Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school Forum

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bernaldiaz

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Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bernaldiaz » Wed Oct 05, 2011 12:41 pm

Hello all,

As a current junior, the applications are coming due for programs such as the Harvard Business school 2+2 program, which has students work for two years and then earn an MBA in the next two years. My question is, if I am going to throw my hat in the ring for this program, do you see it having any detriment for when I apply to HLS? Will they see that I am applying to two entirely different graduate schools, and therefore not have a real vigor for either discipline?

Please don't preach that if I am thinking of also applying to business school I shouldn't even consider investing in law school. I know that the mantra on this website is to only go to law school if you are sure you want to practice law. I do want to be a lawyer, but I just believe that this HBS program would be an intriguing option as well were I to gain admittance.

Also, the studying for the GMAT and LSAT wouldn't conflict. I am at the University of Cambridge for the year now, so I would study for the GMAT this winter break (Dec 2- mid January) and take the test shortly thereafter. I always planned on taking the LSAT October of my senior year (I don't return from Cambridge until the end of June, upon which I will begin studying rigorously for the October test, so the June LSAT is unfortunately out of the question). HBS lets you know if you gained an interview the summer before senior year, so this whole process would wrap up nicely before my focus really needed to shift over to LSAT/application work.

Thanks!

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theadvancededit

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by theadvancededit » Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:15 pm

I would check first to see if you're even able to apply to both schools at once. Some schools mandate that you only apply to one program, per year, only.

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bernaldiaz

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bernaldiaz » Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:24 pm

Yes, I wondered the same. I researched (Googled) that question and didn't have much success finding an answer. Also, since the 2+2 application (assuming that like 90% of others, I would not be accepted) is entirely over by the time they even release their law school application, it may be handled differently than just a regular MBA candidate.

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theadvancededit

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by theadvancededit » Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:07 pm

You may have to contact an admissions rep for the answer. This, I'm sure, is a more common question that you might think.

bdubs

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bdubs » Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:46 pm

No this shouldn't be an issue from an admissions perspective. The only way I see this causing problems is if you apply to HLS too early. Don't apply in your first year of WE and think that 1L will count as your second year of experience.

It sounds like you are planning to apply to HLS in your senior year. This only makes sense if you don't get in to the HBS 2+2. Don't apply to HLS as a senior and ask for a long deferral, just apply after you've worked for at least a year of your 2 year requirement.
Last edited by bdubs on Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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CanadianWolf

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by CanadianWolf » Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:50 pm

Curious as to which universities mandate that applicants only apply to one program at a time.

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Detrox

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by Detrox » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:24 pm

I don't think this will hurt you at all for law school admissions. The focus is going to be on LSAT and GPA (+ other softs, but not really...) and if you can pass that bar this will not set you back. I have a good friend doing joint JD/MBA and there are plenty of others in these programs. The fact that these programs exist (jd/mba, jd/ma, even jd/phd etc), shows that law schools don't mind you pursuing other interests in addition to law (and in fact these diverse areas of expertise can make you a very attractive candidate for speciality markets). Just don't expect your participation in the program to Help your application any, although the uniqueness of the 2+2 program giving you work experience may help if you apply after completing it.

Note, this perspective may not be true for other graduate programs, as I know for example that PhD admissions tend to give a lot of focus and examination as to whether you are truly committed to that field and working towards a career in that field rather than just gaining another degree.

Finally, all of this may be moot without standardized test scores. Your aspirations suggest you have a solid gpa, but both programs are tough to get into and HLS may become a non-issue for you if you don't break 170.

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bernaldiaz

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bernaldiaz » Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:45 pm

Seems like there is a little misunderstanding about the question, perhaps I was unclear in my original post. The plan would be to apply for both 2+2 and HLS in my senior year of college. I wouldn't try to do both, nor do I think it is possible. The point is though, that the 2+2 program application process wraps up before the HLS application would even open, so I would have in all likelihood (they accept mainly minorities/ absolute all-stars) already been rejected by that program before applying to HLS. I didn't want HLS to see this as me just trying to get into Harvard any way possible, since law school is by far my primary ambition and the 2+2 application would sort of just be for the hell of it, and if it worked out, I'd weigh my options after.

Thanks for the advice though!

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bernaldiaz

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bernaldiaz » Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:45 pm

CanadianWolf wrote:Curious as to which universities mandate that applicants only apply to one program at a time.
I googled this in every wording conceivable and didn't get any real results.

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bdubs

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by bdubs » Sat Oct 15, 2011 5:28 pm

bernaldiaz wrote:Seems like there is a little misunderstanding about the question, perhaps I was unclear in my original post. The plan would be to apply for both 2+2 and HLS in my senior year of college. I wouldn't try to do both, nor do I think it is possible. The point is though, that the 2+2 program application process wraps up before the HLS application would even open, so I would have in all likelihood (they accept mainly minorities/ absolute all-stars) already been rejected by that program before applying to HLS. I didn't want HLS to see this as me just trying to get into Harvard any way possible, since law school is by far my primary ambition and the 2+2 application would sort of just be for the hell of it, and if it worked out, I'd weigh my options after.

Thanks for the advice though!
I thoroughly misunderstood your point. I am pretty sure that HLS and HBS 2+2 won't even check to see if you applied to the other. If you got in to HBS 2+2 it might be a selling point for HLS, but only if you planned to enroll in both (see my comment on application timing before).

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theadvancededit

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by theadvancededit » Sat Oct 15, 2011 5:42 pm

CanadianWolf wrote:Curious as to which universities mandate that applicants only apply to one program at a time.
Actually, many graduate schools do this, particularly for programs in the humanities.

The majority of joint professional degrees actually mandate the opposite-- that applicants apply to both programs and be accepted by both, separately-- but it's better to err in the side of caution, IMO.
Last edited by theadvancededit on Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

merc280

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Re: Harm to apply to JD and MBA at same school

Post by merc280 » Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:17 pm

theadvancededit wrote:
CanadianWolf wrote:Curious as to which universities mandate that applicants only apply to one program at a time.
Actually, many graduate schools do this, particularly for programs in the humanities. The majority of joint professional degrees actually mandate the opposite-- that applicants apply to both programs and be accepted by both, separately-- but it's better to err in the side of caution, IMO.

like James Franco completing multiple masters degrees in multiple states at the same time

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