Low GPA Engineering graduate breaking into management consulting

Hey! Despite a 3.25 GPA, your strong internships and achievements, make you a competitive candidate for MBB. While GPA matters, top consulting firms value real-world experience, impact, and problem-solving skills. Focus on showcasing your internships and competition successes, emphasizing the skills and value you brought. Networking and strong case interview performance will be key, and leveraging your BCG connections could help bypass GPA filters. Consider offices that are more flexible on academic records and continue strengthening your profile with certifications or relevant courses.

Good luck! Alessa

Hi there,

I would not say that it's a bad GPA. It could still be reasonable since the rest of your application/profile is quite strong.

To maximize your chances:

• Make sure to polish your application documents based on best practices
• Apply with strong referrals in each firm
• Network to get an understanding of the current hiring demand and time your application right
• Potentially expand your target firms to T2 as well

All the best,

Florian

Hello there,

Short answer is that your grades should not automatically disqualify you from consideration. However, it slims your chances considerably within the applicant pool.

To improve your chances, you should:

1. Focus on applying to offices with higher demand for candidates (booming market etc.) and relatively less competition (comparatively less attractive to applicants)
2. Build strong networking connections for referrals via informal chats with prospective colleagues across your target region

Of course, the above points don’t preclude you having an airtight resume highlighting your achievements. Let me know if you need any support on this.

All the best,

Fathu

Although your GPA may be below the typical MBB threshold, your strong extracurriculars and internships provide a solid foundation. To boost your chances, focus on networking with consultants and recruiters at target firms. Reach out to people from your university or LinkedIn connections who are already at MBB. Personal referrals can help overcome GPA concerns and get your resume noticed. 

Hi,

A low GPA does not by itself exclude you from consulting (I assume you are at Chula). But your CV needs to show strengths and some sort of intellectual power.

Couple of other things:

If I break it down, you probably want to think about 2 aspects about breaking into consulting:

1. Getting invited to the interview (getting one foot into the door)
   1. Strong application (CV & CL)
      1. Make sure your application is in tip-top shape and worded in the right and relevant way that showcases the skills that are important
   2. Networking
      1. This is also extremely important as it gives you a higher chance of getting a referral, plus also can help to strengthen your application story
2. Acing the interview
   1. Understand what exactly you are going to be graded on
   2. Understand what good looks like
   3. Develop a strategy and plan to get you to a star candidate

There's lots more details and nuances that I go into in my article which talks more about breaking into consulting from a non-traditional background (e.g. liberal arts, etc):

Breaking into consulting from a non-traditional background

All the best!