find more on this topic here: Boutique consulting companies.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Look, you should still generally apply to as many firms as possible.

It takes 10 minutes to submit an application (especially if you've learned to mass produce your cover letter). yOu may as well try!

However, GPA-friendly ones are going to be more your boutiques. Firms like:

• SSA
• Mars & Co
• Satori
• Alexander Group
• InCode
• IMS Consulting
• Capgemini
• Kaiser Associates
• etc etc.

For healthcare, firms like Clearview, Merck, etc. are good.

Here's some reading to optimize your recruiting: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-consulting-internship-tips-and-tricks

Hi,

A GPA under 3 isn't the strongest as you have rightly implied. However, it's important to realize that your application is revied holistically across multiple dimensions. If you have other stellar achievements (in addition to being club president), this may still make your CV a strong one.

That being said, if I were you I'd do a few things:

• Short term
  • Get some feedback on your application strength
  • Apply to all options → why limit yourself when to a certain extent this is a numbers game?
  • Start networking with priority/top choice firms
• Mid term
  • Identify your weak areas in your application and start planning on how you can strengthen them or compensate for them

All the best!

Hi there,

Q: What are gonna be some companies I should apply to that have internships with a gpa just under 3?

A GPA below 3 is normally considered low for top consulting firms. A good GPA for MBB is usually 3.7+. Small boutique firms might be less strict in regard to GPA requirements.  That being said, you can also try to apply to MBBs and T2, but in that case, I would highly recommend a referral.

You can compensate for a low GPA by working on your CV, Cover and finding referrals. I provided a few tips below.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1) CV

The key elements they will look for and that you can optimize are:

• University brand
• Major
• GPA
• Work experience
• Experience abroad
• Extracurriculars and volunteer experience

In your case, you should compensate your GPA with some of the other points.

Red flags include:

• Low GPA (your current issue)
• Lack of any kind of work experience
• Bad formatting / typos
• 3-4 pages length
• Lack of clear action --> results structure for the bullets of the experiences
• Long paragraphs (3-4 lines) for the bullets of the experiences with irrelevant details
• Long time gaps without any explanation

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2) COVER LETTER

You can structure a cover in 4 parts:

1. Introduction, mentioning the position you are interested in and a specific element you find attractive for that company
2. Why you are qualified for the job, where you can report 3 skills/stories from your CV, ideally related to leadership, impact, drive and teamwork
3. Why you are interested in that particular firm, with additional 1-2 specific reasons
4. Final remarks, mentioning again your interest and contacts

In part 2 you can write about experiences that show skills useful in consulting such as drive, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and influencing others.

It is important that in part 3 you make your cover specific to a particular firm – the rule of thumb is, can you send the exact same cover to another consulting company if you change the name? If that’s the case, your cover is too generic.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3) REFERRALS

To find a referral, you should follow three steps:

1. Identify the people who can help you
2. Write to them a customized email
3. Have a call and indirectly ask for a referral

You can find more on how to get a referral and new consulting trends (useful to discuss during referral calls as well) below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Interview

▶ 11 New Consulting Trends You Must Know 

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello,

It's great to hear about your interest in pursuing internships in consulting, particularly in healthcare consulting. While some consulting firms may have strict GPA requirements, there are many companies that consider a combination of factors beyond GPA, such as leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, and skills. Here are some suggestions:

Boutique Consulting Firms: Smaller consulting firms, including boutique healthcare consulting firms, often have more flexible GPA requirements. They may place a stronger emphasis on relevant experience, skills, and fit.

Mid-Tier Consulting Firms: Some mid-tier consulting firms may have slightly lower GPA requirements compared to the MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) firms. These firms value a well-rounded candidate with diverse experiences.

Healthcare Organizations: Consider internships within healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, or healthcare startups. These roles can provide valuable healthcare-related experience and may be less stringent on GPA.

Networking: Leverage your healthcare club leadership experience and college network to connect with professionals in the consulting and healthcare sectors. Networking can open doors to opportunities that may not be widely advertised.

Internship Search Platforms: Use internship search platforms to explore opportunities and filter by GPA requirements. Some platforms allow you to search for internships based on various criteria, including GPA ranges.

Resume Enhancement: Continually work on enhancing your resume by participating in healthcare-related projects, volunteering, or taking on leadership roles within relevant student organizations. Highlight these experiences on your resume.

Cover Letter: Craft a compelling cover letter that highlights your passion for healthcare and consulting, your leadership roles, and your willingness to learn and contribute.

Campus Career Services: Connect with your college's career services center for guidance on finding internships that align with your interests and qualifications. They may have information on companies specifically looking for students with leadership experience.

Informational Interviews: Reach out to professionals in the healthcare and consulting industries for informational interviews. These conversations can provide insights into the industry and potential internship opportunities.

Online Job Boards: Explore job boards and career websites for internship listings. While some may have GPA requirements, others may emphasize skills and experiences.

Remember that while GPA is a factor, it's not the only one. Your leadership experience and passion for healthcare can set you apart as a strong candidate. Tailor your applications and networking efforts to showcase your strengths and enthusiasm for the field.

If you have specific companies in mind or need more personalized advice, feel free to reach out. Best of luck with your internship search!

Warm regards, Frederic

Hi there!

Sadly, there's no public overview of this sort. Consulting firms don't publish this sort of information and it's not like it always stays fixed - the cutoff point in terms of how they evaluate the CV changes from one cycle to the other. 

So your best bet is to build the best possible application package that you can (CV, Cover Letter, referrals) and then go broad with the applications, applying to as many firms that are relevant as possible. Even if you are not 100% willing to join all of them, they would still make good practice for interviewing. 

You can also leverage the following guide in order to build an application strategy:

• Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Best,
Cristian

———————————————

Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies