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What are the pros and cons of a jd/mba program?
What’s jd?
JD/MBA Program
Pros: make lots of money like Mitt Romney
Cons: spend extra / more difficult time in school
(and yes I know my name is spelled incorrectly!)
I dunno much about JD-MBA’s but I can tell you that getting a JD these days is usually a really really bad idea.
You should ask this on a website for law school or business school applicants. Actually, you should probably ask it on both. If you google something like “law school forum” you should get some hits.
I am a current law student, and while I don’t know much about JD/MBAs, I do have a few classmates who are doing it.
It seems to me that the idea is rarely worthwhile. Here is why:
Both JDs and MBAs can work in one of two ways – they can open new doors to you, if you go to certain top schools, and they can provide you with skills that will help you maximize the opportunities you already have, like if your uncle has a law firm and will hire you, or if your family has a business (or you’re an entrepreneur) and you want the lessons of the MBA. But in either instance, it doesn’t seem likely that the two will work well together – whether you graduate from Columbia Law and, like eighty percent of their students, get jobs in big firms, or you graduate from your local state law school and get a job doing closings or local-type practice, it doesn’t seem like an MBA would help.
Add to that the limited number of top schools in business and in law, and the fact that they don’t always coincide. Also, if you go to a top law school, you’re paying about $200,000 for the x% chance of a six figure job. Does an additional $50-75,000 raise the odds or the salary?
That said, I have heard that UPenn now offers a three year JD/MBA, and in the case of Penn, both the law school and the business school are highly regarded.
By the time you finish both degrees separately, Obama and his legacy could be gone and you might be able to find a job. If you choose only one degree, regardless of what happens in this election, you will graduate into a tough job market. If Obama is re-elected, forget anything but a basic job for all but the top grads for at least another 7-8 years.
I can’t talk about business school, but I can say stay far away from law school unless one of the following is true: a)you go to a “T-14” (one of the top 14 schools in the country; don’t ask me why it’s 14 and not 10 or 15, I don’t know) b)you are independently wealthy/someone will be paying for school c)you are related to someone who can get you a job. Without at least one of those, don’t do it. And Great Bear- I don’t think you can blame this one on Obama nor expect it to get much better without him- this has been a problem since at least 2007 and will continue to be a problem for 5-10 years to come if not more. The government is not really relevant (except when it comes to student loans), it is the schools and ABA that are the real criminals in this situation.
PBA, getting a JD is only a bad idea if you want a job. A JD/MBA is more likely to find employment.
Raphael: That’s a svarah. I think someone should do their
“homework” first by reading the law school and business school forums.
I went to Penn Law and I honestly do not see how it is humanly possible to do a JD/MBA there in three years. Maybe if they’re also doing summer sessions, but then you’re not getting work experience which puts you at a disadvantage vis-a-vis other law students.
I will tell you what I tell everyone else who asks about going to law school, and you should know that I loved law school and I enjoy being a lawyer. If you’re going to law school because you really want to be a lawyer, or because you will enjoy law school and have the means to go there and then plan on using the degree in various capacities, then go. But if you’re going to law school because you want a career that will make you a lot of money, then go to Business School instead. It’s a cheaper degree, a much easier degree overall (excluding the three days each term when your group projects are due), and there is a greater likelihood of making serious money.
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