Chicago Associates and Consultants

I approached my BCG internship with a healthy amount of skepticism. I'm passionate about education and I wasn't sure if BCG was the right step for someone with a long-term career goal of having an impact on public education.

My internship both surprised and excited me. In ten short weeks, I developed a tremendous amount. My PowerPoint skills were much sharper, true, but I had also become more poised, more decisive, and more capable of thinking through complex situations.

My full-time experience has been no different. BCG is a unique place. I've developed so much and made many great friends here. Friday happy hours with my class have been a mainstay since our first week on the job, and I'm truly amazed at the breadth of conversations I have with my case teams.

I was not seriously considering a career in consulting when I stopped by a BCG recruiting event. But after talking to many BCGers about their experiences, I decided consulting would be the perfect path for me. BCG offered a diversity of opportunities and the chance to work with bright and energetic people.

I am extremely happy and proud to be part of the BCG family now. I’ve engaged in fascinating work in different industries, with different teams from different offices. I have been given tremendous responsibility. Overcoming challenges with a team of talented and dedicated people has helped me build confidence in my abilities.

In a year, I have learned and grown more than I could have ever imagined.

As a theater major, I knew I wanted a stable job that would develop both my quantitative and qualitative thinking, but I didn't want to give up certain elements of working in the theater.

Consulting with BCG in Chicago offered the teamwork, creativity, and face-to-face working style that I'd valued as an actor, alongside the intellectually rigorous problem solving that attracted me to business.

At BCG, I've continually been challenged and rewarded. Our expertise may be business rather than Shakespeare, but BCGers' passion and talent certainly rival those of "theater people." And I've even gotten a chance to do the kind of public speaking that I'd loved onstage—only this time I'm making presentations to clients and delivering real benefits to their businesses!

After working as an engineer directly out of college, I wanted to change direction and build my business acumen. I decided there was no better place than BCG. The unbelievably talented yet down-to-earth and fun group of people really set BCG apart.

On my first case, I felt overwhelmed. But my team was confident in my abilities, and with their support, I was able to tackle the problem and deliver results for the client. The constant challenges at BCG have helped me grow in so many ways. I never imagined how much I could learn in such a short period of time.

I chose to join BCG because of its reputation as a firm that is performance-driven but also places great value on people development. In my short time here, BCG has lived up to its reputation.

As a summer intern, I saw my work help convince our client that their prices were too high. That fall, I saw our impact reflected in the client's commercials promoting their decreased prices. Today, I am constantly pushed to achieve better results, and the training and mentorship, both formal and informal, have provided a strong foundation upon which I can build.

Being an associate at BCG is great because the experience you gain opens so many doors, whether within or outside BCG. I feel that the set of opportunities that becomes available to you is truly unique.