Throughout my career in the tech industry prior to business school, I observed that the majority of executives I worked with had experience at top consulting firms. This provided them a broad toolkit across a variety of industries, enabling them to scale businesses and problem solve with incredible finesse. Subsequently, when I arrived at Booth, I knew that consulting would be a top priority for me.
Thankfully, Booth is a powerhouse when it comes to consulting recruiting and Management Consulting Group (MCG) facilitated a world class preparation program for first years from all backgrounds. From interview families led by second year volunteers to networking events with Booth Alumni to hours (and hours) of case prep with classmates, the phrase “it takes a village” really rang true.
The good news is that all the preparation paid off and I was ecstatic to receive an offer to join McKinsey & Company in San Francisco. While recruiting for McKinsey, I learned about the firm’s practice areas ranging from Operations to Digital to one that really caught my eye, Marketing and Sales. Coming from a background in sales, I was excited to see that McKinsey offered a specialized practice dedicated to the topic. I learned that joining a specific practice would offer two things: one, access to clients and studies in the space and two, an additional community within the broader Firm. Indeed it did.
This summer, I had the opportunity to work on a growth strategy study within the tech industry. The work was incredibly exciting, and I was able to leverage my prior industry experience to drive impact. The team empowered me to own strategic workstreams and build my own relationships with the client. I also received hands on coaching as well as executive mentorship from various members of the Firm – all of whom were invested in my success.
Beyond the work itself, my favorite part of the summer was bonding with the San Francisco Summer Associate cohort. We were a group of around 20 from business schools all over the country (including three of us from Booth). From peer mentoring one another to planning a weekend getaway in wine country to learning to golf, the group became very close. We became so close in fact, that a big group of them are flying into Chicago to visit me and the other Boothies (and Kellogg folks) next month. I feel very thankful to McKinsey for fostering this community of incredibly smart and kind friends.
Overall, the summer surpassed my expectations and was an excellent bridge between my first and second years at Booth. While I am so very excited to be back in school for my second year, I’m also looking forward to returning to McKinsey after graduation. In the meantime, I’ll be buckling down on Booth’s “pay-it-forward culture” and helping the new class of first years prepare for the upcoming recruiting season.
