| Topic Name: |
Advice |
| Message Name: |
Late addition to the discussion |
| Date Posted: |
01/03/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
I'm a college senior getting no where in my persuit of full time positions in management consulting and could use some serious advice about what option is best for me.
I'm in the top 20 in my class at one of the 2nd tier Ivys (ie not Harvard, Priceton, or Yale!). I started college thinking that I was interested in engineering, and choose that as my major. So, I have a ton of "quantitative" coursework (engineering and physics) and a bit of research experience on the side.
Halfway through college, though, my interests shifted and I have become very intrigued by strategy consulting. I did an internship with a global manager at a big-5 and had an awesome experience. Now I'm psyched about working in consulting. My sites are set on going to a top B-school (HBS is my dream) and probably going back into consulting after.
The problem is that I managed to not even score interviews with the more prestigous firms that interviewed on campus. I got lots of interviews with lesser-name firms, but haven't gotten any offers yet. The only firms I have still on the table are "minimally prestigous," "less presigous," and "no name." I'm waiting to hear back from these three, but have few other options.
My dilema is this: I have the grades, GREs (nearly perfect quantitative and analytical), experience and recs to get into graduate programs at some of the top engineering schools, and I wonder if I should go. It's not what is interesting to me anymore, but I CAN do it if I have to. I have applied for admission and the responses so far have been quite good. My goal is to be a strong applicant to business school (I know I would still work 3-5 years after grad school, hopefully then in consulting), so would I be better off to wait out the economic difficulties in (a top-notch) grad school, or take a no-name job in consulting? Either way, its not looking good, but I'm looking for the option that has the greatest possibility of working out. One side of me says more education can't hurt and the other side says more work experience--regardless of what it is--would be better.
I could use any input that you guys have! Thanks! |
| Message: |
The others have already offerred outstanding advice / perspective, which I won't repeat.
However, based on some years in both the advanced-degree-acadedmic world and in consulting, I would second the perspective of the individual who suggests that you *not* waste grad school years doing something you do not like. He/she is absolutely right, that you will be in a pool of individuals who are motivated, bright and enjoying their grad school work ... you will be tired, depressed, annoyed and looking for a way out ... in that situation, bright though you may be, you are likely to be at the bottom of the pack in terms of MS Eng grads ... and, at the margin, this is certainly not going to help you either with consulting recruiters not with MBA admissions offices, when they see you dropping from near 4.0 undergrad to mediocre-at-best in an MS program. Moreover, if you are already *too sciency,* the MS Eng is going to take you the wrong way.
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To ansewer your question, "Do consulting firms hire advanced engineering students?" ... Yes, they do, but this is a much smaller set than new MBA hires, and will often take place through "secondary" placement channels (e.g. "write-in" applications with recommendations from well-known profs, vs massive on-campus interview schedules). Consequently, the MS Eng students who will ultimately be placed into consulting, will be those who are motivated, and in the middle-to-top of their class ...
Frankly, IMHO, it's more likely that someone who has no clue at this point what they wish to do, and goes into an MS or PhD Engineering program simply because "it's fun & I'm good at it, and I want to know more" ... that person is much more likely to later be chosen by a consulting firm ... which like to think of themsleves as hiring unusual, innovative, creative people ... even if mostly they hire smart but otherwise perfectly average MBAs.
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Regarding the offers you have ... you mentioned "no name" firms ...
I guess I have to wonder, like the earlier poster, whether you are hung up on name recognition ...
However, even if you are not ... I wonder if a senior undergrad has the perspective to knwo what names "count" ... in the consulting world, there are a number of small firms and boutiques doing very interesting work, which are highly valued by their clients. Yet, many people are unaware of these firms. (PRTM would be one of many examples.)
So, the question is, are these firms really no-name, or is it just that you haven;t heard of them ?
(After all, most people in the U S have a level of ignorance such that they would not recognize the University of Chicago, because it doesn't have a Division I football team ... so, don't fall into the trap of "*I* haven't heard of them, so they are nothing of consequence.
Frankly, I'd spin it the other way ... *if* a consulting firms is recruiting *at all* this year, and *if* they are offering a decent salary, and *if* they are credible enough to be recruiting at an Ivy, ... chances are they are doing something right ... at least they are *hiring*, rather than *firing* as most of the major firms are.)
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