Haas released their essays and it looks a bit strange. Here goes -

Required Essays
Essay #1

Tell us a six-word story that reflects a memorable experience in your life-to-date. Elaborate on why it is meaningful to you. (300 words maximum)

Essay #2

Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal, and discuss how it will put you on a path to a meaningful and rewarding career. (300 words maximum)

Optional

Optional Information #1

We invite you to help us better understand the context of your opportunities and achievements.

What is the highest level of education completed by your parent(s) or guardian(s)?

Did not complete high school
High school diploma or equivalency (GED)
Associate's degree (junior college) or vocational degree/license
Bachelor's degree (BA, BS)
Master's degree (MA, MS)
Doctorate or professional degree (MD, JD, DDS)
What is the most recent occupation of your parent(s) or guardian(s)?
Unemployed
Homemaker
Laborer
Skilled worker
Professional

If you were raised in one of the following household types, please indicate.

Raised by a single parent
Raised by an extended family member (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, cousin)
Raised in a multi-generational home
Raised in foster care
What was the primary language spoken in your childhood home?

If you have you ever been responsible for providing significant and continuing financial or supervisory support for someone else, please indicate.


Child
Spouse
Sibling
Parent
Extended family member (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, cousin)
Other

Please elaborate on any of your above responses. Alternatively, you may use this opportunity to expand on other hardships or unusual life circumstances that may help us understand the context of your opportunities, achievements, and impact.
(300 words maximum)


Optional Information #2

This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate.

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It seems to me as Hass is actually trying to understand the applicant better than ever.
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Hey guys, quick question. Do you know if HAAS MBA application is already up? I've been to their application portal but there is no MBA option available and on their website it just says "applications will go live in July".

Just got a mail this morning, the application is now live!

Hello Everyone,

Just a reminder for our chat with swbluedevil in a couple of hours. Please plan to attend if you have any questions related to HaaS.

See you there.
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Transcript from the live chat with HaaS Alum, swbluedevil

Can you introduce yourself ?

I graduated from Haas a few years and am currently working in tech as a product manager. As I was applying to MBA programs, I was on GMATClub quite a bit and got lots of great advice here. Hoping to pay it forward to all of you Haas hopefuls!

I should also note that I got into Haas with a pretty low GPA. Haas is notorious for having a really high average GPA so happy to provide tips here as well

As tech is booming and Haas in the epicenter of it how to differentiate yourself from other candidates in career goals essay if you want to go tech post-mba ?

tech is a massive industry, so I think the way that you differentiate yourself is in being super specific (while acknowledging a plan B) about your career goals and also explaining why. Rather than saying "Post-MBA, I want to go into tech", you would say based on my passion for marketing, my short-term goal is to be a Product Marketing Manager at XYZ company with a longer-term career goal of being a CMO of a startup that focuses in ABC".

How was your application process to Haas and in general with a low GPA?

You’ll note that there is at least one application essay each year that is a bit off the wall. I think Haas does this very deliberately as the school is very deliberate about crafting a certain culture and it wants students who are going to buy into and build on top of this culture. If you are really into Haas, it’s a great opportunity for your enthusiasm for the school to shine. You should find the application process somewhat fun

Do they look at gmat score more than gpa?

regarding low GPA, I wouldn’t say definitively that Haas looks at GMAT more than GPA. They look at your package very holistically. So if you have a low GPA, you’ll need to demonstrate to adcoms that you’re going to be able to thrive in a graduate level academic environment. Getting a high GMAT is one way to do so. Also, if there were special circumstances that led to your low GPA (or even if you want to take full ownership for it and talk about what you have learned from your undergrad days), the optional essay may be a good place to discuss this

What were some of the best experiences during your time at Haas?

one of the things that I cherished most at Haas was the relative freedom that you have with your time. Sure, you have classes that you have to go to, but there’s so many new things to learn, people to meet, speakers to listen to, etc. I really miss having that freedom to just explore, both academically, socially, and professionally

Does being in tech reduces chances of getting in ?

No, I don’t think being in tech reduces your chances of getting in (I don’t know why it would).

How specific we need to be when we talk about short term specific goals?

Ideally, you will have your industry locked down (i.e. tech), one or two target functions (i.e. product manager or product marketing manager), and a few target companies.

Can I understand this as ’it is required to understand which companies generally prefer Haas and build around that to present how I will fit into that profile and that company to fix the specific short term goal’. Will it impact adversely, if the short term goal mentioned is relatively generic specifying industry without mentioning company’s name?

No that’s not what I am saying at all. You should not go research Haas’s career report and then tailor your career goals essay to only mention companies that recruit at Haas.

Where did your network disperse post-grad? Did you find it was mainly California, or were there a fair amount of people headed back East?

most people stay in Silicon Valley - IIRC it is on the order of 70% or so. There is also a sizable Haas alumni presence in Seattle as well and NYC

how is life at Haas? more opportunities to work in silicon valley?

life at Haas was great - your fellow classmates, many of whom will become your friends, are super supportive and helpful. It’s a collaborative culture and not cutthroat at all. I remember classmates helping each other to prep for the same interview for the same company - that’s how collaborative it is. But yes, Haas’s proximity to Haas makes it super easy to network with Silicon Valley companies - not only is it easy for them to go on campus, it’s very easy for you to visit them as well

Suppose that you were applying to Hass again - what are some of the things you would’ve done better or differently?

that’s something I can answer since I got to look at my admissions file a few weeks after I came on campus I don’t think it’s something that Haas does anymore, but it was super insightful. One area, where I didn’t do particularly well was on the interview - I did pretty mediocre actually and the reasons why were because I didn’t really open (you will learn to become a more engaging and authentic speaker at Haas) and I wasn’t super clear on my career goals (so please take my advice here)

When you say you weren’t super clear on your career goals. Was that for your long term goals or short term? Why do think that might have been? Were you unsure at the time? and one last thing--how would you mitigate the same mistake?

It was for more short-term and long-term goals. Yes, it’s probably because I didn’t have a lot of exposure to my target industry.

What would you recommend to prospect students when carrying out their due diligence on the school? What are some of the things you would ask to Alumni?

yes definitely do your due diligence by visiting the school - I cannot underscore this enough. And talk to current students and alumni. I know that when you are applying, you’re so focused just on getting in, but you should also make sure that you will actually want to attend the school if you do get in

Can I ask you to describe the culture at Haas in 3 or 4 words? - 1st one - I understood it as ’Freedom’.

I would describe the culture as Defined, Collaborative, and Down-to-Earth. By "defined", I mean Haas goes to great lengths to articulate its culture (more so than any other business school I saw)

Is admission criteria very different between full time and EWMBA?

I think if you researched the admissions profiles for the FT and EWMBA classes, you would see some differences
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Following info is from the Berkeley events website

Admissions Cafe

Online - Monday August 13, 2018 02:00 pm - 02:30 pm (Pacific Standard Time)

Register here

Grab your coffee (tea, water, or wine) and hop online for this virtual video chat with a member of the Berkeley Haas Admissions Committee. We'll be hanging out answering your questions for 30 minutes. Come with your specific questions or just listen in to hear what others are asking. Sessions are limited to 15 people to ensure you get the personal attention you need.

You will receive a Zoom link for your Admissions Cafe session after you register. This is a casual meet-up so feel free to pop in at any point during your 30 minute chat and stay for as long (or little) as you like.
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