I have recently graduated from college and am looking to get into consulting. I graduated from a mid-tier American business school with a 3.1/4.0 in Management, so obviously nothing amazing. What I have going for me is my mind and as far as my resume, some good extracurricular leadership experience. I'm also very good with Excel, including the advanced functions.Now, I realize that I'm nothing compared to a graduate of an Ivy League school so I want to know what I need to do to make up the disparity. Would I be best to try to join a small firm or try to find a job in a relevant industry, ace my entrance exams and go to a top MBA school? Are there any professional certifications that would help?I am willing to devote years to this cause if necessary as I'm sure this is the ideal industry/job for my personality and skill set.

Don't waste your time. Look at other options. You'll find that they're better in the long run.

Come on, he's decided it's his destiny. It is a perfect fit for his skills and interests. Recently he has been consumed by the belief that it is without a doubt where he belongs. It is his calling.

forgive my ignorance of the american system, but is 3.1/4.0 78%?

Stay away from consulting - it is a nightmare. People who cant answer a simple question without asking 10. The quality of professionalism has gone through the floor.

Alright, slow down people. First of all, I just used that heading to get people's attention.I'm not saying it's necessarily my destiny, but I am very sure that my skills match the job and so that is what I'm going to pursue. I haven't been consumed by it but I am willing to devote the necessary time to get to goal whether this means taking a less impressive job to get my foot in the door or getting my MBA or whatever it may be.To the person that mentioned consultants asking ten questions to answer one, that's how I can often be so this doesn't scare me.I'm just looking for a straightforward answer here.Thanks.

Do you really want to be someone who has to ask 10 questions to get a simple answer? Dear oh dear.

So I take it there are no actual consultants on this forum?

Nope, no real consultants here. They're all working. There's only slackers and recruiters on this board.

Guys,let try and give this guy some advice here...he's a graduate and looking to get into consulting, a popular career choice for many graduates.I think that 3.1 GPA aint bad; the cutoff for good consulting companies is usually 3.0, some may have 3.2 though.Nevertheless, you should try and target the larger 'brand name' companies such as ibm, accenture, EY, PWC , etc.. As a graduate, their brand names carry weight and this makes things a lot easier early on. Also, the larger ones also offer the best training and devt...a must for graduates as your learning is still very much a priority comming outta school.With your qualifications, you should be able to score interviews with them. The rest depends on how well you do the interview. Remember to show enthusiasm as this will help differentiate you from the crowd ( and there will be a crowd- there always is).If the larger ones fail, obviously try the smaller outfits. They are usually a bit easier to get into, but the exposure will not be as good as the large companies. However, the impact you can make will be greater in small companies.