What makes CYC Berkeley different from other Consulting Clubs?
Consult Your Community is UC Berkeley’s Premier Pro-Bono Consulting organization. Since all of our projects serve local, minority-owned businesses, our Business Analysts’ are able to make heavily tangible impact on the issues that matter most to them.
Since we don’t serve a specific niche sector, CYC provides our Analysts the opportunity to either explore or amplify any interests through the wide array of projects we offer. Ranging from financial modeling to marketing to UI/UX design — and of course, everything in between— our Analysts are provided with an opportunity to leverage their skills to both impact the community and develop their experiences, further preparing them for their future career of choice.
Thus, what makes CYC so great is the two folded nature of knowing the amplification of your skills is simultaneously providing prosperity for community members that need it the most. Each and every project works directly with the owners of the business to ensure that deep, organizational change is being made— with impact that is seen throughout the entirety of the business. Moreover, while our Analysts work to find solutions to real life, heavily influential problems, they garner skills through opportunities not offered with other organizations.
What time commitment can I expect upon joining CYC?
Each cohort of New Members within CYC go through an extensive New Member Education (NME) training to supplement their professional skills and growth. While our NME meets for one to two hours each week, our New Members can also anticipate an extra time commitment of four hours to account for general meets, project team meetings, assignments, and socials. CYC strongly suggests our New Members allocate at least six hours a week to ensure they are making the most out of their time with the club.
What if I’m not a Business Major?
CYC prides itself on the diverse interests and skills of our members, and we believe that the best consultants are ones that can leverage their skills— regardless of what they are— to drive impact. Majors are not considered when selecting applicants, and CYC highly encourages students to apply regardless of what they are currently studying. Some of our current majors include Conservation and Natural Resource Studies, Rhetoric, Bioengineering, and everything in between!
What does CYC look for in an applicant?
CYC believes that the best applicants aren’t necessarily the ones with an inherent business acumen, but instead, display a commitment to pro-bono, impactful work while simultaneously showing willingness to learn more. More specifically, the main traits we look for are collaborative efforts, enthusiasm, and intellectual curiosity.
How can I prepare before submitting my application?
Since our application is purely a resume drop, the best thing you can do is be sure that your resume thoroughly and accurately reflects your accomplishments and interests. If you don’t know where to get started, feel free to utilize this template and check out this guide by Harvard Business School!
Additionally, we have an optional section included to list any extenuating circumstances that you feel may be necessary to share in consideration with your application. An example of this may be lower grades as a result of family emergencies, less participation in extracurriculars as a result of being from an underserved community, and so on. CYC very strongly believes in an equitable recruitment process, and want to ensure that students aren’t disadvantaged as a result of students having disproportionate opportunities.
Finally, prior to submitting your application, we strongly suggest you attend one of our info sessions and take advantage of our coffee chats! This will help you get a better feel on the organization and better understand why we may be a fit for you.
How can I prepare going into my interview?
CYC has two rounds of interviews— one group case, and one individual case along with behavioral questions.
Prior to the first round interview, we recommend you familiarize yourself with market sizing and general business frameworks. Since this is a group interview, however, we also value applicants who show a willingness to collaborate, ability to assist others in their thought, and aptness to approach issues with confidence.
For our final interview, our case structure will be extremely similar to that within the first round. In this interview, we want to hear more about what makes you who you are. Be ready to talk about your passions, desire to empower underserved communities, and what it was specifically about CYC that resonated with you.
We do want to note that prior to the first round of interviews, we will be hosting Office Hours for anyone who wants to run through a case with one of our members or have any lingering questions. Those who receive an invite to our final round of interviews will also have the opportunity to opt into a POD Program where they can have time with two members of our Exec and PM team to prepare for the final round.