I'm not sure I understand what you're asking, specifically this line: "I got the impression that playing the numbers less students were looking to post finance jobs."
I would wager that most MBA students majoring in finance are looking to get into "high" finance. The industry is not easy to get into and earning an MBA is one of the easier ways to do it. Also, many, if not most, of the desirable positions require an MBA. How many Managing Directors do you know that don't have MBAs? I'm sure there are people that are in MBA school so they can go and be a financial analyst at a blue chip company, but considering the intense competition for IB and ER summer internships and jobs, you have to figure a good portion of the people are hoping to enter those fields.
Basically your question seems to be: Does someone with prior experience, all else equal (both MBA graduates, assuming equal caliber schools), have an advantage in the job market after graduation? The answer is, obviously, yes. Who would you rather hire? 1) Someone with, say for example, 3-5 years of retail experience and an MBA, or 2) Someone who had been working as an ibanking associate at a BB before going back for their MBA? The person with the relevant pre-MBA experience clearly has an advantage, both because they've gotten their feet wet and because they have demonstrated a commitment to the field (as opposed to someone who (apparently) thinks "geez, I have an MBA now... might as well try to be an ibanker (because it's fashionable and pays well)."
I'm not trying to imply that people can't switch into finance careers after MBA school if they don't have pre-MBA finance experience, but it's so much easier if you know what you're getting into and can communicate that, both in an interview, and through your resume, to a potential employer. Of course there are exceptions. For example, someone who has expertise an unusual industry (mining and energy come to mind) will probably be able to make the jump more easily since those skills are not necessarily easy to find.