Top Law Schools

Hey Folks,

First of all, thanks for all the helpful inputs/advice I've gotten here throughout LSAT/application process. I'll be attending a T14 this coming fall (think MVPDC). With ~4-5 years of work experience, I'm considering applying for my MBA after 1L.

My question is - would it be worth it considering I already have a UG business degree from a top-5 business program (think Haas/Ross/Stern)?

And yes, I believe my goals post-LS align with JD/MBA, given I'm interested in some sort of gov't regulatory positions and/or business-related law positions (M&A, Corp Lit, etc.).

I'm sure the 'education' portion would be redundant between the MBA and my UG degree, but I'm wondering if the networking and 'signaling' to firms would be worth the extra year and cost?

MBA adds value even if you have an undergraduate business degree, unless you want to do finance and went to Wharton for undergrad.

xxxxxx123 wrote:Hey Folks,

First of all, thanks for all the helpful inputs/advice I've gotten here throughout LSAT/application process. I'll be attending a T14 this coming fall (think MVPDC). With ~4-5 years of work experience, I'm considering applying for my MBA after 1L.

My question is - would it be worth it considering I already have a UG business degree from a top-5 business program (think Haas/Ross/Stern)?

And yes, I believe my goals post-LS align with JD/MBA, given I'm interested in some sort of gov't regulatory positions and/or business-related law positions (M&A, Corp Lit, etc.).

I'm sure the 'education' portion would be redundant between the MBA and my UG degree, but I'm wondering if the networking and 'signaling' to firms would be worth the extra year and cost?

I was in the same boat as you and decided not to do the MBA. The education seemed redundant and the additional tuition just seemed too high. However, what I didn't account for was the social aspects of business school, which are far more important than the classroom education. I probably still wouldn't do the JD/MBA, because I spent 4 years studying this stuff anyway and can still meet great people elsewhere, but that's a conscious decision that the social networking aspects of business school alone are not worth 80k (plus not working for one more year) to me. Keep in mind that there are benefits other than the education, but also don't feel like you need an MBA for M&A work. the undergrad business degree will give you all the leg up that you need. Many people going into M&A still can't read financial statements when they start working.

Any reason you can't be more specific on school? The 3-year joint program with Wharton is more advisable than a four-year at Duke or Cornell.

kartelite wrote:Any reason you can't be more specific on school? The 3-year joint program with Wharton is more advisable than a four-year at Duke or Cornell.

It's one of MVD, and it's a 4-yr program. I'd be more inclined to take the chance with Penn/Wharton for the exact same reason.

It seems like you're leaning toward legal work with a business focus rather than vice-versa, in which case the extra cost and time wouldn't make it worth it for career prospects alone. I do think that the JD/MBA provides a decent bump in law firm hiring, but not enough to justify it in many cases if you're planning on being a practicing attorney, especially if you already have a strong business background. However, once you begin law school, if you end up thinking you might want to take a different route then it might make sense to apply for the joint program. The b school experience is completely different from law school (I'm a dual degree student but more focused on a business career), so I'd look into it more when you're on campus and try to talk to students in your school's program to get a better feel if it may be for you.

general rule is dual degrees are relatively useless in a practical sense and a lost year of earning potential you're not going to make up for (especially when spending like 80K extra on it).

As it's not the wharton three year, and because you sound like you want to be a lawyer and not a business gentleman, overall, I would pretty strongly advise against it.

Thanks for the replies! Yes, I'm strongly leaning towards a legal career, and given my business UG, I think the opportunity cost of tacking on the MBA would be too high for my taste as well.

Well, your responses confirm my hunch, but we'll see how it goes once I'm in school!

Are you sure that the coursework would be redundant between an undergraduate (BBA) business degree & MBA coursework ?

Wouldn't you just receive a course waiver for the basic/fundamental coursework which you have already completed & take more advanced or elective courses for your MBA degree ?

CanadianWolf wrote:Are you sure that the coursework would be redundant between an undergraduate (BBA) business degree & MBA coursework ?

Wouldn't you just receive a course waiver for the basic/fundamental coursework which you have already completed & take more advanced or elective courses for your MBA degree ?

Hm, that's an interesting Q. Haven't looked at that yet - I'll do some more digging-through to find out!

CanadianWolf wrote:Are you sure that the coursework would be redundant between an undergraduate (BBA) business degree & MBA coursework ?

Wouldn't you just receive a course waiver for the basic/fundamental coursework which you have already completed & take more advanced or elective courses for your MBA degree ?

MBA programs do not give waivers for classes you took as an undergrad (maybe there are some exceptions, but I don't know of any at top schools). I think Wharton gives an exemption if you have CPA/CFA (passed level 2) for certain courses, and at most M7 schools (not Harvard) you can take exams that let you waive core courses (without receiving credit). I passed the PhD qualifiers (probably more difficult than any undergrad b school course you took) in a "core" discipline but nevertheless couldn't skip the MBA introductory course without passing the "exemption" exam.

The point of b school isn't really the rigor of coursework, sure you can learn some good things but most of it you could do Will Hunting style. It is primarily intangible benefits, and as wishy-washy as that sounds you don't see many people who regretted making the decision to attend (at least compared to law school).

xxxxxx123 wrote:I'm sure the 'education' portion would be redundant between the MBA and my UG degree, but I'm wondering if the networking and 'signaling' to firms would be worth the extra year and cost?

Just go with your gut.