From Capstone
to Consulting
From Capstone to Consulting
By Edwin Stanton
Joe Clark had just been accepted into Management Consulting Academy. As a sophomore, he was still finding his footing at Culverhouse when he got a call from Quoc Hoang, advisor of MCA, inviting him to join an exploration trip to Chicago focused on consulting.
“That was my first real opportunity to travel and represent Alabama. I gained a lot of appreciation for who he was and how much he believed in me,” Clark, now an associate with Boston Consulting Group in Dallas, said of Hoang.
Clark is on a long list of MCA students who have benefited from Hoang’s mentorship. They leave Alabama with skills in critical thinking, presenting business cases and public speaking. These tools make them better prepared to land consulting jobs. It’s one of the reasons the Exemplo Capstone Awards recently honored Hoang as Advisor of the Year and MCA as Outstanding Professional/Law Organization. These are the highest honors bestowed upon student organizations and individuals regarding campus leadership and service.
“I get that we honor each other with worthless pieces of plastic that are also priceless,” Hoang said. “That piece of plastic captures all the amazing things that I and others have done. It captures why I do what I do. It captures those people in my life that made a difference for me. It captures the work we do with MCA and Undergraduate Case Team. It captures alumni contributions of time and money.”
For MCA’s Atlanta trip in 2024, Culverhouse Board of Visitors member Andy Lindsey (front row, second on left) hosted the group.
For MCA’s Atlanta trip in 2024, Culverhouse Board of Visitors member Andy Lindsey (front row, second on left) hosted the group.
Why MCA is important
Management Consulting Academy was born out of necessity. There wasn’t an established organization for Culverhouse students wanting to enter the strategy consulting field. A group of students started MCA in 2015 but realized quickly they needed someone with experience to help open doors. Fortunately for them, Hoang had started work at Culverhouse around the same time.
“We approached Quoc as he got to campus that year and had previously worked in management consulting (10 years with Deloitte Consulting) in an earlier stage of his career,” said Ryan Pellegrino, an exec member of MCA, who was a manager at Oliver Wyman, and is now with The Eagle Group Financial Advisors. “He jumped in with full enthusiasm and was super supportive and helpful from day one, answering every question we had as students, making every connection that he could, and being there for literally anything that we needed.”
The first step in getting MCA on the right path was to get organized. Hoang said there are three pillars for MCA: Understanding what strategy consulting is, figuring out how consulting recruitment works, and building professional networks.
Regarding the first pillar, Hoang describes strategy consultants as professionals who help businesses determine what they want to achieve (strategy), how they will achieve it (operations) and who will make it happen (people).
The second pillar, figuring out how strategy consulting recruitment works, is difficult because Alabama is not a “core recruiting school” for major strategy firms. At schools with established recruiting relationships, strategy consulting firms visit campus regularly and offer students clear pathways into jobs. Alabama students often do not have those same opportunities, so MCA teaches students how to prepare for interviews, to stand out as applicants, and to navigate a less structured recruiting process.
Quoc Hoang with Alabama alum Rosemary Hartline-Neal at McKinsey in Atlanta
Quoc Hoang with Alabama alum Rosemary Hartline-Neal at McKinsey in Atlanta
MCA first traveled to Dallas in 2018. Ryan Pellegrino (far right) and Lauren Donaldson (front row, center, red shirt) were part of the initial trip.
MCA first traveled to Dallas in 2018. Ryan Pellegrino (far right) and Lauren Donaldson (front row, center, red shirt) were part of the initial trip.
Riley Edwards, Quoc Hoang, and Ryan Pellegrin in Washington D.C.
Riley Edwards, Quoc Hoang, and Ryan Pellegrin in Washington D.C.
Case interviews are a big part of the process. Students are put on the spot to solve business problems. For example, a student might be asked, “A company is making less money than before. Why might that be happening, and what should they do about it?” The interviewer isn't looking for a perfect answer. They want to see how the student thinks through the problem.
“MCA provides a place where a group of students could get together and practice, critique, and provide feedback and make sure you were really honing your craft before actually jumping into real interviews,” Pellegrino said. “The point of the job is to think critically, diagnose problems, and understand what the right solution set might be. MCA, in preparing you to succeed in those interviews, helps you think in a way that can allow you to succeed from day one in that job.”
MCA’s third pillar is helping students build professional networks. They make strong connections with alumni and professionals in the industry, many of whom have made inroads into leadership roles at major strategy firms. MCA introduces students to graduates and consultants who offer advice, mentorship, and opportunities.
