You search LinkedIn.
“McKinsey” plus your university.
Seventy-three results.
Great.
Then you stare at them.
Partner. Associate Partner. Engagement Manager. Associate. Business Analyst.
Economics. Engineering. History. Computer science.
Who exactly are you supposed to message?
Finding alumni is easy. Finding the right alumni is the real search.
And “same degree as me” is only one way to define right.
Start with the bridge that makes a conversation natural
The strongest outreach target is rarely the most senior person.
It is often the person whose path gives you something specific to ask.
- same university
- similar graduation period
- same or adjacent degree
- same extracurricular background
- office you are targeting
- similar internship history
- similar move from non-business into consulting
Now the search becomes useful.
You are not collecting impressive names.
You are looking for a credible bridge.
Relevance beats hierarchy.
Leverage Alumni Networks Consulting Recruitment goes deeper into how alumni relationships can fit into a broader recruiting strategy.
The most useful alum may be three years ahead of you
Students naturally gravitate toward Partners.
Senior people are impressive.
But imagine what you actually want to know:
How did you choose offices?
What did you put on your resume?
What surprised you about case prep?
How did campus recruiting feel?
Someone who went through undergraduate recruiting recently may have much fresher answers.
That creates the second reversal.
Proximity can matter more than seniority.
A recent graduate may also remember your professors, clubs, campus events, or recruiting calendar.
The conversation starts with shared context instead of a cold professional ask.
Search wider before you message harder
Suppose your university has only five people at Bain.
Do not immediately send all five the same note.
First widen the map.
- people from nearby universities with similar programs
- consultants who previously worked at companies recruiting on your campus
- people from your hometown or region
- alumni at other strategy firms
- consultants who share a student organization or scholarship background
The point is not to invent connections.
It is to notice legitimate ones.
| Search instinct | What happens | Better question |
|---|---|---|
| Same university only | Tiny pool | What other credible bridge exists? |
| Partners first | Harder conversation | Who remembers student recruiting? |
| Same major only | Misses useful people | Who made a transition like mine? |
| Message everyone | Generic outreach | Who can teach me something specific? |
Finding the person is only half the work
Once you identify them, do not send:
“Hi, I saw we went to the same university. Can I pick your brain?”
The shared school gets attention.
It does not create a conversation.
Instead, connect the alumni link to a concrete question.
“I noticed you moved from mechanical engineering at Queen's into BCG Toronto. I’m in engineering now and considering the same path. I’d love to hear what you focused on during recruiting.”
Now the relevance is visible.
For message structure and examples, LinkedIn Outreach Message Template for Consulting Networking shows how to turn the search into actual outreach.
Then stop thinking of them as “an alum”
This is the final shift.
The university connection opens the door.
It should not dominate the relationship forever.
Listen to their actual experiences.
Remember what they tell you.
Follow up when there is a real reason.
Eventually, you want them to remember you as a thoughtful student, not “another person from my school who wanted a referral.”
The school gives you the first line.
What happens after that is where the network begins.