<p>how exactly does this program work? Do you finish the law school first or the business school first? Or do they push it real hard all together?<br>
Also, what is the average undergrad. GPA at the top schools for this program?</p>
<p>I don't know how it works at all law schools, but at the one I attended it takes one extra year. You have to be admitted to both programs. Usually, you "defer" admission to the business school. You spend the first year at the law school, taking the same courses as all the other 1Ls. The second year, you go to the business school, taking all the same courses as the other first year business students. Your third and fourth years, you split your time between the two. You carry a somewhat higher course load than the "average" load. However, some courses you take count for both degrees. (Some law schools will let you take a few courses in one of the other schools in the same university, even if you aren't enrolled in a joint program, if they make sense for what you want to do. For example, some law students interested in media and free speech issues, might take courses in the journalism school which deal with those issues.) So you can generally finish both degrees in 4 years, though it usually takes 5.</p>
<p>So, you have to take both LSAT and GMAT?</p>
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So you can generally finish both degrees in 4 years, though it usually takes 5.
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<p>I believe most of these programs takes 4 years. There really is no advantage in a 5-year program, as you then might as well just get the 2 degrees separately (2 years for the MBA, 3 for the JD). Much of the value-add is in allowing you to graduate in less time than just getting the 2 degrees seperately.</p>
<p>Most are 4yrs. It cuts the time down by 1 year. Each law school is different. And some will only let you stay within their school while others can let you go off and create ad-hoc programs. You usally spend the first year at the law school, then the next year at the other school then alternate courses the final two years if your within the same institution. Outside schools you would have to just do some wise scheduling. I'm not too familiar with the J.D. and M.B.A. programs, but I've looked greatly into the J.D./M.A. programs and it is my assumption their isn't a whole big difference.</p>
<p>Apparently, I didn't say what I meant clearly. If you are in a joint degree program, it takes four years to get a MBA/JD. If you are NOT in a joint program, it would usually take 5 years to get both degrees separately.</p>
<p>I had researched JD/MBA programmes and Jonri's experience is still applicable. </p>
<p>In theory, you should go to the school with the stronger MBA programme.</p>
<p>I got a JD/MBA, and I believe that the way my 4-year program worked is fairly typical. You do indeed have to take both the LSAT and the GMAT. You have to apply to both programs separately, as if you were applying to each program alone. That means that you will likely have a difficult road if you plan to get your JD/MBA straight out of undergrad, since most business schools won't even consider an applicant who doesn't have a minimum of two years of work experience (yes, I know, sometimes someone goes straight through to their MBA from college, but that is highly unusual and typically based upon extraordinary experience or other working or entrepreneurial factors in an applicant's background). Once you begin school, you spend your first year in law school doing the same things as any other law student does. You spend your second year exclusively doing the first year of the MBA program. Finally, you spend your last two years taking classes in both law school and business school, and meeting the requirements of both degrees. Yes, sometimes a class will meet the requirements of both schools (in fact, at my school, there was a lot of overlap between business school and law school classes for all students, as may professors had joint appointments and/or taught classes at both schools.</p>
<p>One of the big difficulties faced by many JD/MBA candidates is with summer jobs, which can be critical to finding a permanent position when you graduate. Typically, law students take a job with a law firm or other organization after their second year of law school (summer after first year is a bit more variable, with students taking jobs including clerkships with judges, internships with a variety of employers, or paid employment (if you can find it) with a law firm). Often, the law firm or other organization that a law student works for after second year makes that student a permanent offer for work beginning after graduation and the bar exam (which is given in late July). Typically, business school students take summer jobs with potential future permanent employers during the summer after first year of business school. Unfortunately, taking a law-type job can preclude you from taking an MBA-type job and vice versa. It can be a real dilemma, though it's hard to complain about having lots of opportunities. At some point, a JD/MBA candidate needs to decide which career path they want to take (at least at the outset). In my epxerience, more than half become practicing lawyers for at least a while since a law degree without practical experience hardly qualifies anyone as a legal expert of any kind.</p>
<p>Thanks sallyawp, it's been a great help.
Also, it makes sense to practice law first because you never know. And I heard that Investment bankers (which I am interested in) earn more money but it is hard to servive for a long time in that field due to the heavy competition.</p>
<p>Please don't misunderstand; law can be quite competitive too. Speaking for big firm Wall Street lawyers, the hours can be deliriously long and the politics of getting on the "best" deals, bringing in business and making partner can be headache inducing. Despite it all, I do love what I do (though I don't do it on Wall Street anymore). </p>
<p>I think that the most important thing is to try on different jobs to see how they fit. You will have lots of opportunities to do internships and to take summer jobs, and you should use those opportunities to work at a law firm or to try investment banking. Though 90+ hour weeks are really tough no matter how passionate you are about your job (and those weeks exist in investment banking, private equity, investment management and law, among other fields), it is really important to get a kick out of what you do. Without that spark, no amount of income will get you through the tough times.</p>