You don’t see too many lawyers going for an MBA after B.A LLB. An M.A LLB has been the de facto masters degree option for legal professionals.
But an MBA can provide an excellent platform for lawyers who want to broaden their skillset to take on bigger opportunities within the legal world, or to switch careers completely.
For Simran, choosing the legal profession was an emotional decision. By the time she completed her BA LLB, she realised that she wouldn’t be happy continuing in the field. She explains what happened next.
MBA after Law
How a lawyer from India made it to Oxford
by Simran Gambhir
I have often written in many of business school application essays, that my journey has not been “traditional” – now that’s not a pitch, I’ve had tumultuous start in life.
I lost my father to cancer when I was 14 and to make matters worse, my was mother embroiled in a never-ending litigation to protect his inheritance.
The exposure to the legal world, made me choose it as a career path after high school. While I excelled in law, it never felt like my true calling.
Things changed while I was interning with a legal aid startup, it made me realize I wanted to play a part in building something from the ground up.
Cut to 2020 and the pandemic, I’ve graduated with no idea what to do next. My partner was running a small print-on-demand tech accessories startup.
Given my interest in startups, I started dabbling with the work he was doing and learning the ropes.
I was immediately sucked into this world; it was chaotic and messy but extremely satisfying.
In the last 4 years a lot has changed, we’ve moved from working from home to full-fledged factory in an industrial hub.
I’ve had a gnawing feeling that while we’ve been able to bring in a lot of structure to our business, a lot more needs to come in to take us into the big leagues.
Which is why I started toying around the idea for an MBA, it would help me get the right network for my recruitment efforts, help me bring in more structure and give me the credibility to raise money.
When I took the plunge and made up my mind about pursuing an MBA. The mammoth task of preparing for GMAT stood in front of me.
Given my legal background and lack of exposure towards quantitative analysis, I knew it would be an uphill journey.
For my prep, I majorly relied on two sources, the OG and the GMAT Club free question bank.
I was scoring in the range of 690-700 after preparing for about 4 months and felt ready to take my first attempt. I completely bombed my first attempt and ended up scoring a 640.
To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement, I knew I wasn’t struggling with the content as much as I was struggling with the pressure of taking the exam.
It took me 2 months, 3 attempts and a vacation to realize that even if I must apply with a 640 score, it’s not the end of the world.
That acceptance meant the pressure was off and I was able to score a 710 in my third attempt.
Now, I know 710 isn’t groundbreaking but I felt like I had finally overcome all the anxiousness I was feeling, and I was over the moon about my score.
After the excitement of getting a score above 700 settled, I had started researching about schools and consultants.
If I’m being honest, at that time I wasn’t really looking for a consultant to help me with the essays in the applications, but I wanted help structuring my unconventional journey.
I had mainly searched about consultants on GMAT Club and read google reviews and started contacting them. It turned out to be quite a task, something I had not imagined.
Most of the consultants I spoke to, were either too lackadaisical, or would give a very negative reaction to my story.
The underlying feeling was that these people don’t know the right way to highlight an unconventional path and make it sing. I had read about MCB in a review, and I ended up emailing them asking for help.
Manish had taken up my query, and he was prompt and honest with me and for the first time while talking to a consultant I felt that they understood that the off beaten career path was not necessarily a bad thing.
So, I ended up choosing the MAP + 3 schools application service.
Since I was looking to structure my storyline and pitch for B School Applications, I really liked the MAP service that MCB provides. I was asked to fill out a questionnaire and then was given about 4-5 mini essays to write.
This exercise is followed by an interview on call, and the idea is to present yourself as you are and see where you stand. It also is an incredible way to stress test your story and work out the kinks.
After going through this process, MCB gives a detailed report on which schools would be “ambitious”, “stretch” and “practical” and general advice on what are your strengths and weaknesses.
This report was a great starting point for shortlisting schools. My filters for schools were basic at first, I wanted 3 things, a school that offers 1 year MBA program, has a great recall in India (as I wanted to come back to the homeland after my MBA) and has solid focus on entrepreneurship.
I went through the FT rankings, program brochures, attended lots of webinars and shortlisted about 5 schools.
I chose 3 very different applications to work on with Manish, that covered a variety of questions and meant I could handle the other 2 applications on my own.
I had shortlisted HEC Paris, Oxford, and Cambridge to work on with MCB – interestingly, one was labelled ambitious, one stretch and one practical according to the MAP report.
What I quickly realized was, that I would be the in charge and lead the process entirely and not the other way around.
From finalizing the stories for the essays to reaching out to alumni, I had to undertake this whole process myself, which is what I loved about MCB.
I was in the driving seat and Manish was my sounding board and mentor. To find the right fit for yourself, you must do this process yourself, this should not be spoon-fed.
I remember having a conversation with an alumnus from Oxford, who told me about his experience very candidly, the highlights and low points, something only someone with a first-hand experience can tell you.
I could imagine myself there after that conversation, at that moment I knew Oxford had everything I was looking for.
Having this feeling is very important, as much as the school should want you, you should want the school as well, and that feeling of wanting Oxford, was very strong for me.
I believe this reflected in my essays and so while HEC Paris and Cambridge did not work out, I did get an interview call from Oxford.
I really wanted Manish’s insights for the interview process as well and took the interview prep package.
He took two mocks, the first one was without any preparation and the second was after working on the feedback he gave.
The interview questions were quite like the ones we had prepared for, but I would say the tonality of the interview was much more “interrogative”.
In the end however, I did receive an offer from Oxford.
Somewhere along this journey I had scribbled Oxford MBA 2024 intake on a Post-it note, and it felt like the manifestation came true.
In the end, my journey to an MBA has been about embracing challenges, finding my own path, and choosing the right mentors.
Working with Manish at MCB empowered me to shape my narrative authentically and navigate challenges with confidence. Here’s to embracing the future with the same determination that brought me here.
Reach out for professional counselling: info@mbacrystalball.com
Also read,
– Law Schools in India
– Law Schools in the UK
– JD/MBA joint degree
– JD/MBA at Kellogg
