What’s going on, y’all. The email below is from “a Physicist turned Economist” who is interested in getting an MBA from Columbia and then moving on into Consulting. As I’ve said on here before, I have never worked in an admissions office before, so, when I answer questions about one’s chances, I’m not saying that my words are the gospel-truth. But, with that said, I did my best to give him advice about what Columbia might be looking for based on what I’ve heard about the school and my general knowledge about the Bschool application game.
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KH wrote:
“Hi,
I read your blog regularly. I am a Physicist turned Economist from India. I currently work at ICICI Bank, India’s leading pvt bank. I am interested in Coulmbia’s program. I have a few doubts, can you please help? Thanks
I work with the bank’s senior management by providing them inputs on regulatory requirements and help the bank raise capital when required. In fact I participated in two of India’s biggest public offers. I have been able to get good exposure to corporate strategy, business planning etc.. .That is the basis for me seeking a b school edn.
I want to get into strategic consulting as a generalist and start my own firm later. Can you give me pointers as to How B school will help me get into consulting apart from the usual stuff like giving me tools such as marketing, finance etc..? What courses should a prospective consultant focus on in B school?
I have done any major entrepreneurial work will that go against me in Columbia?
How do I transition to my own firm later? How do I convey that idea and how will b school help me here?
Thanks
Sorry if the queries are clumsily worded, I am writing as it is coming into my head
Regards
KH”
————
My response:
KH,
Thanks for checking out my blog and thinking of me as someone you might want advice from. I don’t know how much help I can be with the Columbia issue because I’ve never worked in an admissions office, but I hope to help you think through the issues a little as you frame your application.
The question of how business school can help you get into a consulting career is a pretty basic one. B-school is a place where you can get a good general understanding of a wide range of business ideas in a condensed two-year period. The development of one’s business acumen is accomplished through a combination of a bschool Core curriculum and elective courses, so I’m a little confused about your question of what other ways that Bschool will get you into Consulting aside from the content of those classes. My guesses at some non-Core course-related ways that Bschool can help you get a Consulting gig are:
1. Bschool exposes you to a community of highly intelligent, driven, and high-performing young professionals who will push you harder than you may have ever been pushed before. For many people, an environment like this hasn’t been seen since college, if ever. You’d likely face a similar atmosphere at a consulting firm.
2. At most top Bschools, you should get a crash course in how to analyze business situations while learning through the case method at business school. Some schools like HBS and Darden are 100% case and others like Stanford GSB use a mixture of cases and lectures, but the common theme is that you’ll get used to thinking in a manner that will provide both breadth and depth of understanding in a variety of business contexts.
3. Depending on the school that you attend, you could have a large number of alumni working at a range of consulting firms who can be leveraged for advice and tips on how to best navigate a firm’s recruiting process. In fact, I got in the pipeline for my summer internship in Accenture’s Strategy group as a result of a conversation that I had with a Stanford GSB alum.
Now, it is important to note that one doesn’t NEED an MBA to get into Consulting (as my previous posts about APD candidate described), but it IS the most direct way to get in if you’re not making an entrance directly from undergrad. Otherwise, some other maneuvering may be required to get an “in”.
Aside from the core business school courses, I’d recommend taking classes that would strengthen your analytic, communication, and problem solving skills. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, my Excel Modeling course was one of the most useful out of my GSB experience because analyzing data in Excel has been such a big part of my job. Also, my Competitive Strategy, Interpersonal Dynamics, Corporate Finance, and Formation of New Ventures classes have been great for me to look back on. Other courses, such as higher-level economics and accounting, might be useful for some future consultants, but I didn’t take any of those and I haven’t been hurt by that so far.
Transitioning to starting your own consulting firm is something that I think about a lot because it’s an option that I’ve considered for my own future. I don’t have a concrete answer for this, but I imagine that the following would be involved:
1. Building some sort of expertise in one or more fields while employed at an existing firm
2. Networking with other professionals in a range of industries and functions that you can leverage for advice and information in the future
3. Developing a vision, value proposition, and positioning for the firm that you would start
4. Making your name known to your targeted client pool through publishing papers, writing articles, participating on panels, speaking at conferences, etc.
Bschool can help with this move by giving you an alumni network full of potential business partners, clients, investors, and other collaborators that you might not have access to on your own. Also, most schools have elective courses in entrepreneurship that would provide an academic foundation on which to base your method for venturing out on your own.
Your question about lack of entrepreneurship affecting your chances at Columbia is a hard one for me to answer because I am not an admissions rep there and never went to school there. I do know several Columbia BSchool grads and none of them were entrepreneurs before entering the program, so my guess is that you shouldn’t worry. The bigger concern for you should be putting together a tight application package that points out all of your strengths and presents you as a good match for the school. Most students at top B-schools aren’t former entrepreneurs, so don’t use anymore time dwelling on that question.
