I am a current high school senior. Currently, I am very interested in business, economics, and political science. Looking to apply to undergrad business programs, such as Georgetown’s McDonough, WashU’s Olin, or some other Liberal Arts-oriented schools such as Northwestern (major in econ/poly sci, certificate/minor in Business from Kellogg) or Penn (major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics - 1 degree program). My father is a COO of a company, and he suggested that in an executive position (or in a variety of other fields), a law background is very useful for contracts and in a broader sense of communicating persuasively and intelligently. My goals in life are to go into a management/executive position in a business, or work in the finance industry, perhaps ibanking (temporarily), hedge fund, or VC.
What are the best tracks for ultimately attaining a JD/MBA dual degree? Is an undergrad pre-professional major such as finance/business law/accounting worse than a Liberal Arts major, such as economics, Government, or poly sci?
For top law school programs, major doesn’t matter - GPA does. If you’re aiming for the highest rated programs, pick a major where you’re likely to garner the highest GPA. If you’re not interested in the top programs, major in whatever interests you regardless of GPA.
Here’s some interesting stats about what sorts of majors have the highest law school admittance rates.
I agree with the above: GPA is super important. So do something that 1. You’re genuinely interested in. It’s easier to get a higher GPA if you don’t mind the work. 2. Consider the possibility that you might change your mind about going to law school (or perhaps you won’t get admitted to a good one). Stuff happens. Maybe you won’t be able to afford it. With that in mind, think about what sort of undergrad major you could live with, if you have to put off law school indefinitely.
I would avoid the pre-professional majors and go with economics with a minor in govt or poly sci. Econ is a very flexible major - typically b-schools have about 25% of the class as econ majors, and consulting companies also hire econ majors. For law school, you’ll need courses that are reading, research and writing intensive, so govt or poly sci will be good for that. If you can major in one and minor in the other, probably the best course.