I've been always keen to join one of the top strat consulting shops and I know I am still miles and miles away from getting into the door. Just want to gether some ideas of how I should walk my route towards my goal.My little bio:Research MSc from Bristol, PhD from Nottingham. EE/CS (biomedical imaging)Worked in a small tech consulting boutique in UK for less than a year. Now working in a top international organization in Washington DC for about 2 years.27 years old, full of energy...Thanks in advance!

Two option:- Get a top MBA (US top 10 + LBS/INSEAD/IMD from Europe). MBB doors will open for you right away- Without an MBA, either you get in now (or in a couple of years) as a specialist, the longer you wait, the harder it gets

Thanks for your info!How about MBA from Toronto Rotman?Does the MBA have to be full-time? Does part-time MBA work for MBB?I don't have an Oxbridge degree now... is it even possible to pass the CV filtering based on my current qualification?thanks!

>Does the MBA have to be full-time? Yes according to my research, it has to be fulltime.> How about MBA from Toronto Rotman? Check the career report of Rotman. I have heard some good comments about the school, but the career report (and career office) would tell you all you need to know.>I don't have an Oxbridge degree now... is it even possible to pass the CV filtering based on my current qualification? Your PhD is something that can help you here. There is only one way to find out (Yes apply!). It does not cost you anything. Your post-MBA application would not be affected by this application any way.

Some good advice here from Reality.I&apos;d second the need to do a full-time MBA if you go down the MBA entry route. In terms of choosing a school, the firms are very selective about which they&apos;ll hire from - so this is a crucial decision.I would always invest time speaking at length with the career / alumni offices to establish how many students successfully made it into the types of firms you&apos;d like to join when they graduated. If the school cuts it with the MBB firms then the placement figures will bear that out. If hardly anyone&apos;s made it in then beware investing your time and money with that school...Hiring volumes at MBB are meagre right now, so I&apos;d be inclined to position yourself for entry in a year or two&apos;s time. Good luckTony Restell, Top-Consultant.com<i><a href=http://events.top-consultant.com/UK/careerconference.aspx?ID=421>Your career at a crossroads – which way next?</a></i>

Reality and Tony, Thank you so much for your advice! :-)I have actually applied for the big firms&apos; US, UK and China offices, and got silently ignored by both the American and Chinese recruiters... I guess they have never heard of Nottingham/Bristol before... and as Tony pointed out - they really have limited headcounts vs. super-large-super-competitive applicant pool this year...My last hope is the London offices, although the only news I received by now is that they will notify me whether to go for an interview in mid Nov. Hopefully, the school brands at least will work a little bit on my favor back in UK… I’ve been preparing for case interviews for some time now and would really like to have a shot in the real world.I’m certainly weighing my options of doing an MBA, in fact, I have talked to several MBA admitters (Harvard, Sloan, Kellog, Warton, Stanford, etc.). But I only have 1.5 yrs experience post-PhD in a different field rather than my PhD, plus 0.5 yr pre-PhD experience. Those seem to less attractive to the top schools at the moment considering they received ~30% more applications this year… The reason I am asking about Rotman is that soon I may have an opportunity to work in my exact PhD field in Toronto for 2-3 yrs. How do the firms and the B-schools think of me after I have some proven track record in my profession? What if, after a couple of years, I apply for those Canadian offices, would it be slightly less competitive to enter compared to the US/UK/China branches?Thanks again!NQ

Any more advice/comments on my situation? Any one?Much appreciated!

Have a look at the placement statisics for Rotman (a class of 537 students). http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/toronto.htmlTop recruiting organizations for the most recent academic year:CIBC 13Deloitte 9RBC Financial Group 9TD Financial Group 9BMO 9ScotiaBank 7Sunlife Financial 5IBM 4Bain 3Kraft 3P&G 2Research in Motion 2Telus 2 Infosys 2Monitor 2Does not seem much attractive if you are solely focused on MBB.

Have a look at the placement statisics for Rotman (a class of 537 students). http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/toronto.htmlTop recruiting organizations for the most recent academic year:CIBC 13Deloitte 9RBC Financial Group 9TD Financial Group 9BMO 9ScotiaBank 7Sunlife Financial 5IBM 4Bain 3Kraft 3P&G 2Research in Motion 2Telus 2 Infosys 2Monitor 2Does not seem much attractive if you are solely focused on MBB.

Thanks Reality!It seems Rotman focuses more on Canadian banks.. It&apos;s weird the MBB numbers are low as there are MBB offices right in Toronto..Would 2-yrs academic research work help me on being admitted by the top-10 MBA programs? Or, should I stick on my current job (big name but very technical) for some more time?It&apos;s always tough when it comes to a decision time...Thanks.

Don´t wait. Get a 700+ balanced GMAT score, write compelling essays (hire an admission consultant if you have to), and you are in. No need to waste one more year on something you are not happy with.

I got rejected by all the MBB offices in resume filtering this year, even not landing on a single interview...I think I do need some big MBA brand in my resume to impress the recruiters... Although I think my current employer has a big name, but obviously the firms don&apos;t think so...I am offered a new job in Toronto which I intend to accept. will start the preparation for GMAT right away.Once in Canada, is it harder to be considered (read: less competitive) by top US MBA programs than basing in the States?Thanks.

Your current location would not matter, only your nationality.