For many undergraduate students, breaking into the consulting industry can feel overwhelming, especially when trying to balance rigorous academics, networking and campus participation. But for one student at Rice University, the journey became far more manageable thanks to the resources and community available on and around campus.
Alex Cantin is graduating this May with a degree in business management, including a minor in entrepreneurship, from the Virani Undergraduate School of Business at Rice and will join McKinsey as a consultant.
“I decided to do entrepreneurship for a few different reasons,” Cantin said. “First, I thought it gave a really good insight into business that was different from the regular business curriculum. It’s much more experiential. It’s been fun. I also liked all of my professors, and I love the iterative nature of it all.”
Cantin said he chose Rice because of the faculty-student ratio and because he would be one of the early graduates of the new Virani School. His class will be only the second class to graduate under the Virani name.
“I knew I would have exposure to a lot of really high-quality professors, and that is definitely the case,” says Cantin of the faculty, who also teach the MBA students. “I knew I would have a lot of opportunities to collaborate with them. Especially professional opportunities.”
Houston itself also provided a distinct advantage. Cantin noted how the proximity to industry professionals and alumni opened doors to opportunities that went beyond the classroom. Through involvement in a campus consulting club, he regularly attended coffee chats with alumni who had already established careers in consulting. These informal conversations became a valuable source of insight into the industry and the recruiting process.
Community played a central role in his success, he said. The consulting club offered a structured “case buddy” system, allowing peers to practice case interviews together while going through the same recruiting cycle. This collaborative environment helped build both confidence and competence.
By the time he applied to McKinsey, Cantin’s resume had already been refined, and his application materials had been reviewed by professionals in the field, thanks in large part to the strong alumni network. This level of preparation translated directly into interview performance, Cantin said.
“I’m very fortunate Rice has a really big presence in the consulting recruitment pipeline,” he said. “A lot of classmates and a lot of friends of mine are starting with me at the same firm. It’s very exciting.”
Yet beyond strategy and preparation, Cantin emphasized a more personal lesson: “It sounds kind of corny, but follow your interest and follow your heart.”
Arriving at Rice as a managerial economics major, Cantin initially pursued a path that didn’t directly align with his eventual career. Instead of forcing a rigid plan, he allowed himself the flexibility to study different interests and discover what genuinely motivated him.
“I gave myself grace to kind of explore and find what I naturally wanted to do,” he said.
That openness to change strategies proved just as important as any networking event or interview prep session.
Cantin’s advice to other students is simple: “Pursue what genuinely interests you. With the right mindset and consistent effort, the pieces tend to fall into place.”