An Undergrad’s Take on Her BCG Internship

Company Mentorship

Matte isn’t just working to put something on her resume. There is a formal mentorship program at BCG, and she says that the office culture also encourages informal mentoring.

“At the beginning of the summer, I was assigned an office sponsor, a more senior person who schedules regular check-ins with me, and an office buddy, who is a more junior person that I can ask for Excel help and basic advice,” Matte says. “There is also a popular ‘Passport Lunch’ program that allows summer interns to go out on lunches with a principal or partner – it’s a wonderful way to network with the office’s senior leadership and to explore the Chicago food scene.”

Matte also reports to two people on her case team: the consultant and the project leader, both of whom have taken it upon themselves to mentor her as well. They have weekly two-way feedback sessions to ensure that she’s having a good experience and making use of the opportunity to develop career-wise.

Career Development

Real-world experience is another thing Matte will take with her when she leaves. “The day-to-day work doesn’t overlap too much with the academics I learned in my econ classes,” she says. “For instance, I’ve never once needed to know how to use an instrumental variable in a regression or know what components make up the GDP.”

While she appreciates having a background in problem-solving calculus and some core economic principles, which help her with various business questions, she says she learned everything else she needed to know during the BCG training week or on the job.

The placement has also helped her figure out how she wants to use her business education. “This internship has definitely compelled me to think seriously about getting an MBA. It’s also gotten me excited about different industries, like healthcare and industrial goods, that I would not have considered otherwise.”

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