Berkeley Haas School of Business

Hey terp06,

I would rate them probably as one of the highest, based on some personal experience and some 2nd hand stories. Granted, I applied to the 4 schools which are all known for their alumni enthusiasm (Kellogg, Stanford, UCLA, and Berkeley).

Because of the tiny class size, same as Tuck, you'll get very passionate alums who will help at the drop of a hat. For me, I interviewed 3-4 alums based on the recommendations from current students or the career center. All of them were willing to spend 30-60 minutes with me answering every single question I had. They all speak highly of the alum network, which they used to find their subsequent jobs.

Based on 2nd hand stories, I know a few students who have contacted the CEO of Vodafone and Intel and have gotten responses within a day or two, plus a 30 minute informational interview over the phone. That's definitely impressive in my mind. I think the key is, with only 240 students a class, there probably won't be as many phone calls to Haas alums as there would be at a school 600-900 per class. Thus, each call is a little more "valued", especially when contacting top executives (whom normally get swamped by young alumni calls).

Granted, this is when I was an applicant (or an admit), so the alums of other schools may be more willing to help once you're a full-time student or alum yourself.

So to answer your question quantitatively, based on 1-10, 10 being the highest:

Responsiveness - 10 (near instant response)
Willingness to Help - 10 (one poor guy almost missed his carpool talking to me after work)
Resourcefulness - 9 (got referrals to speak with many others, but didn't follow up because all of my questions were answered)

In comparison, here are my experiences with the other schools I've applied to:

UCLA:
Responsiveness - 9 (also very responsive, but took me a while to find an alum)
Willingness to Help - 10 (lots of email exchanges and a 2-3 hour coffee shop meeting)
Resourcefulness - 6 (didn't get any referrals to speak with other alums, but the alum was more than helpful with my questions already)

Stanford:
Responsiveness - 7 (fast for the first meeting, but after that, hard to get in touch with them again)
Willingness to Help - 8 (got my essays edited by one, had 30-60 minute interviews with two others, but with some, I felt like I was using too much of their time)
Resourcefulness - 6 (didn't get any referrals either, but good info)

Kellogg:
Responsiveness - 7 (the alums responded, but never got to meet or speak to some of them due to their busy schedules)
Willingness to Help - 7 (enthusiastic and willing to talk to me, but hard to get on their schedule for a phone chat)
Resourcefulness - 9 (got a couple referrals to talk to others, but I didn't take them up on it)

Of course, this is my own rating based on my experiences as an applicant or admit, not as a student. So take it with a grain of salt.

I don't think this has been covered...

What is your opinion of the cause of the extremely low acceptance rate for UC Berkeley? Also, UCLA's stats are higher than most schools at their level. They both really stick out like a sore thumb to me, obviously Haas more than UCLA.

My theory is that it might have to do with location. That is, most West Coasters do not want to leave that side of the country and there are fewer options for them to apply to. This would increase the number of applicants for each school. I think NYU's stats and acceptance rate may stem from a similar phenomenon (i.e. people wanting to stay in NYC). Also, Haas' small size doesn't help either. Anyway, I am considering Haas for R1 and UCLA for R2 and was curious if an applicant from say the South would have a slight advantage due to demographics. What are your thoughts? Thanks.

Good questions maverick. Of course, everything I say below are just my thoughts and opinions, so take it with a grain of MSG

You pretty much got it with why Berkeley's acceptance rates are so low. The small class size, the great location (SF Bay Area, near Silicon Valley, near all the big biotech/pharma, SF financial district, Green/Environmentally friendly/socially responsible stuff, weather, California, etc...), and the lack of West Coast schools make the application pool quite large. While it's not at the level of Stanford in terms of application levels (roughly 1/2, Stanford ~7000, Haas ~3500), the class size is smaller by 33%, thus resulting in a relatively low acceptance rate (similar to Columbia and Harvard). If you look at it, Yale, even though it's a "backup" school for many, has also a very low rate due to its tiny class size (<200).

What am I trying to say? I think the small class size is the KEY reason why the acceptance rates are so low. It's only not as low as Stanford because many people apply to Stanford and not Berkeley (due to the rankings) and others consider Berkeley as a "regional" school (which it probably used to be, but now it's definitely growing into a national elite). The location and job opportunities further complicate the problem.

UCLA suffers a similar problem as Haas, but it has the same size as Stanford (360 per class), and the national reputation is slightly below Berkeley's, therefore the acceptance rates have generally hovered around the 20% mark. In this case, the location (LA) and lack of Elite West Coast schools (for those of us who want to live on the West Coast forever ) make UCLA harder to get into (and have higher stats) than many UEs.

I think someone with demographics from the South would definitely be welcomed at both schools, especially since most of the applications will probably come from the West. I would try to incorporate some of your Southern roots into the essays, for example UCLA's "family background essay" (if it's still there this year) and some of Haas's short answers.

Please drop me a PM if you ever come to visit Berkeley. I will try my best to meet up for lunch or coffee.

Just got back from an orientation for student bloggers. This is a blog that many students (up to 20-30 students, with varying frequencies) at Haas will be updating this year. It started 2 years ago and has been a pretty big hit (61% of applicants read the blogs before submitting their applications and 41% continued to read it after the applications have been submitted, last year).

Anyway, it's an uncensored look at the highs and lows of student life at Haas. If you're interested, check it out. You just may see some of my blogs on there.

https://berkeleymbastudents.blogspot.com/

Let me know if you have any feedback. The admissions office is very receptive to ideas and the blog is pretty much student run.

