Stern PT vs going all-in on FT
Looking for honest takes from anyone who's been through a similar decision
Background:
- 5 YOE in consulting, currently at a boutique strategy firm doing partnership/GTM strategy, human capital strategy, and commercial DD work in tech
- 3.8 from solid, non-Ivy undergrad business school
- 710 GMAT
- Living in NYC, no plans to leave
Goals:
- Short-term: healthcare consulting, ideally for tech-enabled companies (with eventual longer term pivot to a healthtech company like Whoop, Neko Health, Tempus AI, or Flatiron Health)
Question: I'm planning to apply R1 this fall to Wharton/MIT/Columbia (reach), Kellogg/Fuqua (semi-targets), all strong healthcare ties. Stern PT keeps coming up as a serious option because:
(a) I could keep working/earning/promotions (will be manager level in ~2 years)
(b) Stay in NYC
(c) Brand seems strong enough for the consulting/healthtech recruiting, given that I am already in a space close to what I want to do (main gap is healthcare-specific experience)
But I'm not sure if PT actually delivers on the consulting recruiting side the way FT does. From what I've read, MBB recruiting at Stern PT is basically nonexistent compared to FT. Is that accurate and does the healthtech pivot work without a real summer internship?
Would love to hear from:
- Stern PT alums or current students, especially anyone who recruited into consulting or healthcare
- Anyone who weighed PT vs FT and has thoughts in hindsight