Over-Represented Group: Consultant

Charles was one of thousands of consultants applying to elite business schools. His interest was in technology, with an eye towards eventual entrepreneurship.

The tricky thing was, he had gotten mostly “2” ratings in his projects, and not any “1s”: a solid performance, no doubt, but he wasn’t the most highly-rated analyst in his practice group.

How could he get into an M7 when he wasn’t at the top of his Analyst class?
  • Our solution: Since most consultants have similar project backgrounds, similar stellar grades, similar nose-bleed GMATs, etc., it can be very difficult to choose between them. The easiest proxy is internal ratings, but even then – consultants can all look alike.

    In the strengths and weaknesses module, Charles learned the importance of selectively choosing which projects to include in his resume and essays, and which ones to leave out (do NOT feel that you have to include EVERY case you’ve worked on!).

    In particular, the Lab’s advice on how to work with recommenders was key to helping him stand out from everyone else from his Analyst class.
  • Result: Charles was accepted to MIT Sloan.