Haas EWMBA Class of 2017 - Calling All Applicants

I agree! I am also an R3 applicant and hoping we will hear back before May 30th, however it seems from things I have read online that we will just have to be patient. Have you been invited to interview?

There is a closed group on FB created for the class of 2017. https://www.facebook.com/groups/592016607551557/
My request to join is still pending though...

I interviewed last year, then from the feedback I got in the fall I was told that it went solid so I may not have to interview this time around. Really enjoyed that entire day, though. How about you, get a chance to interview yet?

Oh that's great! I am actually scheduled for tomorrow, so doing my research and preparing today. Very much looking forward to it, nerves aside

Good luck! I think as long as you're confident and can clearly articulate goals and how you can contribute to the community, you'll do fine. I absolutely loved the school and campus, so enjoy it!

Hello GMATCLUB Members,

GMATClub and Admissionado Consulting are conducting a webinar for the applicants got dinged this year. This is your opportunity to get expert guidance and build a smart strategy for the next application round/season. Webinar will be conducted by Admissionado's Founder and HBS Alum Jon Frank. Jon will share his suggestions followed by a Q&A session - this is your opportunity to ask your specific questions.

One lucky attendee will get the opportunity to have his/her (dinged) profile evaluated by Jon Frank during the session. If you'd like to be chosen for this opportunity, please email info@admissionado.com with the subject line "GMAT Club Webinar - Choose me!". Please include your name, nationality, age, GMAT score and a list of schools where you were dinged. And please also attach your essays + resume + LORs from one of your applications. Winner will be notified via email on April 16th!

Sounds like a great way to collect sample essays, resume and LORs from applicants.

Did anyone here attend the waitlist chat this afternoon? If so, anything to share, and how many people were there on the chat? I couldn't find a transcript of the chat yet, I wonder if they will put it up. I'm waitlisted in R2.

Hi grimm,

I attended the chat. There were around 25 people. They will most likely e-mail the chat transcript in a week.

Just got invited to interview. Pretty pumped. Not sure what to expect.

@SG831 - how did your interview go? Any pointers?

1) Haas (Part-time) vs 2) Anderson (Full-time) vs 3) Reapplying next year

(This is going to be a long post. Please bear with me. Your inputs to help me make this crucial decision would be highly appreciated.)

I am glad to be selected to Haas EWMBA program and Anderson full-time (with $50K fellowship) program. I am trying to figure out the pros and cons of the two programs. I am also considering skipping this year and applying full-fledged next year.

Given below are the details about my profile and plans.

Profile:
Indian, Male, Age: 29, GMAT 730, (Q49, V40)

Work experience details:
5.5 years with a Govt agency. Worked in different engineering roles for the first 3 years. Working with project management division for the last 2.5 years.


Post-MBA plans:

Path A: Would like to move into management consulting in firms like PWC, Bain, and KPMG. Prefer to work in infrastructure management and PPP (Public-Private Partnership) roles, but open to explore other areas too.

Path B: In my present job in project management I spend a significant amount of time on data-analytics. Along with Infrastructure Industry, Data Analytics is my passion. If I chose this path, ultimately, I would like to set up my own data-analytics firm. I still need to figure what kind of roles would be suitable and are of interest to me in this field, post-mba. Any insights in this regard would be helpful.

Given my profile and plans, below are the pros and cons that I could think of:

1) Haas EWMBA:
Pros:
a) Family settled in Bay-Area, so it would be easier on that front.
b) Berkeley brand (I am not sure how much importance I should give to this with respect to my MBA. Being an Engineer, UCB brand for me is second to none, and on par with MIT and Stanford)

Cons:
a) career change might be difficult
b) might be missing that full-fledged MBA experience
c) network (not sure how much a part-time MBA would help me build a strong personal and professional network)

2) Anderson full-time MBA
Pros:
a) easier to change careers
b) full-fledged MBA experience might be a positively life transformative experience, especially with respect to my soft-skills and people management skills.
c) network, both personal and professional

