Pros
Overall, you are surrounded by driven and intelligent people at OW. The firm has some of the best workplace flexibility programs of any of the top tier firms (Non-profit fellowships, Paid leave of absences). Culture of the firm differs greatly by office, with that said Boston and NY offices are very entrepreneurial and seem to keep the “fun” atmosphere that the firm sells to your during recruiting. Not as hierarchal as other top firms (no formal 2 year analyst program, no requirement for an MBA to reach associate). If you want to move up fast without the required time frames or degrees then a great fit for you. Name recognition is good in the financial services domain, but many times you have to refer to Mercer Management Consulting to get recognition in the management consulting arena. Many career opportunities once you leave including a newly launched alumni networking website that shows job postings from well placed alums.
Cons
Like all other consulting firms, the hours are extremely long and you often will put in 80 hour weeks as an analyst. Training can be improved, but the firm seems to be working on that post merger with OW. Speaking only for GMC, opportunities are very limited if you are based out of any offices other than Boston or NY (you can maybe include SF in this also). If you are in a different office (namely Dallas) you will be pushed into the industry that the partners there sell work in (Aviation for Dallas). The office culture in Dallas is also extremely backward and “good ole” boy. Often Dallas based consultants work harder and less privy to the consulting perks as consultants in other offices. Finally, partners and associate partners outside of Boston / NY often get away with treating junior staff horribly and thus can cause unsafe working conditions (forcing an analyst to drive 1.5 hrs to his/her home to save hotel costs, not allowing the team to eat dinner until 11 pm, etc.)