Good luck with your business school application and I hope you get the good word from Columbia later on in the application season.
-Marquis
————
KH wrote:
“Hi,
I read your blog regularly. I am a Physicist turned Economist from India. I currently work at ICICI Bank, India’s leading pvt bank. I am interested in Coulmbia’s program. I have a few doubts, can you please help? Thanks
I work with the bank’s senior management by providing them inputs on regulatory requirements and help the bank raise capital when required. In fact I participated in two of India’s biggest public offers. I have been able to get good exposure to corporate strategy, business planning etc.. .That is the basis for me seeking a b school edn.
I want to get into strategic consulting as a generalist and start my own firm later. Can you give me pointers as to How B school will help me get into consulting apart from the usual stuff like giving me tools such as marketing, finance etc..? What courses should a prospective consultant focus on in B school?
I have done any major entrepreneurial work will that go against me in Columbia?
How do I transition to my own firm later? How do I convey that idea and how will b school help me here?
Thanks
Sorry if the queries are clumsily worded, I am writing as it is coming into my head
Regards
KH”
————
My response:
KH,
Thanks for checking out my blog and thinking of me as someone you might want advice from. I don’t know how much help I can be with the Columbia issue because I’ve never worked in an admissions office, but I hope to help you think through the issues a little as you frame your application.
The question of how business school can help you get into a consulting career is a pretty basic one. B-school is a place where you can get a good general understanding of a wide range of business ideas in a condensed two-year period. The development of one’s business acumen is accomplished through a combination of a bschool Core curriculum and elective courses, so I’m a little confused about your question of what other ways that Bschool will get you into Consulting aside from the content of those classes. My guesses at some non-Core course-related ways that Bschool can help you get a Consulting gig are:
1. Bschool exposes you to a community of highly intelligent, driven, and high-performing young professionals who will push you harder than you may have ever been pushed before. For many people, an environment like this hasn’t been seen since college, if ever. You’d likely face a similar atmosphere at a consulting firm.
2. At most top Bschools, you should get a crash course in how to analyze business situations while learning through the case method at business school. Some schools like HBS and Darden are 100% case and others like Stanford GSB use a mixture of cases and lectures, but the common theme is that you’ll get used to thinking in a manner that will provide both breadth and depth of understanding in a variety of business contexts.
3. Depending on the school that you attend, you could have a large number of alumni working at a range of consulting firms who can be leveraged for advice and tips on how to best navigate a firm’s recruiting process. In fact, I got in the pipeline for my summer internship in Accenture’s Strategy group as a result of a conversation that I had with a Stanford GSB alum.
Now, it is important to note that one doesn’t NEED an MBA to get into Consulting (as my previous posts about APD candidate described), but it IS the most direct way to get in if you’re not making an entrance directly from undergrad. Otherwise, some other maneuvering may be required to get an “in”.
Aside from the core business school courses, I’d recommend taking classes that would strengthen your analytic, communication, and problem solving skills. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, my Excel Modeling course was one of the most useful out of my GSB experience because analyzing data in Excel has been such a big part of my job. Also, my Competitive Strategy, Interpersonal Dynamics, Corporate Finance, and Formation of New Ventures classes have been great for me to look back on. Other courses, such as higher-level economics and accounting, might be useful for some future consultants, but I didn’t take any of those and I haven’t been hurt by that so far.
Transitioning to starting your own consulting firm is something that I think about a lot because it’s an option that I’ve considered for my own future. I don’t have a concrete answer for this, but I imagine that the following would be involved:
1. Building some sort of expertise in one or more fields while employed at an existing firm
2. Networking with other professionals in a range of industries and functions that you can leverage for advice and information in the future
3. Developing a vision, value proposition, and positioning for the firm that you would start
4. Making your name known to your targeted client pool through publishing papers, writing articles, participating on panels, speaking at conferences, etc.
Bschool can help with this move by giving you an alumni network full of potential business partners, clients, investors, and other collaborators that you might not have access to on your own. Also, most schools have elective courses in entrepreneurship that would provide an academic foundation on which to base your method for venturing out on your own.
Your question about lack of entrepreneurship affecting your chances at Columbia is a hard one for me to answer because I am not an admissions rep there and never went to school there. I do know several Columbia BSchool grads and none of them were entrepreneurs before entering the program, so my guess is that you shouldn’t worry. The bigger concern for you should be putting together a tight application package that points out all of your strengths and presents you as a good match for the school. Most students at top B-schools aren’t former entrepreneurs, so don’t use anymore time dwelling on that question.
Good luck with your business school application and I hope you get the good word from Columbia later on in the application season.
-Marquis
