JD/MBA Forum

[Sherlock1122]

I'd like to pursue a JD/MBA from a top 10 school. I had a 3.9 undergrad, great leadership extracurriculars, and approx 2 years of corporate work experience. I am studying for the GMAT now and hope to score in a range to make me a competitive candidate. I heard a horror story of a student who planned to do the same, scored a near perfect GMAT score, and was rejected from the business school after his 1L year b/c he didn't have enough work experience. Does anyone know more about this process? I was always under the impression that the schools would work with you to make it happen assuming you had the stats. Earning both a JD/MBA is extremely important to me (please no lectures on why it is a waste to get both) Any insight is appreciated.

[twenty]

If it's that important to get into a top 10 JD/MBA program, apply only to UVA, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, Penn, Harvard and Stanford and only accept an offer that guarantees you admission to the JD/MBA. Don't take the chance that you get rejected from the MBA part during 1L.

[tomwatts]

It's usually possible to do a JD/MBA at two different places, too, if you end up admitted to a law school that you want to go to and a business school that you want to go to, but they're not within the same university. Doing the JD and the MBA at the same place is usually more convenient, but it's not a disaster to do a JD at one school and an MBA at the other (provided that you're still done in no more than 4 years).

And yeah, if you're dead-set on the JD/MBA, apply to both at the same time. Don't apply to the MBA as a 1L.

[squirtlesquad14]

If you are dead-set on the JD/MBA, just apply to both from the start instead of waiting until 1L to apply. I think most people who wait until 1L to apply do that only because they aren't taking the GMAT in time to apply in the same cycle as their law degree -- there really isn't a reason to otherwise, and then you will know for sure that you are accepted at both schools rather than gambling once you've already started law school.

[Tiago Splitter]

If you are dead-set on the JD/MBA, just apply to both from the start instead of waiting until 1L to apply. I think most people who wait until 1L to apply do that only because they aren't taking the GMAT in time to apply in the same cycle as their law degree -- there really isn't a reason to otherwise, and then you will know for sure that you are accepted at both schools rather than gambling once you've already started law school.

It sounds like the bolded is exactly why OP is running into this issue.

OP take the GMAT and get all your stuff together and see if any of these places will you accept you on sort of a non-standard track given that you're already in at the law school. I agree with others that you shouldn't take the chance that it just doesn't work out during 1L year.

[Sherlock1122]

I've been accepted to multiple top 5 law schools that have top 5 business schools. I am currently studying for the GMAT (I cold tested at 650 apparently I don't remember any math). I wonder if I can send in applications and then just add to them when I get a GMAT score. Any thoughts on if this would work? Or else the only option I have is to get my score in April, choose a law school, and apply for the MBA either at the school or other during my 1L year. Starting to get worried about the timing. I need to get my GMAT score asap.

[kartelite]

If you only have 2 years of work experience, you're definitely on the low end if you're applying to top MBA programs (I'd guess that at most 10-15% of people have under 3 years)...with that in mind, if you're dead-set on doing a joint degree I'd apply to the business school at the same time as law school since there are no guarantees if you apply as a 1L. If I remember correctly, you have to include you GMAT score on most MBA applications, so I don't think you can submit applications and then send in a GMAT score later (most MBA programs have "round" deadlines by which time you'd have to have all your materials in)...plus you'd have to think about getting recommendations. And unlike law schools, business school admissions really aren't about "stats" (you should still aim to have a certain threshold GPA and GMAT, but beyond that the benefit is marginal). The same goes for post-MBA employment where your grades matter very little if at all; the vast majority of positions want applicants with several years of related experience, and most interviews for MBA jobs (I've done well over a dozen) focus on how your background is relevant to the role...some industries like management consulting aren't as concerned with that, but it still helps anyway, so would you consider deferring at the law school and applying to the business school wherever you choose next cycle? You could always apply other places as well to hedge your bets.