By Finneas Tian, MIM2026
Coming from a background in Japanese studies, my initial interest in consulting was clear in direction but limited in depth. I knew I was drawn to strategy and problem‑solving, and I had taken early steps — preparing for applications alongside peers with similar ambitions and trying to map out a potential career path. Yet, consulting still felt distant.
In hindsight, what I lacked was not effort, but clarity. I didn’t fully understand what top candidates looked like, how firms assessed applicants, or even what the recruitment process truly demanded. More importantly, I wasn’t in an environment that created urgency. Without constant exposure to competition or structured guidance, preparing for consulting remained something I did occasionally, rather than a long‑term commitment I actively owned. There was always a subtle gap between me and the reality of recruitment, which is something I could sense but not fully grasp.
This was ultimately what drew me to London Business School. Beyond the official narratives, what convinced me most was the tangible outcomes I observed. Alumni consistently placed at top consulting firms, and peers around me were successfully breaking into highly competitive roles. It became clear to me that LBS offered more than academic training — it provided proximity to opportunities that once felt out of reach and, more importantly, an environment that could make those opportunities tangible.
That sense of distance began to disappear almost immediately after arriving at LBS. From the very beginning, I was surrounded by peers who approached recruitment with remarkable clarity and intensity. Whether they were targeting consulting, investment banking, or other competitive paths, many students started preparing from day one — submitting applications, organising mock interviews, and constantly exchanging insights.
Almost without realising it, I found myself pulled into that rhythm. Through repeated interactions — sharing information, practising cases, and learning from one another — the recruitment process gradually became more transparent. The “gap” I had once felt was no longer there. Instead of something abstract, recruitment became something I could actively engage with, iterate on, and improve — marking the point at which I moved from passive preparation to genuine ownership of my career path.
While I had initially assumed that career support would play a limited role — believing that job searching is ultimately an individual responsibility — I was genuinely surprised by the depth of resources available at LBS. One of the most impactful elements was access to MBA students through mock interviews. These sessions went far beyond simple practice. Many of the MBA students had extensive industry experience or were about to join leading consulting firms, and their feedback was both precise and highly practical.
What stood out in particular was their sharp understanding of current case interview trends. The cases we worked on closely reflected what firms were actually testing — often centred around industries such as healthcare and consumer and retail, which are frequently assessed in real interviews. This level of relevance made the sessions feel less like preparation and more like a direct extension of the recruitment process itself, laying a strong foundation for my later interviews.
To support my progress, many of the MBA interviewers took detailed notes and tracked my performance across multiple sessions. They highlighted recurring patterns in my approach, compared my progress over time, and pinpointed areas that still needed improvement. This level of attention was both unexpected and incredibly motivating.
Building on this feedback, they provided highly tailored suggestions — not only on how to structure and deliver cases more effectively, but also on how different firms operate internally, what they value in candidates, and how to demonstrate strong “chemistry” during interviews. These insights helped me move beyond simply solving cases to thinking more strategically about how to position myself as a candidate.
Beyond preparation, LBS also provided opportunities to experience consulting in practice. As the VP of Impact Consulting in the Out in Business Club, I had the opportunity to lead a non‑profit consulting project in collaboration with BCG. This experience gave me exposure to the full lifecycle of a project — from structuring ambiguous problems and managing team dynamics to influencing client decisions and driving implementation.
What stood out most was how closely this experience mirrored the underlying logic of case interviews, while also pushing me beyond them. It encouraged me to think not just as a candidate, but as a future consultant — someone who can define problems, align stakeholders, and deliver impact.
Taken together, these experiences began to reshape my mindset. I no longer approached recruitment as a candidate trying to perform well, but as a future consultant learning how to think, communicate, and create value.
My preparation began in early September, and by November, I had completed most of the processes for the consulting firms I had initially targeted. However, the outcome was not what I had expected. BCG, one of the firms I was most excited about, rejected me, and Bain — where I felt I had performed strongly — did not progress me to the final round.
What struck me most was the disconnect between my internal perception and external feedback. I believed I had performed well, yet the outcomes suggested otherwise. This mismatch forced me to pause and reflect more deeply on my approach.
Over the following month, I conducted a structured reflection on my preparation. I realised that the issue was not a lack of effort, but a gap in execution. While I had spent significant time on case practice, I had underestimated the importance of behavioural interviews and had not fully refined my personal narrative. More importantly, I began to recognise subtle but critical challenges in communication — how to minimise information loss, how to prioritise the most valuable insights, and how to deliver them at the moments when interviewers are most engaged.
With these insights, I shifted from general preparation to more targeted improvement. I worked closely with peers to revisit previous interviews, sought feedback from mentors through Career Portal Plus, and reached out to experienced professionals to identify recurring blind spots.
During the latter half of the Christmas break, this became a highly deliberate process. I spent time each day refining my behavioural stories, rebuilding my narrative from the ground up, and conducting more focused case practice. Having struggled with a healthcare case in my BCG interview, I also invested time in strengthening my understanding of that sector, ensuring that I was better prepared for similar scenarios.
This more structured and intentional approach led to a turning point. By the end of December, I successfully passed L.E.K.’s back‑to‑back interview, followed by the Principal and Partner rounds in mid‑January, and confirmed my offer shortly after.
More importantly, this experience reshaped how I think about preparation. It was not the volume of practice that made the difference, but the shift towards targeted, feedback‑driven iteration. This change in approach has stayed with me and has become a foundation for how I think about growth more broadly.
I will be joining L.E.K. Consulting’s Shanghai office in September 2026, where I plan to focus on strategy consulting within the healthcare and life sciences sectors, with a long‑term interest in private equity.
The most significant impact LBS has had on me is not just the opportunities it created, but the way it reshaped how I approach them. Before coming to LBS, many of these paths felt distant — something I could aspire to, but not fully grasp. What LBS gave me was the ability to translate those ambitions into concrete, actionable steps. That shift — from seeing something as “unlikely” to understanding how to systematically work towards it — is something I will carry with me well beyond recruitment.
At the same time, being part of such a diverse and open community fundamentally expanded my perspective. Interacting with people from different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking made me realise how many different paths a career — and a life — can take. More importantly, it challenged the limits of my own assumptions. Without LBS, I would likely still view many of these possibilities as abstract or out of reach. Instead, they now feel tangible and within my control.
For those considering a similar journey, my advice would be threefold. First, be intentional — clarity comes not from waiting, but from actively engaging with the process. Second, fully leverage the environment around you, whether that’s your peers, alumni, or the resources available. Finally, don’t limit yourself too early. You may arrive with a certain idea of what you can or cannot achieve, but that perception can change dramatically once you are immersed in the right environment.
At LBS, I learned that the gap between where you are and where you want to be is often smaller — and more actionable — than it first appears.