Please help: Johnson ($$$$) vs Darden ($$$$) vs haas

Question

Hi everyone! I am fortunate enough to have gotten into several great schools and need help deciding. I am first generation and don’t know much about this.

My short term goal is investment banking and want to exit into VC eventually. However I am self-funding this and will have to take out loans for everything that scholarship doesn’t cover.

Johnson seems to be the best for investment banking and I think I can really benefit from the immersion program. I really like Darden’s case method approach and believe that it can help me grow academically as well. However, haas was my dream school and has the best VC connections. Not sure if it’s worth $200k in loans though.

My biggest concern about haas is that there doesn’t seem to be much of a banking focus. Would that hold me back from finding a job in such an uncertain economy?

People and fit-wise I really like all three schools. Ithaca doesn’t bother me too much because I am looking for a rural campus experience. But my long term goal is to live in California.

Which program would you all choose in my shoes?

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MBAPrepCoach · Answer

If you’re very firm on living in California Haas is definitely the way to go - very hard to pass on the $ but if you are very certain about IB less of a concern. I can understand why you’re in a pickle. Darden is a great school but harder to shop here in NorCal. Cornell maybe if you are like so 110% on IB and you can bring that brand here but, IB is sales and having the CAL alma mater in common helps. I guess I would omit Darden at this point. Do informational interviews with target banks or ppl who work for them. Think from the end - gather research from whoever is buying your mba education.

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Gg7887 · Answer

Thanks for the input!! I think I’m leaning towards haas at this point as everyone has told me to go there. And it’s my dream school. I’m just worried about having $200k in Loans in an uncertain economy. Do you think the Haas brand is worth it? 
Also, do you know if haas negotiates scholarships? I have several full rides and half rides from other top 20 schools. I just don’t want to regret not taking the money and being debt free at graduation to move up a few spots in ranking.

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MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Yeah, I understand that's why I say I understand why you are in a pickle. Unfortunately you only really have leverage when it comes to the scholarship thing if you have a competing offer from a peer school. So if somebody has a scholarship offer from Wharton, can leverage that with Kellogg potentially or CBS or Yale. This is also why I say you should be extremely certain about investment banking because that's probably the only post MBA job where I feel like the brand and the connections (and post MBA salary) are more important than the initial debt. If you are in any way uncertain about this then I think Cornell or Darden might be the better way to go. I think everybody's risk tolerance has dropped a lot since COVID, so if it's really going to do your head in then take the money but if you really want to save money don't do an MBA at all stay at home lol. This is kind of an in for a penny in for a pound kind of situation. This is why I think it just would be a wise choice for you to talk to people that are in investment banking who recently graduated from Berkeley. It's a matter of gaining enough information so that you feel comfortable. I am going to send you a PM – with a link to the LinkedIn of a former client who went to Haas and works in IB at Evercore.

Gg7887

Thanks for the input!! I think I’m leaning towards haas at this point as everyone has told me to go there. And it’s my dream school. I’m just worried about having $200k in Loans in an uncertain economy. Do you think the Haas brand is worth it?
Also, do you know if haas negotiates scholarships? I have several full rides and half rides from other top 20 schools. I just don’t want to regret not taking the money and being debt free at graduation to move up a few spots in ranking.

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bb · Answer

VC it’s not for the faint hearted, especially these days. I think a big question about the VC recruiting is having the proper background and connections or at least work experience you can leverage improve why you are better than a Stanford or a Harvard candidate… this is where work experience and networking will absolutely trump school name.

Darden is quite good at investment banking placement and Johnson is good overall with in Finance in New York City. Cost is in bay area and largely tech. I think VC and start up a definitely possible but you will have to Networkand it will all be all up to you.

I think a good idea may be to ask your schools admissions teams to connect to the current students or just reach out to them on LinkedIn or through the school website. They can give you a pretty good idea about recruiting and chances. They’ll be upfront though they may sugarcoated a little bit but if you ask direct questions, you’ll get a pretty clear understanding about what’s happening on the ground this year. I know it has helped a number of people get an evaluation of their background and potentially but you may realize that you may need to take a step in between now and VC. And instead of going straight there, maybe you make a stop somewhere along the way. Just venting here since I don’t know your background and honestly I am not a VC 😇

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Please help: Johnson ($$$$) vs Darden ($$$$) vs haas

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