Who can apply?
Anyone currently studying at the University of Oxford can apply. This includes visiting students, part-time students, postgraduate (Masters, DPhil etc.) and undergraduate students from any degree discipline and location. Your location will not impact your application. As we seek a diversity of backgrounds, we would encourage you to apply no matter which degree you are studying or your level of past experience.
What kind of projects do you work on?
OSG works with a wide range of clients, from blue-chip companies and banks to award-winning NGOs and think tanks, located across the world. Projects are mainly focused on strategy development and have in the past involved market entry strategies, conflict analysis and stabilisation strategies and marketing studies.
Once you join OSG, you are always welcome to return and consult on future projects, meaning you can work with a variety of different clients during your time with us. You can find a comprehensive list of our past projects here.
What does the application process look like? What do you look for in candidates?
The application process consists of two parts: a CV screening and an interview. We screen CVs in order to gauge your strengths and abilities as represented by your academic, work and extracurricular experiences. Rest assured, we will be evaluating your CV on its own merits, rather than say unfairly expecting a first year Historian to have the same level of work experience as an MBA student.
You may also submit an optional cover letter. We have made the cover letter optional as we only wish for candidates to write one if they would like to elaborate on skills and experiences not on their CV. We do not disadvantage candidates who do not submit a cover letter, nor will we give any preferential treatment to those who do.
Click here for more information on what we look for in a CV, and here for more information on cover letters.
Interviews for MT23 will take place virtually from mid-September to early-October. The process will include i) a fit interview ii) a case interview and will take about 25-30 minutes. The purpose of the fit interview is to assess how you will fit into the OSG community and your motivations for applying to us. The case interview is designed to assess your ability to structure your thoughts, communicate clearly, think on your feet and provide sound logical and numerical reasoning.
Applicants without prior consulting or work experience have been successful in the past as we look for a range of backgrounds in our members. If you have unsuccessfully applied to us in the past, we highly encourage you to reapply and your past application will not affect your new application in any way.
We believe our application process is a useful experience regardless of outcome and we are happy to provide feedback upon request. At the end of the day, we are all students at university passionate about consulting and our community, looking to find similarly-passionate people to join us!
Other than projects, what else does OSG involve?
Outside of termly projects, we also offer a number of development opportunities and socials. Development opportunities include training sessions hosted internally and externally by our partners including BCG and Kearney, a consultant work pack with case studies, past slide decks and advice on consulting, a case buddy system and a new mentorship scheme for OSG members seeking summer internships / full time positions.
We also organise regular social events. Our past socials have included pub dinners, poker nights, boat socials and alumnae events in London. As we like to say ‘once an OSG-er, always an OSG-er’, which means that OSG members are always invited to stay in touch with the community, regardless of whether they are still at Oxford.