Does the school really matter for recruiting?

Question

Let's say I want to go to MBB and say I get accepted to Tuck and Fuqua, both of which MBB recruit at. When deciding which school to attend, the general argument will be recruiting and job placement into MBB is better at Tuck, so your odds at landing a MBB job/internship is better from there, so go to Tuck. Here's my dilemma, if Tuck is universally considered one of the best MBB feeders, and everyone at Tuck want to go MBB, wouldn't it be harder to get MBB from Tuck? If you are MBB caliber, wouldn't your odds be better at Fuqua, considering less people at Fuqua are seeking a job/internship at MBB and essentially you would be a bigger fish in a smaller pond?

I guess one question is, does Tuck prepare you better for MBB interviews, and that is why more people get internships/jobs from Tuck? Or is it simply that more MBB caliber students go to Tuck?

Does McKinsey say "we are taking 20 interns from Tuck" and then they pick only the best 20, no more and no less? Or do they only take people they truly want at McKinsey and if only 5 Tuckies fit the bill, then only 5 get an internship, and the 10 at Fuqua that fit the bill get an internship too even though they had only planned to take 6 from Fuqua?

revul · Answer

Based on your profile I'm guessing you want Tuck but got WL'd, are thinking about accepting Duke to stop the pain of waiting, and aren't interested in Yale, Mind if I ask why? (I know Duke and Tuck are known as consulting power houses, but Yale is no slouch)

Purely looking at supply/demand factors makes sense but doesn't paint the picture in full. MBB will not take anyone for the sake of filling a quota, so they're taking the cream of the crop and if that means being slightly under or over the expected 'quota' for the school, so be it - the determining factor as much supply/demand as it is applicant quality. My understanding of the 'quota' is that a portion of it is location driven. Yes, they have rough ideas based on history, but if the Austin office had some more space free up this year, UT Austin might see more MBB recruiting activity and place better into MBB that year.

All in all, if you're a complete gem you'll be fine at either school, and if you're not up to their standards you're toast either way. As you're purely looking to better your odds: both have the capacity to polish what your existing skills/framework and prepare you, but the tightness of the Tuck network and clout of it's name (potentially colouring a recruiters initial perception of you) is worth something. MBB's are prestige shops and while Duke is a strong brand, Tuck is stronger in this space.

Neither place purely regionally but geography should be another consideration. It's easier to get into the Boston office through Tuck, and likely easier to get into Charlotte/southern offices through Duke.

jumsumtak · Answer

I'm not going to dive deep here because I'm a Fuqua FY. However, just wanted to shed some light on MBB placements - 
If you are a strong candidate, you will get the invites. It doesn't matter where you go between the two. And after you get the 1st rounds, it is mostly down to what you do in the interviews. The firms don't necessarily have a per school quota, so you should be fine. PM me for any additional questions you have. Good luck with the decisions.

farful · Answer

As others have said, it's about the quality of the candidate, not the school. It just so happens more MBB caliber students go to the better schools. I go to Tepper (around rank 20) and MBB recruit here as well. We clearly don't compare to Tuck/Fuqua, but it's obvious when you look at the student profiles of those getting MBB internships, they are indeed highly qualified (almost makes me wonder why they decided to choose Tepper). I believe places like McKinsey specifically state that they have no quota whatsoever and that they try to recruit ALL high quality candidates.

DLEmba · Answer

Thanks for your inputs! Revul--To answer your question. I don't really have a number 1. I've tried to keep an open mind about all schools, even Yale SOM, which I am actually having a hard time turning down... I just want to make sure I fully understand what I would be giving up by choosing one school over the other. Based on everyone's opinions, mine included, I guess this is where the "fit" argument comes into play. And being a sports junky and die-hard Duke basketball fan since I was a kid, I am leaning towards Duke even if I do get off the Tuck waitlist. I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything

Cubsfan87 · Answer

This is a really interesting topic and something I've thought a lot about too. It's really helpful to hear from current students so thanks for letting us know your thoughts.

Flyte · Answer

Most of this is quite true, but I will say at Tuck your chances are better of getting into MBB than from Fuqua. Between closed lists, bids, and some international slots, over 100 Tuckies (out of 280) are interviewing with McKinsey, another 80+ with BCG, and 70 with Bain. Per capita-wise, no school is really close. The main difference is if you are a rockstar at either Tuck or Fuqua you will get an interview. If you are average or even above average there is always the chance to be overlooked on the first closed list. 50% of slots at Tuck go to bidders, so in case you are overlooked you can guarantee yourself an interview at your top 2 choices. Just some food for thought.

Does the school really matter for recruiting?

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