hey everyone, i’m a brazilian engineering student in my senior year (i live in brazil so that’s why im saying im brazilian).

i decided i wanted to try consulting but tbh didn’t look too much into the specifics of the application process because i thought about finishing my degree first and applying next year for full time employment instead of just an internship for a few personal reasons so i thought i would have time to prep during the year. i tried kearney, bcg and bain and completed their online exams for practice, i didn’t think i would get into any of them and got rejected from bain (didn’t get an answer for kearney yet) but turns out i somehow passed bcg’s exam which is crazy because i felt it was harder than bain’s.

now i have about 10 days to prep for their case interviews and im so lost!!! i don’t even know where to begin, there are so many resources online, i signed up for an online 7 day free course that seems popular, which seems handy considering my time constraint but im unsure if i should focus on only doing “bcg style cases” or if its okay to also see other MBB cases, or if that doesn’t really matter because they are all similar.

someone agreed to be my case partner but i don’t know how to select the cases we are doing.

ANY tips are appreciated, thanks!!

Struck out on consulting.. now what? (Rising Senior)

Hey everyone looking for some advice because I feel pretty stuck right now.

I’m currently a junior at a semi-target school, majoring in Public Policy. I transferred from a CC where I had a 4.0, and now I’m sitting around a 3.4 GPA here. (\~3.7 cumulative)

Last summer (sophomore year), I had an international business development internship, so I thought I was in a decent spot. But the issue is I didn’t really understand how early and structured consulting recruiting is. I essentially joined the cycle late this year and missed a lot of deadlines for top firms.

Since then, I’ve been applying where I can but haven’t had much traction at all. It’s been pretty discouraging because I feel like on paper I’ve done some solid things:

•	International biz dev internship + local startup consulting internship (fall semester)

•	Built a 7-figure e-commerce business over the past \~3-4 years

I’m also basically first-gen when it comes to this process I didn’t really have guidance on timelines, networking until it was kind of too late.

At this point I’m trying to figure out:

•	What I should be doing for this summer (2026) to stay on track for consulting FT recruiting

•	Whether consulting is still realistically attainable for FT given my situation

•	If I should pivot to something adjacent (strategy roles, smaller firms, etc.) and try to lateral later. If so - what can I possibly do to get an internship this summer?

•	What I might be doing wrong in terms of positioning / networking / applications

Would really appreciate any advice - especially from people who were in a similar spot or didn’t follow the perfect recruiting timeline.

Thank you for reading!

Been in the supplement industry doing product development for 5 years, would like to go into consulting. Not very familiar with this but would like to work for myself or on a team, lookign for flexibility and use my insight and skills inna very niche spot. Have done capsules, chewables, dry mixes, gummies, beverages, everything.

Not very sure how consulting works in the US, I also wonder is there companies that hold a few freelancers in specific spots?

Any thoughts welcome, thank you.

Wow someone just had a crazy experience interviewing at Oliver Wyman in NYC. Two months of interviews, CXO lined up, then job location suddenly changed 😳 https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Oliver-Wyman-Interview-E40206-RVW103613170.htm

https://preview.redd.it/jw7e9gwaqfvg1.png?width=1266&format=png&auto=webp&s=a8dbbd4463620f3c41e53fd2770419b09c947105

Any advice for my CV? Looking to apply to summer internships next year at strategy consulting and econ consulting firms. Anything I can do over the summer to increase my odds?

Hey all,

I’ve been struggling with something at work and wanted to see if anyone else relates. Or, even better, has tips in improving?

I’m about a year deep in a big consulting firm, and on paper I feel like I’m doing everything “right” socially. I’m talkative, approachable, easygoing, and I can hold conversations just fine. I’m not shy, I don’t avoid people, and I try to be friendly with everyone I work with. I often have conversations with peers but it never seems to really stick. I don't really make friends or something?

But somehow… I just don’t seem to “click” in the way others do. Especially when it comes to building those closer peer relationships or that subtle networking/sucking-up dynamic that I believe matters a lot. It feels like other people naturally form these tighter circles or alliances, while I’m just kind of… there.

The weird part is I don’t think I come off as awkward or unfriendly. If anything, I wonder if I’m too chill? Like I’m not playing the game enough, not being intentional enough about building relationships, or not showing the kind of enthusiasm/interest that people respond to in this environment.

