I have so much to write about this week, but so little time. I’ll be doing my best to catch you up on all of the excitement as soon as possible.
A former LSAT student of mine wrote me this week to ask me about my experience in the MBA program. She is an intelligent and compassionate person, graduating in May from a law school reliably ranked among the Top 5. She has worked at large law firms during her summers, but–like many a 3L–has come to the realization that life in a Big Law firm isn’t right for her. Now she finds herself contemplating a MBA.
Here is how I replied:
Your e-mail is perfectly timed: I just got home from a night spent with the MBA recruiters from [COMPANY].
If you’re considering non-law options, I think there are a number of fantastic jobs that you will qualify for whether or not you go to the trouble of getting your MBA. Having said that, one of the major values that a MBA program provides to someone who already has a JD is access to the recruiting channels for MBA jobs (in my experiences, the career services provided at the business school are outrageously superior to those provided by the law school). Perhaps more importantly, a MBA will give you the opportunity to bulk up your quantitative analysis abilities–which will be valued, if not required, in non-law jobs.
I decided to get my MBA because I thought that an ability to read, understand and analyze financial statements was essential to being taken seriously as a corporate lawyer. I have also always assumed that I would one day end up either in house or in a business position where the MBA curriculum, or my MBA network, may eventually be of some use. I have already seen, during my last summer at [SUMMER LAW FIRM], that some clients have responded positively once told that I have a MBA and they have gotten a kick out of my ability to follow along with their finance jabber.
As economic times change and I become more disillusioned with the idea of life as a Big Law associate, I am especially thankful for the access that my MBA gives me to really awesome MBA employment opportunities. The program that I interviewed for today is a MBA leadership rotational program that places MBA grads in three successive six-month rotations at different [COMPANY] offices (one rotation is an international placement). During the program you work on different projects with a variety of cross-functional teams with an eye to evaluating which permanent leadership position–best suited to your strengths–should be offered to you at the end of the 18 month period. Even once you’re settled into a “permanent” role, the company will rotate you through different departments and businesses to build your strengths.
Does that sound exciting to you? I don’t know if I’m just ridiculously jaded about law firms, but this [COMPANY] opportunity sounds amazing to me. I’ve gathered that it is fairly typical of the MBA opportunities offered to students in my program to offer this kind of true team environment with the promise of international work opportunity and rapid growth. MBA alums I’ve met with say that companies reliably make good on these promises (or at least do a better job of living up to promises than many law firms seem to do).
Having said that, I should include that MBA recruiting is tougher now than it was a couple of years ago. MBA programs are generally suffering the same malaise in recruiting as law schools. So, getting a MBA is not a guaranteed solution to the current economic problem. In fact, adding the two more years of students loans and the opportunity cost of sitting out another two years in the work force to your preexisting law school debt leaves you economically worse off with immediate job opportunities that, while different in character, will pay less than your law firm.
In addition, you might sometimes be frustrated by the inevitable b.s. factor in business schools or, possibly, the fact that grades in many of your classes are based entirely on group work. Business school is very different from law school in that regard.
But on the whole I have been very happy with my decision to get a MBA both for the reasons above and for general enrichment. Perhaps largely because I never took any business classes in undergrad other than Econ 101, I have learned an awful lot about financial analysis and how to contribute as a collaborator (maybe it’s just me, but the collaboration factor is largely absent from the law school curriculum).
[UNORIGINAL CONTENT RE GMAT AND MBA SCHOOL SELECTION.]
With regards to the rest of the application process, the essays are an incredibly important opportunity to express your fit with a particular MBA program (many people involved with admissions at McCombs have told me that even the strongest applicants risk outright rejection by failing to explain the fit between their educational goals and McCombs). You will need to clearly explain:
1. Why you are getting a MBA;
2. Why you should get a MBA now; and
3. Why you should get a MBA at _____ school.Inevitably, because you will have a JD, you will frequently be asked why you need a MBA on top of a JD so be prepared to answer that question in essays and interviews.
Another potential issue for you to consider is work experience. I seem to remember that you worked only one year between undergrad and law school matriculation. Hopefully, most schools will also count your summer associate work towards work experience, but there is a possibility that some MBA programs will consider your work experience too limited. I would hope that the admissions committees would be willing to look the other way because you have spent three years in law school, but some of the admissions folks feel very strongly about candidates having a certain amount of work experience, with just cause. You may be asked to justify why you are ready for a management program despite limited work experience. It also might be an issue later in MBA recruiting. Some (but certainly not all) companies require at least three years of prior full time work experience in order for students to qualify to apply for jobs with their companies.
So, MBA blogosphere, what else might you say to a law school graduate considering applying to a full-time MBA program? I’m sure there are things that I’ve forgotten to bring to her attention. Post your thoughts here for any other prospective applicants that might wander by . . . .
I’ll wrap up this post by including links to a series of well-reasoned posts on the “Pros and Cons of a JD/MBA” written by the good people over at Veritas Prep:
Read the full article: Law School Didn’t do it for You. Should You Give Business School a Try?