<p>A couple of questions here; first, are there any top programs other than Northwestern, Penn and Yale offering a three year JD/MBA option? I already have a year of grad school, so only 3 yrs is highly appealing to me. Second, do people think the JD on top of an MBA is worthwhile for someone who doesnt plan to practice law (Id speculate that it is if its only an extra year)? Put differently, does the JD add much value for someone who is already planning to go for an MBA and plans to work in finance? </p>
<p>My situation is a follows: I am working on a 1yr masters at the moment, and also plan to eventually obtain an MBA. My long term goals are to become a fund manager, and with a little luck eventually run my own investment firm. Prestigious degrees count in this field, and I figure a JD/MBA from a top school is about as good as it gets for a business/finance pedigree. I already have a couple years exp in investments and have completed the CFA exams, my grades undergrad were good but not great about a 3.5 from a LAC [lackluster grades freshman year], but my grades as a grad will be outstanding and are from a highly respected and rigorous school, GMAT >700 and expected LSAT score in the 170 range I know my UG GPA wont help for law school admissions, but I assume being near the top of my class from a prestigious grad program will more than offset that (can anyone confirm this?), also I have leadership experiences coming out my ears: president of this, captain of that, etc </p>
<p>I know that getting into one of these programs is about as tough as it can get kind of like lightning striking twice. Can anyone appraise my chances/offer constructive advice?</p>
<p>On the surface you’re looking a little bit like a degree collector. To be a fund manager the law degree won’t do much for you. A law degree is never a waste of time because it teaches thinking skills, but with a masters and an MBAand a CFA it may be overkill and make you look unfocused.</p>
<p>Don’t know how much the masters will help at a top law school. Guess it depends on what it’s in and where it’s from. The undergrad GPA won’t rule you out if the LAC was a top, tough one like Swarthmore but will hurt if your school was more average. The top law school look for students who have been consistently excellent at what they do. You’ll have a tougher time with the B schools if you have not worked for several years at some point.</p>
<p>Good point about the overkill hmom, I wasn’t sure if this would be viewed as the case. The reason I am doing the 1st grad degree is bc my undergrad school was more toward the mean and I want to offset that. The graduate degree is business related, and from a school of high academic standing (i’d prefer not to get more detailed than that). </p>
<p>I realize that the JD won’t help much with fund management per se, but if I was to start my own firm or try to rise to the rank of CEO at someone else’s (my endgame goal) I believe it might help quite a bit; at least enough so that it could be worth an extra year (as is the case at a three year JD/MBA program). I am not certain of this however and appreciate any input.</p>
<p>Obviously having a JD on top of the MBA will make you a stronger applicant but the real question would be whether it would really be worth it. If you want to be a fund manager then you really need to get out of college and get into the field asap. The more extra time you spend in college will take years away that you could be gaining work experience and that will hurt you.</p>
<p>so wouldnt something like a MiF with indepth schooling in less time and more real world experience be better than learning theory in a classroom for four years?</p>