IN AT PENN Forum

[sukaili]

I want to be in this thread SO. BAD. But I'm still stuck at complete

+1 Here's to hoping...

[puppleberry finn]

If emails have gone out for Levy and Wilson, does that mean ALL invites have gone out already??? My LSAT might be a little low if they were say...trying to lure me away from Columbia and above, but I'd still really like to hope for something. I've got a bit of a public service background. Should I send in an updated resume and hope that maybe I'll get an invite for the Toll?

the levy and wilson typically are trying to lure people away from CLS and above, as is the Toll. They have non-named scholarships, though, and invites for those have not gone out.

[alex06]

Haha, I could shoot myself in the foot for my 170...which is probably absurd. Penn's my top choice at the moment, but if I got money from a similarly ranked school (in at Berkeley and Michigan so far) or lots of $$ from a lower ranked school, I might get drawn away. Particularly because if I went to Penn, I would do a double degree some help would be necessary. Anyone have any luck in previous cycles negotiating money from Penn??

Wow...I don't post often and writing this I'm realizing how much I really am freaking out abt the amount of loans I'm going to have on my plate.

[nola25]

Anyone else on this thread contemplating doing a joint program? How is that affecting your decision regarding Penn Law vs. other schools? I think I read somewhere that about 25% of Penn Law students pursue dual degrees.

[Kronk]

Anyone else on this thread contemplating doing a joint program? How is that affecting your decision regarding Penn Law vs. other schools? I think I read somewhere that about 25% of Penn Law students pursue dual degrees.

IMO, Penn makes it pretty easy, but Duke and Berkeley both have better programs in the liberal arts and their dual degrees are a bit easier as you don't need a GRE for a lot of them. Obviously if you want your JD / MBA, Penn is probably the best choice in the nation besides Harvard. But they really fall behind Duke and Berkeley for funding in their liberal arts programs, which are the ones I'm researching (and ultimately why I withdrew from Penn but not from UCB or Duke). hth

[nola25]

Anyone else on this thread contemplating doing a joint program? How is that affecting your decision regarding Penn Law vs. other schools? I think I read somewhere that about 25% of Penn Law students pursue dual degrees.

IMO, Penn makes it pretty easy, but Duke and Berkeley both have better programs in the liberal arts and their dual degrees are a bit easier as you don't need a GRE for a lot of them. Obviously if you want your JD / MBA, Penn is probably the best choice in the nation besides Harvard. But they really fall behind Duke and Berkeley for funding in their liberal arts programs, which are the ones I'm researching (and ultimately why I withdrew from Penn but not from UCB or Duke). hth

Yeah I'm looking at the JD/MBA and am curious if others on this thread are in the same boat.

[alex06]

I applied to a joint degree program that would probably make it obvious to the adcomms who I was if I shared it on here. And I'm paranoid. PM bc I'd love to talk about it otherwise!

I also looked into (and was accepted at) one of the double degree programs at Duke. But it sucks that I would have to start in late May. I'm working until the middle of the summer and would have to quit early if I decided to go to Duke.

[ughOSU]

Yeah I'm looking at the JD/MBA and am curious if others on this thread are in the same boat.

Def. looking into it... The fact that you can do it in 3 years even if you're not in the program to begin your first year has kind of sold me on it (I was not sold on it when I applied). I'm planning on applying to the JD/MBA program 1L year, and I will probably do it if I can't line up something decent for 1L summer. They also have a certificate you can get from Wharton by taking an administrative law course and a few courses at the b-school. You have to apply for that program certificate as well, but I'm thinking I'll do that at a minimum.

My biggest concern with the JD/MBA route isn't the debt (although that is a concern), but rather that I don't have any finance/accounting/consulting experience. Does anyone know if I would be dead in the water for Wharton's recruiting if I do JD/MBA? My instinct is telling me that I would.

I'm kind of in a weird situation, because I already have some experience in law (as a paralegal though), so I'm not sure doing something non-legal 1L summer for me would be as bad as someone who hasn't had any legal experience. I don't want to disadvantage myself in legal recruiting by doing nothing legal 1L summer if I am not gaining something with the JD/MBA. Would I be gaining a lot in legal recruiting with a JD/MBA?

[ShibaDan]

Wow! Congrats to all the scholarship nominees. Uggg I want to be accepted at penn SO. BAD. I really want to be on the east coast, and am ready to try a new city other than NYC. (Especially since I was deferred at CLS )

[lz06]

Has anyone gone to visit Penn yet? Their ASD is on the same day as another one that I want to go to, and since they give travel stipends for any weekend that you visit I figure I'd just visit another time. I'm thinking March 4, I just hope I get as much out of it as I would an ASD.

