I, similar to many other PhD candidates, had no idea what I wanted to do after completing my PhD at Berkeley. The hypothesis-driven problem solving and continuous learning that academia provided were really enjoyable, but the monotony of benchwork was not for me. I desired a career outside of the lab, but one that would also value my newly-honed PhD life sciences skillset. Soon after beginning to explore alternative career options, I found life sciences consulting and BCBA.

BCBA was a tremendous experience that solidified my desire to enter life sciences consulting. I participated as a team member on an immunology-based triage project, which I had no experience in from my grad studies being a cancer metabolism biologist. Even without any background experience, I quickly realized that in consulting you learn quickly and can add value to any team / project type. Throughout the 10-week project, I gained invaluable consulting experience and had the opportunity to help a startup in SF. I also made great friends along the way and continue to participate in BCBA alumni get-togethers to this day!

Having been a consultant in the life sciences industry for ~2 years now, I can say that BCBA replicates a real consulting project experience and prepares you for success in your future consulting endeavors. I highly recommend to anyone that is curious about consulting to apply for BCBA, as it is a truly rewarding experience. Thanks BCBA!