Know nothing about MBAs - MBA 101 Please?

Neonzeus
Mon, 30 May 2011 08:18:11 +0000

One of my “kids” is in a mid-ranked law school now, with an undergrad degree that focuses in a particular industry (let’s say that it’s journalism or health care administration, as examples). This kid’s goal is to find a job in this industry. Undergrad grades were very high, but law school grades are in the middle of the pack. He will be taking the bar, and expects to have less than $100K in debt coming out of law school.

My kid is weighing whether applying to MBA programs right out of law school would enhance his resume and improve the chances of working in this industry. Job prospects for new lawyers are very poor. My kid has obtained corporate clerkships from heavy networking, but the industries are only remotely connected with his industry-of-choice. He’s afraid that if he takes an entry-level legal job out of law school, he’ll be forced to accept any job that he can find. Since the odds of finding a job in his industry-of-choice out of law school are not good, he’s concerned that in a year or two he’d be stuck in a different field and it would be even harder to get into his industry-of-choice.

Kid would be fine with working on the business side of the house in this industry. In fact, he now thinks he should have researched an MBA track instead of law school in the first place. He just picked up some books on GMAT exams and applying to MBA programs, to begin the research.

Can someone give me some info about MBA applications and programs? Since I know absolutely nothing about MBAs, can you tell me the break-points for GMAT scores and schools that he should consider before this plan has any merit at all? Kid is ok with relocating. Advice is appreciated.