[nola25]

Yeah I'm looking at the JD/MBA and am curious if others on this thread are in the same boat.

Def. looking into it... The fact that you can do it in 3 years even if you're not in the program to begin your first year has kind of sold me on it (I was not sold on it when I applied). I'm planning on applying to the JD/MBA program 1L year, and I will probably do it if I can't line up something decent for 1L summer. They also have a certificate you can get from Wharton by taking an administrative law course and a few courses at the b-school. You have to apply for that program certificate as well, but I'm thinking I'll do that at a minimum.

My biggest concern with the JD/MBA route isn't the debt (although that is a concern), but rather that I don't have any finance/accounting/consulting experience. Does anyone know if I would be dead in the water for Wharton's recruiting if I do JD/MBA? My instinct is telling me that I would.

I'm kind of in a weird situation, because I already have some experience in law (as a paralegal though), so I'm not sure doing something non-legal 1L summer for me would be as bad as someone who hasn't had any legal experience. I don't want to disadvantage myself in legal recruiting by doing nothing legal 1L summer if I am not gaining something with the JD/MBA. Would I be gaining a lot in legal recruiting with a JD/MBA?

Everyone has different opinions about the value of the JD/MBA. Here's mine: If you decided on Penn Law and are sure that you're going into law after graduation (as opposed to switching over to business), I'd opt for the Wharton business/public policy certificate available to Penn Law students as opposed to the joint program. It gives you the basic business background you'd want and would be attractive to law firms without the added expense of the dual degrees (where you have an extra summer of classes, and thus have additional tuition and the opportunity cost of losing the summer for an internship). Also, in a full MBA you take a whole slew of courses (marketing, operations, etc.) that would be only marginally helpful in legal practice, if helpful at all.

Also remember that it's f*cking tough to get in to Wharton, even if you're already at Penn Law. If you don't have a substantive business background, or are not quantitatively-inclined, the odds become even more daunting. The certificate, however, doesn't seem to pose any additional barriers to entry to Wharton such as the GMAT or an entirely separate application process. Don't underestimate this. Let me tell you from experience: the business school application process is a bear, much more so than law school (hard to believe, I know). In sum, if you're dead set on becoming a lawyer, I don't think you'd be significantly better off after graduation with the JD/MBA than with the JD and the certificate.

I'm coming from the other side of the aisle. I've worked in business for 2+ years already and to me the MBA is vastly more important. I want the JD because it is greatly helpful in the private equity/venture capital field, which I plan to enter after graduation. Indeed, I may never sit for the bar exam.

[rockchalk86]

Just got in... soooo excited. How much of a leg up would the Wharton certificate give you for biglaw? Could it help someone with a slightly less than median class rank get something good in NYC?

[ughOSU]

Everyone has different opinions about the value of the JD/MBA. Here's mine: If you decided on Penn Law and are sure that you're going into law after graduation (as opposed to switching over to business), I'd opt for the Wharton business/public policy certificate available to Penn Law students as opposed to the joint program. It gives you the basic business background you'd want and would be attractive to law firms without the added expense of the dual degrees (where you have an extra summer of classes, and thus have additional tuition and the opportunity cost of losing the summer for an internship). Also, in a full MBA you take a whole slew of courses (marketing, operations, etc.) that would be only marginally helpful in legal practice, if helpful at all.

Also remember that it's f*cking tough to get in to Wharton, even if you're already at Penn Law. If you don't have a substantive business background, or are not quantitatively-inclined, the odds become even more daunting. The certificate, however, doesn't seem to pose any additional barriers to entry to Wharton such as the GMAT or an entirely separate application process. Don't underestimate this. Let me tell you from experience: the business school application process is a bear, much more so than law school (hard to believe, I know). In sum, if you're dead set on becoming a lawyer, I don't think you'd be significantly better off after graduation with the JD/MBA than with the JD and the certificate.

I'm coming from the other side of the aisle. I've worked in business for 2+ years already and to me the MBA is vastly more important. I want the JD because it is greatly helpful in the private equity/venture capital field, which I plan to enter after graduation. Indeed, I may never sit for the bar exam.

Yea the lack of traditional business experience is why I'm thinking the certificate would be a better fit for me. I wrote in another thread that for me it has some of the benefits and none of the liabilities. I am quantitatively inclined and did very well on the GMAT, so that's not a concern for me. The basic issue is that I'm sure I'd need to land a job in law before I would be able to move into a business-related field like finance/i-banking/etc. (my WE precludes me from landing one of these jobs straight out of a jd/mba program), so I think my focus should really be on landing a biglaw legal job rather than getting the dual degree. The certificate thing is what i'll probably end up doing. It's a nice option to have.