I'll monitor this thread as well - will contribute as needed.

Feel free to attack me with questions specific to second-years or to internships I've been around for a while now, so I hope our answers with kryzak will provide you with the two viewpoints you need to build a 3D picture.

Hi Kry,

I'm a prospective applicant for Fall 2009 MBA . Any insight on the below will ber very helpful :

1) Is there a word limit for each question? What should I communicate to my recommender
2) Does my recommender submit all the answers in one document?

--Pawan

Hi Pawan,

1) There is a word limit for each question, and they should be listed by the questions. If I remember correctly (please double check with the website), it was 250 words for each of the 4 short answer questions. 500 words for Essay 1, 1000 words for essay 2, and 500 words for any optional essays.

2) Yes, your recommender should type out a letter to answer all the questions, or use the form that Haas provides on their application (if it's not out yet, it should be soon).

Hope that helps!

Plan a new building? Haas isn't that old because they were building it when I was in school there! I'm not *that* old...

RVD

The current Haas building was built in 1995, so it's 13 years old, not that bad. The "new building" is to expand the classroom and student space. Currently there are 2000+ students roaming around the 3 building structure if you include Evening Weekend MBAs, Exec MBA, Full Time MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, PhD, and undergraduate business students. Dean Lyons said to us (during orientation) that they will hire 12 more faculty this year, and continue to expand the faculty size in the next 5 years. I think if the building funding is reached (the current Haas building is the FIRST and ONLY building on the UC campus to be funded soley by private donations), then there is a possibility of an increased class size (maybe another cohort of 60 to a total of 300).

Yeah, I remember 1995...that's when I graduated. Haas was in construction for like my last 2 years. The first time I stepped foot in there was a few months ago when I went up there for my Berkeley EMBA interview.

But you're right in that it did seem a bit cramped with all of the students there. There weren't any EMBA students the day that I went but there were part time, full time, and undergrads and there were people everywhere (and the bathrooms were pretty gross).

The facility still seemed pretty new though. Soda hall was also made towards the end of my time there which is where I spent most of my time. The main library was in construction for like 4 years and finally opened up way at the end there. I guess I was at Cal during the contruction phase of the campus when lots of areas were fenced off.

Anyway, have fun up there.

RVD.

Thanks Kry!

However, for the recommenders is there a word limit? I dont see anything specified in the form.

https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/2009_Recom ... n_Form.pdf

Thanks,
Pawan

RVD, yeah, i started there in 1995, so Soda and Haas were both done by then (never checked out Haas much though, being an engineer). The Moffett-Doe Library was quite nice though, still one of the nicest and most picturesque buildings on campus.

Haas is actually maintained quite well now. The bathrooms are pretty clean and the facilities still up to date. Too bad I won't be there to enjoy any new buildings they build though!

pawan, as far as I know, there are no word limits for recommendations.

Posted here for archival purposes.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco ... 1218427200^1681961

For Archival Purposes:

It has not been posted on the website yet, but I got a handout from school. Here are some vital stats for those of you interested in applying.

So as expected, Acceptance rate dropped to near all time lows, yield has gone up close to 5%, GMAT inched up. GPA *range* went up, even though the average went down.

Surprisingly, 5% more came from consulting, 3% fewer from Financial Services, and 3% more from Banking.

Class of 2010:
Application Received: 3779
Offers of Admission: 442
Entering Class Size: 241
Yield: 54.5% (compared to around 50% last year)
Acceptance Rate: 11.7% (compared to 14% last year)

UG GPA Average: 3.54 (compared to 3.57 last year, I guess we got more stupid )
Mid 80% GPA range: 3.30 - 3.87
Avg GMAT: 714
Middle 80% GMAT: 670-760
Countries Rep: 36
Women: 30%
International: 39%
US Minorities: 33% (African, Hispanic, Native, Asian, East Indian/Pakistani Americans)
Median WE: 5 years
Middle 80% WE: 3-8 years
Median Age: 28
Age Range: 24-38

Class of 2009 (last year):
https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/community_02.html
Applications Received 3,276
Enrolled Students 239
Women 31%
Minority Students 34%
International Students 39%
Countries Represented 34
Median Age 28
Age Range 23-40
Median Years WE 5 years
Average GMAT 710
Range of Middle 80% 660-760
Average UG GPA 3.57
Range of Middle 80% 3.25-3.83

Kry,

I am a Software Engineer from Bangalore, India. I have a query regarding the HAAS MBA program.

My objective is to pursue an MBA in technology strategy consulting. For this, do you think a general MBA with a concentration in strategy is more suited or should I apply for a MOT specialization. Basically I'm trying to understand how different a MOT specialization is from an MBA with tech strategy as the concentration.

connecticket,

MOT is just a certificate on top of the general MBA program. It doesn't change a lot, doesn't have a separate application process, and my gut feeling is that it doesn't get your foot in employer's door either. However, Haas itself is extremely suitable for the career you're thinking about, and tech consulting firms are camping here day and night. So my advice would be - apply to Haas, mention MOT in your essays (that course track does have some interesting classes), but don't expect your MBA to be in any way different from others at Haas. As to MOT itself, you will have plenty of time to decide whether you want to go for it during your first semester.

what braindancer said.

But to add to that, the name of Haas will get you into many many tech consulting company doors, getting the MOT will only be the icing on the cake, and help YOU focus your education a little more than your peers (who may be doing strategy consulting or other things). braindancer is right in that you don't have to decide until 2nd semester of the 1st year, as your first semester is all core courses. The electives only start in the 2nd semester.