Light networking before school can be useful, especially if recruiting starts early, but you do not need to build a huge contact list before orientation.

Your best early conversations are often with alumni, current students, pre-MBA program contacts or consultants you already have a credible reason to speak with.

Use the time to learn about firms, offices and recruiting timelines. Avoid sending high-volume outreach simply because you are worried other MBA candidates are starting earlier.

Once school begins, your consulting club and career center will usually create a much more structured networking path. Starting early should reduce uncertainty, not exhaust your contacts before recruiting officially begins. For more detail, see the consulting networking guide.

I did a few alumni calls in the summer and that was enough. The volume picked up naturally once school started.

I'd use pre-MBA networking to narrow offices, not to chase referrals immediately.

This sounds like one of those questions where the specific office or school process matters more than the broad rule.