Calling all Berkeley Haas MBA Applicants: [2020 Intake] Class of 2022

Welcome all Haas class of 2022 hopefuls. Let's use this platform to know each-other, exchange ideas, discuss app strategies, and some profile discussions may be? Give a shout out!

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Deadlines, Essay Questions and Essay Analysis

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Class of 2020 application thread
Class of 2020 Admitted Students


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Berkeley Haas MBA Deadlines

Round	Application Due	Decisions Released
R1	Sept 26, 2019	Dec 12, 2019
R2	Jan 9, 2020	March 26, 2020
R3	April 2, 2020	May 7, 2020

Haas essays/requirements

• REQUIRED ESSAY #1
  What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)
  
• REQUIRED ESSAY #2
  At Berkeley Haas, we are redefining leadership. We value different opinions and perspectives, recognizing that we always have more to learn about others’ lived experiences and histories. We encourage speaking up and listening, and courageously use our power to address barriers and drive change for positive impact.
  
  Tell us how a Berkeley Haas MBA would enhance your leadership profile, incorporating specific examples. (300 words max)
  
• OPTIONAL ESSAYS
  We invite you to help us better understand the context of your opportunities and achievements:
  
  • 1.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)
  • 2.What is the most recent occupation of your parent(s) or guardian(s)?
    
    • Unemployed
    • Homemaker
    • Laborer
    • Skilled worker
    • Professional
  • 3.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
  • 4.What was the primary language spoken in your childhood home?
    
  • 5.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
  • 6. 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.

Analysis of Haas MBA Essays By: Stacy Blackman | Accepted | Fortuna Admissions
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Some schools are purely interested in the past - like Sloan - and others are very interested in the vision you hold for your future, including Haas.

When addressing this essay make sure to create a compelling "beyond yourself" goal - and legacy - that touches on their 4 values. https://haas.berkeley.edu/about/the-haas-difference/our-culture/

I have a sample of a successful essay from years previous: https://mbaessaycoaching.com/sample-essays/
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This place is scary quiet. I applied to Haas two years back and loved talking to students and alums. Happy to answer questions!

Posted from my mobile device
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souvik101990 are you attending (or graduated from) Haas?

I am a final year student at Ross but have interacted with Berkeley students a bunch. Are you applying for R1?

Posted from my mobile device
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souvik101990 congratulations on reaching the final year at Ross!

I am wrestling with the GMAT at the moment, so I am looking to apply in R2. I met few Haas alums and current students, too. I do not have many unanswered questions at the moment, but it will be good to meet other people who are applying this year for 2020 intake.

Just 2 weeks left for R1 submission. If R1 applicants have anything to ask/share with fellow applicants, use this platform to do so.

Does anyone know the word limit for Haas letters of recommendation?

Last year there was no word limit. I asked my recommended to keep the first question (briefly describe your relationship question) under 100 words and the other three questions at around 500 words.

All the best!

Posted from my mobile device
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lilypond789 totally agree with Souvik on the guidelines. I noticed you also posted in the Executive MBA forum for Haas; please keep in mind that is a totally separate application.


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Hi everyone, with regards to the R1 deadline, can someone confirm the exact hour of the deadline on September 26th?
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11:59 p.m. PST on September 26th. The 11:59 PST deadline applies to all three application rounds.

Anyone with any updates on when precisely the R1 interview invites will be rolled out? I remember that in one of the "Hangout with Haas" sessions in August, they'd mentioned that the invite emails will be rolled out in the first or second week of October.
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I received an email last night mentioning that my file is now complete and ready for review by the admissions committee. Anyone else received a similar mail?
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Haven't received any such email. Did your application status on the website change too?

Nope, no changes in the application status. From what I've gathered from the last year's thread - Haas reviews applications by region (so you should expect the mail shortly), and there was no significant correlation between this email and receiving an interview invite, both in terms of chances and time lapsed between the two events. Some folks received an interview invite within a week of this mail, some in 3-4 weeks, some weren't invited, and some received invites without this mail!
So, it seems hard to gauge the significance, if any, of this email, except knowing that I did a good job filing the application and need not give any additional info *pats self on the back *



Posted from my mobile device
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I received an email with details of the application process.
The first step is listed there as a confirmation email that your application is ready for review.
Indeed, they review by region and academic and professional background.
The email mentions that too.

Yeah, I received a similar mail yesterday. Some more info on the exact order in which they evaluate regions, backgrounds, and the tentative timelines for invites would be even more helpful.



Posted from my mobile device
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Update: Interview Invites for R1

Hello R1 applicants! Here's an update on when to expect the interview invites to start rolling out, based on my conversation with Pam Maestas from the Full-Time Berkeley MBA Admissions team.

"Please note, interview invitations are not issued all at once. They are sent, via email, in random order as the files are reviewed. Interview invitations will begin to be sent approximately 2 or 3 weeks after each round's submission deadline."

This means we can expect the earliest interview invites to roll out on the 10th October, or more realistically, around 17th October.

I'm sure most of you must have already received two email communications from the Haas AdCom:

• An email letting you know either that your app is ready for review or that they need more materials from you.
• An email titled "Behind the scenes of your application" that details the application review process.

Even if you haven't, there should be no reason to worry or panic, as the AdCom has made it clear that files are reviewed in random order and they will contact students on an as-and-when basis.

Hope this helps with the wait! Best of luck!
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