I guess I’m struggling with that balance between being genuine vs. being strategic socially. I don’t want to be fake, but I also don’t want to be left behind just because I’m not actively “working” the room.

Has anyone else experienced this? How do you navigate social dynamics in environments where it feels like there’s an unspoken playbook?

Would appreciate any thoughts.

Hey all.

So, almost a year after my graduation with a B.S. in Enviro Sci, I have landed my first full-time position with a local consulting company doing CEQA and air quality monitoring. Super excited to finally put my degree to use, and I love my coworkers (I think), but I am getting quite anxious as the start date quickly approaches. They have told me numerous times during the interview process that it is a steep learning curve and that I need to be ready to be bad, but I want to be as prepared for success as possible. Do y'all have any good advice for consulting or even office job lifestyle advice? It is a lot of typing, so I am currently training my typing skills. I am also trying to get into the habit of tracking tasks more diligently, as I am sure this will become a major part of my new work. Finally, I know I need to get my sleep schedule in check. No more 3 AM gaming nights for me, haha. Thanks, y'all.

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm looking for advice on how to strategize my case math preparation. I'm recruiting for summer 2027 internships. While I did secure an internship this summer, I wasn't able to land offers from the companies I was most excited about.

I had many behavioral interviews and I don't think that's where I struggled. The issue was consistently with cases. Since the 2027 recruiting cycle starts in July, I have a few months to get a head start and prepare over the summer, and I want to make the most of that time.

There are so many resources out there, so I wanted to focus this post on two specific questions:

1. Which resources are best for learning and practicing case math?

2. Which resources are best for learning frameworks? (I've been using Case in Point so far.)

I'll also be practicing cases with peers and through online platforms alongside whatever resources you recommend.

Everyone is using Claude or ChatGPT to build their decks now. And honestly, you can tell.

Not because AI is bad. But the output has a very specific fingerprint. Three boxes, some random icons, bullet points that say something but do not really mean anything. Gets the job done the same way a vending machine sandwich gets you through lunch.

The problem was never really design to begin with.

The consultants I worked with did not lose deals because their slides looked ugly. They lost them because the story was not there. Slide 4 contradicting slide 9. What should have been a tight 6-slide proposal turning into a 22-slide endurence test for the poor partner sitting across the table.

That is the gap AI has not closed. And I do not think it will anytime soon.

The real skill was always narrative. Knowing when to kill a slide. Knowing when the executive summary is doing too much heavy lifting. Knowing that the client needs to feel the problem before you show them the solution. That is something you develope over years, not something you prompt your way into.

PowerPoint plugins are making things faster, no complaints there. But faster at what is the real question.

Anyone in consulting or design seeing the same thing? Has the bar for good enough just gotten lower, or are clients starting to feel the difference?

I did an internship as an HR for 6 months. Now i am finding consulting interesting, how do i go about it?

Please help. I attend a semi-target and want to recruit for consulting next year but this spring semester has not been the best for me. I will worst case have a 3.5 for the end of my freshman year. I know for MBB/T2 typically a 3.8+ is a target gpa. Do I still have a good enough shot to try for junior year summer recruitment? I am working to improve my GPA sophomore fall but even then I’ll likely only get to a 3.7. And recruitment for MBB starts my sophomore spring. What should I do to maximize chances despite lower gpa?

I’m curious where consulting work still relies more on human judgment than most people admit.

Not the obvious “do the math” part — more the moments where the data is incomplete, the client context is messy, and the team still has to decide what story to tell or what to recommend.

Examples might be:

• deciding which insight actually matters
• knowing whether a recommendation will land with the client
• choosing what to leave out of the deck
• figuring out whether the issue is bad analysis, weak narrative, or political reality
• knowing when more analysis will help vs just delay the decision

Curious from people actually doing the work:

• What part of consulting still feels most judgment-heavy?
• What makes it hard to do well?
• Where do teams still rely on experience / instinct more than they’d like?
• Has AI changed this at all, or just sped up the parts around it?

Not asking about case interviews or prep — more about real project work.

The eight-second test. Your MBB resume gets roughly this long before the screener decides.

Number that surprises candidates more than anything else I teach.

Resume screeners at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain spend an average of eight seconds on a resume before the initial decision. Not a careful read. A fast pattern-match against the screener's internal model of what a strong candidate looks like.

Firms receive tens of thousands of applications per season per office. Screeners develop intuition. They read for signal, not comprehension.

Three tests every bullet needs to pass.

