I hadn't considered going into management consulting until the beginning of my senior year. Prior to that, my interests had been much more focused around graphic design, marketing, and urban development. Throughout college, I had foregone summer internships on Wall Street for those at start ups, working side-by-side with developers, educators, and web designers. However, as I thought about my longer-term career path, I didn't want to limit myself to a specialized field directly out of school. I started looking into consulting because I knew I would be in a challenging environment and would get a broad business "education" that would reflect the interdisciplinary approach I took to my academic career at Yale. I specifically chose Bain because everyone I met throughout the application process was energetic, fun, and the kind of smart people with whom I was excited to work.  Additionally, I had the chance to get to know many people from Bain's Gay and Lesbian Association for Diversity (BGLAD); it felt like a tight-knit and involved network. In fact, before joining the firm, I was even invited to the BGLAD annual summit where I was able to meet members at all levels of the firm-everyone was incredibly welcoming and was excited to have me join the Bain team in the fall.

Within Bain, I continually try to put myself outside of my comfort zone and take on new challenges in order to learn as much during my time here as possible. This has led to an incredible amount of learning-both in solving problems and modeling in Excel as well as communicating my point of view and learning about myself and how I interact with others.

Outside of Bain, I continue to pursue my passion for graphic design, communications, and marketing. I still try to do some graphic design work during my free time over the weekends; in fact, one of my current projects is for the spouse of a Bain partner who is opening a store in New York City and needs help with her marketing materials.

I am currently working for a media conglomerate that owns a number of small and mid-sized newspapers. Our team has been charged with helping make the "old fashioned" paper-and-ink newspapers survive. In order to do so, we are piloting initiatives that will stimulate revenue growth at one specific newspaper in a small city. In order to get closer to the end consumer, we ran interviews and focus groups of newspaper subscribers who spoke about what their paper means to them and ideas to make it better. Listening in behind the two-way mirror, I found the interviews not only a useful way to glean insights for the problem at hand, but also a fascinating insight into human behavior and how people express their preferences through their purchasing behavior. The case has been fascinating for other reasons as well. For one, I was the editor of the weekly paper at Yale so I am interested in the industry. Secondly, we are brainstorming ideas with an incredible team that included some of Bain's most innovative thinkers including Chris Zook, author of many business books including "Profit from the Core" and "Unstoppable." It has been a thought provoking and very rewarding experience.

For nine months I was on a case team for a telecom software manufacturer. I had worked with the case manager and partner on my previous case, which gave me the opportunity to take on a substantial role because I had already earned their trust and confidence. I was given ownership of the financial model that was integral to unlocking the answer to product profitability across the company. During this process, I worked closely with the client's CFO who applauded my work and personally requested that I stay on the team whenever the engagement was at an extension point. It was rewarding to produce this high level work that fundamentally changed how the company thought about their portfolio of products.

During the application process, everyone at Bain made me feel confident to be myself. They seemed genuinely interested in my unique path through college and my interests outside of work. I don't think you can go wrong with this strategy when applying for a position with Bain. Ultimately it's about finding the right fit - for you and the company - and both parties will be underserved if you try to fit into a mold you think Bain is looking for.