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One of the best ways to prepare for the workforce is to get involved in student organizations at Harvard. As mentioned on our Succeeding as a Consultant page, successful consultants are creative, take initiative and have strong communication and problem solving skills. The following is a list of Harvard student organizations that can help you to cultivate these valuable management consulting skills!


Harvard College Economics Review

The Harvard College Economics Review is an annual periodical addressing issues of national and global importance through economic analyses accessible to professionals and common readers alike. We feature articles and interviews with some of the world's most prominent economists in academia, business, and government, as well as a regular blog from our Harvard staff.


Harvard College Ventures

Harvard Ventures is the largest undergraduate venture capital and entrepreneurship organization at Harvard that supports students by offering educational finance workshops, networking events with founders and investors, and startup internship opportunities.


Harvard Undergraduate BGLTQ Business Society (HUBBS)

HUBBS is dedicated to opening pathways for BGLTQ students interested in finance, consulting, technology, and other business sectors to pursue their career goals, and HUBBS is open to any Harvard College member of the BGLTQ and allied community at Harvard interested in business. Given that BGLTQ students are underrepresented in the business sector, our goal is to connect, advise, and support these students who are considering careers in business.


Harvard Undergraduate Consulting on Business and the Environment

Harvard Undergraduate CBE is a strategy consulting group that works with Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups in the technology, life sciences, and sustainability sectors to solve pressing business problems and develop research-driven strategy recommendations for clients. Since 2008, the group has provided clients with industry-focused solutions including market/industry analysis, product design, customer segmentation, and financial modeling. The group also retains a strong focus on sustainability, working with multiple projects each year geared towards renewable energy, clean water, and clean technology-based companies and programs. Other CBE initiatives include our annual CBE Ventures competition, Black Solidarity Grant, and Sustainability Grant. To learn more about CBE and our flagship sustainability and service initiatives, visit our website: www.harvardcbe.com.


Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association

The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA) serves as a forum for undergraduate students interested in economics. Its activities include dinners with professors, graduate school panels, peer advising, and community outreach.


Harvard Undergraduate Global Research and Consulting Chapter

GRC Group is a global student-run strategic consulting and research think tank with a strong international network of 500+ ambitious, talented, and entrepreneurial students who seek to have a meaningful impact on the world. With nearly 20 chapters at the top academic institutions, including Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, and LSE, GRC collaborates with global nonprofits, social impact start-ups, and CSR-oriented organizations, such as the United Nations, Wikipedia, and World Wildlife Fund, to develop well-informed, impactful insights and solutions via pro bono consulting and research projects. To further empower our members to drive social change and become responsible future leaders, we offer professional development workshops that equip members with hard skills required for a career in consulting, career panels across relevant sectors (management consulting, impact investing, nonprofits, etc.), and work with organizations to amplify impact tenfold by integrating technology into their operations.


Harvard Undergraduate Latinxs in Finance & Technology

Harvard Undergraduate Latinxs in Finance & Technology (LiFT) is a student-run organization at Harvard College that provides professional resources and support for Latinx students pursuing careers in traditionally underrepresented industries such as business, technology, law, media, and more.


Harvard Undergraduate Law Review

The Harvard Undergraduate Law Review is dedicated to providing Harvard College undergraduates with an opportunity to learn about the field of law and the career options it provides, as well as connecting with fellow peers over professional and social events. The organization seeks to promote greater awareness and understanding of these opportunities within the field of law by appropriate means such as publications, meetings, seminars, and other educational events. By working with other law-related student organizations on campus, we hope to establish a support infrastructure for all members, from committed pre-law students to even those with a minor interest in law.


Harvard Undergraduate Real Estate Investment Group

We are committed to educating members about Real Estate Investments.


Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business

Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business (HUWIB) seeks to empower a dynamic group of enterprising young women, uniting them through business education and experience. HUWIB offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate women at Harvard to expand and sharpen their knowledge of business opportunities, giving them the skills they will need to become future leaders in the corporate world. HUWIB's membership has been steadily expanding since its inception approximately twenty years ago. Serving the entire female Harvard undergraduate population, HUWIB is overseen by an Executive Board and nine committees. Through panels, conferences, outreach initiatives, skill-building workshops, leadership projects, mentorship programs, and social events, HUWIB seeks to expose undergraduate women to a variety of business careers. HUWIB's unique blend of professionalism, pragmatism, and entrepreneurial spirit allows us to develop programs that are both effective and diverse. Over the years, HUWIB has cultivated close relationships with many companies in different sectors of the business world, including investment banking, consulting, financial services, software technology, entrepreneurship, marketing, and more. HUWIB also works closely with Harvard Business School and other female-oriented business organizations. Membership in HUWIB requires completion of the 10-week WIBternship in which prospective members attend skill-building business panels and work with others on mini-projects. Once part of the HUWIB network, associates are encouraged to apply for committee positions where they help coordinate and execute the planning for the fastest-growing and largest women's organization on campus. Associates enjoy the opportunity to gain a variety of management and organizational skill sets, from finance and development to marketing, design, and production.


