What’s up, y’all. It’s been a busy week because my current study ends on Friday, so I haven’t had time to write a whole new entry lately. Instead, I’m going to post an email from a reader and my response to it. I would have posted it earlier, but I didn’t know if the response would be useful to more than a few folks. With that said, I decided to post it anyway for the benefit of those who might get something out of it.

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Pat wrote:

“Marquis,

First, I want to compliment you on your weblog. It accomplishes much that the average blog leaves for desire. I have learned a lot and also enjoyed your entries. I am writing you today, with the purpose of gaining some meaningful insight about Mckinsey’s recruiting. I am going to attend an MBA program next year and am unsure as to which program I should attend. I am very interested in working for Mckinsey post-MBA, specifically the Southern region. Thus, you are a great source of information. My admits stand at Vanderbilt University ($xxK scholarship) and Rice University ($xxK scholarship). I will hear from UVA and Cornell on Friday. I am really interested in the recruiting at Rice. I think I would enjoy my time most at that school and the $$$ helps. Does Mckinsey actively recruit there (it says on Rice’s website that they hire about 2-5 associates each year)? Or should I attend one of my other options, assuming I am admitted to all? Also, I have read that the GMAT is an important part of the application process. I currently have a 690, should I study and retake as I have only taken it once and could probably raise my score a bit? Or is a 690 sufficient. Any insight you can share with me is appreciated.

Thanks,

Pat “
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My response:

Pat,

Thanks for faithfully reading my blog. I keep on adding to it for the benefit of folks like you. Now, let’s get to your questions…

When it comes to picking a business school, I would never advise someone to pick a school because of a specific company that they want to work for after school. The business school choice is one of the most important ones you’ll make and it’s crucial that you pick the best place for YOU (not a particular company) because you only get to attend Bschool once. If Rice feels like the right school for you and you think that you’ll be able to find success coming out of there, then consider accepting their offer of admission. It sounds like you’ve got heavy interest in Consulting, so figure out if Rice is good for folks want a consulting career (not just a job at McK) and let that be a factor in your decision. One thing that Rice has going for it is that it is in the South and McK’s Southern Office (ATL, DAL, HOU, Charlotte, and MIA offices) does a great job of finding talent from the MBA programs in the South. I don’t know how much of a recruiting effort McK puts into Rice’s campus though, so I can’t be much help there. No matter where you go, make sure you reach out into the MBA alumni network for your school and look for people working at McKinsey to get insights on how to best position yourself to be recruited from that school. In particular, I know of people in McK’s Southern Office off the top of my head who have their MBAs from Vanderbilt, Rice, and UVA, so, all in all, there will be alumni resources at your disposal wherever you go out of your choice of school. Basically, i’m saying to pick the school that fits you and what you want to do in your career best.

As for your GMAT question, I’ve been told that McKinsey doesn’t have an official GMAT bar, so I can’t really say if your 690 is too low or high enough to get you considered. What I would recommend is to think about how comfortable you are with your score and act accordingly. If you’ve got the time and inclination to retake the GMAT, it might benefit you in your recruiting process, but I wouldn’t say that it is a ‘must-do’. I’m sorry for the shaky answer on this question, but I’m not a recruiter, so I don’t want to risk giving you bad information.

Good luck with your UVA and Cornell applications. Take care.

-Marquis

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Before I go, I’d like to send a quick birthday shout out to my girl GCA….I won’t put your whole name out there, but, if you see this, just know that I was thinking of you