jumsumtak wrote:
From my research: it will be very hard to land up in a specific vertical (healthcare etc.) at an MBB (or even Deloitte for that matter) if you haven't had solid experience in the industry. Generally graduates are hired in a generalist role, basically meaning the project allocation depends a lot more than random factors (what kind of projects the partner brings in, where are you located, whether its a time & effort or a fixed fee project etc.) than on what your interest is. Make sure you research on this a bit and ask the consulting clubs at UNC/Emory. Also, as pointed above, visit the admit events and talk to alumni about your apprehensions (sports and activities scene at Emory etc.)
I've seen people who have gone to MBB after Emory/UNC, but those are few and far between. I'm not trying to digress from the poll, but have you thought on the top 8-16 admits thoroughly? The dollars might not be worth the risk if you can't land up your gig. If you could let us know what are those schools and how much $ do you have there, people might be able to give a better answer.
good luck
I agree with your first point. However, I would still like to gain more experience in the sector. The school that provides me with that opportunity would be a better choice for me personally.
About the last point - I thought about this a lot and decided against taking such a huge loan. I am not convinced the risk is worth it, even in the long run. Money could be recouped easily provided I get into consulting but I do not have the risk profile to handle the initial burden. MBB fight at those schools would be even more fierce - another reason the huge debt burden doesn't seem that enticing to me.