<p>I've heard of joint law and public policy programs, and am intrigued by the option because I'm interested in both so it seems like it could potentially be a good fit for me. I was wondering if you guys had any advice/knowledge about these kinds of joint programs? My basic questions are: What are the pros of this kind of program? Cons? What kind of person (with what career interests) should consider pursuing it? How should financial considerations factor in?</p>
<p>To give you a bit of background on me, I'm a rising junior at a top 20 undergraduate school majoring in political science and math, with a 3.9 gpa (hoping, realistically, to raise that to around a 3.94 by the end of junior year). I'm not sure what I want to do after college, but so far I've loved my classes on constitutional law and the supreme court, and view that as a major interest. I'm also pretty involved in social justice causes (mostly anti-genocide stuff), but don't really see that as a viable career path for me. </p>
<p>Any advice you have for me is more than welcome! Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>You won’t be doing constitutional work or work with the Supreme Court. There are extremely few jobs available in those fields and they’re all filled by connected Yalies with prestigious federal clerkships. If other parts of the law interest you, I would recommend interning somewhere and getting some hands-on experience. If you’re interested in Public Interest work, I’m sure Legal Aid can always use a helper over the summer. Local Public Defender/District Attorney offices also commonly have interns. If the practice of law interests you, come back and we can go from there.</p>
<p>Public policy is not necessarily public interest in the truest sense of the words. I wouldn’t assume that someone interested in policy and constitutional law is interested in the type of work done by a DA or PD. The reality is that you don’t need a PP degree to do any of the kinds of things that would be policy-oriented. While I agree that most Supreme Court clerkships go to, as said, connected Yalies with prestigious federal clerkships under their belts, there are many other ways to impact policy with a law degree. One could go to work on Capitol Hill in a senator or representative’s counsel’s office, one could work with an organization that lobbies for such changes, one could work at Justice or some other governmental agency…the list is endless. Coming from a parent with a son who is just completing a joint degree (Urban Planning, not Public Policy), he has told us that he and most other members of his joint degree cohort (all fields) feel that they could be where they are now without the other degree on top of the JD. And remember, getting a joint degree usually adds at least one year to the degree process, adding additional debt.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! Just an FYI-- I actually will be interning at a local defender program this summer, as well as the headquarters of one of my state’s political parties. </p>
<p>I also should have been more clear about my interest in constitutional law and the supreme court-- obviously working for the supreme court would be a dream come true, but I also meant I’m interested from an academic standpoint (as in, possibly polisci grad school). Sorry I didn’t make that clear.</p>
<p>That being said, it seems like both of you are saying that the joint degrees just aren’t worth it; is that correct? Thanks for your advice!</p>
<p>@runnersomom: I know the OP wouldn’t necessarily be interested, that’s why I said “if other parts of the law interest you” then they should intern. My point was that “constitutional law” and “the supreme court” and “anti-genocide stuff” aren’t good reasons to get into law because they have little to do with its daily practice, the part the OP will actually be involved in. Hence, the OP should go intern to get some experience about how things really work.</p>
<p>@finnah: I’m glad that you’re interning as that will help a lot to solidify your interests. If you’re interested in conlaw and the court from a purely academic perspective, I’d say just read SCOTUSBlog when you get bored. A JD isn’t relevant to a purely academic interest. However, you may decide you actually like what the law involves and want to do it. If so, come back and we can strategize law school.</p>