Consulting

If you're an aspiring consultant, you may be asking, "do I need to start doing cases this summer?" The answer is probably not, however, you'll want to be familiar with what cases are (our first selection), what consulting firms are like (our second selection), and how to ready yourself to actually be a great consultant (our third selection). 

Case In Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation by Marc P. Cosentino

Thinking about consulting? Case In Point is a great piece to start to familiarize yourself with cases. You'll want to get a head-start now so that you can establish your own approach to cases throughout the fall.

The McKinsey Way by Ethan Rasiel 

Before you start running around to presentations, getting to know the firms, this book offers a great perspective into the way consultants (and in particular, McKinsey consultants) think. It is designed to be a fun read, despite being full of content and a bit dated. Perfect for a beach read :)

Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others by Andrew Sobel

Do you have interviews in the coming months? Are you trying to launch a business? Want to convince a group to take a new direction? Need people to help with something? Power Questions will make you confident in your efforts to tackle any of the above.

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, 8th Edition by McKinsey & Co.

This book (and the workbook) are a great way to get up to speed on valuation AND a great resource that regularly gets referred to at work - consultants use it as a reference book when they don't need to do valuation as often.

Profit from the Core by Chris Zook

There's a whole series which includes some of Bain & Company's best thinking.

Competitive Strategy by Michael E. Porter

This is considered the bible of strategy books from an HBS guru.

HBR's 10 Must-Reads on Strategy by Harvard Business Review

Finance and Investment Banking

Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip and Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers by Jim Rogers

Two of the most fun and engaging books about finance ever written. As a non-finance person, I have read the first book more than once and loved it each time! If you don't have much finance experience, one of the most important things you can do this summer is to get a general background on Wall Street and the ways in which finance has evolved. 

We reached out to a number of people who successfully transitioned into banking (with no prior finance background) and they suggested the following as a way to get up to speed:

Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough

Must-read background on one of the biggest transactions of its era.

Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart

Get the inside scoop on a huge insider trading scandal. It will give you a broader perspective on ethical issues and Wall Street.

Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis

An entertaining read that offers a straightforward and valuable perspective on trading.

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

A valuable account of the most recent economic downturn. Well-written and easy to read, it provides an account of all of the major players and events.

When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management 

by Roger Lowenstein

Another era, another great account of the people and the issues in finance.

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron 

by Bethany McLean 

The Enron debacle defined my first year in business school and was the topic of many accounting, finance, and ethics classes (both that year and in years to come).

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by McKinsey & Co.

This book (and the workbook) are a great way to get up to speed on valuation AND a great resource that regularly gets referred to at work (bankers typically use it for early background, consultants as a reference book when they don't need to do valuation as often.



The Practitioner's Guide to Investment Banking, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance 

by Jerilyn Castillo 

A must-have resource for any banker. Referenced by every banker we spoke to. You don't need to buy it this summer, but know that you'll see it in the future!

Final tip: Go on business school websites, and look up the finance faculty. A lot of their research is usually publicly available for download. Even if you pay $30-$40 for the perfect article that fits your interests, it is an investment that is worth it!

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