Getting MBA before going to law school Forum

[Worthington]

I have a question about getting my MBA before I apply to law school. I recently completed my undergrad degree and took a job offer as an admissions officer for a local liberal arts college. One of the benefits of working at the college is that I can receive free tuition for their masters programs, so I've been thinking heavily about pursuing my MBA degree to take advantage of this perk.

Will this be of any benefit if/when I decide to apply for law school (in all likelihood, around 2 to 3 years from now)? My only concern with this college's MBA program is that it's accredited by the ACBSB rather than the more prestigious AACSB. Most of the MBA programs at the smaller, liberal arts colleges in the region are accredited by the ACBSB and the larger state universities are accredited by the AACSB.

Again my question is in regards to a law school admission decision. Will getting my MBA be any help in the admission process, and if so, will the ACBSB versus AACSB accreditation have a factor in this? Even though the program will be of no cost anyway, I don't want to waste my time on getting this degree if it's going to be totally useless to me in the future.

[ebuyan]

It all depends on the MBA program. If you are coming from a top program (Harvard, Yale, NW, Stanford, Wharton) your chances are certainly higher but even if you do not go to a top school I would still advise you to only do AACSB. It is more rigorous and Law schools know this.

I am going through the process now, studying for my LSATs and applying to Law school - already have my MBA although not from a top school, but it is AACSB - For Law school I am hoping to get in Cardozo, Fordham or Brooklyn if my LSAT scores are good, not worried about my GPA since it has been 3.9/3.8 throughout undergrad/grad.

Eugene Buyanovsky
Flex Time MBA
Zicklin School of Business
GPA: 3.8

[Hawkeye Pierce]

No, it won't help much or at all with admissions.

Why are you even getting an MBA if you want a JD? Do you want to do law or business?

Employers during OCI are going to wonder if you even want to work for their firm.

[MrPapagiorgio]

It won't hurt for admissions, but it probably won't help that much, either. Don't get an MBA because it's "free."

[ebuyan]

Some people get both together, doing a joint MBA/JD if they can/have the time, others may do it separately. I personally am not looking to be a lawyer but a JD has been an interest of mine (hone my critical thinking skills, research, Socratic method) for some time and in my opinion will be an asset for the future by opening doors that would otherwise be very difficult to even approach.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Some people get both together, doing a joint MBA/JD if they can/have the time, others may do it separately. I personally am not looking to be a lawyer but a JD has been an interest of mine (hone my critical thinking skills, research, Socratic method) for some time and in my opinion will be an asset for the future by opening doors that would otherwise be very difficult to even approach.

If you don't even want to be a lawyer, then you shouldn't be getting a JD.

[UCLAtransfer]

Some people get both together, doing a joint MBA/JD if they can/have the time, others may do it separately. I personally am not looking to be a lawyer but a JD has been an interest of mine (hone my critical thinking skills, research, Socratic method) for some time and in my opinion will be an asset for the future by opening doors that would otherwise be very difficult to even approach.

This is such a terrible idea for so many reasons.

[Worthington]

I'm not understanding why getting an MBA prior to going to law school is such a bad thing, particularly since many law schools are now offering dual JD/MBA programs.

Given the replies I understand that it may not help me in the admissions process, but I don't see the correlation between getting an MBA prior to attending law school and the "you can go into business or go into law, but not both" mentality.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Use the search function

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0#p4648539

http://www.top-law-schools.com/archives ... ?f=2&t=296

[bdubs]

Do you have any prior business education/experience? I think you might be in one of the few situations where it makes sense to get an MBA from a program outside of the M7. As long as it didn't delay your law school or cost you much in the way of incidentals (books, required trips, etc..) I see some benefit in having the formal education in accounting, finance, and general management. Don't expect any future employers to be wowed by it, but if you let them know that you did it to further your own education and bring something to your legal practice, then I think they would get it (mention it was free).

ETA: I don't think it will help with admissions to top schools, but some lower ranked programs may like it. It's probably a waste of time if you're concerned about admissions rather than a slight bump in career prospects.

[MrKappus]

Some people get both together, doing a joint MBA/JD if they can/have the time, others may do it separately. I personally am not looking to be a lawyer but a JD has been an interest of mine (hone my critical thinking skills, research, Socratic method) for some time and in my opinion will be an asset for the future by opening doors that would otherwise be very difficult to even approach.

