JD/MBA dilemma

happyphish399 · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: JD/MBA dilemma

Hello,

I am a law student at the University of San Diego. I just took the GMAT because I was planning on going to the USD business school. I did not expect it, but I got a 710 (Verbal-40,Quant-47). I also had a 3.8, magna ###### laude, with two degrees from my undergrad, the University of San Diego. I was in the honors program in undergrad, and wrote a thesis in that program. I was the chairman of the College Republicans for 2 years. I also got department honors from both Business Admin and Political Science deparments (my two majors). As for my resume, I lack work experience. I have done some statistical analysis for my dad (who works for a major insurance company), and a coordination assistant for large events in the same company. I have worked for ballot initiative organizations, and worked to register voters. I am also a decent writer and am capable of getting respected recommendations.

My question is what sort of likelihood do I have of getting into Stanford, UCLA, or USC? I am not sure how all of this works, but I want to explore my options. If I do have a chance of getting into these schools, what sort of chance do I have of a scholarship?

I have to decide whether I should continue with my JD/MBA plans at USD, where I can probably get a hefty scholarship (since it isn't even rated), or if I should finish law school and apply to all of these schools separate from the JD/MBA program.

This all sort of came from nowhere, because I wasn't testing that high on my practice tests, and I really am not sure what MBA admissions are like. I hope someone can help! Thanks!

Chris

VP_MBA Expert · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject:

MBA admissions are very competitive this year however the onslaught of applicants is partially due to the bad economy http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/aug2008/bs20080826_158181.htm?chan=rss_topEmailedStories_ssi_5. Therefore, it is difficult to say what the applicant pool will look like when you apply to b-school. Most top business schools require some work experience (usu. at least 2 years) so depending upon what year you're in at Law school you are looking at another 3-5 years before applying. Finally, GMAT scores are only valid for 5 years so you may have to re-take the exam depending upon how long you actually work before applying to b-school.

Your decision to pursue a JD/MBA now or wait for a more prestigious MBA later also depends upon what your career plans are. If you are starting your own firm then the rankings are not a big issue but if you plan to go into corporate America then the prestige of a top business school on your resume may be helpful.