JD/MBA Program Pursuit Advice
Hello all,
I'm seeking a bit of life advice and would appreciate any insights you would be willing to share regarding a couple inquiries: (1) whether you think my qualifications are adequate enough to gain admission to a top JD/MBA program, (2) your candid thoughts on whether such a program would be worth my time/investment given my long-term career goals, and (3) your insights on whether I would be better served by either the JD/MBA, and which one. I've always felt that such a program would be a good fit for me, for reasons that I'll expand upon below, but reading some of the posts on this forum and others have inspired some doubts in me. I would appreciate your candor on whether my rationale for the pursuit of the program strikes you as legitimate and sound, based on your personal perspectives and the perspective you feel the law/business schools would view it. Don't go easy on me. Thanks in advance for your help!
To provide some background, I graduated from a T10 university in 2016(undergrad), and have been working as an M&A paralegal in NYC since then. Por the past ~5 years, I've planned on pursuing a joint JD/MBA after a couple of years in the workforce, and have been working to achieve that end for the past few months. I've taken both the GMAT and LSAT(received a 760 & 174 respectively). In terms of EC's, I've had stellar positions over the years, with substantial experience leading organizations and implementing innovative strategies to achieve the ambitious goals I've set for myself. My one clear weakness on my applications is my GPA of 3.42.
For a handful of programs(Harvard, UPenn, Northwestern, etc.), I am applying to both the law and business schools, separately or in the provided joint application depending on the school's process. For the majority of the schools I'm sending applications into, I'm applying solely to the law schools, with the plan to apply to the business school while a 1L student. Yes, I do realize that there's no guarantee of admission with the latter strategy, but unfortunately, I don't have the cash to apply to the business school of every law school I'm applying to, which are pretty much all of the T14.
In terms of why I'm interested in the degree, I've always considered myself to be a renaissance man in terms of my interests: a heavy focus on both the law, specifically politics and public policy creation, and on the private sector, specifically on entrepreneurship, data analytics, and the financial foundation of the start-up sector. This stands true for both my previous work experience(tech startups, House of Rep. summer internships, and my current M&A legal gig), as well as my studies, where I majored in both Economics and Political Science in undergrad. I've always felt that the skillset and knowledge that I've gained in one sector have made me a stronger contributor in the roles I've taken on in the other, and I feel that trend would continue to stand true. While I know the often quoted response to that sentiment regarding the JD/MBA is that you have to pick one field after graduating, after which you get locked in there, I feel that in my case it's a bit different due to the juxtaposition of my near and longer-term goals. After graduation from whatever program I enroll in, I'd hope to take on a role in the PE/VC industry and work there for ~10 years, after which I'd like to go into politics. I feel very strongly that a lot of people in politics today don't have sufficient backgrounds in rational decisionmaking due to a lack of experience in cost-benefit analysis and economics, so feel that the knowledge gained from the MBA would contribute just as much to my success as the legal knowledge gained from the JD.
I feel that the JD/MBA program would be very helpful at helping me achieve those goals, for both the knowledge and skillsets gained, as well as for the strong networks established. I'm hoping to get into one of the 3 year accelerated JD/MBA programs, but I would probably still pursue the joint degree if given the option.
I would greatly appreciate any and all thoughts that you could offer. Thanks in advance!
Interested as well. I go to HYP majoring in government with the intention of doing something meaningful (Peace Corps, Fed, assistant to a senator) and putting off finance until I get an MBA. Heck I wouldn't mind going to law school after UG and practicing law but it will be an uphill battle for MBA admissions.
Don't become a degree collector. If you want to be a lawyer after grad school and can get into a 3yr JD/MBA then do it as it makes sense. If you don't want to be a lawyer then you are wasting both time and money; the country also doesn't need more JD politicians. You can always take a number of business law classes during your MBA, and they'll give you 95% of what you need to know about law assuming you don't actually want to be a lawyer.
I'll give you the high level advice that most other people on this forum have given or will give which is:
It really doesn't make sense to do both a JD and an MBA. There are almost no careers that will require you to have both and it will just take more time and more money to end up on the same place as someone with one degree or the other.
While the dual degree might help slightly in certain areas (working with lawyers to structure deals in PE or something like that). That benefit will not outweighs the opportunity cost of doing both degrees.
Now with all that being said, it's your life. Given your test scores, you're clearly a bright guy and as someone who once considered going into Law, I do see the appeal of getting both degrees, but I also know that you will have to specialize into either law or business post transaction. It's not like you're going to do 5 years or PE and then 5 years of corporate law. You'll probably pick whichever one you like better and stay there, meaning you only need one degree.
When it comes down to it, you have to decide how you want to spend your life. If I told you that you could achieve all of your life goals (PE--> Politics) with only a JD or an MBA, not both, on your deathbed, would you regret not doing a law degree and not gaining that knowledge? You'll have to look at it less of a "I have to do this because it will benefit my career" and more "I want to do this for myself and I willingly choose to spend 2-3 more years of my life studying law/business instead of doing other things"
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