<p>I am in grade twelve with a 91.75% average in my academics. I live in Canada and I plan on going to University of British Columbia and getting a Bachelor of Arts. I am going to do a co-op program where I go four months doing jobs around the world, and then four months of school. This cycle goes for four years to get me work experience. I am going to major in Economics.</p>
<p>Considering I get the GPA and take the LSAT and do well, and considering the fact that I will have a lot of work experience from Co-op... What are my chances of going to a top notch school in the US to get a J.D., MBA, or joint J.D./MBA degree?</p>
<p>Some of the schools that catch my eye are UChicago, NYU, Columbia, and basically any very prestigious school that will increase my chance of getting hired to a top notch firm/job.</p>
<p>Do I have a chance? Is this common? Is it risky or likely?</p>
<p>I want to live in the States.
If I make the decision to stay in Canada I would just get a joint degree from UBC but assuming I want to live in the states.</p>
<p>Well that's pretty hard to do these days in the States. As an employer in the banking arena I can tell you that it's very hard for us to sponsor kids and getting harder all the time. There is a discussion about this on the international board. It would be very risky to come here to school and count on getting to stay. 10 years ago, no problem. Today, unless you have something all the other grads of HLS don't have, it's pretty hard for a law firm to make a case for you. And even if they can, there is still a lottery to face.</p>
<p>So even if I got a graduate degree in the States, I wouldn't be able to get hired with that degree?
I am not looking for a scholarship. I have the money to pay for it.</p>
<p>Employers need to sponsor you and say they can not find an American to do the job. Even if an employer is willing to do that there is no guarantee as it involves an actual lottery to get an employee a visa. Most law firms will not want to do this unless you have a genuine skill that is impossible to find in an American.</p>
<p>You might meet and marry an American if you go to school here, many do, but it's very hard to count on being able to stay.</p>
<p>And does this mean I am stuck living in Canada... any advice on how to get around this issue because it is a dream of mine to live in the US and I am sure I would have a better chance getting hired in the US from a US school... they would probably rather take an NYU grad than a UBC grad... so how do I solve this?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are people all over the world who would love to work and live in the States. They all can't. If this is your goal I suggest you study something highly unusual and become expert in something that will make a firm want to sponsor you.</p>
<p>I talked to my parents. I have two cousins, one that lives in Chicago and one that lives in New York. They are extremely successful living off green cards. They both did Law at McGill but they have big time finance jobs in their respective cities.</p>
<p>McGill is a great school, but we all know it can't mess with Harvard and other top notch US schools when it comes to prestige. </p>
<p>Would it be smarter for me to get a Canadian degree and see if there are any jobs in the US that are willing to attempt to get me a green card (I know that McGill and Richard Ivey Business School are very well-known in the US)? </p>
<p>If I went to a school in the US and hoped for a US job, would that be an example of me putting too many eggs in one basket?</p>
<p>I know it is quite a difficult task... but there has to be a way I can pull it off.</p>
<p>Certainly going to school in the States gives you your best chance. It's pretty hard to imagine a graduate of a Canadian school will have US employers wanting to sponsor him. Green Cards were much easier to come by through employers just a few years ago. America is becomming more protectionist as global competition increases and our jobs continue to get outsourced. No one can really guess what the situation will be in 4 or 8 years.</p>
<p>Well, who knows... it may improve...
But back to my main, initial question...
What chance do I have of getting into a top notch school considering I get good grades at UBC Arts with Co-Op experience (Keep in mind just because UBC is Canadian doesn't make it weaker, it is rated by some as top 20 arts programs and ranked 34th in the world over all)?</p>