This fall I will be a freshman at Vanderbilt University, but I am already looking ahead to the future. I have very specific interests in technology and innovation, building companies, and how law permeates and affects all of these different areas. But until recently I was unable to reconcile all of these areas into a unified plan for the future. Last night I was perusing youtube when I found some lectures by Jonathan Zittrain, and they blew my mind. His research on Internet Law, and what the future holds are extraordinary, and he held me captivated for hours. The way that he was able to weave law and technology together was beautiful!
I’m pretty certain I want to attend a MBA program, but I’m also certain that I want to go to law school.
My current plan for undergrad is to major in Economics. But, other than that, I’m entirely lost. What can I do (besides work to attain a great GPA, and get solid test scores on the GMAT and LSAT) to heighten my chances for admission to a top JD/MBA program? I’m checked out a few programs, namely Harvard’s JD/MBA and the University of Chicago’s JD/MBA program. At Harvard you’re required to apply separately to both programs, and get admitted to both. Quite frankly the odds of getting into both the Harvard MBA program and Harvard JD program seem daunting.
What should I be focused on in the short term? Long term? Specific internships?
For as daunting getting into Harvard and UChicago law might seem, it’s actually not as daunting as HBS or UChicago Booth; law schools are mostly dependent on GPA and LSAT.
But, if you could only get into law school, would you still go to UChicago or Harvard Law without a MBA at the exit?
@Catria I would be extremely happy just to go to UChicago or Harvard Law! I’d rather do the dual program of course, but I would be absolutely thrilled to get “only” a law degree. The main thing i’m worried about right now is the reality of the situation. My father is a Veterinarian, his father was a vet, etc… , and has long wanted me to go into medicine. He says that the law “market” is being inundated with fresh law graduates, and I’m scared that unless I get into a top program i’ll have a hard time finding a job. Additionally I’m worried that financially going to anything other than a top 5 law program wouldn’t be worth it for me, because i’d almost certainly have to take on a fair amount of debt. I know everyone says to study what you want, and “follow your heart”, but I don’t want to spend my first 10 years out of college with a huge cloud of debt hanging over my head.
For MBA it’s a lot murkier. It depends on why you want the MBA in the first place.
If you just want to progress at work, with an employer footing the bill, with most tech employers, prestige won’t make much of a difference. But if you want to use a MBA to switch fields then pay attention to specialty rankings on top of MBA-wide rankings; unlike legal employers, business employers will be more sensitive to specialty-specific prestige.
For MBA programs, take a look at what percentage of workers are employed 3 months out of graduation and what the starting salaries are. Most schools in the US News top 50 are fine for corporate finance type jobs. Take a look at HourlyNerd’s list of schools if you want reputable programs (https://hourlynerd.com/faq/mba) . However, if you want to do investment banking or consulting you should try to aim for a top 15 program since these are far more competitive jobs.
As for law, the industry is very oversaturated and the employment statistics are pretty poor. I think the top 14 is outdated and you would need to shoot even higher for it to be a good risk. There are just far too many lawyers and not enough legal jobs. I would recommend not going to law school.