Top Law Schools

Got accepted to UVA law and deferred,...obviously because of the sticker price and the employment market,...as well as some ambivalence toward biglaw,...I'm applying to a number of top B-school programs as well as UCLA. Obviously if I get into a school like Wharton, I'm definitely going the business route. But i'm not so sure the prospects coming out of UCLA weigh against UVA Law,..Anderson school of management is good, but certainly its no UVA Law,...and i feel like i'd be missing out on a prestigious education. Just wanted to get some of your opinions.

If you want to do business/finance, get an MBA. If you want to be a lawyer, get the JD. UCLA doesn't have a bad business school but its definitely not a meal ticket. See where you get in and come back.

Blindmelon wrote:If you want to do business/finance, get an MBA. If you want to be a lawyer, get the JD. UCLA doesn't have a bad business school but its definitely not a meal ticket. See where you get in and come back.

Thanks.

I want some good career prospects, meaning $$,.. as shallow as that is. The aspects of law that appeal to me are not what pays the big bucks unfortunately (for e.g. I would love to do legal work for the state dept,..working on intl trade issues, bilateral agreements etc etc),..and as i've said i'm ambivalent about Biglaw. And yes, UCLA is no meal ticket,..but is UVA Law? Perhaps moreso than UCLA Anderson, but factor in the overall costs of attending,...an extra year and an extra 100-125K,..and the job market.

I'm def conflicted on this one.

Go to business school and make room for people who actually want to be lawyers.

Sounds like you are only going to law school for $$, never a good idea.

If you want to do legal work for the gov look into the LRAP

Neither. You are not ready.

What do you want to do? Assuming sticker price at both, UCLA would likely provide (no one can say for certain) you with better short and long term return on investment. What would you want to do with the MBA? the JD? What is your prior experience in? What is your undergraduate degree in? Where do you want to work, geographically and type of employer?

All of these questions are relevant.

Danteshek wrote:Neither. You are not ready.

+1

and most definitely...

InGoodFaith wrote:make room for people who actually want to be lawyers.

Seems like you don't understand the goals of big-time MBA & JD degree programs. As posted above, you may not be ready for either program.

.

hotdogseller wrote:You could look into the dual JD/MBA program at UVA.

lulz

Danteshek wrote:Neither. You are not ready.

Well, can't get anymore pretentious than this.

CanadianWolf wrote:Seems like you don't understand the goals of big-time MBA & JD degree programs. As posted above, you may not be ready for either program.

I actually do understand that MBA/JD programs don't have rubber stamp "goals" for all their students,..rather, each student goes to these programs with their own goals in mind. Even the oft repeated "Don't go to law school if you're not going to become a lawyer" is BS. For some people there may be other plausible utilities for a law degree. Not every goal may make sense to everyone else,.....and there is no handbook that dictates why you schould go to law or business school. Nor is their a definition for what makes you "ready" for school.

And if you say i'm not "ready" because I said its about $$,..then you're either blind to the realities of most b-school/law school applicants, or you're a hypocrite.

moose wrote:For some people there may be other plausible utilities for a law degree.

For some? Maybe.

For you and the vast majority of other prospective law students? I'd bet my last dollar that there are none.

moose wrote:

Danteshek wrote:Neither. You are not ready.

Well, can't get anymore pretentious than this.

1) lol stick around bro, this is barely scratching the surface
2) they're right; go to professional school when you've got enough professional experience under your belt to make a highly informed choice

moose wrote:

Danteshek wrote:Neither. You are not ready.

Well, can't get anymore pretentious than this.

Okay. Tell me why you are ready for law school.

UVa JD if it's against UCLA MBA. A decision would tougher to make if it involved UVa Law and Tuck/Columbia/Stern/Haas/Yale MBA. If it's M7 (minus Columbia) MBA vs. UVa JD, then M7 MBA.