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shaolincage
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JD/MBA Applicant - Only 3 years of Work Experience 11 Jul 2012, 21:43
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Hey guys,

I am thinking about applying to various JD/MBA programs (Duke, UMichigan, NYU, and UPenn specifically) but I only have 3 years of WE. I see on average most schools have 4 years of WE on average. I have pretty good stats (171 LSAT, 3.7 GPA, 720 GMAT) but I feel like I am lacking in the Work Experience category. As far as the MBA portion of admissions will having only 3 years of work experience hurt me when competing with other applicants with 4 or more years of WE on average? Any help/insight would be appreciated
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AlexMBAApply
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JD/MBA Applicant - Only 3 years of Work Experience 11 Jul 2012, 22:53
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Count on most people being around the average +/- 1 year (middle 2/3rds) so you should be okay, assuming it's 3 years of quality experience.
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Youngjames
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JD/MBA Applicant - Only 3 years of Work Experience 14 Jul 2012, 06:27
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3 years of work experience is fine with a GPA as high as yours, as long as the experience shows progressively more responsibility and impact. you're correct in that it's fewer than the average, which will put the burden on you to craft essays that demonstrate maturity, judgment, and self reflection. you'll also need to prove how those few years were packed full of rich experience, so that it feels richer than the time frame.

it'd help to know what kind of job you've had during this time, but I'll leave that up to you to share or not.

hope that's helpful,
-james young