American U. JD/MPA Program Forum

[jjlaw]

Anyone have any insight? I'm looking into this program because I'd like to get some nonprofit managerial experience. Any thoughts on job prospects for this program or dual degrees for JD/MPA programs in general? Thanks.

[bk1]

AU's JD prospects are poor, not sure about their JD/MPA but I would tend to assume it isn't gonna change the prospects much.

[nealric]

If you want to manage nonprofits, just get the MPA.

[jarofsoup]

AU's JD prospects are poor, not sure about their JD/MPA but I would tend to assume it isn't gonna change the prospects much.

American does not do that bad. It matters where you want to work. DC is a saturated market...1-6 are lawyers, but this does not mean that American doesn't do well in the surrounding markets or on the hill.

I am starting to learn more that outside that top 14 Class rank is much more of an important factor than school rank as employement goes.

So American prospects are poor if you do poor at American.

[jetlagz28]

American is not a bad choice for what you are interested in. Top-law-schools has a bias against AU because of its price (its about the same as any other school but the school barely gives out $) and location in a saturated market.

American still places well regardless of having Georgetown and GW next door.

[bk1]

American does not do that bad. It matters where you want to work. DC is a saturated market...1-6 are lawyers, but this does not mean that American doesn't do well in the surrounding markets or on the hill.

I am starting to learn more that outside that top 14 Class rank is much more of an important factor than school rank as employement goes.

So American prospects are poor if you do poor at American.

... Really?

My definition for schools is the better you need to do to get an equivalent job, the worse a school is. On that metric, AU is bad. Of course being top 5% at AU is a good place to be, but that doesn't mean it is a good school.

[jarofsoup]

American does not do that bad. It matters where you want to work. DC is a saturated market...1-6 are lawyers, but this does not mean that American doesn't do well in the surrounding markets or on the hill.

I am starting to learn more that outside that top 14 Class rank is much more of an important factor than school rank as employement goes.

So American prospects are poor if you do poor at American.

... Really?

My definition for schools is the better you need to do to get an equivalent job, the worse a school is. On that metric, AU is bad. Of course being top 5% at AU is a good place to be, but that doesn't mean it is a good school.

I think we have different scales. I think it is a good school, not a great school, but not a bad school. Its in the middle. Look at top law firm offices in DC there are a lot of American Grads in them. I am sure there are some American grads on K street too.

Its a Teir 1 school, it is accredited, it places in the top firms, it is reputible. You work hard and it could take you places that makes it good to me.

Its better than Howard, George Mason, and U of DC, which are bad schools.

GWU and Georgetown are better. I really really like GWU. Have you visited?

So if you cant get into those other schools American is not dooming.

[HeavenWood]

Not that I think American is bad, but is it actually better than GMU?

[jarofsoup]

Not that I think American is bad, but is it actually better than GMU?

I dont know much about GMU never I know it is very right wing, but that doesnt make it bad.

[Grizz]

I think we have different scales. I think it is a good school, not a great school, but not a bad school. Its in the middle. Look at top law firm offices in DC there are a lot of American Grads in them. I am sure there are some American grads on K street too.

Past hiring does not correlate to future hiring if ITE has been any indication

Its a Teir 1 school, it is accredited, it places in the top firms, it is reputible. You work hard and it could take you places that makes it good to me.

Hard work does not necessarily correlate with good grades. Also T1 is a relatively meaningless category. American also placed 15% into top firms, which is quite underwhelming.

So if you cant get into those other schools American is not dooming.

This is silly. Going to Cooley is not dooming. Going to any law school is not dooming. But the chances of paying back your debt get worse.

[jarofsoup]

I think we have different scales. I think it is a good school, not a great school, but not a bad school. Its in the middle. Look at top law firm offices in DC there are a lot of American Grads in them. I am sure there are some American grads on K street too.

Past hiring does not correlate to future hiring if ITE has been any indication

Its a Teir 1 school, it is accredited, it places in the top firms, it is reputible. You work hard and it could take you places that makes it good to me.

Hard work does not necessarily correlate with good grades. Also T1 is a relatively meaningless category. American also placed 15% into top firms, which is quite underwhelming.

So if you cant get into those other schools American is not dooming.

This is silly. Going to Cooley is not dooming. Going to any law school is not dooming. But the chances of paying back your debt get worse.

Hey man the school I really want to go to is GWU. I would not move to DC to go there though, unlike GWU.

I am beginning to think you are one of those lucky people who got a full ride some how. This true?

[Grizz]

And your point is? 15% hiring to top firms is very normal for the rank. How many did it place into mid range firms? How does this compare to GWU. Being a person who is T14 or bust is very unrealistic.

"Normal for the rank?" Lulz. That means absolutely nothing. 15%, for the debt you will likely incur, is bad bad bad.

Mid range firms don't ordinarily hire many new graduates, which is the problem. Also they don't pay money that will enable you to service your debt, generally.

GW doubled American's big firm placement.

I'm not at a T14 right now, either. But American at anywhere close to sticker is a bad idea.

[jarofsoup]

And your point is? 15% hiring to top firms is very normal for the rank. How many did it place into mid range firms? How does this compare to GWU. Being a person who is T14 or bust is very unrealistic.

"Normal for the rank?" Lulz. That means absolutely nothing. 15%, for the debt you will likely incur, is bad bad bad.

Mid range firms don't ordinarily hire many new graduates, which is the problem. Also they don't pay money that will enable you to service your debt, generally.

GW doubled American's big firm placement.

I'm not at a T14 right now, either. But American at anywhere close to sticker is a bad idea.

I guess ill take your word for it.

I think your posts about debt and crappy schools have convinced me to retake the lsat in Oct.

I would think that a school like American atleast places as well as other schools in the bottom 50 like Santa Clara, but I guess Cali is a much bigger market, and then there is the Sillicon Valley..

So would you pick Santa Clara over American?

[gdane]

AU's not that bad. In many other cities it would be the #1 school, but because it shares a market with GW and GT, it gets a bad rep. The fact that it costs close to what GW costs doesnt help. Still, its not that bad. AU grads place decently in biglaw for a school of their "rank" and they do well in government/PI.

[cavebat2000]

I just graduated from the AU MPA program and am now at Duke doing my JD.

I can not comment on AU's JD program but I can on their MPA program. If you want to know details you should probably PM me.

[bk1]

I guess ill take your word for it.

I think your posts about debt and crappy schools have convinced me to retake the lsat in Oct.

I would think that a school like American atleast places as well as other schools in the bottom 50 like Santa Clara, but I guess Cali is a much bigger market, and then there is the Sillicon Valley..

So would you pick Santa Clara over American?

SF isn't that big of a legal market. I don't think the Silicon Valley is either.

Prospects out of both of these are slim due to being overshadowed by much better regional schools in the area (GW, UCD, UCH) on top of the fact that DC is very competitive and SF is a very small market. Also keep in mind that these are popular markets so you are competing with tons of people from the T14. What it really comes down to for SCU vs AU is whether you want to work in DC or the Bay Area. If you really can't get into better schools and don't really care where you work, I would suggest a regional school that isn't so overshadowed by stronger regional schools and the T14 (think: UNLV, UConn, etc).

Thankfully you are doing the best possible thing for yourself by retaking. Good luck.