The Harvard Crimson Business Board

The Harvard Crimson is an entirely student-run, financially independent publication. The business division raises revenue to support the $600,000 annual operating budget amid a radically transforming media landscape. Our team of highly innovative and dedicated associates operates and grows the million-dollar business that is The Harvard Crimson.


Updated: Jan 29, 2021


Looking for more information about management consulting? Whether you'd like to learn about more recruiters or practice casing, we've got you covered!


Get more acquainted with management consulting with these resources:


Find more information about top recruiters in the industry and their opportunities for students here:


Case interviews seem daunting, especially because they are so open ended. However, with practice, you will become more comfortable with the format. The number one recommendation that consultants have for acing case interviews is to practice, practice, practice! Many students have used case prep books like Case in Point, Case Interview Secrets, and other casebooks from consulting clubs. Here are a some free online resources that can also help with casing:

While you can read through cases on your own, live casing with friends is perhaps the most valuable thing you can do to prepare for the case interview.


 

These are some of the ways Harvard students studied and prepared for their interviews:


Practice live cases.

“Practice running live cases with friends and mentors!! I spent my junior summer haphazardly flipping through classic consulting prep books like Case in Point and Case Interview Secrets, but those hours would've been better spent simply diving into live case practices because nothing really stuck in my head until I started live casing when senior year began. Those first couple cases are going to feel extremely uncomfortable and difficult, and you'll probably spend an hour without getting to a solution. However, it's so important to actually practice going through it live and fine tuning your performance each time.”

- Associate Consultant at Bain, Harvard Class of 2019


Reflect on previous performances and take note of mistakes.

“After every case, ask for feedback from your partner. Then on your own time, read through the case and take notes on where you made mistakes and what you could've done differently. You could also record your live case to review how your body language and facial expressions add to, or detract from, your performance. The next time you case, try to implement just one or two points of feedback, and build on this every time you case. There isn't a magic number of live cases to guarantee passing the interview, but try to practice enough so that you stop internally freaking out when you hear the case question, and when you've mastered the general structure of solving a case.”

- Associate Consultant at Bain, Harvard Class of 2019


What is the Case Interview?

Management Consulting companies utilize the case interview to test applicants on their problem solving abilities. Generally speaking, the interviewer presents you with a hypothetical business problem, and you need to be able to present a solution in a structured manner within 30 minutes to an hour.


Example prompts include: whether or not someone should open an ice cream business in Chicago, how a pharmaceutical company should price a new drug, if a company should acquire another company, and so on. There often is no right answer to the business problem; thus, the interviewer cares more about how you think and reason rather than the actual conclusion you came up with. The case interview is a small simulation of the work that consultants do over months.


 

Case Interview Formats


Interviewee-Led

This is the most common type of case interview. After the interviewer provides the initial business problem, it is up to the interviewee to ask questions and drive the case. Bain, BCG, Deloitte, and other firms employ this method.


Interviewer-Led

The interviewer leads the prospective job candidate through predetermined scenarios and questions. McKinsey is known for utilizing the interviewer-led format.


Group Cases

This is not a common of interview format. Candidates are put in a room together and tasked to solve a problem together. This type of interview tests teamwork skills and what kinds of roles people take on in a group setting.



 

Case Interview Frameworks

When approaching the problem presented in a case interview, you should tackle it in a structured way. Being able to create a framework will help you take an open-ended problem and break it up into smaller parts that are more manageable.


Existing common frameworks include: Profitability (Profit = Revenue - Costs), the 4Ps, the 3Cs, and Porter’s Five Forces. You may use these frameworks as a starting point, but you should not try to memorize all frameworks and use them in interviews. Interviewers will deduct points when they recognize that you are just repeating given frameworks, as they are trying to test how you think, not how much you have memorized. Case interview books provide different strategies for constructing your own frameworks.


Common case scenarios include:

  • Market Entry

  • Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Developing a New Product

  • Pricing Strategies

  • Growth Strategies

  • Launching a New Business

  • Competitive Response

  • Increasing Profit

  • Reducing Costs

  • Increasing Sales

  • Industry Analysis

  • Business Turnaround

When practicing cases, it is helpful to recognize what type of problem the prompt is addressing. As you become more familiar with each type of scenario, you will gain confidence in your strategy of problem-solving.


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