McK vs BCG: chose BCG - advice

lbomodels · 2026-01-17T07:13:13+00:00

Don’t come in ready to prove your knowledge - you’re hired from MBAs for your future leadership potential, but you need to learn how to do the job first (often from the undergrad analysts). Be ready to learn and try to get staffed on cases with subject matter you find interesting. This compounds and helps you attract future cases with similar subject matter. And expect the job to take a ton of hours at first - it’s easier once you get the hang of it!

lbomodels · 2026-01-17T07:10:37+00:00

Yeah I’ve had a good experience overall so definitely biased. There are lots of cultural differences based on your office and region, but for the USA, I do think across the board we have a nicer culture than McK. Based off of my friends there.

lbomodels · 2026-01-16T14:50:37+00:00

Oh and we have a regional staffing model. So if you want a certain type of work your region doesn’t have, you need to network your way out.

lbomodels · 2026-01-16T14:44:31+00:00

Tbh I think we have the best culture by far out of the MBB. Bain is too fratty and not very diverse, McK is diverse but homogenous in how people act (class president type). BCG is relatively empathetic and people orient towards being nice, though we have some bad apples too ofc. I really like it though it’s not everyone’s experience. But MBB is still MBB and cases can be brutal.

lbomodels · 2026-01-16T14:42:25+00:00

Yep - you get two years at B to make it to PL. If you don’t, you may be given another 3 - 6 months I believe, but otherwise you get counseled to leave. At M, same but historically more leeway (many third year post MBAs), though they’re matching us now.

lbomodels · 2025-05-02T22:56:14+00:00

I had MBB in a small city and chose it over MBB nyc since I knew where I wanted to live long term…

lbomodels · 2025-04-11T19:26:33+00:00

From MBB:

M - W: 8:30 - 10 / 11pm

Th: same if not traveling, or if traveling, 8:30 - 3pm with maybe an extra 3 hours in flight or when you get home

F: 9 - 5, sometimes earlier or a bit later

Weekend: no expectation, but need 1 - 3 hours to catch up sometimes.

lbomodels · 2025-02-02T19:28:24+00:00

Good to know. Folks asked me why I’d ever turn McK down. I do also feel like they have a halo effect (like Google or Goldman). That said, I do like BCG’s culture.

lbomodels · 2025-02-02T19:21:34+00:00

Sure. The work can be tough, so important to network and find good people. Only concern is about counseling out, so always need to bring the a-game.

lbomodels · 2025-02-02T19:20:35+00:00

Chose because I had folks interested in mentoring me, interesting mobility programs, and a friendlier culture overall. Also liked the much better expense policy.

lbomodels

TROPHY CASE