<p>Should I MBA/JD? or just JD? </p>
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<p>I am currently a junior. I will be taking the LSAT and GMAT this summer. I have question about two issues.</p>
<li><p>Is it worth it to get both an MBA and a JD. I will either go to grad school at LSU or Tulane. Both offer joint degree programs where I can get both degrees in four years. I have yet to find any stats on the beneits of a JD/MBA compared to a JD. Even if its not $ beneficial I will still proably pursue both becasue my main interest is corporate law.</p></li>
<li><p>How will I fair in the admissions process? I know Tulane averages about 9% of its incoming student in the MBA to be straight from under grad. I am wondering if where I am at gives me a good chance at admissions.
Right now this is my statistics
3.68gpa
Student Supreme Court Chief Justice
Serve on student advisory board and discipline committee
I own my own Retail store
I also work part time as an IT manager for a small trucking company
2006 Sandy Nininger Award recipient (best Key club member in the Louisiana-West Tenn.-Mississippi district) This shows my Community Service past
Age 21
Married with 1 son and expecting another
I plan on having some pretty good letters of recommendation.</p></li>
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<p>My worries:
- I am at Nicholls State University which is not a big name school. I was at LSU but transefered back to my hometown when I met my future wife and got married. I transfered with a 3.4gpa for LSU (27hrs) and now have a 3.68gpa at NSU (61hrs) and it looks like I will have four A’s and 1 B this semester.
- Age/work experince. I am young, but I do own my own business that me and my wife started. </p>
<p>Thanks for your time,
Douglas A.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that most joint programs accept applicants separately. You may get into the JD program fresh out of college but not necessarily the MBA program because you lack strong work experience. If you seriously want an MBA, you may need to work a few years before you start applying to JD/MBA programs.</p>
<p>If you intend to go into business, an MBA may add to your JD. If you intend to practice law, the MBA is of little value.</p>
<p>I know both LSU and Tulane you must apply for seperately. What kind of work experince do they look for mostly?</p>
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<p>As a lawyer with an MBA, I have actually found the MBA to be tremendously helpful in my career. I benefit from the knoweldge I gained in my MBA program, the contacts that I made in my MBA program and the credibility that the MBA buys me with my business clients.</p>
<p>To the OP, you will likely need at least two and probably more years of full time, post-graduation work experience in order to get into a good MBA program. There are MBA programs out there that will accept students straight out of college, but often those students are hindered by their lack of experience in the recruiting process that is at the heart of every MBA program. Students without work experience often suffer by comparison to their classmates who are vying for the same jobs, and they suffer when employers question their true abilities to juggle multiple responsibilities, handle pressure, work in a team, etc. when they have never proven themselves before.</p>
<p>If you want to be a lawyer, go to law school. Later, after working for several years, you can always get an executive MBA or even go back full time. Perhaps you should consider taking a couple of years off, working full time, and then applying to a JD/MBA joint program.</p>
<p>JD/MBA joint degree will be much better for you. Not sure, but as a joint degree candidate work experience will not be as crucial as for a MBA degree alone. Even though you apply separately, the admissions folks will know that you are applying for the joint degree program.</p>
<p>If you are a joint degree candidate, you will still need at least 2 years of full-time work experience for the MBA admissions folk to even consider you. A lot of people apply to joint programs, but it doesn’t necessarily increase your chances of admission. You have to be equally competitive to both schools and demonstrate why both degrees would benefit you.</p>
<p>“If you are a joint degree candidate, you will still need at least 2 years of full-time work experience for the MBA admissions folk to even consider you.”</p>
<p>Generally true, but… if you are in your first year of law school you should be able to make a case for getting both at once before you enter the job-market as a corporate lawyers. If your numbers are decent and you have some good ECs under your belt, you should have a shot. It will also depend on what school you are attending for law, and what their MBA admissions culture is.</p>
<p>Keep all the good information comming. As of right now im thinking I will just focus on studying and see how I do on both the GMAT and LSAT. I know LSU accepts a good bit more of MBA students straight from undergrad compared to Tulane…</p>