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Getting into a top MBA program after law school

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Getting into a top MBA program after law school

by Hatethelaw » Tue Jun 11, 2013 3:52 pm
So, I graduated from a top 6 law school (Columbia/Chicago/NYU) last year and have been working in a law firm since last September. FYI I graduated right around median and am currently working at one of the top law firms in a rural state (think NE, IA, MT, SD, etc...). Problem is... I enjoy the business/economic side of my work so much more than the legal side. Also, I took several courses at a top business school (while in law school) and performed very well and also really enjoyed the material. Therefore, I'm now thinking about applying to MBA programs.

I'm on this forum because I have a couple questions.... First, with my law firm experience (albeit in a rural state), an undergraduate GPA of 3.86 (top 5%), and a GMAT of 750 (just scored 720 on my first practice test), will I be competitive for a top 5 program? Second, how will programs view my law degree.... having performed average at a top school?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks advance for any replies!!!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Jun 12, 2013 11:44 am
Hi there,

Well, I believe your username says it all, eh? This is an interesting position you find yourself in and I'm going to give you my opinion. I'm sure there will be other who post after me either in agreement or disagreement. However, there are a couple of key questions that would be great if you would answer.

1) What was your undergrad degree in and where did you go?
2) What did you do between undergrad and law school? Or did you go straight into law school?
3) What kind of law?
4) How old are you?

The fact of the matter is, given that you just graduated last year from law school, this puts you in a difficult situation. Essentially, the question that naturally comes to mind is, A) why did you go to law school and B) after a year, how do I know you're not quitting and are truly passionate? From a perception standpoint, it's something you will have to articulate clearly. Keep in mind, 9 out of 10 times when they see someone even mention "law" it has to do with a dual MBA/JD degree.

Your undergraduate GPA is great and your average performance in law school won't matter as much as you think. Your GMAT is great (congrats!) so that'll check that box as well. Essentially, they won't question if you can handle an MBA.

The components of your application you will have to focus on is:

Story: Like I mentioned above, why an MBA after a law degree? I won't rehash this but suffice it to say they will scrutinize this. The bright side is that it seems through the type of law you practice you can advocate for exposure to business resulting in your passion. That's definitely something to move forward from and something adcoms can sympathize with!

Professional Experiences: This depends on what you did before law school (if anything) and what kind of law you do now. Essentially, you need to be able to speak to concrete and impactful leadership experiences. Preferably these wouldn't come entirely from an extracurricular standpoint. You would need to be able to point to your career and say "this is why I'll be an effective business leader"

Extracurricular: You haven't mentioned any of these. If you were working between undergrad and law school, were you involved? Were you involved in undergrad and law school? Have you been involved since?

If you can give me a little more information I'd love to answer your question about your actual candidacy! Or you contact me directly and we can talk through it if you're not comfortable sharing more information on the forum.

Bhavik
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by PrepMBA.AlexLeventhal » Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:41 pm
There are lawyers in every class and some have had business experience and others have not. With a 750 and 3.86 undergrad I think you can find a top 15 program that will admit you. Of course I would need to look at your entire profile (what you did prior to Law School, extra curriculars, career plans) but as long as you don't fixate just on the top 3-5 programs, you can do it.

Alex
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by safsala12 » Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:25 am
I'm not an admissions expert but you certainly have the right test scores and that's a great beginning. People with much less in that area are applying to the top schools. I think the key for you is to communicate in your essays exactly what it was about the business and economic aspects of your work that turned you on. The fact that you took business courses while at law school is proof of your genuine interest in the world of commerce. And.... you finished law school. That is a serious accomplishment and shows determination and maturity. I think you would have a very good chance at most of the schools of your choice if you can show why you really want an MBA.
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by kurtnewman » Thu Jul 11, 2013 12:24 am
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by ProleFeed13 » Fri Aug 02, 2013 2:45 am
To piggyback on the thread, I'm also a lawyer looking to apply this fall and would like to ask what are the chances of receiving scholarship $ for a lawyer applicant? I'm not necessarily targeting the very top schools because I'm not interested in consulting/finance, but what about Ross/Anderson and the like?

