Preparing for a Consulting Career
Param Hemani (MBP '26) began his time in MBP knowing just what he wanted to do afterward. Thanks to his time in the program, he already secured his dream job.
Param Hemani (MBP '26) knew he wanted to be a consultant when he enrolled in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Biotechnology Program (MBP). Specifically, he wanted to work at Bain & Company, one of the top management consulting firms worldwide.
Before his first quarter, he reached out to network with the company's campus leads. He dreamt about spending his summer consulting as an intern at the firm, but when that didn't work out, he was undeterred.
He stayed in touch with Bain's representatives, and that diligence paid off with a full-time offer to join the company as an associate consultant in the Chicago office. Param will join the company after graduating in June.
Param's exact role will see him help clients tackle important business challenges. He expects his day-to-day responsibilities will include a mix of analytical and problem-solving work—breaking down complex questions, running models, and pulling insights from data to support the team’s recommendations.
"I’m someone who enjoys fast-paced environments, so the dynamic nature of consulting is naturally a great fit for me," he said. "I’m looking forward to working on cases across industries I might never have been exposed to otherwise. That breadth of experience will not only challenge me but also help me understand which sectors I find most interesting as I grow in my career."
Discovering a diversity of opportunities.
That breadth is what initially drew Param to MBP. He has a bachelor’s in food science and technology from DY Patil University in Mumbai, India. As an undergraduate he spent a significant amount of time in research labs, including completing his thesis at IIT Bombay. While he found the opportunity valuable, he felt the pace was slower than what he wanted for his career.
He wanted something more fast-moving. More dynamic.
That's why he turned to MBP.
"I chose Northwestern’s MBP over other options largely because of its remarkable flexibility," Param said. "In speaking with alumni who have gone on to careers in consulting, venture capital, and healthcare investment banking, it became clear to me how truly interdisciplinary the program is and how well it prepares students for a wide range of paths. It felt like a program where I could genuinely shape my own academic journey and explore interests far beyond traditional biotechnology."
So far, that's just what he's done.
Param intentionally selected electives across a broad spectrum of topics to make himself a more well-rounded consultant. To date, his favorite class has been Technology Commercialization, where he and his classmates broke down the entire journey of bringing a new drug — or really any form of intellectual property — from the lab to the market.
He went on to be a course assistant for the class, as well as for Critical Thinking and Communication. He also is a graduate researcher in Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Learning valuable lessons
In MBP, Param is recognizing the value of consistently stepping outside his comfort zone.
"The program is challenging me academically and pushes me to develop new skills every day," he said. "Many of the engineering courses were intellectually demanding, and learning to structure ambiguous problems and work through uncertainty really helped me build the problem-solving muscle memory that consultants rely on."
MBP also taught Param the importance of teamwork. Many of his classes are team-based, allowing him to work closely with classmates from different backgrounds.
"That taught me how to collaborate effectively, divide responsibilities, and deliver more together than any of us could individually," he said. "That experience has been extremely meaningful because consulting is fundamentally team-oriented, and success often depends on how well you can work with others toward a shared goal."
Param sees a clear connection between consulting and the lessons he's learning in MBP. That is why he continues to believe MBP was the right choice for him — and why he thinks the program is preparing him well for the career he's always wanted.
"MBP is a great fit for someone like me who wants to go into consulting because it develops both the analytical depth and the structured thinking that the job demands," he said. "The program constantly puts you in situations where you have to break down ambiguous problems, form hypotheses, analyze data, and communicate insights clearly, which are all core consulting skills."
