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Anybody a part of the Accelerated J.D. program at Northwestern or know someone who is? If so, what are your/their impressions in terms of the program's curriculum, job placement, etc.? It seemed that NU's initial pitch for the program a few years back was a bit business heavy. I am wondering if the orientation of the program has changed in its first few years and whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

mjd wrote:Anybody a part of the Accelerated J.D. program at Northwestern or know someone who is? If so, what are your/their impressions in terms of the program's curriculum, job placement, etc.? It seemed that NU's initial pitch for the program a few years back was a bit business heavy. I am wondering if the orientation of the program has changed in its first few years and whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

My Northwestern JD-MBA interviewer (alum) told me the AJD program was "kind of a failure" when I mentioned it as one of DVZ's impacts on the school. She said that the graduates were having a hard time getting jobs, but I don't know how much that means coming from someone who has been out for a few years.

Feel free to PM me any specific questions you may have. I may not respond this evening though.

I believe our job placement stats are similar to the regular class. Keep in mind, we do have more WE compared to the regular class, so I would say the program is a slight hindrance to getting a job, but not a ton. I say that because, theoretically, the extra WE should have us outperforming the regular class by a bit if firms really do care about WE.

I definitely don't think it's a failure, but I also wouldn't call it a great success at this point.

mjd wrote:whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

definitely not. if you're thinking PI it's almost certainly a bad fit.

IAFG wrote:

mjd wrote:whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

definitely not. if you're thinking PI it's almost certainly a bad fit.

might be useful in fundraising, getting a management position in a non-profit...


maybe... what do I know

Borhas wrote:

IAFG wrote:

mjd wrote:whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

definitely not. if you're thinking PI it's almost certainly a bad fit.

might be useful in fundraising, getting a management position in a non-profit...


maybe... what do I know

You could do that without a JD, even at 2 years there are other degrees that help you more with that.

I don't think it was a great time to launch the program. Employers are skittish ITE and recruiting from a class that has only one semester worth of grades is unsettling for them.

I think the AJD program is best for people it was actually meant for... ones with an existing career they want to go back to who want to get the JD with as little time away from work as possible.

rayiner wrote:I don't think it was a great time to launch the program. Employers are skittish ITE and recruiting from a class that has only one semester worth of grades is unsettling for them.

I think the AJD program is best for people it was actually meant for... ones with an existing career they want to go back to who want to get the JD with as little time away from work as possible.

Sounds like me, I really do like the idea behind it. I just wish I could have more info to compared to a better ranked traditional program.

r6_philly wrote:

rayiner wrote:I don't think it was a great time to launch the program. Employers are skittish ITE and recruiting from a class that has only one semester worth of grades is unsettling for them.

I think the AJD program is best for people it was actually meant for... ones with an existing career they want to go back to who want to get the JD with as little time away from work as possible.

Sounds like me, I really do like the idea behind it. I just wish I could have more info to compared to a better ranked traditional program.

Compare what? If you want to get a job through OCI, etc, you should do a traditional program. The idea behind the AJD is that you get the degree and return to the career you had before with the new qualification. You can't really compare outcomes between the two scenarios.

There is an AJD taking questions thread. I was faced with this choice and two of them from TLS were very helpful.

Rumors on campus are that the AJD got hyper competitive because 30 people on a curve with the economy being so brutal. That is different from how my section is. Nobody is really that competitive. At least not yet.

rayiner wrote:

r6_philly wrote:

rayiner wrote:I don't think it was a great time to launch the program. Employers are skittish ITE and recruiting from a class that has only one semester worth of grades is unsettling for them.

I think the AJD program is best for people it was actually meant for... ones with an existing career they want to go back to who want to get the JD with as little time away from work as possible.

Sounds like me, I really do like the idea behind it. I just wish I could have more info to compared to a better ranked traditional program.

Compare what? If you want to get a job through OCI, etc, you should do a traditional program. The idea behind the AJD is that you get the degree and return to the career you had before with the new qualification. You can't really compare outcomes between the two scenarios.

That isn't how they sell it. They sell it as getting back to the work force in general faster.

IMO they should have just opened a PT program. I would have done it no question.

rayiner wrote:

r6_philly wrote:

rayiner wrote:I don't think it was a great time to launch the program. Employers are skittish ITE and recruiting from a class that has only one semester worth of grades is unsettling for them.

I think the AJD program is best for people it was actually meant for... ones with an existing career they want to go back to who want to get the JD with as little time away from work as possible.

Sounds like me, I really do like the idea behind it. I just wish I could have more info to compared to a better ranked traditional program.

Compare what? If you want to get a job through OCI, etc, you should do a traditional program. The idea behind the AJD is that you get the degree and return to the career you had before with the new qualification. You can't really compare outcomes between the two scenarios.

This sound like an executive program would be better than a full-time JD program. Maybe the PT program mentioned by DF is a better program for these type of degree seekers.

