ChemistryManagement Consultant
Institution-verified. An institution or employer email domain was confirmed for a step claimed in this pathway.Starting conditions
- Institution
- Community College
- Major
- Chemistry
- GPA band
- 3.0-3.4
- Graduated
- 2018
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Visa constraints
- Non-target school
Limited exposure to the destination field at the start.
The sequence6 steps
- Research1 yr 1 mo
Ran an undergraduate research group
Ran an undergraduate research group. This took 13 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this step - Networking8 mo
Attended consulting information sessions and coffee chats
Obstacle
No existing contacts in the field, and cold outreach mostly went unanswered.
How it was resolved
Stopped sending generic messages and wrote to a much smaller, more specific list.
- Project8 moPivotal
Completed 40 practice cases with a partner
Completed 40 practice cases with a partner. This took 8 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this step - Application6 mo
First recruiting cycle
First recruiting cycle. This took 6 months and was slower than expected.
Start this earlier than feels necessary.
- Internship2 mo
Summer internship at a boutique firm
Summer internship at a boutique firm. This took 2 months and was harder than expected.
Start this earlier than feels necessary.
Evidence for this step - Application6 mo
Second recruiting cycle
Second recruiting cycle. This took 6 months and was harder than expected.
Obstacle
Applied broadly without understanding what the reviewers actually screened on.
How it was resolved
Narrowed the list and applied early in the cycle rather than late.
Outcome
Management consultant offer
Reflection
Would repeat
- Starting the outreach earlier than felt comfortable.
Would skip
- The first application cycle, which I entered underprepared.
Biggest obstacle
Underestimating how long the prerequisite work would take alongside everything else.
What was luck
- One person answered a cold email who did not have to.
Estimated cost: Roughly $23,000 across the whole transition.