<p>Hi, I will be going to Duquesne University in the fall, and it was not my top choice by far, but I really couldn't turn down the scholarship, and I decided that the other schools I was deciding among were just too far away from home. I am just wondering what are people's opinions on how much prestige matters for undergrad? When I visited Duquesne, I liked it much more than I thought it would, but I still wasn't in love with it. I will be double majoring in International Relations and Sociology with concentrations in Humanitarian Aid and Social Justice. Obviously to make a living for myself in this area, I will want to obtain a Ph.D. Duquesne does have a 5 year program where I can get a masters in Social and Public Policy which I think I will do, If I stay at the university, however ultimately the plan is to enter into a joint JD/Ph.d in Political Science. Also eventually I would like to pursue an MBA in Business and Public Policy. Will going to Duquesne lessen my chances into getting into graduate schools like Stanford, NYU, Penn, Northwestern, Georgetown, Columbia, University of Chicago, Harvard.</p>
<p>Should I look into transferring immediately? I just feel like I'm not going to get into a good grad school because of where I went for undergrad, and in the field that I want to go into I really need the prestige of grad school. I can't seem to get this thought out of my head, and it really bothers me. </p>
<p>There’s no reason for someone to set out to get those three terminal degrees. Period. That’s a lot of wasted time on degrees that won’t open career paths and a lot of money spent on tuition.</p>
<p>Well I think I want to do social policy…which means I’ll need a Ph.D to do research right? Or maybe I want to work for a non-profit. Or do some International humanitarian stuff I don’t know exactly yet. I just feel like to distinguish myself from a social worker, and to make a substantial living I need to have a Ph.D, and in any kind of policy wouldn’t a solid law background be useful? Oh, and as for the MBA…my mum just said it is a useful degree.</p>
<p>I have a kid at Duquesne undergrad, and I understand your concerns (I wouldn’t have chosen it for myself, having a personal preference for huge public universities with lots of things to do). My D has enjoyed her first year there, although she does say that she finds it less academically challenging than expected. I note that Duquesne has a big emphasis on social justice and volunteering. I’ve heard they have a lot of connections with Washington. They definitely do have an extraordinarily strong alumni base, with alumni bending over backwards to help Duquesne students. </p>
<p>If your alternatives are something like Penn State or Pitt, I don’t see that you would get a boost in your law school chances by transferring unless they offer opportunities of some kind that you can’t get at Duq. I assume you’ve also looked at the departments for your major, the professors in those departments, etc. The key factors for law school are going to be your LSAT, to a lesser extent your undergrad GPA, and then your soft factors (recommendations, activities, other degrees). You can look at toplawschools and lawschoolnumbers to do your research on LSAT and GPA, as well as the types of soft factors that are expected for the top law schools. You have a lot of work ahead of you whichever college you choose. </p>
<p>I’d suggest trying to find a mentor in your desired career path. I’m not sure whether you’re accurate in your assessments or not. One of my kids has a friend who wanted to work in intelligence/think-tank in D.C. This kid went to a school which I’d put on-par with Duquesne, spent every summer in unpaid internships in Washington, and is finishing a grad degree at Pitt. This kid just got a job in intelligence (not in Washington though). A mentor can help guide your choices so you don’t chase degrees that you don’t need, and help with advising on internships or other activities that will bring you closer to your goal. </p>
<p>You also need to consider your educational debt load. If you take a lot of debt in undergrad and for the other degrees you’re considering, this could impact your ability to obtain a law or other degree down the road. If anything happens to change your goals (like not scoring as well as desired on the LSAT, or having a GPA lower than you currently expect to achieve), you could be carrying that debt for 20 years. </p>
<p>You can always transfer for Junior year, particularly if your freshman and sophomore grades are great. You will have benefited from your scholarship for at least two years. Keep in mind though that many schools do not offer scholarships to transfer students.</p>
<p>Or, if you really don’t like Duq and you’re a high school senior, take a 2nd look at your other options now.</p>
<p>I still can’t tell what on earth you want to do. If you want to do something like work at a think-tank, either a PhD (better) or a JD (less good) will suffice. There’s no reason you’d need both. And one does not invest two years and $120,000 just because one’s mother suggested that something is a good idea.</p>
<p>More to the point, your question in #7 suggests that you want the schooling first and will figure out what to do with it later. That’s a tremendously foolish attitude, especially given how expensive schooling is these days.</p>
<p>OP - I hope your first year will help you clarify your goals. The MBA only makes sense if your’re thinking of running a non-profit of some sort, otherwise your probably looking at a Phd. and seeking work in think-tank, policy type positions or academic career. You will have a lot of competition for those jobs from indebted Phd.'s who don’t have academic careers materializing so make sure you get lots of experience through internships along the way.</p>
<p>Given your aspirations eliminating debt for undergrad is going to be very important; and managing overall debt load until you get to a decent job will take some planning.</p>
<p>The scenario mentioned above where you incur debt and then don’t get a decent LSAT score is far from your worst nightmare - worse would be that you go to law school on top of pricey undergrad and don’t pass the bar - repeatedly, perhaps indefinitely. And the loans don’t go away just because the big paycheck never showed up.</p>
<p>Take the financial safety for now and be the big fish in your little pond, figure out what you really want to do and get internships that help you refine your choice so you can make a good decision about what kind of degree you really need and don’t become a professional student with no hope of financial independence.</p>
<p>You don’t have to decide <em>now</em> precisely what you want to do, but you should decide <em>before you begin planning for graduate school</em> precisely what you want to do with those degrees.</p>
<p>A JD/PhD is useful if you want to be a professor in a law school, although a JD suffices.
A JD/MA can be useful in some policy circles, although either a JD or an MA suffices (and the MA is a lot cheaper).</p>
<p>In no circumstance would you use a JD/PhD/MBA.</p>
<p>Right. It just all makes me very anxious. I don’t even know if I want to get a Ph.D. or a JD. and now I’m thinking of changing my major because I’m thinking I wont’ be able to get a job.</p>