They are not selling AJD like this. They are marketing as you can participate OCI with 2L's in your first fall so you can get save a year off the JD. They are charging 3 years worth of tuition, so I am trying to compare it to a 3-year program. So if the AJD does not afford the same options as a 3-year program, then it really isn't that attractive. MBA is more portable for an existing career than a JD is. If I get a JD I want to have access to legal employment should I choose to.

r6_philly wrote:
This sound like an executive program would be better than a full-time JD program. Maybe the PT program mentioned by DF is a better program for these type of degree seekers.

They are not selling AJD like this. They are marketing as you can participate OCI with 2L's in your first fall so you can get save a year off the JD. They are charging 3 years worth of tuition, so I am trying to compare it to a 3-year program. So if the AJD does not afford the same options as a 3-year program, then it really isn't that attractive. MBA is more portable for an existing career than a JD is. If I get a JD I want to have access to legal employment should I choose to.

no, they aren't marketing it that way, and at its inception, they probably thought these students would find jobs through OCI, but that's not really something to bet on ITE. there are people, however, who were working in JD-preferred positions who have the connections and skills to get back into that, and for them AJD makes sense in a way MBA doesn't.

IAFG wrote:

r6_philly wrote:
This sound like an executive program would be better than a full-time JD program. Maybe the PT program mentioned by DF is a better program for these type of degree seekers.

They are not selling AJD like this. They are marketing as you can participate OCI with 2L's in your first fall so you can get save a year off the JD. They are charging 3 years worth of tuition, so I am trying to compare it to a 3-year program. So if the AJD does not afford the same options as a 3-year program, then it really isn't that attractive. MBA is more portable for an existing career than a JD is. If I get a JD I want to have access to legal employment should I choose to.

no, they aren't marketing it that way, and at its inception, they probably thought these students would find jobs through OCI, but that's not really something to bet on ITE. there are people, however, who were working in JD-preferred positions who have the connections and skills to get back into that, and for them AJD makes sense in a way MBA doesn't.

I agree that the AJD has a place, but I disagree that they don't try to push it as just a faster JD, just as good as a regular one.

Desert Fox wrote:
I agree that the AJD has a place, but I disagree that they don't try to push it as just a faster JD, just as good as a regular one.

is anyone saying that? i wasn't...

IAFG wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:
I agree that the AJD has a place, but I disagree that they don't try to push it as just a faster JD, just as good as a regular one.

is anyone saying that? i wasn't...

TBF you know I'm not technically literate.

IAFG wrote:

r6_philly wrote:
This sound like an executive program would be better than a full-time JD program. Maybe the PT program mentioned by DF is a better program for these type of degree seekers.

They are not selling AJD like this. They are marketing as you can participate OCI with 2L's in your first fall so you can get save a year off the JD. They are charging 3 years worth of tuition, so I am trying to compare it to a 3-year program. So if the AJD does not afford the same options as a 3-year program, then it really isn't that attractive. MBA is more portable for an existing career than a JD is. If I get a JD I want to have access to legal employment should I choose to.

no, they aren't marketing it that way, and at its inception, they probably thought these students would find jobs through OCI, but that's not really something to bet on ITE. there are people, however, who were working in JD-preferred positions who have the connections and skills to get back into that, and for them AJD makes sense in a way MBA doesn't.

My only knowledge of the AJD is from my interview, so I say they are marketing it that way.

r6_philly wrote:
My only knowledge of the AJD is from my interview, so I say they are marketing it that way.

i am sorry, i was unclear. i am saying, they aren't marketing it the way we are describing the program, but it still has a place

Thanks for the helpful responses. I think I am going to apply for the traditional J.D. program at NU.

And thanks, Sauer Grapes; I may send you a follow-up PM about it.

bdubs wrote:

mjd wrote:Anybody a part of the Accelerated J.D. program at Northwestern or know someone who is? If so, what are your/their impressions in terms of the program's curriculum, job placement, etc.? It seemed that NU's initial pitch for the program a few years back was a bit business heavy. I am wondering if the orientation of the program has changed in its first few years and whether it is a good option for someone who is not so interested in the business/corporate dimension of law.

My Northwestern JD-MBA interviewer (alum) told me the AJD program was "kind of a failure" when I mentioned it as one of DVZ's impacts on the school. She said that the graduates were having a hard time getting jobs, but I don't know how much that means coming from someone who has been out for a few years.

well, i guess this solves the "should i go for NWU AJD or NYU JD?" question for me

Actually, if you look at AJD placement for the first AJD class (2011), they appear to be somewhat better than overall for the NU 2011 class. I don't know about summer placement for 2012. On one hand the group had more work experience, which is a slight positive. But on the other hand, they had to explain their program to the world which was a slight negative that future classes won't have. But with that said, AJDs interviewing for traditional law firms don't seem to have suffered. The clerkship placement was also decent.

But generally, I agree with the pervious poster, that the program is ideal for people going to non-law firm jobs where a JD is useful. In many management positions in government or with regulated industries, a JD is actually more valuable than an MBA. And as the AJD program lets you get a JD is two years, it can be a compelling alternative.