A JD is "an asset for the future" if your future's being a lawyer. hth

[ADks]

I will graduate with my MBA this year. I'm going to law school next year. If you are interested in a specialized line of work a JD CAN help you. For instance, I work in the athletics department of a university, a JD is preferred by many athletics departments in terms of hiring for compliance positions. Also, many athletics directors started in compliance, have JD's, but now are in charge of major collegiate programs.

You don't HAVE to be a traditional "lawyer". A JD may not be as flexible as you think, but it is good if you know what you want to do.

[BlakcMajikc]

I got an MBA. Now I'm heading to top-law-schools.com is good.
If its free, get the MBA. It can only help with your apps. I also really enjoyed my MBA courses and the learning experience.

[Transferthrowaway]

There are ~10 business schools that are worth going to.

[BlakcMajikc]

There are ~10 business schools that are worth going to.

false. try again.

[Transferthrowaway]

There are ~10 business schools that are worth going to.

false. try again.

In my personal opinion, there are ~10 business schools that I would consider attending.

[bdubs]

There are ~10 business schools that are worth going to.

false. try again.

In my personal opinion, there are ~10 business schools that I would consider attending.

Businessweek is willing to go one better and put out there that M7 or bust is a reasonable stance.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/bl ... _bust.html

[descartesb4thehorse]

Use the search function

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0#p4648539

http://www.top-law-schools.com/archives ... ?f=2&t=296

That archived thread was really interesting. I can't imagine TLS being incredibly informative, with grammatically-correct advice, and no trolling. Most of those posters did go on to become the class of 2009 or 2010 though, so

[Kabuo]

You're at a lib arts college. If it's free, wouldn't an MA there be more "prestigous" and more interesting?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I got an MBA. Now I'm heading to top-law-schools.com is good.
If its free, get the MBA. It can only help with your apps. I also really enjoyed my MBA courses and the learning experience.

Not the point:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/archives ... ?f=2&t=296

a[n] MBA adds little and can even be a hindrance at times. For most law firms, they want applicants who did well in law school and give only marginal value to the MBA, even for those practicing corporate law. Some firms even view the MBA as a negative, for it can be seen as a lack of commitment to the legal field as leaving for business is now a viable option.

Businessweek is willing to go one better and put out there that M7 or bust is a reasonable stance.

+1

[icpb]

Saying M7 or bust for MBA is like saying Ivy League or bust for college. While HBS and Stanford are on a tier of their own and Wharton's a distant third, Kellogg, Sloan, Columbia, Tuck, Booth, Haas, Stern, and Yale are comparable to each other.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Saying M7 or bust for MBA is like saying Ivy League or bust for college. While HBS and Stanford are on a tier of their own and Wharton's a distant third, Kellogg, Sloan, Columbia, Tuck, Booth, Haas, Stern, and Yale are comparable to each other.

Not really. It's more like saying T14 or bust for law schools.

[latnem]

There are ~10 business schools that are worth going to.

false. try again.

In my personal opinion, there are ~10 business schools that I would consider attending.

Businessweek is willing to go one better and put out there that M7 or bust is a reasonable stance.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/bl ... _bust.html

All that article is saying is that a debate exists as to the value of an MBA from a school out side the M7, not that Business Week advocates that position.

[bdubs]

false. try again.

In my personal opinion, there are ~10 business schools that I would consider attending.

Businessweek is willing to go one better and put out there that M7 or bust is a reasonable stance.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/bl ... _bust.html

All that article is saying is that a debate exists as to the value of an MBA from a school out side the M7, not that Business Week advocates that position.

Are you a 0L? The acknowledgement that a debate exists is tantamount to validating the validity of both points of view.

[bdubs]

Saying M7 or bust for MBA is like saying Ivy League or bust for college. While HBS and Stanford are on a tier of their own and Wharton's a distant third, Kellogg, Sloan, Columbia, Tuck, Booth, Haas, Stern, and Yale are comparable to each other.

Not really. It's more like saying T14 or bust for law schools.

+1 - GSB and HBS are actually not nearly as far removed from the rest of the M7 as HYS are from the T14.