4. Embrace change: Nothing is set in stone, Fox notes.
Internships are a great way to test the waters in a new role or industry. If it isn't a good fit, students can still change course without losing much ground, he says. "They work in this field for a summer and say, 'Oh no, that's not for me,'" Fox says. "They still have a full year to redirect themselves."
[Read about on-demand career coaching for M.B.A. students.]
It's even OK to change directions after graduation, says Lieberum, an Olin M.B.A. student.
"Focusing on one thing doesn't mean you're locked into that for the rest of your life," Lieberum says. "There is room to grow both within a concentration, and laterally into other functions as your experience, knowledge, and interests grow."
5. Follow your passion: Let your natural interests guide you and the concentration will fall into place, says Peggy Bishop Lane, deputy vice dean of the graduate division at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
If the degree focus areas available within your M.B.A. program don't match up with your passions, carve out your own path, Bishop Lane says.
For Lieberum, who recently accepted a finance internship with General Motors, following his interests was the key to choosing his concentration.
"Having a passion and an excitement about a company and an industry… is more important than any of the other considerations."
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raj kumar of AZ 8:20AM October 24, 2012
Super MBA 6:43AM February 20, 2012
Martik 2:09AM February 07, 2012