The BCG Empower program is an invite-only, three-day workshop for admitted, pre-MBA students from underrepresented backgrounds to provide hands-on consulting experience.

 

BCG Empower is an extraordinary opportunity for incoming MBA students to get a head start on consulting recruiting by getting an introduction to consulting and meeting BCG leaders.

 If you’re thinking about applying to the BCG Empower program and want to know how to give yourself the best chance of getting in, then this article is for you.

 

In this comprehensive article, we’ll cover what is the BCG Empower program, program requirements and deadlines, and application and interview tips.

 

What is the BCG Empower Program?

 

BCG Empower is a three-day workshop consisting of small group sessions, case prep, and social events for incoming students that identify as Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Indigenous. It is part of BCG Unlock, a summer learning program that introduces MBAs to BCG and a career in consulting.

 

Participants in the program can expect to:

 

• Grow their business toolkit and learn the skills needed to succeed as a consultant

 

• Learn more about BCG’s work, culture, and people

 

• Receive case prep training

 

• Receive one-on-one coaching and mentoring from a BCG consultant

 

• Network and form meaningful connections with other participants and BCG colleagues

 

BCG Empower is offered both in-person and virtually and typically takes place in June and July. The in-person program has previously been held in Washington D.C. and Chicago.

 

BCG Empower is different from BCG Unlock in that BCG Unlock is an optional and virtual program open to all incoming MBA students. BCG Empower is an invite-only workshop within BCG Unlock that is targeted towards students from underrepresented backgrounds.

 

If you have any questions about the BCG Empower program, you can email [email protected]. 

You can also check out our comprehensive list of pre-MBA programs.

 

BCG Empower Program Requirements

 

To be eligible for the BCG Empower program, candidates must be enrolled in an eligible two-year MBA program and entering their first year in the upcoming fall. First-year, second-year, and Executive MBAs are not eligible.
 
 The MBA programs that are eligible for BCG Empower are:

 

• Anderson School of Management (UCLA)
• Booth School of Business (University of Chicago)
• Carlson School of Management (University of Minnesota)
• Columbia Business School
• Darden School of Business (University of Virginia)
• ESADE (Ramon Llull University)
• Foster School of Business (University of Washington)
• Fuqua School of Business (Duke)
• Goizueta Business School (Emory University)
• Haas School of Business (Berkeley)
• Harvard Business School
• HEC Paris
• Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
• Howard University School of Business
• IE Business School
• IESE Business School (University of Navarra)
• INSEAD
• Johnson School of Management (Cornell University)
• Jones Graduate School of Business (Rice University)
• Kelley Business School (Indiana University
• Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)
• Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC)
• London Business School
• Marshall School of Business (University of Southern California)
• McCombs School of Business (University of Texas at Austin)
• McDonough School of Business (Georgetown University
• Mendoza College of Business (Notre Dame
• Olin Business School (Washington University in St. Louis)
• Owen Graduate School of Management (Vanderbilt)
• Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)
• Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto)
• Saïd Business School (University of Oxford)
• SDA Bocconi School of Management
• Sloan School of Management (MIT)
• Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Stern School of Business (NYU)
• Tepper School of Business (Carnegie Mellon University)
• The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)
• Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth)
• University of Cambridge Judge Business School
• Yale School of Management

 

Additionally, candidates should identify as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American/Alaska Native/Indigenous.

 

Candidates can participate in both the BCG Unlock and BCG Empower programs.

 

BCG Empower Program Deadline

 

The deadline to apply for the BCG Empower program is typically April 28. However, you should always check the BCG Empower website to see the official deadlines for the upcoming year.

 

Participants selected for the program will be notified in late May.

 

BCG Empower is a highly competitive program and space is extremely limited. The outcome of your BCG Empower application does not have any impact on your candidacy for any other BCG programs and roles.

Make sure to check out our comprehensive list of all BCG application deadlines for internships, full-time roles, and other programs.

 

BCG Empower Program Application

 

There is no separate application for the BCG Empower program as it is part of the BCG Unlock program. To be considered for BCG Empower, you will need to submit an application to BCG Unlock and indicate your eligibility for BCG Empower in the application.

 

The BCG Unlock application requires a resume, test scores, and office preferences.

 

Resume

 

The resume that you submit for the BCG Unlock and BCG Empower programs is the most important component of the application process. It’s important that you spend sufficient time crafting your consulting resume so that it best highlights your qualities and accomplishments.

 

Test scores

 

The BCG Unlock and Empower application requires you to submit your test scores for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, or GRE, depending on which exam you have taken. You will not need to submit an official score report. You will only need to input the numerical scores and the sub-score breakdowns.

 

If you did not need to take any tests for your MBA program, you should select “GMAT overall” from the test scores dropdown and write in “Test scores waived.”

 

Office preferences

 

The application will ask you to include your top three office preferences. You should select cities where you would like to live after completing your MBA. However, know that your preferences are not binding and may be changed later on.

 

You’ll also be asked to give a weight to each of your office preferences such that the sum of all weights equals 100 percentage points. For example, you could give your office preferences as New York 60%, San Francisco 20%, and Los Angeles 20%.

 

BCG Empower Program Interview

 

After submitting the application, select applicants will receive an email to complete a one-way video chat. There is no in-person interview for the BCG Empower program.

 

The one-way video interview helps add a more personal touch to your BCG Empower application. During this interview, BCG will display a few questions on the screen and you will answer these questions one at a time via video.

 

The one-way video is conducted through the Spark Hire video platform.

 

The one-way video interview consists of two questions and you will have unlimited time and unlimited retakes to record your answer on video. The questions you could get asked are behavioral questions and motivational questions.

