I am currently a junior at one of the HYP universities (not saying which to maintain anonymity), and am majoring in Operations Research with a minor in Computer Science. Unfortunately I have a low GPA (2.9), but really think that consulting is the right career path for me! I have experience at a consulting start-up last summer doing some quant work, but am hoping to break into the big firms (e.g. McKinsey). I know I am at a disadvantage here, but I was wondering if any of you have some advice on how to improve my chances on either getting an internship this summer or a full-time position next year? Do you think that the top firms will immediately disregard my application when they see my GPA? If so, how do I overcome that and show them that I am capable? Thanks!
Most likely will disregard you due to GPA unless you are looking to work at a smaller, local office, or know someone.
Agree with first response. HOWEVER, hope is not all lost. The big consulting companies recruit using OCR, which means you are constrained by your school’s policies on GPA on your resume, but if your major GPA is substantially higher than your cumulative, consider using that instead of (or in addition to) your cumulative. As long as you don’t try to hide the fact that it is your major GPA, it is not dishonest and nobody will really care.
It is always worth applying. Internships are, in my experience, more competitive than FT during on campus recruiting since there are simply fewer internships than FT jobs, so if you don’t find anything during OCR in January, don’t fret. Keep on trucking and see what fall, 2016 holds.
With that said, there are plenty of ways to get into consulting. I assume that since you want to work for McKinsey, you are interested in management consulting, but you could find nontraditional paths into that world. For example, you could apply to software consulting companies - think IBM, SAP, etc. From there, you could develop a pivot point that will allow you to get your foot in the door at the big places. You could also try to find a company with a tuition reimbursement plan and then pursue an MBA after a few years. Out of B-school, you may be able to reopen doors that a low undergrad GPA closed.
Another option is to look at huge companies, such as Accenture and Deloitte. You can start out in their implementation consulting business and eventually transfer to their management consulting side.
For me, I had the same dream you have and struggled with a low GPA as well. Out of college I worked for a software company, doing implementation work, and found ways to learn how to get involved with clients’ businesses. I then moved on to another software company, where I honed skills in the tech world, and just now, five years after graduating, I am able to jump into the management consulting world.
It’s okay to dream big - you might find yourself in front of somebody at McKinsey or Bain or BCG - but you should think about as many paths to success as possible, and explore all of them. One might lead you where you want to go!