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(4.8) |
Compared to other schools, Berkeley Haas is strongly defined by its culture, which sounds great, but it's something to be aware of: it might not be for everyone.
On a personal level, it will nurture a strong growth as you're surrounded by diversity and classmates strongly driven by a desire to leave a positive impact on the world.
This is also reflected in the faculty which is strongly motivated to be here and will go to incredible lengths to help you out, both academically and professionally.
Haas is part of the bigger UC system (which is a public school) which more often than not can be a pain, however, it also gives access to a plethora of additional electives that one can pick from outside of the business school.
Berkeley itself it's a very sleepy place and as such it fosters stronger bonds with your classmates, with whom you will be spending a lot of time and get to know (at least interact with) the vast majority of them.
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Simply put, Haas rocks. First year has been a whirlwind in the best possible way. To dig in, here are a few more specific details:
Career: The Career Management Group (CMG) has more resources than there is time to take advantage of them. They are particularly well-equipped to help students following more "traditional" paths (consulting, banking, marketing, tech, etc.), but have great general counselors to help those on entrepreneurship, social impact, and other non-traditional pathways. There are also tons of ways outside of CMG to help with career work, including: Bay Area startups looking for part-time interns during the school year, tons of accelerator programs (you can be staff or put a company through), and entrepreneurship classes.
Academics: The Core professors are really strong, and elective faculty are equally or more awesome. Smaller class size means you have great access to faculty. Grade nondisclosure policy means that academics are hard but low-stress.
Social: Saved the best for last. The people are Haas are amazing. They are warm, driven, kind, humble, and tons of fun. Haas truly does recruit against the defining principles, so if those resonate with you that's a sign Haas is a good fit.
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Your classmates are good people (not the stereotypical arrogant MBA master of the universe types) and there is a huge range of background (consultants to teachers to chefs to bankers etc.). It is a public school so there are resource limitations as a consequence (think careers service and on campus food) but the location is unbeatable and the weather is perfect. I came to Berkeley for tech and entrepreneurship and it has an enormous pool of resources to support this (crucially Berkeley is one of the best interdisciplinary universities in the world so you have access to world-leading engineers from a huge range of specializations which is incredibly helpful for testing an idea).
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Haas hadn't been my first choice. Then I visited, and realized pretty quickly that this school was without a doubt the best fit for me. Haas oozes innovation, collaboration, and a genuine desire to transform its students into leaders who are not just self-confident but self-aware. After just one semester, I understand why my HBS friend wished she'd gotten into Haas, and why so many of my classmates turned down more highly-ranked schools. Haasies self-select into this community because the people are incredible. They are brilliant and ambitious but humble and supportive. Also, the weather is great.
I'd recommend future applicants internalize our four defining leadership principles. They really aren't just marketing gimmicks! We represent them going in, strive to embody them while we're here, and champion them after we leave.
I think Haas has had trouble finding superstar professors to teach certain core classes. Many are fantastic; others are awful.
We're also a small school, which is great on the community front but I imagine we have fewer course offerings than large business schools. That said, because we're part of UC Berkeley, you can take classes across the entire university.
I wasn't sure if Haas would have the same recruitment caliber as HSW, but virtually every company recruits here, and Haas definitely has a leg up on entrepreneurship opportunities. My career interests have me working outside the school's formal career resources, and I've been surprised at how strong the Berkeley Haas brand is.
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The EWMBA program at Haas has far exceeded my expectations. The curriculum is challenging but not overwhelming and the professors are all extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Homework volume fluctuates week to week but overall isn't as bad as I expected.
The fellow classmates are great people and contribute significantly to the educational experience during in class discussions. You get assigned a study group of 5 people at orientation and work closely with them the first year. Your mileage may vary with the group, but most teams seem to work well together.
I would encourage future applicants to embrace the 4 defining principals if they are serious about enrolling at Haas. It's not just lip service and the school is really looking for people that live by those standards.
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A Community that cares about Impact
The moment I came to welcome weekend and met all the great people here, I knew I was at home. It was an "aha" moment for me because these were people I could call family even while being thousands of miles apart from my own family on the East Coast.
