Hi guys,I'm new to this forum but I'm really finding the posts here helpful. I was wondering if you could advise me on a few questions regarding management consulting:I'm nearing the end of my second year at university in New Zealand (hoping any advice here could still apply to me) doing a business and arts degree. I really want to get into management consulting at Deloitte when I finish but am worried i'll be inadequate at the job due to my degree. My marks are very high and I've received awards but my majors are management and marketing. Do big firms mainly look for accounting and finance graduates? I guess I feel that by doing management I haven't really gained any "hard skills" and was wondering whether this matters a great deal on the job, or whether the training the firm provides is enough to prepare you. I don't want to be stuck crunching numbers my whole life, and would be more interested in designing strategies for companies. Do firms favour your academic record over your discipline? And do firms provide satisfactory training for you to deal with clients?Thanks, any hep would be much appreciated.

Well depending on what type of MC you were interested in, that might influence it, but as long as you have a decent degree/can articulate why you want to do MC etc, it should not be a hindrance.I am pretty sure there are plenty of graduates in random much more disciplines like ancient greek, english, latin, arabic, ancient history etc who have got jobs with mbbb or the more IT focused consultancies...

MCs are lookihg for raw potential in grads, not readily formed consultants - getting good grades will count for far more than what subject you studied, and besides there are many consulting practices which concern themselves with marketing and such like anyway - it's not all Big 4 in consultancy. It would be worthwhile trying to get involved in some extra curriculars which demonstrate an interest in business - are there any university societies you could join (or even better start one)? Also if you can get some relevant paid or unpaid experience in your holidays that will help demonstrate your interest. Start reading the business press also - pref online stuff rather than the FT which tends to be rather reactionary, and look closely at the factors affecting businesses and stories in the news - try to get an feel for the mechanics, as this will help enormously when the hiring manager starts to probe you about some story in the papers to get your thoughts on it: not because they want your specific solution, but to see how you engage with business issues and whether they really do interest you. Start a language course if you have some time, but the main focus should be on getting excellent grades in your degree.

Thanks for the replies, it's very reassuring. Especially what Mars said about "raw potential" instead of "readily formed consultants".With regard to extra-curricular activities, I captain a football team with I guess I'd put under leadership. I also play indoor soccer and indoor netball so lots of team sports. I'm planning on joining the consultants club at uni next year too which involves a competition where you form a team, analyse a case study and present your work to a panel. Are these the types of activities they look for a candidate to participate in?Thanks again for your help.

Spot on.

Great! Thanks so much for your help

One other thing - start applying as soon as you can when you start your final year - don't wait until you have graduated.Best of luck!

You should also keep an eye out for visits by companies to your uni as it is a great opportunity to get a current view on the sort of quals and skills they are looking for.

When are you looking to start?

Naive, if u have good marks, why don't also apply to the "pure" MC firms, like MBB? By all means apply to the Big4s as well.

Naive - XYZ is right about applying to MBB and Big4 as well. At the very least you will get useful feedback that will help guide your furture plans.