<p>Ok, so I just thought I'd ask this on here, I am nowhere near sure of my plans, so no one jump on me, I'm just curious about this. I am in my 3rd year at Arizona State (national merit scholarship), majoring in Classics, and have been planning on going to law school. I think I'll be a good law school candidate, I have a 4.0, my LSAT practice tests are always around 170, and I have some good 'softs'. Anyway, as a Classics major, I have spent most of my time in the Humanities, but I have recently taken some econ and accounting classes in the business school and really enjoyed them. The thought of maybe getting an MBA has now crossed my mind. But I know that work experience is probably the most important thing in getting into top MBA programs. Being a liberal arts major, and not having a plethora of business school classes, I don't find myself very employable to alot of businesses. I was wondering, how possible is it to get into a lower tier MBA program straight out of undergrad with good GMAT scores and a high GPA? I know that alot of people on here don't see much point to getting a JD/MBA, but its not something I am ready to throw out, because I think I could get into a decent JD program, and it couldn't hurt to have an MBA regardless; in other words, I think it would be a productive way of spending 4 years. Anyway, before I start to ramble too much, I'm just asking, is it possible to get into any T30 business schools without significant work experience?</p>
<p>Why not go to law school first and then get a job and then go for your mba?</p>
<p>It's possible to get into a top 30 school without work experience but not that common. It varies by school, but I would say less than 1% have no post-graduate work experience. In fact, you'll probably see more career switching lawyers in the MBA program than people with no work experience.</p>
<p>Personally, I really don't see the value in this for you. If you want to go into law, go into law. If you don't want to go into law, then work for a couple of years and then go to a good graduate business school. Without experience, you probably won't be that marketable to employers.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. Part of me thinks that it is just that I have been planning on going to law school for a few years now that keeps me attached to the idea (plus I feel that it is a bit more accessible to me, ie I am confident I can do well on the LSATs, good GPA, etc). Anyway, since I have really loved the few business courses I have taken, if I were to opt to go that route, how possible would it be to get a job out of undergrad? I mean, I'm a humanities major at a non-target school. Any advice about what kind of jobs might exist that I could get? What could I do to increase my chances of being employed?</p>
<p>Keep in mind how much money this is. Law school typically runs around 45k a year for 3 years. A good MBA program would cost around 30-35k. If you plan on taking out loans for most of this, that's likely about 200k in loans. Having a JD/MBA IMO would NOT be very cost effective. You'll be paying off your loans for years until you feel secure. Also, unless you're a CEO or something, your salary will top out, and won't likely be too much more than having just a JD or just an MBA. Also, unless you go to a top MBA school, an MBA is not likely to help you much (if at all) over having an just a JD. </p>
<p>Also figure that if you do indeed want to get into a top MBA school, several years of work experience will be required. 22 out of undergrad, 3 years for law school, 3-4 years of work, 2 years of an MBA. Yikes.</p>
<p>In terms of getting your name out there, internships are a place to start. You're still in your 3rd year, so you have a couple more summers to find an internship. Go to your schools career fairs and get your name out. A lot of finding a good job is all about networking.</p>
<p>IMO, there's a reason you've been attracted to law. If neither of your parents are in law I would say it's because you actually like it too (as well as business), so I wouldn't just through those dreams away because of a "grass is greener" mindset.</p>
<p>What is that is drawing you to business? Is it possible that you might be able to actually leverage a JD in order to whatever it is that is drawing you to business? There is more than one way to skin a cat.</p>
<p>I am not trying to talk you out of an MBA, but you have set yourself up for an advance degree in order to make yourself marketable. I really think that, without the right connections, it will be really hard to land a job that Top 20 schools will weight well with a classics degree.</p>