By Director of Operations Ever Marinelli ‘25
When I first joined CBE as an analyst, I had little academic or career direction, knew very little about CBE and absolutely nothing about consulting. All I knew was that I wanted to eat free food and spend more time with my roommate Dan Ennis ‘25, CBE’s former president, who was a Managing Director at the time and shamelessly plugged the org at all hours of the day. I certainly did not expect to be writing “Why CBE” blog articles two years later. But as everyone knows, it’s easy to sell something you actually believe in. So allow me to sell you on CBE as Dan did to me — with perhaps a bit less emphasis on roommate bonding.
At the Early Insights program this year, a participant asked the Board to describe the CBE community with one word. I found this remarkably challenging, and was thankful to have the question addressed by someone else (our President Andrew Gong ‘25 answered “wholesome”), but I spent considerable time thinking about it. I ultimately landed on “supportive.” In the most broad sense, CBE is a supportive environment where everyone genuinely cares about the wellbeing and success of other members. At a case team level, members in each role support each other – from Case Team Leaders seeking advice from their Managing Directors to analysts collaborating on research in the underbelly of Lamont Library. Professional development opportunities serve to support members’ career aspirations by passing down knowledge from upperclassmen and CBE alumni. Everywhere from study breaks to recruitment events, I am continually impressed by the generosity and warmth with which CBE members treat each other. So while I find “supportive” to be a rather bland adjective, it’s an excellent answer to the question.
It's easy to find friends within such a community — even if you have zero interest in consulting post-grad, or you’re a little afraid of the life sciences, or maybe even have pretty un-sustainable practices in your daily life, you’re sure to find a like-minded CBE member making their way through a similar journey. Whether the latest CHEM-17 exam has you questioning if pre-med is really for you or you’re warding off a panic attack before your BCG case interview, someone else in CBE has either been in your shoes or is currently standing in them alongside you. Perhaps you chat about it over (free) coffee at a Board coffee chat, or commiserate over (free) Chipotle at a weekly study break. And, more likely than not, you’ve just started a friendship that will last much longer than your tenure at CBE. I speak from experience — I was always someone who found myself rather nervous making new friends, but CBE offered the ideal platform to bond with so many interesting and warm people, it was almost impossible not to find those who resonated with me. And I can now safely say that CBE members constitute a large proportion of my friends on campus.
You may find yourself thinking that this friend business is all fine and dandy but you already have plenty of friends from FOP or your eight person freshman dorm and you’re more worried about that BCG case interview I mentioned earlier. While I can’t personally offer any casing guidance (I plan on making next to no money grinding out a PhD instead), CBE’s wealth of professional development opportunities certainly can. You name it, CBE offers it: coffee chats with Board members on similar career journeys, case interview workshops, a constant email chain of internship opportunities, life sciences speakers, robust alumni networking, the list goes on. And while all these opportunities and even just having CBE on your resume can certainly help you land that big three summer internship you’re dreaming of, the soft skills that CBE casework helps you develop are, in my opinion, the most valuable and widely applicable prof dev resources the org provides. As an analyst, you’ll learn quickly how to conduct thorough high-quality research and feel confident presenting your findings to a real client. As an associate, you’ll further hone your slide making skills and become an expert at clearly conveying dense information in an accessible way. As a CTL, you’ll learn how to communicate and problem-solve with clients, and how to manage a team. And as a board member, you’ll apply those communication and problem-solving skills to a larger team dynamic. These skills are paramount, and the best part is, they’re not industry specific. When I have to present data or communicate with my lab supervisor, I frequently find myself drawing on the skills I developed as an analyst and CTL. So even if the thought of working as a full time consultant sends shivers down your spine or you’re not quite sure about the life sciences, I can guarantee (yes, 100% guarantee) that CBE has something invaluable to offer you as you begin your career.
At CBE, I genuinely believe there is a place for anyone, with any background experience or future aspiration. Curiosity and passion are the most important things we look for in an applicant — do you want to creatively solve a problem, contribute meaningfully to our community, or drive tangible change in client companies? There’s no specific background or set of prior abilities that can replace an emphatic “Yes!” to those questions, so if you find yourself resonating with any of them, I encourage you to consider CBE. Hopefully you’re sold, or at the very least intrigued. And if you’re not quite there, I’ll remind you as Dan once did, that we also have excellent perks.
In all seriousness, CBE is incredibly excited to welcome Fall 2024 analysts to our community, and I hope to see you among them. I am always more than happy to wax on about the joys of CBE, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, or just to chat.
Best,
Ever Marinelli ‘25
Director of Operations