3.6 GPA from a respected state school, taking GMAT in a month but given my initial prep I don't foresee scoring less than a 730 due to verbal ability (probably looking at something like V50, Q46). CA bar admitted, practiced for the last 5 years including 3 as low-paid general counsel for a startup that ultimately failed. I've always had interest in business (nearly did BBA in college, dual MBA with law school but didn't follow through, but decided to go an alternative route to a traditional law firm and started in-house and pursued the startup trek early in my career).

I ask particularly about the money because I do have significant loan debt from LS, so while I'm certain I want to pursue business and would like to get the MBA, going for free or close to it is my only viable option.
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by ProleFeed13 » Fri Aug 02, 2013 2:46 am
Also, if anyone knows (whether personally or anecdotally) what schools are more accepting of attorney applicants, please advise!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Fri Aug 02, 2013 11:05 am
Hey there!

Way to hijack the thread ;)

No, just kidding, happy to help! I'm going to respond to your 2nd post in a roundabout way so stay with me here.

Firstly, let's talk about scholarships. They're primarily driven by unique profiles and GMAT scores. This is why women tend to have a slightly easier with scholarships than men because their competitive pool is smaller and for the top quartile they're in hot demand. So if you do get a 730+, that will help. Try to crush it - every step up will help.

Now onto where you'll likely get scholarships (and a close to full one to boot). Unfortunately, you're aiming a little too high. Ross is going to be a tough nut to crack. They have a decent sized scholarship fund to pull from but it's a top program (let's ignore ranks as that varies by source). UCLA you might have a better shot at but here's the real key to this. Do a little research on the 12 - 25 ranked schools - look at their incoming class profiles. See where you, as an attorney, are underrepresented and where you could bring something valuable to the classroom. That's going to be a good start to determining where you have a better chance. Cross reference that with available scholarship disbursement information and try to find places that have looser purse strings.

Now - let's not forget this: the schools you find will have to meet your goals (I'm not sure what they are just that it isn't finance or consulting).

If your primary concern is funding, then you have to look lower. They're inversely related.

I hope that helps - let me know if you have any questions!

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by ProleFeed13 » Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:24 pm
Thanks for helping! I figured it'd be easier just to orient this toward a lawyer applicant thread rather than do my own "evaluate" thread.

"Ross is going to be a tough nut to crack"--even if I'm a Michigan alum (and born/raised there)? UCLA is a target also because I practiced law in LA for 4 years in the entertainment industry so I'm very familiar with both campuses/schools generally.

I will follow your suggestion, good idea to cross-reference law and scholarships--do you have any sources where I could find such data? The general profiles rarely seem to get into detail enough to separate out attorney applicants (*maybe* a legal category). I did read that Ross is one of the highest scholarship givers among the top schools (nearly 10%) so that's yet another reason for my target there.

As for my plans, I'm presently in the Bay Area and I'm leaning toward F500 or late-stage venture backed company work in strategy/corp dev after graduation...before ultimately pursuing starting my own company down the line after building up skills and a more-friendly network.

Given that I want to be in CA after graduation and require money, I'm not sure what other viable options in that 12-25 range there are at this point but I'm keeping up the research.
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Sat Aug 03, 2013 4:12 pm
Hey there,

I didn't realize you were an alum at Ross. You're right in that Ross is a little more generous with its scholarships but it's not a sure thing. As an alum you may have a slightly better shot. UCLA, like I mentioned, you have a slightly better shot at.

Here's the big thing - you're looking for significant assistance, right? At Ross or UCLA you might be able to get a little bit of assistance with a stellar GMAT and a great story, but it won't be a full ride or even close.

That's my main point here - it's not to discourage you or say no one at a higher ranked program will give you money, but that the level of funding you're looking for is significant, right?

As for this information - your best bet is the schools themselves. Their reports, websites, etc. will get you part of the way, but whatever you can't find, pick up the phone and ask. They'll give you the information and then you have to play detective to put together the pieces.

Thoughts?

Bhavik
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