CFS Experiences, CFS Student Experience

Building Business Acumen at a Strategy Consulting Firm

Posted by cfs424 on

Name: Eric Moerschel

Year: Junior

Major(s): Economics, English

CFS Class: Business Field Studies

Employer: Blue Canyon Partners



My CFS experience was defined by new experiences, a dynamic workplace, and intellectually stimulating discussions. Upon entering the CFS program in the spring of 2019, I was unsure of how my career path would look. I considered banking, law, consulting, and a myriad of other potential career paths. CFS helped clarify my career path by allowing me to learn about and explore multiple industries through classroom discussions and facilitated conversations with industry professionals.

My employer, Blue Canyon Partners, was a strategy consulting firm based out of Evanston. They worked closely with my CFS coordinators to ensure I made the most out of my internship experience. My work stream was challenging, interesting, and meaningful. I was exposed to all aspects of a strategy consulting project, as I conducted desk research, participated in interviews with industry experts, completed data analysis, and created slides for client presentation decks. I was fortunate enough to work on two full projects from start to finish. I partook in kickoff meetings with clients, created models for data, built significant portions of PowerPoint decks, and participated in final presentation meetings. Viewing the strategy consulting process from start to finish allowed me to not only obtain a fundamental understanding of the industry, but also bolstered my confidence and business acumen.

Our class discussions allowed me to grow as a student and view the business world from a different lens. Discussions examined the business world from a high level, theoretical framework. This way of thinking prompted me to consider what it means to work and what qualities I value in an employer. Questions were posed in a manner to frame discussions among students, creating a unified culture between my classmates and me. The classroom portion was an overwhelmingly positive aspect of CFS, forcing me to think about work, business, and society in different ways.