Hi! I love getting advice from the parent forum because you all have truly helped me over the years.
I am 3.5 years out of college and I have recently been admitted to a top 5 MBA program on a full scholarship. I am so happy and grateful.
However, from my circle and online, I have been reading that people consider the JD a better degree than an MBA.
I never wanted to truly be a lawyer but now i am wondering if I should just practice lawyer vs pursuing a career in business. This is due to my introverted personality. I hear that law is better for introverts. However, I also wouldnt mind a career focused on finance and maybe real estate development. Sometimes I see law as a safer bet… you practice at a big firm, can be introverted, and if that doesnt work out, you go in house.
Because people are saying an MBA is a flimsy degree that doesnt give you a solid profession, I was wondering if I should pursue a dual JD/MBA at my university. I would apply during my first year of MBA program and it would take 4 years in total to pursue
My conundrum is I am not sure if I would like practicing law and I would hate if I added on the degree, graduated at 30 when I could have graduated with a top MBA at 28.
I’m afraid if I dont get a JD, I would feel inadequate for the rest of my life since it seems like so many people have one and they think they are better than MBAs
I am also a female and I see there are many more female JDs
Does the MBA truly open doors as people say it does? Or should I just shoot for the JD while I’m in my 20s?
JDs and MBAs are apples and oranges, totally different educations and different jobs post-grad. There are more varied opportunities for MBAs than JDs, and I don’t think there are more female JDs than female MBAs.
You applied to MBA programs I assume because you are interested in studying business and working in business. It sounds like you are not interested in becoming a lawyer or going to law school, so why would you change plans now, based on what friends are saying? Big law has certainly experienced a great deal of pressures over the last decade, and opportunities have decreased.
When deciding to go to any type of grad school one does have to weigh the benefits, and ROI. What will an MBA allow you to do career wise that you think you can’t do now? Do you want to change careers? Industries? MBA required for advancement at your company?
On the cost side, you will be dropping out of the work force for nearly two years to get your MBA and will forego earnings and potential for promotions during that time. However, with your full ride you also won’t have the $150K cost to bear. Your ROI for law school will likely be lower: no work/salary beyond internships for nearly 3 years, probably not a full-ride scholarship and fewer/less varied job opportunities. And again, you seemingly aren’t interested in studying law or working as an attorney.
If you decide grad school makes sense, the MBA sounds like the way to go, based on what you have posted.
A top 5 MBA will open any door you need opened, as far as a degree can do that. And it’s fully paid for! Why would you even consider rather spending all that time and money doing a JD degree you don’t want to do just because some people think it’s “better” (I don’t know how you even compare them tbh). And then practicing a career you have no interest in? Why?? It sounds like a recipe to spend the rest of your life being miserable.
And… being offered a full scholarship at a top 5 MBA less than 4 years out of undergrad is a HUGE achievement. It really is. And if “so many people” have a JD… is that as special as a top 5 MBA, if that’s the kind of thing you look at? A JD is obviously a great option if you want to do law. You don’t seem to want to.
Of course…l come from a finance background, so I know way more people with MBAs than JDs. (Very successful people, I may add.) Maybe you just hang out in law intensive circles?
There are plenty of careers/jobs in finance where you’ll be just fine as an introvert.
Thank you both for your responses. I’m pursuing an MBA to do a career switch. I’ve always loved economics and capital markets so I would love to start out working in finance then down the line switch to the public sector in a economic advisory role.
I think that seeing greater representation in law vs MBA may be a circle problem. On social media, esp, it just seems like I hear lawyers being touted as people that can do it all. Run the businesses, be in court and MBAs dont have skills. I have spoken to a few in JD/MBA programs and lawyers have trashed the MBA.
When I say im getting an MBA, I have received responses such as “what are you going to truly do with that? MBAs are useless”. It has been crushing to hear this because I worked so hard to get to this point.
Im trying out if I’m making a mistake
I was VERY confident about my decision until I went on online forums and read comparison comments. But you’re right. The degrees truly are apples and oranges.
When I was in college, everybody complained about law. Now suddenly it’s a field everybody says is better
Typically, law is better for one who works best alone, while MBAs tend to function better in group settings & in group projects.
