hey sidz306. My stats: 7 years WE in high-tech. Engineering. Undergrad 4.0 GPA (equivalent; foreign degree). Grad 3.98 GPA. GMAT 770. Average essays (reading them now I think I could have done a much better job).

I wouldn't make that decision (or most any school decision, really) based on money. Anderson offered me more money than Haas but I never seriously considered accepting the Anderson offer over Haas because I felt that Haas was a better opportunity for several reasons and that in the grand scheme of things $10-20K wasn't really that important when looking out over the next 10-20 years.

This isn't a slight of Anderson by any means--I really enjoyed my visit there and would have gladly attended if my other applications hadn't worked out--but it's just a recognition that Haas is seen as a better school in general. If you have specific goals (media/entertainment industry maybe) or want to live in LA rather than the Bay Area, Anderson may be a better fit for you. But Haas has been on a pretty steady upward trend the last few years and (depending on whose rankings you believe) is either close to breaking into the Kellogg/Tuck/Columbia/Sloan/etc. cluster of schools or has already done so. From what I've gathered Haas has a very strong reputation across the US and into Asia if you're interested in that region--that's not to say that Anderson is only a regional school, but just that Haas tends to be stronger at placing grads with top firms across the world.

Again, this is all just a generalization based on my (somewhat) educated observations. My "tour guide" at Anderson was a second year who, in November, already had a job lined up with Deloitte in NYC. So that goes to show that an individual's talents and drive to work in a specific field/location is still just as important as which school he/she goes to. I'm not sure how the schools stack up vs. each other in finance and IB but it would be easy enough for you to compare field-specific rankings and employment reports for both schools and see if one has the edge over another.

But this is only my opinion--as with anything else I'd recommend talking to students and alums, reviewing hiring data, seeing which firms recruit where, and all that kind of stuff to make sure the school you choose is the best fit for your goals. Neither one is a bad decision at all, so it's just a matter of picking the one that's a slightly better decision for you.

Well, one more spot is about to open up for one of you WLers or R3 applicants--I just emailed AdCom to let them know I'm declining my R1 Haas offer to go to HBS. It was a tough decision because of how much I liked Haas and all the people I met there, but I couldn't see myself turning down HBS. I wanted to let Haas know as soon as possible so my spot (and scholarship money) could be made available for someone else as soon as possible.

Good luck to all of you still waiting for good news from Haas.

My status just changed today from "invited to interview" to "Application under review"

I know this means nothing specifically, but it makes me feel like things are making progress...Will know by next thursday I guess..

Haven't heard anything yet....

I am in for weekend cohort. Anyone commuting from East Bay?

Add me to the list for Round 1
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Count me in. R1.

great!

gunning for R1.
read that HAAS places a lot of emphasis on campus visit. Is it a must for international students?

Taking the GMAT in August - I expect to apply R1 or R2 depending on my score.