Intern
Joined: 29 Sep 2010
Posts: 28
Concentration: Finance, Real Estate
GPA: 3.53
Re: Poll: Haas Berkeley vs Tuck Dartmouth
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15 Mar 2014, 09:02
Ahh, this is a great problem to have. These were my top two choices when applying. Full disclosure, I only visited Tuck, didn't have the chance to visit Haas so keep that in mind, but I've been to SF. I'll break it down into categories.
Career: If you're set on Management Consulting, Tuck places much better into the MBB firms. If firm prestige is a factor for you, Tuck has an advantage there. But, most offers for Tuck are in the northeast, NYC and Boston if I'm not mistaken. This leads to the next category:
Location: Haas wins in that during your two years there, you'll be greeted with year-round mild climate weather. I visited Tuck in late September and it was a perfect autumn day. Leaves changing colors, students tossing a football or frisbee, just a great atmosphere. However, this is brief because the winter comes along quickly and it is brutal and long-lasting. I'm in NYC right now and have had it with this polar vortex winter. But, I kept Hanover on my weather app and checked it frequently, it was always about 10-15 degrees colder up there. Just an example, it's 54 degrees today and 37 tomorrow in NY. It's 43 and 21 in Hanover. Post-MBA, you can move wherever you'd like but Tuck typically places in the northeast and Haas typically in the Bay Area, so it's a matter of preference then.
Community/Network: Both schools have incredibly tight-nit communities. I met with several Tuck students and alum and found them all to be incredibly helpful. I have a friend at Haas who is similarly great and has been enjoying traveling the globe with his classmates. I think these two schools are similar in this regard so you won't be giving up much by choosing one over the other.
Culture: So Tuck is mostly consulting focused with finance coming in second. Haas has a strong preference towards Tech, as does the Bay Area.
I hope these points help. I think the best would be for you to try to gain clarity on what you want to do post-MBA (easier said than done), and definitely try to visit each school for their admitted student events. It may cost you a bit in the short-term but a right decision is worth it. Please let us know what you decide.