Do I need prior consulting or business experience to apply?
No. Most of our members join without any consulting background, and our members come from all four undergraduate schools with experience across STEM, the social sciences, and the humanities. What we look for is how you approach a problem, not what you have already done.
How much time can I expect to commit to GRC weekly?
Plan on a couple hours a week during a project cycle: a weekly general body meeting, a weekly project team meeting, and independent research in between, with heavier weeks around deliverable deadlines. The members who get the most out of GRC are the ones who show up consistently.
How do associates choose their projects?
At the start of each cycle we share the client engagements we have scoped for the semester, and associates are matched to a team based on their interests and the mix of skills each project needs.
What events does GRC host?
Alongside project work, we run recruiting events with consulting firms like McKinsey, alumni panels, collaboration events with other GRC branches, and end-of-semester presentations where teams share their final deliverables.
How is GRC different from other consulting clubs on campus?
We are Columbia’s only student organization dedicated to social impact consulting, and we are a branch of GRC Global, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating from 20+ leading universities worldwide. Our clients are mission-driven organizations, and we work on a pay-as-you-wish model so cost is never a barrier to the organizations we serve.
What happens after I’m accepted?
New associates are onboarded at the start of the semester, matched to a project team, and paired with returning members who have run engagements before. You start on real client work in your first cycle.
What if I have a question not answered here?
Email us at
grc@columbia.edu, or come to an information session or coffee chat during recruitment and ask us in person.
