Canada's consulting target schools

University of Toronto, UBC and McGill are the top target schools. 

It's not impossible to get into consulting from a non-target school. A referral would help a lot. If you don't have a friend/ contact at a consulting firm to refer you, you'd need to network extensively via (virtual) events and LinkedIn to get one. 

Wish you the best! Please feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss how I can support with application/  interview prep

Usually MBAs and MSc are regarded as different things, the MBA's having some advantage towards senior consultant roles. I.e., they are hired to senior consultant roles even if their previous work experience is not business related.

MSc may be hired for analyst or senior consultant roles. The specific rank depends primarily on the quality and quantity of the previous experience (role, brand name, tenure) and secondarily on the reputation of the MSc. Having a referral goes a long way when you are not part of a target school.

Hi there,

Most of my candidates who have successfully gotten into MBB canada have indeed been from target schools (actually primarily McGill) or from the US.

Additionally, most of my Canadian candidates have recruiters for Toronto (and Montreal).

That said, it's a somewhat small sample size so I wouldn't let this stop you! Your best bet is to network extensively. This will not only give you a good idea as to where you have better odds, but it also stands a chance of leading you to a referral.

If you have a working visa/working rights this will also greatly help.

Get out there and start talking to people at those offices to get better clarity!

Hi there,

These are indeed interesting, very specific questions, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Based on my own experience, the ones of my coachees and my personal network, McGill, University of Toronto and University of British Columbia seem to be the most prestigious target universities.
• With a Master's degree, you will actually not directly compete with MBA graduates as they tend to be hired at a more senior position. The same thing accounts for candidates with a Bachelor's degree which tend to be hired at a less senior position.
• In general, I would advise you to give it a try no matter the university you went to and the degree you obtained.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files to secure an invitation, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Apart from target v/s non-target schools - you should understand the difference in MBA v/s experienced v/s MSc background.

It influences the seniority of the entry point and the typical descending order is the following:

• MSc + MBA + Experience (Senior Consultant)
• MBA + Experienced
• MBA only OR MSc + Experienced
• MSc (Associate/Analyst)

I've even know PhDs who were recruited as Associates in BCG.

Hi!

Target schools are: UBC, University of Toronto, McGill, HEC Montreal.

It's hard to tell whether you could compete there as it depends on your profile and background.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Anto