The Impactful Impacts of Impact
Sketch by Larry Derman
You spot the coffee chat from 30 meters away. Consulting.
Two students sit at a Blue Room table, one of their laptops open and alert, the other’s posture stiff, like a horrifying LinkedIn banner come to life. One is an eager freshman, armed with a teal suede notebook; her sister bought it during her tenure (vacation) in Morocco. She barely writes anything down. The other is a senior, fresh off an illustrious summer at a top firm, where she worked until 2 a.m., dispensing her novice wisdom, all while wanting to gnaw at the bars of her enclosure, that being a high-rise in Midtown Manhattan.
She knows nothing. Her ego is insatiable.
The dialogue tango begins. A monotonous “So, what drew you to consulting?” followed up by the classic “Well, I love problem-solving, teamwork, and impact!”
They continue playing their Bingo, where each number is a vague (yet professional-sounding) term like “client-facing,” “distribution channels,” “insights.” They both hit a blackout.
Nods. Sips of coffee. “Impact” makes several more appearances as faint hums echo through the campus center. Occasionally, the freshman tries to slip in signs of a moral compass. She volunteered with children facing some amorphous affliction, the specifics of which had no real importance to her. She’s balling for optics alone. The senior chuckles politely, then pivots back to deal structures.
Other students pass by. The cacophony of movement is some harmony of lemon poppyseed AirPod Longchamp midterms. No one notices the performance in front of them. To the untrained eye, it looks like two friends catching up – with suspiciously good posture and clothes that visually personify the names Nancy, Ted, Elaine, and John.
But you lean in. Listening intently, you realize it’s a ritual sacrifice: one person offering up their soul, the other offering tips on how to work the phrase “synergy” in a case interview.
You look away for a minute and focus your attention on the scaly fray of the booth seating in the campus center.
Then, they’re gone.
Who are you to judge, though?
You have an interview for a top firm next Wednesday.
And you are so excited to explore how you can be additive to the firm’s strategic endeavors.
BY ELYSA BADUCHI