Building and Supporting Excellence (BASE)
Building and Supporting Excellence (BASE)
The BASE program was originally established as an avenue to provide initial exposure and a chance to learn about a career in professional services to MBA students whose backgrounds are often underrepresented in the profession. We welcome Black, Hispanic/Latin American and Indigenous pre-MBA students to join us at our offices for a weeklong immersive look inside the exciting world of strategy consulting. You’ll receive a full day of training, a stipend, and be staffed with a case team to shadow them for the week. Upon completing the program, if you are excited to pursue a summer experience as a Bain Consultant, you will have an opportunity to apply for our Summer Associate internship.
This is designed to help you succeed in your MBA and beyond
The in-person experience we call "BASE Camp" lasts one week and you’ll receive plenty of support before and after to ensure you get a good sense for what this work is like. You’ll receive coaching, mentorship, and a chance to handle a component of a client consulting project, which you’ll then present to the Bain case team.
It's a great start to your business school experience and whatever lies beyond.
Spend "a week in the life" as a Bain consultant to understand if this career is for you.
Meet Bain’s leaders and learn what decisions led them to where they are today.
A Bain consultant will coach you through solving problems and presenting your findings.
Meet Bainies in person and virtually, before and after BASE Camp.
Build a community of peers and mentors

Befriend like-minded individuals in your program.

During the program, you’ll have an opportunity to learn about and apply for our Summer Associate internship

Create relationships across the firm that you can enrich throughout your time in business school.
This program is for Black, Hispanic/Latin American, and Indigenous pre-MBA students

We are hoping to connect with individuals whose perspectives and experiences are historically underrepresented in our industry. This program is for individuals who are Black, Hispanic/Latin American, or Indigenous (Native American, Alaska Native, Inuit, Métis and First Nations), and who have accepted an offer to start a full-time two-year MBA program in the fall. We currently do not accept part-time or Executive MBA students.
If you might be considering our Summer Associate internship program following your BASE experience, you should begin thinking about which of our offices in the US or Toronto are of interest when you submit an application to BASE.
Apply in the spring
Our 2023 applications are now closed. Applications go live every spring and close in early May. After you apply, you’ll hear back shortly after applications are closed. If accepted, you’ll receive an email in May and interviews will take place virtually in June.
Until then, join us at one of our marketing events or feel free to reach out to our team!
Everything you need to know
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Do I need to be affiliated with MLT or Consortium to apply to BASE?
No, we encourage any pre-MBA recruits who meet our qualifications described above to apply.
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Will BASE Camp be in person?
Yes, we are planning for it to be in person. We’ll cover all travel-related expenses.
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Can I apply to both BASE and ExperienceBain? How are they different?
Yes, we encourage you to apply for BASE and ExperienceBain if you are eligible and interested. They are similar in that both programs introduce you to consulting and Bain before starting business school. But here’s how they differ:
- BASE is a highly selective informational program that is for recruits who are Black, Hispanic/Latin American, or Indigenous. It’s for one immersive week.
- ExperienceBain is a larger program open to all incoming MBA students heading to eligible schools. It features periodic programming throughout the year.
If you are selected for BASE, we’ll help you navigate any overlaps with ExperienceBain. -
Which offices host the BASE program?
BASE is only available in our North American offices right now. When applying, please make sure to only apply if you are interested in the US or Toronto locations: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C.
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If I am not selected for BASE, can I still apply to Bain in the future?
Absolutely, and we encourage it. BASE is a highly selective program. If you are not selected for BASE, we would love to keep in touch and reconnect on campus. In the past years, we have hired several BASE applicants as summer associates and our full-time roles even though they were not selected for the BASE program. Sometimes, those extra few months of case prep can help.