I am undergrad interested in pursuing a career in management consulting and have received offers from both Accenture and Deloitte.At Accenture, I will be joining the SI&T group. At Deloitte, I will be a Business Analyst.Where should I go if I want to gain a general perspective of consulting and pursue a top MBA in a few years?Many Thanks.

Just to clarify, it is the Systems Integration group at Accenture, and Strategy & Operations group at Deloitte.Thanks.

Just to clarify, it is the Systems Integration group at Accenture, and Strategy & Operations group at Deloitte.Thanks.

the comparable group at Accenture is the Management Consulting and Integrated Markets group. Your offer is from the systems integration and technology group, which does great tech work but is not as strategy-oriented as the MC group or the group at Deloitte. Choose based on your interests, your interview impressions, the firm name (ACN has a better brand), and your future goals.

I disagree about Accenture having a 'better' brand.My experience is marketing and now consulting - but no I dont work for Deloitte or Accenture.

Deloitte. Much more rounded consultancy offering, a lot of Deloitte's work involves individuals across their consulting capabilities so I think you get a better picture of the world and a wider experience. The two year training programme is pretty good, the first eight weeks particularly are second to none! They have a pretty good CSR reputation, and are known for supporting their new starters very well.

Thanks for all the advice! I have a follow up question. What matters to me most is the learning experience in the next 3-4 years, the opportunity to gain a top MBA, and the ability to maintain the most flexibility in my career options afterwards.Would either company position me well in the future?

What are your specific interests? Do you want to learn more about particular industries? Business capabilities? Do you like technology? On one hand, Accenture would offer you the opportunity (assuming you get some great roles) to work with top companies, and Accenture is growing their management consulting (business consulting) practice, increasing its exclusivity. So this could be an exciting proposition for you, as you would be in the right place at the right time.On the other hand, Deloitte, while it has an "accounting firm" image by many, offers you immediate learning in a more strategic area. This could be conducive to your future interests. I would recommend that you think long-term. Where are these companies headed in the future? What kind of things excite you, in terms of learning? Do you think that Accenture's size and networking abilities would benefit you in the future (even at core analyst school in Chicago, you meet driven people from all over the world).I need more information.

Take the Deloitte offer. It'll be in a different class to ACN SI&T, and will certainly be the better one to choose if you plan on taking an MBA in a few years: the work you'll be doing will be considerably more attractive to admissions staff. A more like-with-like comparison would be Deloitte S&OP vs ACN Strategy group. And if the worst comes to the worst, you can always take a step-down (for that's what such a move would constitute) to SI&T work. You might struggle to win another S&OP role. Let us know what you decide.