Hi everyone! I am thrilled to be part of the PrepLounge community, and have access to an abundance of knowledge relating to consulting.
Now, my question: Do you think my strategy for landing a consulting offer will work?
Here is the supporting material for my question:
1) I graduated Magna Cum Laude from a non-target college in March 2023 with a bachelor's in Molecular and Cell Biology. During undergrad, I was part of a Molecular Biology laboratory where I won scholarships to fund my research, and published a scientific poster featured at the largest vision research conference in the United States.
2) I decided I wanted to work in consulting in January 2023. To gain real-world consulting experience (and client-facing skills), I applied to and interviewed with multiple volunteer-based pro-bono consulting organizations. After a number of failed interviews, I got an offer --I am now volunteering as a strategy consultant on a 10-week project cycle (Started March 2023, Ends June 2023).
3) In addition to this volunteer consulting work, I am preparing for case interviews for 5-6 hours a day. I read online that firms largely recruit from July-September, so I decided to prepare early using Case In Point by Marc Consentino. Specifically, I practice 3 cases a day, where I: 1) Solve the case on my own while speaking to an AI tool that alerts me when I use too many filler words/speak too quickly, 2) Review the pre-written solution to the case, and 3) Write notes detailing strengths and weaknesses in both case solutions.
4) I landed an internship on the Global Business Services team of the 2nd largest health insurance provider in the United States. I pursued this opportunity because: 1) I wanted to further demonstrate my interest in business, 2) I read that consulting firms value their candidates having prior internship experience with reputable companies, and 3) I have a special interest in the healthcare industry. The internship goes from June 2023 - August 2023.
Will these steps be enough to be a desirable candidate by the recruiting season? I would greatly appreciate any feedback on how I can prepare for case interviews better, if I should practice cases with an actual consultant, any suggestions on networking, etc. !
I don't have a coach or anything so the steps I have taken are a result from independent research I have done on forums like PrepLounge.
Thank you!