First, confirm the recruiting calendar for your school and target offices. Some deadlines arrive earlier than students expect.

Then focus on a strong resume, a few genuine networking conversations, and enough case practice to build the fundamentals before interview invites arrive.

Do not spend the whole summer doing hundreds of cases. Build consistency, get useful experience from whatever internship or role you have, and increase prep intensity as the application and interview dates get closer.

Deadlines first. Our apps opened way earlier than I expected.

I would rather have 15 good live cases than 80 random solo ones.