@strongbeans12 : I have read many of your prior threads & posts. It is noteworthy that you are an African American female in the MBA world because there is still a shortage of females in MBA programs, although the gap is shrinking rapidly.
It would be helpful to know which Top 5 MBA program has offered you a full scholarship, and what subject area is of most interest to you.
With respect to law school, almost everything depends upon one’s LSAT score although your URM status will help with respect to admissions & with respect to scholarship offers.
What type of work have you been doing over the past few years ?
Important differences between an MBA degree and a JD degree.
A JD degree without bar membership is almost worthless. So you need to take and pass a state bar & go through and pass a very extensive background check in order to be eligible to become a member of a state bar.
A law degree & bar membership is really only useful for the actual practice of law.
With bar membership comes continuing education requirements & a strict set of ethics rules whose meaning & application can become fairly complex in the real world. And, in some jurisdictions with well funded disciplinary arms, shockingly petty.
Your MBA degree is yours for life as is a JD degree, but bar membership can be taken away thereby rendering one’s JD degree almost worthless.
The practice of law is often very stressful. Over the past few years, even some biglaw partners have left the practice of law for less stressful positions. Although not common, it happens.
@Publisher
Thank you! I would appreciate any insight. I dont want to disclose too much full information but I have been working in media/entertainment in analytics then directly with producers. Helped launch a production company. All very extroverted roles, I know.
I have been reading that law is better for introverts and my introversion is one of my biggest struggles even after reading Susan Cains book. I didn’t find out that law was better for introverts until after I got into my first MBA program. I then began to second guess myself and wonder if im even made out to be a manager, esp as a black woman.
When I saw that you can be a corporate lawyer and thrive as an introvert while making a lot of money, i became regretful.
My first internships were in law and I was bored but now that I’m older, I realizing maybe where my personality fits is more important than the work
Since OP has not responded with respect to desired area of interest & which top 5 MBA program has offered a full tuition scholarship, I will assume that it is the University of Chicago. If so, it is probably the best MBA program for one with an introverted personality.
Without more information regarding career goals, particular MBA program & interest area, and whether or not OP has taken the LSAT, my advice is to enter the MBA program on full tuition scholarship.
@strongbeans12 , ok so the same kind of background I come from. I worked in investment banking a while and saw many successful MBAs across a variety of departments within those banks (stock analysts, M&A, private equity…etc). I know MBAs who are hugely successful in investment management. And of course, plenty of people with MBAs run many businesses! My husband is in the corporate world and many successful MBAs there too. Yes, an MBA is general - so the answer to the “what are you going to do with it” can be “just about anything I want”. With a top 5 MBA, and with a desirable demographic as an extra, I’m willing to bet you’ll have more than one job offer waiting for you before you’ve graduated.
And honestly, the way your “friends” seem to be trying to put you down sounds worrying. Sour grapes/envy maybe? Trying to justify their own choices? If MBAs are useless, why do so many top companies pay for their employees to do them? Bear in mind that once you start the MBA, your peer group is going to change dramatically and you certainly won’t be hearing all this puttIng-down of MBAs; rather you will be with a bunch of smart, ambitious people excited about their futures. What a great place that will be.
Data analytics is a very sought after skill set. There are several one year specialty masters degrees in data analytics. At least one Big 4 accounting firm has established data analytics programs at 8 or 9 major universities throughout the country. This Big 4 will hire recent college grads & award them full tuition & fees & living expenses to get a one year specialty masters in data analytics while holding a premier full time position for them upon graduation.
Introverts can do well in Big 4 accounting firms.
Also, the University of Virginia–Darden recently made a major investment in a data analytics program.
An introvert can do very well with an MBA if talented in quantitative matters.
OP, it is normal to have moments where you second guess big decisions or momentarily regret the path not chosen. Regarding the introvert thing, it is too broad a brush to say introverts make better lawyers than MBAs, it’s not true for all instances, and maybe not even for most. Peoples’ personalities can be very different from their working styles.
