Switching Careers Advice - Is Pre-Med to Management Consulting Feasible?

Question

Hello, I was a medical student in an accelerated BS/MD program, where high schoolers are offered guaranteed admission into medical school upon graduation from high school. I was in the program for about 3 years, but recently withdrew for personal reasons. My current plans are to re-apply to medical school, but I am potentially interested in making a career change to management consulting. However, I am worried if this is smart or even possible at all, given that I am completely underqualified for this career. My resume is very healthcare-focused, and I do not have any experience in the business sector or doing any internships for management consultant firms (I never had the chance as I went straight into medical school from high school). I will have a B.A. in Biology this fall, and unfortunately, I don't have any major work experience, and I do not currently attend a big-name school (no recruiters). Would I be able to break into management consulting if I were to pursue an MBA, or if I transferred to a college with a top business department (my options are UW Foster, maybe UT Austin) to restart and get a new undergraduate Finance major?

All advice would be appreciated!

Answer 1

Hi,

I think your current position does not put you in a strong position - given the lack of work experience plus lack of big name school. While it is not impossible, I do think it is hard given recruiting at the end of the day is relative and you have to compare yourself to the competition.

I think an MBA from a top program would be the best path versus trying to again complete another undergraduate degree

You'd get work experience and exposure to the working world
You'd get the benefits of an MBA experience (network, travel, learning etc)

All the best!

Answer 2

Hi there,

I worked with people that were previously professional violinists, flautists, dentists, etc. Trust me, any profession can get into MBB!

However, there are a few things you need to do to improve your odds:

Get some consulting-related experience (bro-bono consulting projects, academies, etc.)
Network
Adjust your resume and make it a 10/10 (change your wording etc. to change the way it's pitched)

The biggest gap is nothing on your resume that shows you have historically been interested in consulting (hence my point #1). You also ideally want to apply through your university itself.

My view: Try now and see what happens. If it doesn't work, then go the MBA route (if that's what makes sense for you individually)

If you are genuinely interested in transitioning to consulting, your best bet is to do an MBA. The PhD route is for an entirely different purpose/career. You absolutely can get into MBB from a PhD, but it's just not that common!

A PhD does not lead to a higher salary (holding the same hiring role constant), and certainly seems far more roundabout a path than just doing an MBA.

Remember, an MD/MBA is a route to consider! I knew a number of people at Stern that were also pursuing a Doctorate and MBA simultaneously...let's just say they were highly marketable :)

Happy to help with all of the above!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi there,

It's entirely possible, yes. This has been done many times. I just recently helped two recent graduates from med school getting into McKinsey in Germany, and they weren't the first (one more in Switzerland, and at least one more in the US).

None of them had any business background and that's OK. Consulting firms aren't looking for knowledge, they're looking for skills that are found across professions.

All that being said, there's of course a lot of work going into networking, preparing an application, and preparing for the interviews. However, it's entirely doable - particularly with coaching. If you're not a ‘typical' MBA, you will likely get disoriented at first. However, it's not as terrible as it seems ;)

Best of luck and let me know if I can help in any way!

Cheers,
Moritz

Answer 4

Hi there,

Q: Would I be able to break into management consulting if I were to pursue an MBA, or if I transferred to a college with a top business department (my options are UW Foster, maybe UT Austin) to restart and get a new undergraduate Finance major?

Yes, you could definitely move to consulting after an MBA and possibly even before. There are a few companies that you might target that would look favourably a profile related to healthcare:

MBB (they have a strong healthcare practice in most countries)
ZS Associates
LEK
IQVIA
ClearView
Putnam

As mentioned by Ian, you could try to apply now via networking (you can find some tips here). If it doesn’t work, you can work for a few years and apply again. If it still doesn’t work, you can do an MBA and apply again after that.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi there!

I generally have the belief that everybody can make it.

Of course, for some people it's easier than for others based on their credentials.

The great thing in your case, and generally with people who transfer from medical studies, is that you have already been accepted into an environment that is highly selective. This is good signaling for consulting firms and you can use it as part of your storyline for making this transition into consulting.

Based on your context, I don't know enough to give you a concrete plan of how to structure your applications, but happy to discuss at length if you'd like.

In the meantime, sharing with you a couple of resources to give you a better understanding of the recruitment process:

Best,
Cristian

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