The Application Process

I just started my first semester at CLS and want to apply to the B school for a JD/MBA. Since I am already a student here and Columbia is my only option (and the admissions obviously knows this), would applying ED give me any advantage? Being a broke student, $6K is a lot of money to drop for deposit, especially when my committment to Columbia is 100% by default. Also does being a CLS student get me any brownie points? I know some schools (e.g. Stanford) like and even encourage dual degrees.

I agree with everything Anurag said, but I want to be a little more encouraging of joint degrees. As a Harvard MBA & MPA, I'm a huge fan of joint degrees. Just make sure you really know why you want to pursue the joint degree and how the two degrees will COMPLEMENT not just supplement one another.

If you are 100% sure you want to apply to Columbia GSB, and your application is ready in time, I would definitely apply ED.

You should reach out to current Columbia MBA/JDs and get their input as well. A quick search within your network on LinkedIn will surface plenty of folks you can talk to.

Good luck!
Kaneisha

Thanks for the advice guys! Unfortunately the situation has kind of changed now. I got off the waitlist at HLS and moved to Boston so now I should consider applying to HBS instead and things aren't looking that good I have not even started researching HBS but I know it's a hell of a lot harder to get into!