 

Behavioral questions

 

Consulting behavioral questions ask you to draw upon a time or experience in the past in which you demonstrated a particular quality or trait. For example, you may be asked common consulting behavioral interview questions such as:

 

• Tell me about a time when you led a team

 

• Give an example of a time when you went above and beyond

 

• Tell me about a time when you failed

 

• Describe a problem that you solved using data

 

• Tell me about a time when you resolved conflict while working on a team

 

These questions give BCG a glimpse into who you are as a person. Your answers will show what qualities you demonstrate and what values you hold important to you.

 

Motivational questions

 

BCG asks motivational questions to assess your interest in consulting and to see if you are actually interested in working at the firm.

 

The BCG Empower program has an extremely limited number of spots. Therefore, BCG wants to ensure that the applicants that they accept will have a high likelihood of wanting to work at BCG full-time as a consultant after finishing their programs.

 

There are two common motivational questions that you should prepare for:

 

• Why are you interested in consulting?

 

• Why do you want to work at BCG?

 

Tips for Getting into the BCG Empower Program

 

To give yourself the best chance of getting into the BCG Empower program: perfect your consulting resume, practice recording your one-way video interview, prepare answers to behavioral questions, and prepare your answers to “why BCG” and “why consulting?”

 

1. Perfect your consulting resume

 

Your resume is the single most important component that will determine whether or not you are selected for the BCG Empower program.

 

Therefore, you’ll want to dedicate at least a few days perfecting your resume while also getting feedback from peers, your school’s career center, or even consultants that you know.

 

Make sure to follow the tips below to perfect your consulting resume.

 

• Keep your resume to one page only. If it is longer, you’ll need to make your resume more concise and less wordy

 

• Every bullet on your resume should start with a verb in the past tense to show that you have completed or achieved something

 

• Every bullet should have some kind of number or metric in them so that you can quantify your accomplishments and make them sound more impressive

 

• Your resume’s bullets should show a mix of quantitative skill accomplishments (e.g., analyzing data) and qualitative skill accomplishments (e.g., managing or working with others)

 

• Avoid using technical jargon, unfamiliar abbreviations or acronyms, and buzzwords with unclear meanings

 

• Your resume should prioritize showcasing your work experiences, particularly if you have worked at a brand name company

 

• Include personal interests at the end of the resume to give resume reviewers something interesting to read about

 

If you need professional help crafting the perfect resume that will land you consulting interviews, check out our resume review and editing service.

 

2. Practice recording your one-way video interview

 

BCG uses Spark Hire to collect answers to their one-way video interview. Recording yourself and talking to a camera is not a natural thing that most people are comfortable with.

 

Therefore, you can significantly improve the way you communicate your answer by practicing recording yourself and talking to a camera ahead of time.

 

You should watch recordings of yourself to see if there are any opportunities for improvement.

 

Can you make better eye contact with the camera? Are you using appropriate hand gestures? Do you appear calm, confident, enthusiastic, and genuine?

 

You will be surprised at how you appear on camera unless you take the time to practice recording yourself speaking to a camera.

 

3. Prepare answers to behavioral interview questions

 

For the BCG Empower one-way video interview, expect to be asked at least one behavioral interview question.

 

To answer behavioral questions well, follow these guidelines:

 

• Prepare 6-8 different stories in advance that draw upon your professional and personal work experiences. This ensures that you have prepared answers and stories that you can draw upon no matter what behavioral question is asked

 

• Only select and share experiences that are the most impressive, impactful, or unique. You want to showcase the highlights of your experiences, not just any experience that is relevant

 

• Make sure that you the stories you prepare are collectively diverse. You’ll want to have at least one story that is relevant to leadership, teamwork, problem solving, resilience, integrity, decision making, communication, and interpersonal skills

 

• Structure your answer to help keep your answer clear and easy to follow. Most candidates use the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result

 

• When giving your answer, cover the Situation and Task sections quickly and spend most of your time focusing on the Action and Result

 

If you want to learn how to answer 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours, check out our behavioral interview course.

 

4. Prepare your answers to “Why BCG?” and “Why Consulting?”

 

In addition to behavioral interview questions, you should expect to be asked “why BCG?” at some point during your BCG Empower one-way video interview. There are a variety of different reasons you could give for why you’re interested in BCG:

 

• BCG works with an impressive roster of prestigious clients, working on solving their most important and difficult problems

 

• BCG has ambitious, intelligent people that fosters a dynamic environment where ideas are constantly challenged and elevated

 

• BCG has a strong commitment to professional development, including professional development chats, mentorship programs, and peer-to-peer teaching

 

• BCG has a culture of innovation, known for pursuing fresh ideas, novel solutions, and groundbreaking strategies

 

• BCG’s regional staffing model strikes a balance between local presence and global opportunities, offering employees the best of both worlds

 

You should also expect to be asked “why consulting?” There are a variety of different reasons you could give for why you’re interested in consulting:

 

• You want to make a significant impact by working on the biggest, most challenging business problems that companies face

 

• You enjoy the diversity of solving business problems across multiple different industries and functions

 

• You see consulting as the quickest way to build a strong toolkit of both hard skills and soft skills that are needed to be successful in business

 

• You want to get an insider view on how companies are run and operated

 

• You want to develop knowledge and expertise in a particular industry or function

 

• You value the significant mentorship and professional development that consulting provides

 

• You find fulfillment in working with and servicing clients, helping deliver significant value to them

 

Resources to Get into the BCG Empower Program

 

To give yourself the best chance of getting into the highly competitive BCG Empower program, look into the resources listed below. 

 

Getting professional help can significantly increase your chances of getting into the program and giving yourself a head start on your consulting career.

 

For help landing consulting interviews

 

• Resume Review & Editing: Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

 

For help passing case interviews

 

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.

 

• Case Interview Coaching: Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.

 

• Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.

 

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

 

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

 

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course: Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.