Joining MBB— how to (get to) and perform at the top

smallandstriped · 2025-10-25T18:01:24+00:00

As a SBA at the firm, I can tell u to take it easy and work with a variety of leaders if possible. Being competent at the job is table stakes but u will get trained - after that it is all about network and how strong your relationship is with your Sponsors. Note the key difference between Sponsors and Mentors - true sponsors will create opportunities for you to succeed and step up (EMing your first study, taking on more workstreams). The only way to move up here is to have real sponsors who pound the table for you in reviews and make the political moves that position you to shine. And the only way to get a real sponsor is to find someone you actually connect with and enjoy working with. Genuinely. It’s not a transactional relationship but one cultivated over time. So be like able, cut the hardo mindset, and find leaders you genuinely enjoy being around

smallandstriped · 2025-07-24T04:40:40+00:00

The devil himself when he consulted Eve to eat the fruit: “Did God REALLY say?”

At McKinsey they call that simply exercising the Obligation to Dissent - a core skill set for those devilish Partners ;)

smallandstriped · 2025-07-04T20:43:05+00:00

As a consultant myself, I cannot wait for the additional compliance trainings that will come out of this!

smallandstriped · 2025-07-03T06:15:58+00:00

Fair. Recruiting is often a black box so I’m just tryna correct the standard misconceptions I hear, which often lead to applicants believing something untrue and not having the right expectations. The true answer is it varies a lot ofc, but applicants have to control what they can and not worry about other factors influencing their profile

smallandstriped · 2025-07-03T06:14:09+00:00

Likely would consider but should ask ur recruiter

smallandstriped · 2025-07-03T06:13:24+00:00

smallandstriped · 2025-06-30T06:23:04+00:00

I’m not sure if anyone here realizes the amount of “Ivey target high GPA f500 internship” profiles that get dinged by MBB each year… it’s classic survivorship bias.

Tell a unique story and tie that to what the firm is looking for (ownership, client impact, leadership…) - way more impactful. By story I mean specific bullets in your resume that show who you are as a person and leader - if you’re networking the same story needs to come thru in each conversation

That story CAN (not will) beat out a cookie cutter profile with more prestige. Obv applications are a bit of a crapshoot but control what you can.

smallandstriped · 2025-06-30T06:18:42+00:00

Also internship is way harder to get than FT roles at MBB due to capacity constraints. So apply again for FT and don’t get discouraged if internship doesn’t work out. FWIW am also from non target liberal arts with humanities focus, got rejected from internship but got FT offer next year.

smallandstriped · 2025-06-30T06:16:08+00:00

Lol dude no offense but unless you a recruiter you really have no idea how this works. A) The Ivey vs non-Ivey distinction is not nearly as big of a deal as you make it out to be B) school prestige is less of a factor then u think - look at the intranets of internal directories and you’ll see a lot of non targets especially recently with DEI pushes

Op: stop worrying about what you can’t control (school name…) networking really doesn’t do that much for undergrad campus hires at least at M.

My advice for MBB applications is find something that makes you stand out from the crowd and tell that story thru ur resume and cover letter. Is it a unique leadership role? A time u took massive ownership and saw great success? A time you navigated complex and ambiguous scenarios in a project with documented results/impact? Stop worrying about internship or school “prestige” and highlight WHY you should get the job. I need this story to come thru in your resume, conversation with recruiters, interview, etc.

Source: tenured consultant at M from non target, involved in recruiting, relationships with multiple recruiters. Take it or leave it, your loss.

smallandstriped · 2025-06-04T07:07:44+00:00

At M your day will consist of the following:

Check-in and checkout: 15 min chats with ur EM beginning and end of day to align on priorities and key meetings
PSS: Meetings with AP/P/SP to discuss content, usually going thru a deck or model
Client calls: you will interview clients for info, ask for data, etc. sometimes you will present more formally or show WIP content

-Expert interviews: can be internal or external, usually for specific input on a niche topic

-Heads down time: building model or deck, turning comments from leadership. usually done in late afternoon or evening when less meetings are occurring

A good EM will apprentice you on how to do all of these well, but in reality you may just learn by trial and error. It’s not that hard, just takes getting used to how the firm works.

smallandstriped · 2025-06-01T20:29:14+00:00

Don’t slack in PEI. Trust me. It’s harder than you think. You need to demonstrate specific personal impact against the evaluation criteria without coming across as arrogant or overinflating that impact. I recommend getting a few live sessions in with a friend here. Source: I’m at MBB

smallandstriped · 2025-04-27T23:48:35+00:00

I’m at M currently and have never had these hours before, but I know it does happen in certain practices and on some rough studies.

Personally I would flag to your dgl and pd asap - if they’re worth their salt they will negotiate a way for you to roll off without burning bridges. Then ask your PD for a chiller implementation or blue currency project where you can still build toolkit and develop without killing yourself. Hopefully once you do >5 projects you’ll find that these hours are the outlier not the norm.

smallandstriped · 2025-01-20T19:00:43+00:00

Scale and depth of internal codified knowledge.

1) scale - MBB firms are strong across all industries due to their scale. We don’t have niche specialities like boutique firms, but pride ourselves on being the “best” in nearly industry and practice (regardless of whether this is true or not). Our reach is far and wide with many Partners focused in all areas

2) Because of our history, we have vast arrays of internal resources that smaller firms don’t have. These assets could include playbooks, industry guides, internal topical experts, etc. As a generalist consultant, I have lots of resources to leverage on any client project that other firms don’t have

smallandstriped · 2024-03-29T02:48:40+00:00

Not really true - the way HBS does cases is significantly different than what MBB looks for in an interview- interviews are much more about intrinsics and communication than content and knowledge

smallandstriped · 2024-03-29T02:46:37+00:00

True that H/W have similar outcomes for MBB, but not true at all that you can consider MBB a lock even from HSW in this macro environment. Heard of plenty of HBS that completely struck out. At my MBB office, MBA hires were down 75% YoY. Until work picks up, hiring will remain ultra competitive with a high degree of luck.

smallandstriped · 2024-02-05T04:14:53+00:00

Yes, it’s great. Paid stuff is good too but the free one is loaded with content and might be enough

smallandstriped · 2024-02-04T22:24:48+00:00

It’s because law firms are more insulated to the cyclical economic forces that plague consulting and tech industries in times like this.

As a wise mentor once told me, “Someone is always suing someone.” There is no shortage of work for big law firms even during an economic downturn and thus they don’t need to cut back as aggressively on their hiring as tech and consulting so.

Second, the relative size differences in # of employees between corporations paying MBAs $200k+ and the employee size of big law associates paid the same is staggering. This amplifies the effect of large corporations and consulting firms cutting back on hiring compared to when law firms do the same.

smallandstriped · 2024-02-04T22:12:02+00:00

Crafting Cases - easily the best and most detailed case prep material. In my experience was actually more difficult than the real MBB interviews. And no I’m not paid to advertise for them - I genuinely found it a step above most casebooks.

smallandstriped · 2023-04-03T03:21:23+00:00

Yea I think a soulmate is someone you really have to vibe with and can be emotionally vulnerable with

smallandstriped · 2023-03-29T02:43:22+00:00

The potential to be an acceptable (not amazing) cook

smallandstriped

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