A few management consulting questions:

NormalGuy88 · 05-31-2008, 07:39 PM

-What type of person is best for management consulting? It seems very interesting to me. I seem to always try (though not always successfully...) to find a quicker or more effective method of doing things. For example, at my current internship, for every task put in front of me or just any process in general there, I always find fault in the way it is set up or the way it is intended to be carried out...if that makes any sense. I just constantly think, "You know, if that was done this way, it would take less time, be a much simpler process, and just make things run much smoother overall around here."

-Are there a lot of exit options with this career path?

-What are some ways to get into this field from a non-Ivy league school? (Mine is Ohio State)

121314 · 05-31-2008, 08:28 PM

1) Management consulting is for kids from top schools (Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, etc) who look good and can bull sh1t really good. Finding an easier way to do things is sort of what consulting is, but a little bit more complicated and harder.

2) If you can get a mangement consulting gig at a top place(Mckinsey, Bain, BCG) then expect your life to be golden. You should expect to get into a top 5 business school (assuming grades are good which they should be if you can even get an interview at one of these places) and to be hired middle management at any business. Trust if you play your cards right as a mangement consultant, your future is probably as good as it can get.

3) From Ohio State, your gonna need a near 4.0 GPA (3.8 for top schools), Very high SAT scores (2200-2400), and something that will seperate you (curing cancer) from the other 50,000 people that applied for 100 spots. And thats just to get an interview. There is usually three very intense rounds of interviews. Each round gives you a case where they will ask you a very very tough question like : How much money is spent on haircuts every year in the United States or, How many pennies does it take to fill up the room.

Honestly your chances are slim to none to get a job in management consulting considering people from Harvard and Wharton also have a very little chance of getting a job. Now if you get your MBA from a top 10 school, it is much easier but still hard.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but thats just the truth.

NormalGuy88 · 05-31-2008, 08:57 PM

Thanks for your answer.

It's too bad they don't consider non-Ivy's. They're missing out on a lot of talented kids out there.

RacinReaver · 05-31-2008, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Each round gives you a case where they will ask you a very very tough question like : How much money is spent on haircuts every year in the United States or, How many pennies does it take to fill up the room.

Take a sophomore level physical analysis class out of a physics department and you'll become an expert in these kinds of questions.

NormalGuy88 · 06-01-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Each round gives you a case where they will ask you a very very tough question like : How much money is spent on haircuts every year in the United States or, How many pennies does it take to fill up the room.

And what purpose does this serve...?

121314 · 06-02-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

And what purpose does this serve...?

To find out your thinking process and how logical you are, which is the most important part of the job.

morethanever · 11-24-2008, 10:42 PM

bump...
interested in more insight...

mje8711 · 11-25-2008, 12:08 AM

i don't think it's necessary to be from an ivy or top business school to get into consulting, although i'm sure it doesn't hurt. i'm a junior finance major/econ minor at a state school, i also went to community college before transferring to a 4 year program. i have interviewed for summer internships for a few different firms and find that they seem to be far more interested in your work ethic & relevant experience, as well as your involvement in activities outside of class. GPA is definitely still important though, as i've been told by almost every interviewer to to keep mine up. I've heard most people with a gpa below 3.5 won't even be looked at, especially from a less-known school. But being from a well-known school can only get you so far, you have to show you're the real deal. Without that advantage you just have to work a little harder to get your foot in the door.

Most of my interviews were pretty casual, seemed to be an assessment seeing if your personality is right for consulting and whether you'd make a good fit with that particular firm. I did have one or two that got a little more demanding, but nothing too unexpected. Did get the "how many pennies could you fit in this room?" as well as "how many gas stations are in the U.S.?" type of questions.

right now i'm leaning towards taking the offer I just received from KPMG IT Advisory because of the bigger client exposure and big 4 rep, not to mention the compensation for IT consulting is usually higher and more in-demand than most other consulting services. I still have an interview with Goldman Sachs next week, so will wait to see how that goes.

Best of luck.