When we arrived at Oliver Wyman, we were given a tour of the office, during which we saw spaces for collaborative work, an exhibit of photographs from consultants’ travels and a popular café area with ping-pong and foosball tables that were popular during the midday hours. I enjoyed the opportunity to physically visit the office, as I was able to attain a new perspective that would not have been possible from on-campus presentations alone.

Over the course of the day, we had the opportunity to hear from many Princeton alums. First, our primary host contact, Kirk Saari ’99, explained to us what consulting really is and what factors might make this career path a good fit for us. It was clear that this first section was designed to help us to fully understand all aspects of the industry, including those that may not be ideal, and to help us to ascertain whether or not we would enjoy and thrive as consultants. I appreciated his honesty about both the positive and negative aspects of the job and his recognition that it may not be the right career path for everybody. It really reflected that he was taking time out of his day specifically to help us students become more informed in making career decisions regarding consulting. With the basics established, we moved on to discussing how to get a job in the industry and talked about the recruiting and interview process. After they explained the purpose and use of case studies, we split into teams and worked on a sample case study.

Subsequently, several consultants came in to talk to us about the projects that they had worked on during their years at Oliver Wyman. Hearing these specific examples helped to make the abstract idea of consulting much more concrete.  Many of the consultants who came to speak with us were recent Princeton graduates. I appreciated that, as it was very easy to see myself working on projects like those they described in just a few years. Finally, we had a networking lunch with several consultants. Everyone was very nice and honest in answering all of our questions. I especially enjoyed that many of them were Princeton alumni, as we were able to talk about majors, classes and their paths to consulting in a very relevant manner.

Overall, my experience at Oliver Wyman was quite positive. The day really clarified for me what I would actually do daily as a consultant and how the recruiting process works. While I know that much of this information is available online or in on-campus presentations, actually speaking with employees in the office gave me a fuller understanding of Oliver Wyman. This experience will definitely help me as I move forward with career exploration.

Thank you so much, Kirk Saari and all the other consultants and employees who took time out of their day to speak with us! I appreciate how welcoming and honest you all were, and every one of you really contributed to this positive experience.