Deloitte, cited in one recent study as the top employer of MBAs, recently hosted a consulting competition at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
It was Delloite’s second annual competition at Smith, which, like other schools in the DC area, puts particular emphasis on its consulting opportunities.
Teams of five MBA students were faced with a problem that might confront a typical Deloitte consultant: a client suffering from a decline in employee satisfaction. Each team was then given the opportunity to consult real public data to find a solution, which they presented to senior members of Deloitte.
This year’s competition added the opportunity for first years to become involved–one on each team. James High (’14), an organizer of the competition, said that he was “hopeful that with the opportunity to shadow, the first years will make a big improvement next year upon their return.”
After the competition, students received immediate feedback from Deloitte’s judges, which High cites as one of the highlights of the event. “We love this about the competition because it gives teams immediate feedback and gives them concrete steps to build on.”
Tom Jepsen of the competition’s winning team said, “The competition was a great opportunity to apply our problem-solving, analytical, teamwork and presentation skills to a real-life federal consulting case in front of one of Smith’s premier employer partners.”
The Deloitte/Smith Case Competition is an example of Smith’s robust opportunities for students to practice their consulting skills, while establishing connections with DC’s plentiful consulting firms.