Can you quantify it. If you led people, how many. If you saved time or money, how much.

Would a stranger outside your industry understand it. Strip jargon. Spell out acronyms. Explain scale.

Does it describe an accomplishment or an activity. "Attended client meetings" is an activity. "Presented recommendations to C-suite that led to a 5M investment decision" is an accomplishment.

If a bullet fails any test, rewrite it. Most candidates I coach find half their bullets fail at least one test on first review.

Sofia, to illustrate.

Candidate last year. Eight years as a petroleum engineer, managed teams of forty on offshore platforms, zero MBB interview invites after applying to all three firms.

Her bullets read. "Responsible for overseeing daily operations of offshore drilling team." "Participated in safety compliance audits."

Every bullet told me what she was hired to do. None told me what she produced.

We rebuilt the operations bullet. "Led 40-person offshore team that achieved 99.2 percent uptime, ranking first among 12 platforms and saving 18M in downtime costs."

The safety bullet became. "Designed compliance protocol adopted across 8 platforms after reducing recordable incidents by 60 percent in 14 months."

Same job. Different candidate on paper. She had McKinsey and BCG invitations the next cycle.

Common rewrite traps.

Inflating numbers. Screeners have seen thousands of resumes. An 8M number on a 3-person project smells wrong. Be accurate.

Burying the number. "Reduced cycle time by optimizing cross-functional workflow" is a responsibility sentence with a weak verb. "Reduced approval cycle from 14 to 5 days across 6 stakeholders" leads with the number.

Stacking every bullet with the same verb. Variety signals range. Led, redesigned, negotiated, built, won, launched, recovered.

The final test.

Hand your resume to someone outside your industry. Ask them to scan for eight seconds. Take it away. Ask what they remember.

If they can name your two strongest qualifications, your resume works. If they sound vague, rebuild before you submit.

What bullets are hardest for people here to quantify? Happy to tear one down in the comments if anyone wants to post a line they are stuck on.

I’m a high school student and still unsure about what I want to study in university. I’m interested in working in consulting because I feel I communicate well and enjoy interacting with people. I’m not very interested in majoring in engineering or medicine, although I might consider engineering if I had the opportunity to study abroad. In my country, both medical and engineering fields are highly competitive.

I don’t think finance is the right fit for me, but I’m open to changing my perspective. I would also like to know which majors could help me get into consulting. If you could suggest some majors or describe what students typically study in them, that would really help me get a clearer idea.

Hey everyone, I need some practical advice on an international role that looks solid on paper but still feels like a big decision.

I’m a Tech Sales Engineer based in India. A company wants me to relocate to another country and be the first person on the ground to build their business from scratch.

---

The Compensation Situation

I asked for a 75% hike on my current salary

They are offering a 25% hike

I’m willing to settle around 50% if the overall structure is fair

---

What They Are Covering

Visa

International travel

Initial relocation/setup

Accommodation (rent covered)

Basic daily living expenses covered

Health insurance (spouse/kids covered; I’m unmarried)

Parents can be added, but at my own cost

---

What This Means Practically

Since:

Rent is covered

Daily expenses are covered

👉 My salary becomes mostly:

Savings

Investments

Personal financial growth

---

The Role (High Ownership)

Build pipeline from zero

Do demos + client meetings

Close deals in a completely new market

No existing customers or support system

This is essentially a founding sales role / market builder position.

---

My Concerns

1. Salary vs Responsibility

Even though living costs are covered:

👉 I’m still:

Taking relocation risk

Building a market from scratch

Handling high ownership

Is 25% hike too low for this level?

---

2. Is 50–75% a Fair Ask?

Given:

International move

Zero-base market

High responsibility

👉 Is 50–75% hike reasonable, even with expenses covered?

---

3. Long-Term Impact

Even if expenses are covered now:

👉 Base salary affects:

Future hikes

Market value

Negotiation power later

---

4. Risk vs Reward

Initial months = low or no commissions

Success depends on building everything from scratch

👉 Is the current offer balanced?

---

The Core Question

Is this: 👉 A strong international growth opportunity

OR

👉 A role with high responsibility but relatively low base compensation?

---

TL;DR

First hire in a new country to build business from scratch

Company covers rent + basic living expenses

I asked for 75% hike, they offered 25%

I’m willing to settle at 50%

Role is high-risk, high-responsibility

👉 Is 25% fair since expenses are covered, or should I push harder?