How Do You Decide on Bschool Concentration?

Question

What is the best way to choose bschool concentration/specialty?

Did you decide already or if not, how will you decide?
Would it depend on your school's reputation and specialty? (Kellogg - Marketing, Wharton - Finance)
Would it depend on your personal preference?
Or, will you major in whatever that will land you a job?

domtri33 · Answer

What if what you really want to do, because you have some sort of "passion" for it, happens to fall into the IB/PE/VC/MC domain? Is that still considered chasing the $$?

highhopes · Answer

I wouldn't quite say I know because I'll follow my heart. It's more like, if I have to work for entire life, I'll pick something that I might have a shot at enjoying that still allows me to live decently. I think any job is a lesser of two evils kind of thing :-D

ozzie123 · Answer

I follow my passion... which is money :lol:

isa · Answer

I voted 'other.' I'm not sure - I'll just figure it out as I go

sondenso · Answer

Money is for sure! :-D

pm4553 · Answer

For me, whatever I decide, never works out. But, hoping money should work out

I'll chose what I want to do - speciality, GM for me.

Jerz · Answer

It seems like the poll options are a mix of concentrations (eg school specialities) and career paths (IB/HF/etc). I have a pretty good sense of what I want to do following graduation, and hope to refine that goal through talking with students, career services, alumni, company presentations, etc. Then I'll take the courses that will either best prepare me for that career, or that I think would be interesting, and let the concentrations fall where they may.

terp26 · Answer

I'll probably get 2 or 3 concentrations. Right now I am thinking marketing,strategy,finance. But I guess that can change.

Toubab · Answer

Why would you go to B-school if you didn't already have a pretty good idea of what you wanted to do? I'm following my professional interests into school... I figured everyone else was doing the same thing (or whoring themselves for money).

rhyme · Answer

I basically just took the classes that interested me, and whatever that happened to give me, is whatever that happened to give me.

As it stands I'll end up with three concentrations - for sure finance, strategy and entrepreneurship. I may also end up with organizational behavior, but it depends what i end up taking next quarter.

isa · Answer

Well for me, I have an idea of the concentrations I'd like but if I take a course and am fascinated by something entirely different, I'm open to changing/adding to the concentrations

bostonsparky · Answer

I think a lot of people choose B school with some idea of what they want to do, but I think one really limits themselves if they enter B school with only one out. I guarantee if you polled a bunch of bschool entrants in 1989 asking what they wanted to do, there'd be some overlap with today's answers (banking, finance, marketing etc) but many other differences (way more in technology, consulting, venture capital, social enterprise, healthcare etc etc). I'm sure in 20 years, when all of us will still be very much mid-career, we will have seen just as many changes. By being in Bschool you are going to have exposure to different areas/specialties that you probably never even considered before. As a result I feel that while one should have some idea of what they want(very easy to get overwhelmed if you don't), they should at least sample some other options.

For example, I know I really want to get into international business and made that a big determining factor on how I selected schools. But why didn't I apply to Thunderbird or Moore(the #1 and #2 schools in intl bus by US News)? Because I didn't want to pigeonhole myself.

Anonymous · Answer

Right now I am thinking finance, strategy and either entrepreneurship or marketing.

I figure I'll play it by ear like some others have said, and if I end up liking a certain subject I'll go ahead and change it. Money is a definite factor for me, but I know with myself - money will come if I enjoy what I do. If I went the IB/MC route because of the salary, I know I would burn out because I wouldn't enjoy it, and end up not making as much long-term.

How Do You Decide on Bschool Concentration?

How Will You Decide on Bschool Concentration?

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