What I learned as a first-time ACI at Bain
What I learned as a first-time ACI at Bain
A summer intern from our DC office shares what she learned about growth, teamwork, and getting comfortable with discomfort
Sofia Cordovez Capriles, a University of Virginia engineering student, joined Bain's Washington, DC office this summer as an associate consultant intern through the Building Entrepreneurial Leaders (BEL) program. In this Q&A, she shares what the work looked like day to day, how the culture surprised her, and why getting a little uncomfortable turned out to be her most important takeaway.
I was constantly doing things I did not yet know how to do, and that is exactly what pushed me to get better.
Sofia Cordovez Capriles
Associate Consultant Intern
What drew you to apply for a Bain internship?
What initially drew me to Bain was a consulting event at the University of Virginia (UVA), where I heard an associate consultant, who also studied engineering, talk about his experience. He explained how his engineering background fed directly into his casework, and it struck me as a genuinely different way to put my skills to use. Around that time, I was starting the engineering business minor, which was my first real exposure to case interviews. Breaking down companies and markets was genuinely fun, and I knew that if the interviews were enjoyable, the job would be too.
I first applied through Bain's Building Entrepreneurial Leaders (BEL) program, which started with a round of case interviews. I spent a full week at the DC office in May 2025, and the week after, I had my final round: two more cases that were a little longer and more involved.
What truly sold me on Bain was the week itself. During those days in the DC office, I met people I wanted to keep seeing every day: my fellow BEL interns, my case team, and my mentors. I learned so much in that one week that I knew I wasn't done being part of Bain.
Sofia's case team gathers for a morning check-in, celebrating a birthday and a supervisor send-off.
Her case team takes home the win at the Results Challenge, Bain's annual office competition celebrating extraordinary results for clients.
What kinds of projects did you work on during your internship?
This summer, I worked on a growth strategy case for a company in the automotive services space, digging into its auto glass repair and replacement business to figure out where the market is headed and where our client could grow. My workstream centered on market sizing and competitive research: how big the market is, where the profit sits across the value chain, and which trends are worth building on.
One of the highlights is a store-density map I built from raw, messy data. I cleaned it up to give a view of where auto glass demand concentrates across the country and where our client has room to step in. Taking something that started as a messy data file and making it genuinely useful was a satisfying part of my summer.
A big part of my summer was traveling. On a typical week, I would travel Monday through Wednesday to co-locate with my team in Chicago, then spend Thursday and Friday back in the DC office. Every day starts with a meeting to align our priorities, which always includes some “Team Fun” activity. For us, it was playing NYT Connections every morning!
From there, I would work through my priorities, sync with my supervisor on progress, probably get in a coffee chat, and then close with an end-of-day meeting to regroup on what got done and where things were heading. But no two weeks looked quite the same, which is what kept it exciting.
How would you describe the team culture and mentorship?
The thing that has stuck with me most about Bain is how consistent the support has been. It does not change when things get busy, and it never feels forced. Whether it was my mentors, my case team, or people I had just met around the office, the care felt the same.
A lot of what I learned this summer came from simply watching my supervisor work: how he broke down a problem and stayed calm when things got messy. He has made hard things look easy all summer, and it has set the standard for where I want to be in a few years.
Arturo, my fellow Panamanian friend, has had my back since the day I stepped into the DC office during BEL. He has answered every one of my (never dumb) questions, cooked me Panamanian food when we were both a little homesick, and still checks in even while he is away at externship. Knowing I always have someone in my corner has made the whole experience feel lighter.
My team has been just as easy to bond with. We have debated everything from food preferences to airport etiquette, like whether it's ever acceptable to recline your seat (for the record: yes). Traveling together has only made our bond tighter, and between the work, team dinners, and fun experiences, I have gotten to know them well beyond the office.
Outside of my case team, I am a social captain for the associate consultant interns, where I have helped plan events like a cooking class, group dinners, and a Washington Nationals baseball game. Getting to build that community has been one of my favorite parts of the summer.
Catching up with fellow interns at the office-wide Friday lunch.
An evening out with the Women at Bain affinity group.
What has been your biggest takeaway from the internship experience?
My biggest takeaway is how much you grow when you are a little uncomfortable every day. At the start of the summer, presenting to a more senior person genuinely intimidated me. But with practice and time, that discomfort turned into confidence, and I noticed the same pattern everywhere: travel, unfamiliar PowerPoint and Excel shortcuts, and confusing data.
I was constantly doing things I did not yet know how to do, and that is exactly what pushed me to get better. A part of me will always be uncomfortable, and that is what keeps me growing.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying for an internship?
My biggest piece of advice is to let your well-rounded personality show. People at Bain have niche interests and hobbies, and that is part of what makes the office such a fun place to be.
That said, these are still case interviews, so put in practice. Get comfortable with quick math, percentages, and market estimates. These are fundamentals you will lean on once you are on the job.
Most of all, take every chance to connect with the people you meet along the way. Talking to Bainies gives you the truest picture of what work looks like, what to expect, and what the culture feels like day to day. It is worth remembering that these connections do not end when the interview does. The person across the table or screen might end up on your case team or working in an industry you discover you love. These are relationships you could be building for years.