“A big feature of the group was a networking trip (to Atlanta) in the spring,” said Caroline Rotkis, a 2023 graduate who works as a consultant with Accenture. “I have a lot of memories of reaching out to professional contacts who were part of MCA or maybe just a friend of the group. Everybody was so excited to have our small group in their office and engage with students in a way that I think was not happening at the time.”
MCA members pose for a photo during their Atlanta trip in 2023.
MCA members pose for a photo during their Atlanta trip in 2023.
Head and heart
In a field where Ivy League schools are considered the top feeder institutions for consulting jobs, MCA students must work harder to stand out. Once hired, MCA students consistently flourish and succeed in the consulting world. Hoang said it’s because they have a chip on their shoulder and want to show the world what they can accomplish.
“Alabama students have a unique combination of head and heart,” Hoang said. “They’re smart and curious enough, they can do the work, they’re highly coachable. They’re also generally the most fun people to work with as they have interests outside of work and people want them on their teams. I love working with students to develop both their head and heart and it becomes a differentiating feature when students meet professionals in the industry.”
That’s one of the big reasons Hoang invests his time with MCA. He sees their potential and their capabilities to achieve success at a high level.
To do that, Hoang’s philosophy is to learn by doing. Consulting interviews involve solving a business problem live with an interviewer. That involves quick thinking while staying composed under pressure. MCA students learn how to do that by doing it together.
“I think the core of MCA’s success comes from students wanting to help other students achieve the same goal,” said Lauren Donaldson, a former MCA student who is a project leader at Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta. “Unlike other schools where applicants are directly competing for limited interview spots, MCA students assist their own competition. Anyone getting an offer is a win for the entire group. Quoc fosters this inclusive but also realistic community. While MCA has had success in placements, it’s not a given and Quoc is there to ground and encourage each new group.”
Solid investment
MCA's success extends beyond the students currently on campus. From the organization's earliest days, Culverhouse alumni answered the call when students reached out for guidance. They opened doors, served as mentors, conducted mock interviews, hosted networking visits and facilitated internship opportunities. Many of them saw something of themselves in the next generation of MCA students and wanted to help them succeed.
“I've always been impressed at the caliber of candidates coming through MCA, both their profiles and recruitment and interview preparation,” said John Elder, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group. “If I think back 10-15 years, there were a couple of great professors on campus, Billy Helms in particular, who would funnel top candidates my way for recruiting consideration. MCA took that to another level with scale and standards to ensure that firms get a great ROI on the candidate interactions. To me, that's the essence of MCA's success—attracting top students and getting them well prepared so that firms can efficiently target folks who will be highly competitive with others from more core schools/backgrounds.”
That spirit of investment has become self-sustaining. Students who benefited from MCA's support graduate, enter the profession, and return to help those following behind them.
A trip to Chicago in 2022 included Joe Clark (back row, center), Caroline Rotkis (front row, center), and Rosemary Hartline-Neal (front row, left).
A trip to Chicago in 2022 included Joe Clark (back row, center), Caroline Rotkis (front row, center), and Rosemary Hartline-Neal (front row, left).
Quoc Hoang and Culverhouse Board of Visitors member Andy Lindsey pose for a photo at Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team.
Quoc Hoang and Culverhouse Board of Visitors member Andy Lindsey pose for a photo at Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team.
Management Consulting Academy and Undergraduate Case Team representatives Luke Turner, Kelby Olson, Lauren Geisler, Sydney Bond, Jason Korzen accepted Exemplo Capstone Awards for Outstanding Professional/Law Organization and Advisor of the Year (Quoc Hoang) this past spring.
Management Consulting Academy and Undergraduate Case Team representatives Luke Turner, Kelby Olson, Lauren Geisler, Sydney Bond, Jason Korzen accepted Exemplo Capstone Awards for Outstanding Professional/Law Organization and Advisor of the Year (Quoc Hoang) this past spring.
“They gave a tremendous amount of time and attention that helped me get to where I am today,” Clark said. “Ryan Pellegrino, Lena Brysacz, Lauren Donaldson, these people are role models who not only have perspective on what it takes to get an interview and job offer but, perhaps more importantly, what it takes to be successful at UA and at the company. It's a good community. It's people that you look at and say, I want to be like them.”
What started as a student organization has become something larger: a network of students, alumni and professionals committed to helping one another succeed. At the center of it all is Hoang, whose investment in students often begins with a simple conversation. In Clark's case, it was a phone call.
The Chicago experience helped launch an interest in consulting that eventually landed him a role in one of the industry's top firms. More importantly, Clark said, it illustrated what the Management Consulting Academy does for students every day. The organization identifies ambitious students, challenges them and prepares them to compete for jobs that many people assume are out of reach for University of Alabama graduates.
MCA made its second trip to Dallas in 2019.
MCA made its second trip to Dallas in 2019.