I decide not to…..
Posted by itheabsolute on January 15, 2006
I finally decided not to apply to McKinsey. I still have 11 hours before the application deadline closes, but i dont think i will change my mind.
McKinsey is a great organization and a greater brand. If it was years before i would have given all it takes to try and get into the firm. Now it is a different story.
As I had written before, many decisions that we take on campus are driven by what others do (context) rather than what we actually want. An MBA experience /degree should empower us so that “we” decide on what we should/ want to do or not. More important is the compatibility issue. will i fit into the organization culture? is a questions which is very important to ask. But unfortunately we often give in into the high dollar / INR salary numbers and the glamour that the role offers. These become less relevant when we actually start working and get into the details of everyday work.
PS: My decision on BCG as of now – apply.
I, The Absolute 
itheabsolute said
thanks baLu. making clear choices in a competitive context is not easy. one cud get influenced very easily.
hi sam
thanks. it gets quite tempting. but i have now convinced myself that life is much large than these things.
dinesh
Mck and BCG are in the same business, but do not have the same culture. to learn their cultures you need to spend good amount of time on their websites and spend time with these people. not easy to explain. all i can say is, McK may be a great fit for you and not for me. it is quite relative.
anuj
thanks. shortlisting itself is an issue given i dont have good grades. lets see how it works out.
hi alum
i really feel good because if i had applied half-heartedly and got rejected i would have only felt bad about it.
good to know that you also think like that
thanks
cheers
Alum said
Good decision.
Was in a similar situation last year and finally gave in and applied to McKinsey…and of course to no avail. Good luck to you in the placement season
Anuj said
Good luck with BCG 🙂
Dinesh said
Vijay,
McK & BCG pretty much have the same culture, no? Mind elaborating what you find different among the two firms?
Good luck with BCG!!
Anonymous said
Hey Vijay,
All the power to you for making that decision. I can only imagine how tempting it might be…
Cheers!
Sam – Toronto
Applicant (2007 batch)
Anonymous said
thanks for sharing the thought process, vijay. it is of great help…stimulates me to ask many questions to self. it would be really interesting to know what everyone in a b-skool feels about his/her job/career about 5 t 10 years down the lane. im sure it will not feel good later if the career decisions now made are on basis of others’ actions or even on basis of the dollar/INR factor.
–baLu