I started reading “The Consulting Roadmap” from managementconsulted.com. I always knew I’m sort of behind in terms of preparation. But after doing their “education fit score”, it seems like I should quit.

The table looks like this

EDUCATION  Score 
Pedigree (Target School?)  Scoring:  5 = yes 3 = maybe or non-core (refer to M/B/B Target School table) 1 = no The book says it's a target school if the company comes to recruit. I know McKinsey hosts info/recruiting sessions in Fall. Oliver Wyman hires directly on Jobmine, though may be not always consulting jobs. BCG has some connection, but not sure if they hire. No clue about Bain. So probably a 3 here.
Relevant Degree(s)?  Scoring:  5 = highly relevant 3 = somewhat relevant 1 = not at all relevant I'd like to think my degree is relevant. Does have a lot of finance. Computer Science teaches analytical and problem solving skills. Applied mathematics is always good. So I'd say a 5 here.
Performance (Top GPA?)  Scoring:  5 = GPA is 3.7+ 3 = GPA is 3.5-3.69 1 = GPA is 3.0-3.5 ...let's just skip this... Or maybe I should stay here a bit. I lie to myself so I'd feel better, but grades are important. One of the few things I have full control over. Let's work on it. 1
Performance (Honors)?  Scoring:  5 = substantial national or school-wide award 3 = department or degree honors 1 = Dean’s list Not really sure what to put here. I'm sure with a higher GPA, I'd get on department donors. In terms of scholarships and awards, I could do some research and work on it. 1
Leadership?  Scoring:  5 = founder/president/director of 1+ groups 3 = officer (not director) of 1+ groups 1 = involved in activity but with no real responsibility Again, not sure here. I did help find Co-op Connection, though I did a pretty shit job. I need to get more involved. It's great that I did Co-op Connection and Referee, I need to strive to hold some positions with more responsibilities. ~3
TOTAL SCORE:  Top Score = 25  Mid Score = 18  Low Score = 15 and below  3 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 13 The book suggest I quit right here and now. Or the journey forward is going to be a long and difficult one. Let's see how well I do.

After completing this table, I’m not really sure how to proceed. I’m in the category of “Not likely (you’ve got a decision to make – make a serious effort to plan next steps, or bow out now)”

I’m gonna keep reading and find out whether it’s time to throw in the towel, or make a life changing effort. I like the sound of the later better (:

One interesting quote from the book so far “One thing is for sure - you can count on all them requiring investment of your time and reaching outside your comfort zone!” them refers to ways to improve my lacking areas. The fact that I’m viewing it as an investment hopefully will help me forge ahead. It’s like that one Freakonomics podcast, post-secondary education is probably the best investment anyone can make. The ROI in terms of the risk is incredible. So let’s maximize that ROI.

To Do:

  • GPA - up up up!
  • Take more relevant courses, econ, finance, business. Challenging courses, though get high GPA.
  • Research Scholarship/Awards/Competitions
  • Join business oriented clubs and become executive member