Making The Most Of B-School: Advice From The Best & Brightest Business Majors

Jessica Mersten

Jessica Mersten

Find Guides and Mentors 

“I would advise reaching out to as many professionals as possible for informational interviews in areas of business that interest you. This will help you target electives and internships that would give you valuable experience while allowing you to apply coursework to the real world.”  – Jessica Mersten, University of California, Berkeley (Haas)

“I would advise them to ask questions of their peers and of those mentors that they look up to. Learn from them and find an area of interest and passion.”  – Tanner Stutz, Brigham Young University (Marriott)

“Reach out to people you know in business! There is so much variety in the field of business that you can only really begin to understand your opportunities by reaching out to people who have been there and done that.”  – Joseph Couture, University of Florida (Warrington)

“Surround yourself with mentors in fields you are interested in, make sure studying business is something you are passionate about, and never compromise your sense of integrity once you enter the working world.” – Austin Evers, Wake Forest University

Amjed Osman

Amjed Osman

“Find out which parts of business excite you by talking to people who work in business-related fields. Listen to them share stories about the work they do and what their passions are. Get online and read about different careers and businesses. Search for companies you love and see what a career in business looks like at that company, and then ask people around you to connect you with someone there so you can talk to them.” – Amjed Osman, Ohio State University (Fisher)

Learn Outside of School

“My biggest piece of advice I would give a student looking to major in business is to study abroad. I got the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain during the summer after my sophomore year. Studying abroad expanded my global perspective and challenged me to adapt and learn in a foreign environment. Study abroad teaches you about the world, and you learn a great deal about yourself in the process.” – Cara Grandstaff, University of Florida (Warrington)

“Take the opportunity to intern early and often. Interning not only gives you relevant work experience to use as a springboard for your desired full-time positions, it grants you greater polish and maturity when operating in a business environment.”  – Elana Burton, Georgia Tech University

“I would share the best piece of advice I was ever given – maximize your option value. Specifically, jumpstart your collegiate experience by taking classes and securing internships or research assignments that will allow you to continue learning and developing classroom skills.” – Faith Lyons, University of Virginia (Mcintire)

“I would advise prospective business students to read about emerging businesses, both successful and unsuccessful, and discover what about these businesses interests them, such as technology, branding, or industry. From there, students can look further into these business areas to develop more specific interests and learn about any possible career paths there. If a student can find a career path or multiple paths through their business interests, they can better hone their studies and seek networks and internships to explore these interests further. It’s important that students take advantage of their four years of college to discover their passions within business and test them through summer work experiences, because business opens infinite opportunities that can feel overwhelming to the beginning business student.” – Rachel Fowler, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)

Georgetown's Sarah Renwick Long

Georgetown’s Sarah Renwick Long

Address Specific Skill Sets

“First, pay attention in that introductory Excel class.  Every Excel tool you learn in school will be valuable for years to come.”  – Sarah Long, Georgetown University (McDonough)

“Second, not all business programs give adequate training in writing.  If you don’t feel like your writing skills are being challenged in college and improving each semester, then pick up some English, Philosophy, or Theology courses to expand your skill set.” – Sarah Long, Georgetown University (McDonough)

Set Goals For Yourself

“Figure out what your long-term vision is in life or what legacy do you hope to leave at your respective community. Once reflecting on that, I would use that “vision” to both structure and form your unique path to find and make opportunities to achieve it. Although cliché, whether or not you reach that goal is out of the question. Rather, the learning and personal development you experienced first-hand through that entire process is what is more exciting.”  – Murali Joshi, University of Southern California (Marshall)

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