Similar situation in law and consulting. The best law firm I’ve worked with was a 100 lawyer litigation boutique, and I’ve found the best experiences in consulting at 100-200 person specialist firms. That size is a sweet spot, it’s big enough to have an impact but small enough to know almost everyone in the firm and feel you are all part of a single team. I found everything is forced to become more structured when you grow much beyond 200 people, as Dunbar’s number predicts: Dunbar's number - Wikipedia
At least some of the kids get this, the law firm I mentioned did very well in hiring newly qualified lawyers who were top of their class at H, Y or S.