Trust in yourself, why you made the decisions you did, as well as the top MBA program that sees so much potential in you that they gave you a full ride. Go rock it at MBA school and never look back.
@Publisher thank you for your advice. I have not taken the LSAT and I am interested in finance. down the line, I would love to switch to the public sector in a economic advisory role. Maybe even economic development work involving real estate
And I do not want to mention the school for privacy concerns (i.e. showing up in Google results haha) but this is a good guess :]
And I will further strengthen my Quant skills so that I can ultimately have a career that is introvert friendly
@Mwfan1921@SJ2727 thank you so much! I am feeling better. I do need to expand my circle and maybe once I am exposed to those in my MBA program, this whole insecurity about MBA vs JD thing will go away. I have truly been taken aback by the lack of well wishes from my friends
And you’re right, this might just be temporary buyer’s remorse. I am excited to try this new chapter and if I’m still feeling this feelings, I can always apply to law school later on. But I do hope these feelings do not continue
An MBA with a focus on finance can lead to very lucrative & satisfying employment for one with an introverted personality. Often, but not always, one’s initial job will deal with obtaining needed data & information from client, Excel spreadsheets, & creating PowerPoint presentations.
Knowledge of finance & data analytics is almost certain to lead to multiple high paying job offers.
During a full time 2 year MBA program, one’s internship between first & second year is quite important in terms of exposure to job duties & responsibilities as well as exposure to a particular industry. If lucky enough to secure an internship with an elite management consulting firm (such as McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group or Deloitte and several others), you will be exposed to multiple industries.
Your friends thoughts about MBA degrees should be ignored as well intentioned but misinformed.
OP, your difficulty in viewing your compatibility with an MBA degree is caused by one word with indicates a bit of a misunderstanding on your part. That word is management.
For the most part, among the M-7 group of MBA programs, Chicago, MIT & Penn-Wharton are the best options for introverted, quant jocks (might be redundant).
P.S. There are several advantages to earning an MBA. In addition to knowledge in a specific area such as finance or data analytics, an MBA shows one how to assimilate & appreciate data & information from different areas of specialization & an MBA gives one credibility.
Ok. Let’s slow down. Introvert vs. extrovert. JD vs MBA. The degree has nothing to do with being better for an introvert. Big time trial lawyers are hardly introverted. They put themselves out there every day and are “argued” with and challenged every day. Tax lawyers – well lets just say they don’t see a lot of the outside world. Likewise for the MBA – sales vs management vs accounting all have differing personality profiles. So don’t let the degree drive you here.
Second, with an JD, you can practice law or still do business. With an MBA, you can’t practice law. But it may not matter to you.
There are a lot of JDs in the business world. The guy from Boston Beer Co. comes to mind. There are something like 46 lawyer CEO in the Fortune 500. A JD can definitely set you up to run a business.
But I think your decision comes down to ROI. The return on a top 5 MBA with full scholarship is “infinity.” If your lawyer pals criticize it, ask them how their loans are doing.
Bias note: I have a JD, practiced for a while and now run a business. Go figure.
Skip any thoughts of law school. You would still be bored if you once were. You would need a top tier law school and pay for it. There are so many junky schools that may not prepare you well for passing the bar. Just being admitted to a state’s bar does not mean you will get cases or have a thriving practice. You decided you liked business and even have scholarships. Get the free education. Forget introversion/extroversion- you will find your niche.
You can always choose to go to law school later if you wish. You would give up scholarships now in a field you chose for reasons. At some point we all need to give something up to do something else. No one can do everything because there are not enough hours in a day, a life. You can be good at both and possibly enjoy each one. Do not overthink this now and let others derail your plans.
There is a correlation between being miserable with huge loans and trashing other degrees/professions, IMO.
I personally don’t think you should get a JD unless you love law and you shouldn’t get an MD unless you really care about healing people, but I see few if any M7 MBA holders trashing top JD/MD holders.
A M7 MBA will open many doors. IMO, more doors than a T14 JD (outside of maybe YHS). Except a M7 MBA costs less. In your case, far less.
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Likewise for the MBA – sales vs management vs accounting all have differing personality profiles. So don’t let the degree drive you here.