JD/MBA: Penn vs. Columbia Forum

[jjyammer]

unofficial

[Aberzombie1892]

Penn

[Borg]

Congratulations! I was also admitted to these two among others when I was choosing where to go for my JD/MBA. Check them both out and see how they feel. I remember not loving Penn Law, and that swung me away from there. I had a good vibe from both the law school and the business school at Columbia though. I think it ultimately just depends on how you personally feel about the place as they are similar in terms of exit options, so just visit and see what you like. Congrats again!

Also, this is a strange time of year to be admitted right? Did you get in off waitlists at both?

[CanadianWolf]

Penn due to the outstanding world-wide reputation of the Wharton School of Business.

Columbia for its location & law school.

In short, no wrong choice unless you clearly prefer a future in business.

[TrialLawyer16]

You can't really go wrong here.

But I'd go Penn here because I believe Wharton School of Business is more (even if slightly) prestigous than Columbia's law school, if it were a law school it'd be in the HYS pairing. If I were you especially I'd go with Penn since you said you aren't sure you want to practice law for the rest of your life.

[MarvinsRoom]

Penn if you really wanna do biz.

[Aberzombie1892]

The facts are the following:
1. Penn's b school is in a far better league than Columbia's.
2. Columbia and Penn's law schools place similarly enough in the NLJ such that if you strike out at Penn, it would have also occurred to you at Columbia.


Thus, if Penn's b school is substantially better, and Columbia's law school is marginally better at best, it seems like a no brainer.

[kuddlykoala]

Penn all the way! Penn's biz school is way more renown. You'll love it here.

[CanadianWolf]

The Wharton School of Business is probably better known than "Penn", "Columbia", "The University of Pennsylvania", etc. My guess is that if a survey were done asking which is more prestigious that the "Wharton School" would rank much higher than "Penn" or "Columbia".

[abccc]

Probably a dumb question, but would the answer be any different in regards to both schools' 4 year programs?

Also, I know the major advatage of the 3 year is that you can enter the workforce a year sooner -- is there any major advantages to going through the 4 year program?

[Borg]

BTW, highly recommend not listening to the general populous on this forum for business school advice. I think Wharton is a good choice, but 99% of the people who will comment don't know anything (see for example the asinine comparison between the "prestige" of Wharton vs. CLS above). Ask b school students when considering this question.

[CanadianWolf]

[Borg]

I know, ridiculous of me to suggest that he should consult people who actually know something about this.

[Aberzombie1892]

I know, ridiculous of me to suggest that he should consult people who actually know something about this.

[JulietteAV]

Hi all,

Apologies for being slightly off-topic. First off, a huge congratulations for being accepted to both Penn and Columbia! I'm sure it's no easy feat. I am also considering applying to the 3-year JD/MBA programs at Penn and Columbia this fall for entry next fall. I've heard that a lot of MBA applicants hire consultants to help them with their business school essays. You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable, but I was wondering if you also took this route and used a consultant for your JD/MBA applications, given that you would obviously have to do the business school essays as well? If so, any particular one that you would recommend that help with JD/MBA apps and not just MBA apps?

Thanks so much, and sorry for being off-topic and please don't feel you have to share anything you're not comfortable sharing. Thanks!!

[Borg]

Hi all,

Apologies for being slightly off-topic. First off, a huge congratulations for being accepted to both Penn and Columbia! I'm sure it's no easy feat. I am also considering applying to the 3-year JD/MBA programs at Penn and Columbia this fall for entry next fall. I've heard that a lot of MBA applicants hire consultants to help them with their business school essays. You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable, but I was wondering if you also took this route and used a consultant for your JD/MBA applications, given that you would obviously have to do the business school essays as well? If so, any particular one that you would recommend that help with JD/MBA apps and not just MBA apps?

Thanks so much, and sorry for being off-topic and please don't feel you have to share anything you're not comfortable sharing. Thanks!!

I didn't use a consultant, but I hear it is not uncommon. You can probably get what you need just by talking to a friend in b school and working hard on the essays and Nailing the Interview, but if you need a consultant there are a lot of good ones out there that you could probably find by Google or going to GMATClub.com. As for the law school part of it, so much of your application is predetermined by your GPA and LSAT that it wouldn't be worth it. Put together a decent essay and you should be good to go.

[rayiner]

Penn no contest. CLS has a slight if any edge over Penn Law, but Wharton is in a different league than Columbia's b-school.

[esperanza11]

Congratulations on getting into both schools- that's something to be very proud of!
I'm going to piggy back a bit off of JulietteAV's comment. I too am applying now to both of these schools for a JD/MBA for next fall, though still deciding between the 3 year or 4 year program. Though I like to believe I'm a strong candidate for each of these schools, I'm also realistic and understand that admission is in large part a numbers game. If you don't mind me asking, how were your LSAT and GMAT scores and undergrad GPA? I realize this is a personal question so I completely understand if you choose not to divulge said info, just trying to get a gauge if my expectations are realistic or not.

Thanks in advance!

[Aberzombie1892]

There are many websites that disclose the 10%-25%-50%-75%-90% GMAT and GPA marks for business schools.