Profile Evaluation Request- 3.25/740 1 year WE, J.D.

[nk_41]

I'm thinking of applying to business school to start in Fall 2011. I am currently a 2nd year student at a top 25 law school, and my profile is as follows:

Undergrad GPA (economics, mediocre state school): 3.25 *** (My school calculates my GPA at 3.25 because they drop the lowest grade if you retake a course. I had a horrendous first two years and retook 12 credits worth of F-equivalent grades (punitive incomplete grades). These grades are still on my transcript, and if a school were to recalculate my GPA using all courses taken, I'm down in the 2.8 range.

Law School GPA: 3.2 (slightly below median)

GMAT: 740 (V97th percentile, Q around 79th percentile, IIRC. I wrote it with very little prep and could probably get the q score up a little by relearning a lot of the high school triangles/circles/number properties stuff)

WE: 1 year as licensed sales assistant at retail brokerage for high net worth individuals. Series 7/63. Summer internships in law school for state public defender's office doing criminal appeals, and government agency dealing with more transactional/contractual stuff.

CFA L1

Career Goals: IB, MC or Investment Management/Equity Research. Just realize that I hate law school aside from the corporate law courses, and the legal market is terrible for all but the top few schools.

I would like to do the MBA straight from LS, but if another year or two of WE would make a huge difference, I would be willing to put it off.

From the handful of friends I've spoken to, I've heard schools like Duke, Michigan, and UVA as suggested targets. I assume the top 5 or 7 schools are out of the question, barring a few years of excellent WE. I would probably go anywhere in the top 15 or so at full price, but beyond CMU/Cornell, I really don't think it would be worth the debt.

Please suggest a few reaches, targets, and maybe some solid schools that would throw serious money at me based on GMAT (assuming there are any). Thanks.

p.s. Will schools recalculate my GPA to include all courses taken, or just go with my degree-granting GPA? The Law School Admissions Council unfortunately takes the former approach, which kept me out of getting into a top 10 school.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear nk_41,

The biggest hurdle you will need to jump to be offered admission to any business school will be convincing the admissions committee that you have a solid rationale for wanting to enter business school after law school. With only one year of work experience, you will need to present a solid rationale for why you want to go straight into business school, why you didn't do a JD/MBA, and how both of these degrees are important to your career goals. It is not enough to say you don't like law school and your high GMAT will only demonstrate you have the intelligence and aptitude to do the work. I think it is possible you can gain admission to some great programs, but your essays, recommendations and interview will be instrumental in your success.

As for your undergraduate GPA, there will be some variances among the business schools on what number will be used. Most will go with the cumulative GPA noted on your transcript (3.25), but a few will recalculate with your failing grades.

Based on your goals and other attributes you seek in a program, you definitely want to identify a good mix of reasonable and safety schools. You will want to visit the campuses of your reach and reasonable schools (if possible) and establish a rapport with the admissions staff. Scholarships are no guarantee, but your best chance at an award would be from your safety options, perhaps a few in the reasonable range. I encourage you to visit our sticky on school selection for tips on how to identify programs that are a good match for you.

Good luck,
Lisa