Sophomore Year Consulting Plan
Overview
We recommend Sophomores get actively involved in consulting, understand their potential opportunities with this career, and build connections with firms. At the same time, building transferrable skills and maintaining a high GPA is the key to gaining a competitive edge in future recruiting opportunities.
Please consider the Sophomore Year Consulting Plan as a sample guide of how you may begin to prepare for a career in consulting as a sophomore. You do not need to complete each of the tasks below.
Explore & Decide
- Schedule a one-on-one appointment with the consulting career counselor, Sara Iannone, to learn more about opportunities in consulting, the recruiting process, and preparation.
- Attend consulting events hosted by Consulting Connect and SIBC to learn more about the industry.
- Attend recruiting events hosted by various consulting firms to learn about firms and build your network.
- Have conversations with upperclassmen pursuing consulting to gain their advice.
- Identify your target firms of interest in preparation for the fall recruiting process. Many firms recruit at Notre Dame, so it can be helpful to begin developing your target list from those that actively recruit at Notre Dame.
- Participate in a (free!) Forage consulting virtual work experience program. These are bite-sized 5-6 hour virtual work experience programs that give students a genuine career advantage with Fortune 500 companies.
Sharpen Consulting-Related Skills
Technical:
- Build professional experiences by getting involved with SIBC Consulting and/or case competitions.
- Learn about case interviews through ND Case Resources and Consulting Connect workshops.
- Develop business knowledge through studying news, consulting reports, and classes.
- Foster a STEM mindset and get comfortable with numbers.
- Run a few cases to get familiarized.
Non-technical:
- Experience different types of teamwork dynamics and accumulate experiences coordinating with others from diverse academic backgrounds.
- Set actionable goals in consulting and practice time management to reach them.
- Try creative problem solving with school projects and initiatives.
- Lead an idea/initiative/project in student organizations.
Prepare for the Recruiting Process (if applicable)*
- Determine opportunities that are open to Sophomores (note: most of the opportunities from consulting firms [excluding the Big 4] are related to diversity programs).
- Connect with peers that are also pursuing consulting from firm events and find case buddies for future practice.
- Update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and Handshake to demonstrate a professional portfolio, with an emphasis on results and impact.
- Network with ND alumni at target firms and ask for advice. When speaking with firms, always come prepared with questions! Click for tips on Building Your Brand and Networking.
- Review the Notre Dame Case Book to learn about firms, networking, and casing.
*Please note: there are only a limited number of consulting internship opportunities for Sophomores.
Refocus After the Recruiting Process
- Reflect on the interview performances, and synthesize your advantages and disadvantages for future improvement.
- Practice casing during summer post-sophomore year to prepare for recruitment in the end of summer / early fall.
- Set goals for the internship and sustain relationships from the internship.