Thanks for your input as I re-re-reconsider a jd/mba! They really had me hooked with still being able to apply 1L year for the 3 year program.

[SteakEmUp]

I have been considering the jd/mba as well. My biggest concern is having to take classes sumer after 1L instead of being able to pursue a law-related job. I currently work at a university with a decent business school and can take mba classes for free. I was thinking of asking penn if I could place out of some of the core requirements for the mba by taking them this summer. If I can, I'll almost definitely do the jd/mba as it would save me the tuition, 1L summer, and it wouldn't preclude me from working this summer to save some money.

[ughOSU]

I have been considering the jd/mba as well. My biggest concern is having to take classes sumer after 1L instead of being able to pursue a law-related job. I currently work at a university with a decent business school and can take mba classes for free. I was thinking of asking penn if I could place out of some of the core requirements for the mba by taking them this summer. If I can, I'll almost definitely do the jd/mba as it would save me the tuition, 1L summer, and it wouldn't preclude me from working this summer to save some money.

just a warning, and I'm not sure if this is what you're planning, but b-schools typically don't take kindly to students taking classes at other b-schools.

[Amelie]

I just submitted my Wilson essay. I wonder how fast we'll hear back...

[Kronk]

I just submitted my Wilson essay. I wonder how fast we'll hear back...

Beginning of march according to the email.

[SteakEmUp]

I have been considering the jd/mba as well. My biggest concern is having to take classes sumer after 1L instead of being able to pursue a law-related job. I currently work at a university with a decent business school and can take mba classes for free. I was thinking of asking penn if I could place out of some of the core requirements for the mba by taking them this summer. If I can, I'll almost definitely do the jd/mba as it would save me the tuition, 1L summer, and it wouldn't preclude me from working this summer to save some money.

just a warning, and I'm not sure if this is what you're planning, but b-schools typically don't take kindly to students taking classes at other b-schools.

Thanks for this. I had my doubts, especially because it's Wharton. I plan on calling to get a bit more information, but I won't be shocked if they won't accept the credits. If that's the case, I'll probably opt for the certificate program.

[rockchalk86]

What is the point of the certificate? Business knowledge? Everyone knows you don't learn business in class. B-school is mainly for networking and promotions. The only benefit I see is networking with future Goldman Sachs or Hedge Fund managers, which is a huge benefit but anything else?

[nola25]

Steakemup,

I've already tried. Thus far I've taken three classes at another top-30 b-school, and I called up Wharton asking if they'd accept transfer credits. No dice. They will allow you to accelerate and skip some of the core classes, but you'd still have to complete the same total number of credits in order to graduate.

rockchalk86,

If by "business" you're referring to soft-skills like strategy and negotiation, then you're probably correct: the real world is the better learning environment. But there is also a whole arsenal of hard-skills that a competent businessperson needs, such as basic accounting, NPV/discounted cash flow analysis, micro and macroeconomics, and reading/interpreting financial statements, that can be quickly and easily taught in the classroom. At the higher levels, disciplines like equity and fixed-income analysis and portfolio selection are also ideal for formal instruction. I graduated from undergrad with a liberal arts degree, but entered the urban planning/real estate development world. If it weren't for the b-school classes I took at night, I wouldn't have learned and understood as much and wouldn't have been able to progress as quickly. The networking aspect of b-school is clutch, no doubt, but don't sleep on the foundation-building that business education provides.

[JeSeraiAvocate]

I got the call last week, Fri. & I'm in! I CANNOT believe it. I'm so incredibly excited but terribly afraid to move to Philly. I'm from NYC and just so comfortable here. I have yet to hear back from some of the more reputable NYC schools...

Anyone else on this thread contemplating doing a joint program? How is that affecting your decision regarding Penn Law vs. other schools? I think I read somewhere that about 25% of Penn Law students pursue dual degrees.

Yes! If I got into the MA prog, i'll DEF be going to Penn. No questions asked.

[capitalacq]

anyone get a binder (or hear an update about it)?? I thought they said we should get them in late Jan.

[SteakEmUp]

Nola,

Thanks for the heads up. Getting out of cores would be nice, but if it doesn't free up my summers for law internships, I'll probably pursue the Certificate instead. Any idea which (if either) of those you'll take?

[violaboy]

anyone get a binder (or hear an update about it)?? I thought they said we should get them in late Jan.

I read somewhere that they're a little bit delayed.

[violaboy]

When does Penn start giving out non-Levy/Wilson scholarships?