At Haas, I'm surrounded by a shared passion to be a better person and to pay it forward. Prior to Haas I was always committed to giving back to others; I've helped create a nonprofit in Atlanta and did a lot of volunteering at a hospital in my formative years. That desire to be a great and good business leader is a strong shared tie among Haas students. That was a big selling point for me.
Ultimately I want to see the work I do result in some sort of change. For the International Business Development course I took in Hong Kong, we recommended that our client enter into a strategic partnership or consider an acquisition. A couple weeks later, I opened up LinkedIn to see our client announce the acquisition that we had recommended. It was gratifying to see that I had made a useful contribution.
Choosing your MBA environment
I wanted to be in an environment where I was isolated from work so that I could be present and give it my all. I wanted to really focus on all the parts of the experience, social and academic, and undergo both a personal and professional transformation.
The Bay Area is an ecosystem of cutting-edge companies that are at the forefront of innovation. I wanted to be part of that, and I knew Haas's location, as well as its reputation, would help me connect with that world.
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I have absolutely loved my time Haas so far. The school's culture and community have exceeded its reputation. All of my peers truly embody Haas's defining principles. Another factor that exceeded my expectations has been the alumni support. All of the Haas alumni I've reached out to have been more than happy to speak with me and provide support for my job search.
I have learned so much already in my classes. They are a mix of case studies, lecture, and discussion which keeps the classes interesting. The homework load is not too much and leaves plenty of time for career exploration and extra curricular activities. Haas has a good number and variety of electives. As someone who is going into renewable energy, I am really happy with the energy related classes as Haas.
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- Location: Haas clearly benefits from the strategic location: right in the Bay, well-connected to any city in the States and everywhere in the world. There are always tons of conferences, careers-oriented workshop, inspirational talks in the area...
- Inclusion: The Haas community embodies deeply the idea of diversity, inclusion, and equality. As an international student, I consider this is by far the biggest reason why I picked Haas and I've been not disappointed so far.
- Careers: supporting alumni network, great location and branding give Haas students a huge advantage during the job search. Especially for those considering anything related to tech, including Fintech, AI/ML...
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The EWMBA program at Berkeley, Haas has it pluses and minuses. The location of the school is great, alumni network is strong, and the school lends itself to Entrepreneurship well. However there are a few factors that could do with some improvement.
1. Course options for weekenders: This is a relatively small group of classes and there is a strong need to diversify if the school wants to continue attracting strong candidates over the weekend. Other options like Booth, Kellogg, UCLA etc provide strong competition.
2. The student pool is very strong, with experienced individuals with solid backgrounds. However a little diversity in the class would help.
3. On campus recruiting could take some help as well. Currently the school caters heavily to fresh grad jobs. and there arent a lot of opportunities for the experienced candidate pool the EWMBA program attracts.
Having said that, students are great and down to earth, and most of the professors are awesome. The alumni network is huge, and the program has been consistently ranked number 1. So definite pluses there.
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Similar to Tuck, Haas has the following benefits associated with a small class size of 280 students:
- You'll know almost everyone and large parties / social events are open to the entire class
- When it comes to recruiting, instead of competition there is a spirit of collaboration
- With much of the school seeking tech jobs, there are VERY few people that seek investment banking despite the fact that nearly all the banks recruit on campus. Enough to prep together but essentially zero competition for spots.
The drawbacks are that:
- The diversity of classes is limited; you won't find the same variety of courses you'll find at HBS/Wharton/MIT
- Mid-tier consulting firms don't recruit on campus (e.g., Accenture) given they've had trouble finding talent
- Many of the firms that offer rotational programs (e.g., General Mills) don't recruit on campus
If you want to land a job in the Bay Area, Haas and Stanford are your best bschool networks. If you want a job on the east coast, Haas is probably not ideal. You can do a semester exchange at Columbia Business School, but for summer internship recruiting you can expect to be flying more than you would expect.
People are awesome. Great for liberals. Terrible for MAGA's.
Weather is awesome; the only schools with better weather are UCLA and Stanford.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
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Limited coursework related to human resources
