Being a Forty Acres Scholar comes with some unique perks. Case in point: the chance to get an inside look into the world of consulting.

During an informal lunch last week at the Alumni Center, alumni working at top consulting management firm McKinsey & Company spoke with scholars about the wide range of opportunities in consulting.

Friday's lunch is just one of the many events that the scholars have the privilege to attend, including leadership, cultural, and community service programs. This is the first event that the Forty Acres Scholars Program has invited a company to interact with the scholars in such a relaxed setting and make one-on-one professional connections.

Saheb Sabharwal, BAr ’11, a speaker from McKinsey & Company, said he enjoyed the dynamics of a smaller setting over a big presentation and hopes that scholars will now be more open to exploring career paths that make sense to them.

"I hope that they will be excited about consulting and about McKinsey, and see that there is more to the world than the usual corporate job," Sabharwal says. "Consulting is just one thing, there are so many things out there."

He also liked that the event allowed younger students to gain access to different career paths early on in their education.

"Looking back, I only found out about [consulting opportunities] when I was a junior or a senior in college, which I think was a little too late," Sabharwal says. "Actually getting to know all this so early and getting a view of the world is remarkable."

Katie Mark, a sophomore Forty Acres Scholar studying architecture and architectural engineering, says that she wasn't previously considering a career in consulting, but that the talk changed her mind.

"It was really cool to hear about their experiences on such a personal level," Mark says. "Hearing about their projects and what they loved and didn't like about it gave me a better sense of what the real world will be like. This is an incredible opportunity."

Illustration by Ashley Solano