<p>Here is my situation: I'm a junior at Rice University double majoring in economics and 'managerial studies.' I'd love to get myself a top-tier consulting internship (most interested in Accenture / BCG) this summer but am unsure of how my GPA will effect this. </p>
<p>I had a terrible freshman year, resulting in a semester-long academic suspension for spring 2008. Since then I've (somewhat) turned the GPA around, and am doing better. My overall GPA since freshman year, including transfer courses taken at the University of Washington, is a 3.20. My UW GPA is 3.5. Not including transfer courses (Rice classes only) I have a 3.02 GPA since freshman year. Many of the job listings say that they 'strongly prefer' a 3.2+ GPA. </p>
<p>I have leadership work experience, decent extracurriculars, am a member of the consulting club at Rice and am a great interviewer, but I'm afraid recruiters wont see past the GPA. Being realistic (I can take it), what can I do to better my chances at an internship?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance, any help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>What would you do for them? Some kind of office support role? I can’t see them putting an undergrad out actually consulting on a client project unless your pre-professional leadership work experience is out of this world. Consulting is usually for experienced professionals with 10 years post graduation real world work experience.</p>
<p>Do undergrads have a case interview? If so, it would be your best bet to have mock interviews. For MBA recruitment, consulting firms look for candidates not based on GPA (they don’t even ask GPA) but based on case interview skills. You need to prove that you are smart enough to solve difficult problems in many ways. GPA is a good indicator. If you worked on a research project on business problems with your professor, that would also increase your candidacy.</p>
<p>Agree that it’s crucial to prepare for the case interview for a first-round interview. You may be asked to work independently as well as collectively with other applicants. Here is an actual invite for a second round interview at a consulting firm:</p>
<p>Our second (final) round is a full day that begins at 9:00 a.m. and runs through lunch, until about 2:00 p.m. In the morning, you will have three 30-minute interviews and a 1.5-hour quantitative test (no preparation necessary). One of our analysts will then take you to lunch, followed by two half-hour interviews at the end of the day. For reference, the interviews are mostly resume-based, and you will be speaking with a range of people from our analysts to our managing directors. These discussions are meant to help us learn more about you as a potential member of the team, as well as give you a better idea of the nature of our work and our company’s culture.</p>
<p>The competition is brutal now, with many fewer opening than in past years. To be honest, the GPA and the classes at UW are going to make a top firm very unlikely unless you bring skills in a hot area.</p>
<p>I would focus on boutique/regional firms now and build from there.</p>