The email below is from a rising college senior who is majoring in Economics and is considering adding Accounting as a second major. He doesn’t know what he wants to do career-wise, but he is interested in Consulting as a possible destination after he graduates. He has asked me to give him advice on which courses he should take during his senior year to prepare him for a gig in Consulting. Instead of answering that question, I decided to break it into two parts and answer each of those…I thought that would be a much more helpful approach.

Unfortunately, this reader sent his message in late May and I’m just getting to it now. This entry is another case where I wish I could have responded to a reader’s email faster in order to provide a more timely reply. I know that going in sequential order in my Inbox (for non-Platinum members) is the right way to go, but I don’t know if my advice will be as helpful this close to the start of his senior year. Oh well, all I can do is try, right???

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YC wrote:

Dear Mr. Marquis,

My name is “YC” and I am from Taiwan, I just saw your blog and found it very useful. However, I do have some personal questions that I hope you could help me with.

I currently go to Purdue University in my fourth year. Even though I am going to graduate in a year, I am still not sure what my interests are or what I should do for living after graduating from Purdue. My major is Economics and I am considering a double major in Accounting, however, I am not sure if I like accounting that much. Hearing how experienced you are in consulting, which is something I find fascinating of, would you be very kind to advise me on what classes I should take in my senior year to get myself more prepared for this job?

Thank you very much
YC

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My video response:

Advice on course selection for a rising college senior from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

Key points:
- Think about what you need to do in terms of learnings in two ways:
1. What you need to do to get the Consulting job offer:
—> Lean on good grades, problem solving skills, leadership experience, and strong professional presence to increase the chances of being invited to interview
—> Start learning how to do Consulting case interviews as soon as possible

2. What you courses need to be taken to prepare for the Analyst position right out of undergrad:
—> Going into the senior year, it would be useful to take courses in the undergraduate business school in areas that are core skill areas in the Consulting industry, including:
——–> Strategy
——–> Economics
——–> Accounting
——–> Organizational Behavior
——–> Finance