Just came across an interesting statistic. German website, so you may have to go through Babelfish if you can't understand/interpret the terms, but it should be fairly obvious.

Fourth column is the average GMAT score, column five is the difference in percent versus the previous year; last column is the average number of years of students' work experience. Just as an FYI.

Click here!

 

lots of grad schools (law or otherwise) will only do a three year lookback at grades. so if you did well for two years in mba school and well your senior year of undergrad, you should be fine.

I was recently accepted to MBA school at the Ohio State University, they only looked at my gmat scores and my grades from previous graduate work (MA Political Science/International Relations) and not my undergrad grades.

 

dbjb,

Thanks! So perhaps there is hope after all...

Only thing is, it's taking me a lot longer than 2 years to finish my MBA. Actually, it's probably taking me longer than just about anyone to finish my MBA. My undergrad major was biochemistry, and I took a grand total of zero business courses as an undergrad...so, I've basically got a whole crapload of foundation business courses to make up. Due to budget issues, the company I work for has also pulled the plug on sponsoring my tuition. The end result of all this is that I am paying out-of-pocket and can't afford to take more than one class per quarter (each 3-unit class costs $2k), and I have 9 extra foundation courses to make up. I'm basically on the 6-year plan (insert outrageous laughter here).

So, I'm curious what grades the law school will look at when I finally apply after finishing my MBA. My time in the MBA program will stretch over something like 4-6 years. I did load up on the electives and do decent in my final year of undergrad, though, so I wouldn't mind them looking at that particular year's grades.

Well, guess I'll just have to find out when the time comes. I'll get back to you guys in 2007 or so.

 

Cyber-X,

After you finish your MBA, why do you feel the need to earn a JD?

 

ICEMAN666,

Good question - I honestly don't really know the answer. Law is just something that seems interesting, and that I think I'd be good at. Sometimes I wonder if I should've just gone straight to law school rather than business school. But, I'm already a decent ways into the MBA program, so I figure I might as well finish it up and see what comes of it. At any rate, I just want to learn a little about various subject areas...hence, I majored in biochem as an undergrad, currently work as a computer programmer, and I'd like to learn about law, business, and who knows what else in the future. I can't claim to be an expert in any of these fields, but I'd just like to learn something about each, at least at a fundamental level.

So, I guess the succinct answer to your question is that I'm equally, if not more, interested in law as I am in business. I actually think I'd do better in law in the long run...but my curiosity also needs to be satisfied. It's just too bad that life is too short and one can't learn everything.

 

I just started my first year out here, but anyone here get their MBA in Chicago? If so, drop me a line!

Also, if anyone needs help/advice on getting through the process, PM me.

 

I'm looking to eventually get an MBA after undergrad is done if it's worth it around this area (Greater Toronto Area), because if the payoff isn't worth it, there's no point spending another 1-2 years of school and thousands of more dollars..

 

Cyber-X,

Thanks for the follow-up. . . Whereas I think a JD/MBA can give you advantages in certain areas of the business world (i.e., starting a small business or running someone elses), I also believe that you might want to finish your MBA first, look at your prospects, and then decide if Law School still makes sense.

I have a few friends that did JD/MBA programs and the general consensus is that once you are done with the program you have to decide whether you want to do Law or Business. Having both degrees can provide for a few advantages within either area, but at the end of the day you will have to choose where you want your career to go. When I did my MBA, I thought my MS in engineering would enable me to use both skill sets equally. In certain aspects of my career it has, but overall I still had to choose, business (in my case finance) or engineering.

Having said that, none of my friends would have done there degrees differently, and neither would I. Ultimately, you have to see what works best for you, but before commit to another degree program, you should look hard at whether you can reach your goals with the skill set you already have.

 

EvoII,

"Is it worth it" is a tough question to answer. . . Everyone looks for different things from grad school (business or otherwise).

From a financial perspective, a graduate degree (in any area) almost always give you more career opportunities and the opportunity to command higher salaries over time. However, NO degree can ensure financial success.

A MBA, MS, JD, etc., is more about the skills that you acquire and not just about the dollars to be made. Your education (undergrad or grad) is an investment. Similar to any financial investment, there are risks that you will not see a financial benefit from initial investment. However, unlike financial investments, your eduaction (and the knowledge you gain) will never result in a complete loss. . .

 

ICEMAN666,

Hey, you sound like an accomplished guy that I need to talk to at some point down the line...if you don't mind, I just may fire some questions your way in the future.

I understand your point about potentially having to choose either business or law. It's still a ways away, so I haven't really given it truly serious thought yet, but it's definitely something that has crossed my mind at times. I am a die-hard realist, and don't expect to reap the full benefits of both degrees. I fully expect - and your feedback confirms it - that at some point, I will need to place a far heavier emphasis on one field over the other. But, that's okay with me, because part of the reason I'm pursuing these degrees is (hopefully) for the financial benefit, but another part is out of nagging curiosity to learn how the world works. I've only got a limited time on this Earth, and I want to know as much as I can. I also get bored when all I do is work, and life feels kind of...stagnant. School, albeit a pain in the neck much of the time, makes life feel more dynamic, somehow. I think I'm going to be one of those people with the lifelong love-hate relationship with school.

Anyway, I will most definitely take a bit of time off after finishing my MBA to think about what I want to do next. Right now, I'm pretty set on law school, but my desires change like the wind, so who knows what I'll want when the time comes...when I finished up undergrad, I was absolutely certain I would never go to grad school, but just 6 months later, there I was.

To be honest, I would really *love* to get a grad degree in my undergrad major, biochem, or something closely related, such as microbio, molecular bio, etc. But, those grad degrees don't offer the same financial payback a MBA or law degree typically gives, so I'm kind of iffy at this point. I'm very interested in biochem, but if it doesn't pay the bills, then I have to reconsider. Perhaps that will change once my MBA is done...we'll see.

Ultimately, I don't really have concrete career goals at this point. I suffer from what could be considered apathy, or perhaps laziness, and just want to learn stuff and see where it takes me - no roadmaps here, at least not yet. When I finish my MBA and come to that fork in the road, I'll see what fancies me at the time and just go with it. Interestingly, some of my friends have told me that I'm wasting my time doing stuff in so many different areas, and should focus on becoming an expert in one area instead. But, I enjoy learning different things, and hopefully, one of the degrees I acquire along the way will do me well.

Now, I just may find you in a couple of years and have this conversation again...