Would this be to my detriment?

Question

I am looking into a career in mgmt/strategy consulting post mba.

Certain schools seem to be well noted for their programs in regards to careers in this field (ross, wharton, harvard, etc.) but certain schools dont seem to receive much mention (like haas)

Actually, due to geographical location, haas is one of my top choices. But in crafting my app to haas, would it be detrimental in any way to stress my goal of consulting and how hass will contribute to that end when haas may not traditionally to known to be a strong school for that field? 

Would an adcom start to think ...'why is this person not applying to school x or school y instead if they are focusing on a consulting career'?

In general, do i need to play up the schools strengths? 

I am also applying to NYU - would it be dumb NOT to mention how the strong Finance Rep that they have plays into my future plans?

rhyme · Answer

I cant answer this but I would suggest sticking to what you actually want to do. Otherwise, I think it will come across as contrived.

I'd also suggest you better really want to do mgmt consulting, cause the life sucks, trust me, I've done it

lhotseface · Answer

Most top schools have all sorts of employers in most functional areas. That said, I am surprised that you picked NYU.

I would suggest not to change your goals acc. to school. You risk not sounding genuine and enthusiatic in essays and interviews.

ap663 · Answer

I'm sure you can find things to stress about NYU and Haas' programs that will help you in your consulting career. After 2-3 years of being a generalist you will have to specialize either by industry line or function so what kind of a consultant do you want to be? If you wanna consult in an industry or function which that school is known for use that to tie it together. Also look @ activities. For example, NYU's consulting club has a JV with the Clinton Foundation and Booz Allen where they do projects for small businesses in Harlem. I did my undergrad at Stern so I have no interest in going there again but that always seemed like a huge plus and I was mucho jealous of the MBA students because they got to work with two of my favorite organizations ever.

GyanOne · Answer

Hi  cma762 ,
Thanks for posting. Here is what we have concluded after evaluating your profile.

Haas does place into consulting, and the question of whether to say so directly is worth taking seriously.

- The concern about adcom skepticism is real but narrower than it might seem: a reader won't question why you aren't at Wharton just because you want consulting, but they will question whether your goals essay shows genuine knowledge of how Haas gets its consulting placements. Haas sends graduates into strategy roles, particularly on the West Coast and into tech-adjacent consulting, and an essay that names that specific channel reads very differently from one that simply asserts a consulting goal and hopes the school fits.
- Suppressing a legitimate goal to seem like a better fit is one of the cleaner ways to sink an application, because readers who review hundreds of files can tell when an essay is avoiding something.
- How you use NYU's finance reputation is a separate calculation. Mentioning it makes sense only if your goals essay actually traces a path through finance into strategy, or if the consulting goal has a finance angle. Tacking it on because it exists makes the goals paragraph read as assembled rather than felt.
- The lever that actually moves this is specificity: which firms recruit at Haas, which alumni are in roles adjacent to where you want to land, and whether your stated geographic preference gives Haas a logical reason to be on your list that Wharton genuinely cannot match.

Both applications will be stronger once the goals section earns its school-specific claims rather than borrowing reputation by association.

Would this be to my detriment?

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