Monitor has seen a 45 percent annual growth rate in its professionals. It now employs 550 consultants.

Consulting's popularity may also reflect changing admissions policy in business schools, which strongly emphasize work experience as a prerequisite for admission.

Harvard Business School does not generally admit any applicants straight from college, says Clare R. Scherrer '92, a business tutor at Winthrop House. Scherrer was given a deferred admission there and entered consulting for the two-year interim.

"Harvard's business school works by the case method, and 50 percent of your grade is based on participation," she says. "The more work experience you have, you have more relative contributions in class."

For recent students who plan to attend business school eventually, consulting firms have developed "business analyst" or "associate consultant" programs.

McKinsey offers a two--to three-year version. According to Chishty, about half of a given class who choose to leave the firm look for other jobs, often with their consulting clients. The other half return to graduate and business school at a subsidized tuition.

Other firms, such as Monitor, hire recent graduates from college for an indefinite term.

If Monitor employees choose to apply to business school, 85 percent of them get accepted at their top choice.

As soon as students decide they are interested in consulting, they participate in information sessions and workshops about the field and specific companies.

The workshops range in size from a handful of students to several hundred.

An information session at the Charles Hotel for McKinsey drew approximately 400 students.

After the sessions, students submit resumes to consulting groups through OCS.

"It's a lot like applying for college," says James C. Murray '95. "Your life is up for evaluation and you have to fit it on one piece of paper."

Most firms claim several employees will read the resumes. Then the companies organize at least three rounds of interviews.

"We expect 40 to 50 applications from Harvard alone," says Timothy M. Riley, vice president of human resources at the local consulting firm Renaissance Strategy. "The first round we contact live or by telephone. We will have about 30 interviews with other graduates of the school. Finally, we select a subset to make offers. We expect about half to accept."