{"id":47576,"date":"2019-11-30T13:29:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-30T20:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=47576"},"modified":"2019-11-30T13:31:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-30T20:31:19","slug":"berkeley-haas-mba-essay-tips-deadlines-2019-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/berkeley-haas-mba-essay-tips-deadlines-2019-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Berkeley Haas MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines: 2019- 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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UC Berkeley Haas is a great Silicon Valley B-school with a reputation for social responsibility and technology. It is a perfect school for students who are interested in cleantech, healthcare, social ventures, and non-profits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application Deadlines:<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n Application Deadline<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Decisions Released<\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n  Round 1<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n September 26, 2019\n <\/td>\n December 12, 2019\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n  Round 2<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n January 9, 2020\n <\/td>\n March 26, 2020\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n  Round 3<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n April 2, 2020\n <\/td>\n May 7, 2020\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Essays:<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Haas has changed both the required essays <\/strong>for the 2019-2020 application season. Haas no longer asks applicants about their post-MBA goals in the essay section. ( They will  answer a question about your career goals in the application form section.) <\/em>The focus is now on leadership and on being yourself. Haas continues to lay stress on its core values and 4 principles. From the Haas website<\/a>, \u201cOur distinctive culture is defined by four key principles - Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. We encourage you to reflect on your experiences, values, and passions so that you may craft thoughtful and authentic responses that demonstrate your fit with our program - culturally, academically, and professionally.<\/em>\u201d You need to prepare your Haas application with these four principles at the core. Before writing the essays, it would be a great idea to watch videos prepared by Haas staff<\/a> to get a fair idea of Haas's experience, values, and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\nis MER\u2019s analysis of Haas\u2019s 2019-2020 essays:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay 1: <\/strong>What makes you feel alive\nwhen you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The\nadmission committee of Haas maintains its style of asking creative questions, (\u201c\na song that expresses who you are\u201d, \u201ca six -words story\u201d) and asks about something that \u201c<\/em>makes you feel alive when doing it<\/em><\/a>.\u201d <\/em>This essay asks about an activity\nthat motivates you to be your best. Think of some activities that you like to\nengage in and then pick the most memorable activity that fuels your best\nperformance and inspires you. Pick something which gives valuable insights into\nyour style of functioning and personality. For instance, if you\nare deeply involved in volunteer work, you may explain how you are successfully\nencouraging your community to reuse and reduce plastic to conserve the\nenvironment. Highlight how your passion has helped your community and the cause\nof environment sustenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It may be your hobby that invigorates you, e.g singing, dancing, gardening, cooking or any other adventure activities, such as hiking, scuba diving, parachuting, or any other activity. You may first describe that hobby and the way you pursue it, and then explain how you feel while engaging in that favorite hobby\/ interest of yours and how it makes you \u2018feel alive\u2019. <\/em>This activity should reveal who you are as a person. The \u2018how part of the essay is the key here as it will showcase your natural talents and emotions. <\/em>
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Considering the stringent word limit of 300 words, you need to make every word count.<\/a> Broadly, you can use approximately 100 words to describe the activity and 200 words to describe how you feel while you are engaged in it. Lastly, it would be great if you can draw a parallel with one of the 4 defining principles<\/a> Haas believes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay 2: <\/strong>At Berkeley Haas, we are redefining leadership. We\nvalue different opinions and perspectives, recognizing that we always have more\nto learn about others\u2019 lived experiences and histories. We encourage speaking\nup and listening, and courageously use our power to address barriers and drive\nchange for positive impact.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n


Tell us how a Berkeley Haas MBA would enhance your leadership profile, incorporating specific examples. (300 words max)<\/strong>
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The first essay showcases\nyour interests or passions, and the second essay focuses on professional\naccomplishments. Many of your professional experiences may be worthy of narration,\nbut considering the word limit, it would be better to stick to any one of your\nexperiences. Again, make a list of your achievements, preferably professional\n(though Haas does not explicitly ask for professional experience), and then\nselect examples that align well with Haas\u2019 principles (e.g. challenging the status quo, confidence without\nattitude). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Begin your essay with defining\nyour leadership style, your ability to lead, and explain how you have\ndemonstrated leadership (approximately 150-200 words) The introduction should\npropel the Ad Com to read the entire story and build the tempo.  After sharing 1-2 leadership stories, discuss\nthe areas where you felt you could have done better as a leader, and then\nexplain how MBA at Haas can help you deal with it. Here, it would be a great\nidea to acquaint yourself well not only with the curriculum at Haas but also\ntheir approach to management education. Applicants will need to demonstrate how\ntheir leadership style is in sync with Berkeley's values. Review of literature\navailable on the website of Haas, meeting alumni and students, attending\ninterface sessions will go a long way to compose a compelling response of the\nsecond part of the essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional Essays: <\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The admissions team takes a holistic approach to application review\nand seeks to understand all aspects of a candidate\u2019s character, qualifications,\nand experiences. We will consider achievements in the context of the\nopportunities available to a candidate. Some applicants may have faced\nhardships or unusual life circumstances, and we will consider the maturity, perseverance,\nand thoughtfulness with which they have responded to and\/or overcome them.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional\nInformation #1<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We invite you\nto help us better understand the context of your opportunities and\nachievements:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What is\nthe highest level of education completed by your parent(s) or guardian(s)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n