Cons:
a) I am sure Anderson has its own strengths, but I am concerned how much I am losing compared to a M7 or Top 10 MBA
b) Family Relocation (I know I can't complain moving from NorCal to SoCal, given that many people shift countries for MBA. Nevertheless, it still is a concern)

3) Reapplying (full-time):
Due to personal constraints, this year, I had to start my application process in the very last minute (First week of January). I applied three schools - Kellogg full-time, Anderson full-time, and Haas EWMBA). I am confident of my story, and am sure that I can put a better application next year. However, with respect to age and work experience, I’ll fall closer to extreme right on averages at most top 10 schools. I am not thinking of Harvard or Stanford, but I am confident of getting into at least one M7 school.

Thank you for taking time to read my long post. Please reply with your suggestions and comments. They would be immensely helpful for me in making this crucial decision.

You're probably not going to get the most unbiased information in this thread, but I applied and was accepted to both Haas and Anderson. Anderson is a good school with real strengths in the entertainment industry and international business.

Haas is better in technology, and we're in the Bay Area. So, recruiting is a lot easier here. Being a top 10 program, recruiting for consulting is easier. If you plan on going down that route, you have to plan on doing an internship between your 2nd and 3rd years in the EWMBA program. This requires you quit your job.

Keep in mind though, consulting is usually something people only do for a couple years. So, figure out what you want to do long term and decide if consulting helps you get there before you go down that path.



First, do you want to go full time or part time? Haas is about as close as you can get to the full time experience while having a job, but there are still distinct differences.

Second, the schools you listed have very different personalities. Sloan is probably as close to Haas' culture as any of the others. I went to NYU prior to Haas, and Stern is not at all like Haas. Kellogg and Both are both very different. Our Operations professor this year flew in every weekend from Tuck, and he was amazing, but again the middle of nowhere in NH is much different than being in the Bay Area.

Once you're in one of the top programs, it's all about fit. Haas is trying to cultivate a very specific type of leader that's different than other schools.

Are you excited about going to Haas? Have you talked to current students and feel like they're your kind of people? Are you ecstatic about the electives and the professors you'll get to learn from? Do the clubs sound like something you want to get involved with?

Edit:

I should probably address this specifically:



The network you come out with is entirely up to you. You get an amazing network built in from your classes (there's an ex NFL player, a west point grad, a couple neuroscientists and many more in my classes), but you will have more opportunities given to you than you can imagine. It's up to you to take advantage of them. I'd highly suggest getting involved with the clubs and going to the events as much as you possibly can, it's well worth it.

Thank you very much for the useful insights and the detailed response. I attended the ewmba admits reception last week, and it was an interesting mix of backgrounds. I am still researching on my options, and your inputs are definitely helpful. Thanks again for that.

Can you please share some information about the student body? How interesting? I heard that half of the students are engineers.

~1/4 of the class is engineers or former engineers. Everyone else is anything and everything in between. Some PhDs, some people with grad degrees. Consultants, marketing, sales, banking, etc. Lots of tech since it's the Bay Area, but most other industries are represented.

You also get access to all the full time students via the clubs. So, you're not limited to the people in the part time program.

I am trying to decide between Booth Part time and Haas EWMBA. I will have to commute to both programs so that is not an issue. My background is Engineering and I currently work in technology and am planning to pursue Business Development and Product Management post MBA. Haas has a very strong alumni base in technology whereas Booth seems to have a bigger brand name. Any thoughts or suggestions.?

~40% of EWMBA grads end up doing product management at graduation. So, if that's what you're looking to do, Haas will definitely get you there.

Where do you want to live after graduation? They're both great programs, but it's really down to a personal choice between the two. Booth was on my list when I was applying, but I ended up deciding against it due to the weather, flight time, and where I wanted to live after I graduated. You may have completely different things that you value, but it's really down to that.