SMACKDOWN - FT MBA Class of 2014: MIT Sloan vs Berkeley Haas

Question

I am entering full-time 2-year MBA program class of 2014, start - this August/september.

I've narrowed down my 5 admit offers to MIT Sloan and Berkeley Haas (it has been BRUTALLY tough to get to this point so far).

I don't have a tech background, but I want to enter tech (anything from entrepreneurship to startup to large cap tech).

Cost does not matter to me (I did receive scholarship $, but no point in divulging which school or both schools offered $. I am tuition agnostic). Also, I do not live in northeast or on westcoast, so I would be moving and starting fresh at both schools.

What is your vote and why? Thanks everyone in advance for contributing your thoughts.

faro · Answer

Tech -> Silicon Valley
Plus, the weather.

RG0105 · Answer

Exactly...

Consulting2Finance · Answer

MIT has a direct line to Silicon Valley, if that's where one wants to end up. I would suggest looking at the employment reports of both schools.

faro · Answer

It's one thing to have a "direct line" to Silicon Valley, it's another to be able to grab beers with people there every weekend.

Puffnstuff · Answer

In my opinion, both schools will get you to your goal & both networks in your desired industry are top notch. Instead, you may want to consider what you want out of your MBA experience. Location, courses/experiential opportunities in your area of interest, cultures, etc. Most importantly, which seemed like a better fit?

Yes, Boston is cold but it is a vibrant city, and MIT is a very unique school that is well-known worldwide. However, I'm likely headed to Haas myself. :-D

You have two AMAZING options! You really can't go wrong.

You have two AMAZING options! You really can't go wrong.

Consulting2Finance · Answer

I mean for sure Haas allows for better direct networking. Of course that goes both ways. Being in the Bay in recruiting in Silicon Valley you will be expected to network much more, less you fall behind.

My point is if someone wants to work in Silcon Valley, many East Coast schools may hurt those chances. MIT is not one of them though.

MYCambridge · Answer

Sloan is way above Haas.

nsxacura · Answer

Wow, just a few hours and so many votes and great responses. Thank you! But the votes don't help :-p, pretty evenly split. How about votes on the below dimensions, Haas vs Sloan (and WHY! - I think we've had plenty of time answering Why's with our essays

)... --------- Haas > or < or = Sloan (and why)... 1) Long-Term Viability in the "Top 10" MBA programs list and runway potential to reach Top 3-5 (given all the top programs are innovating and incorporating each others' best practices -i.e., team learning, experiential learning, etc- and at least 3-5 non-US programs will likely displace current US programs from the Top 10 list in the next 5-10 years) 2) Student culture and experience 3) Recruiting in Technology 4) Recruiting outside of technology (Finance, CPG, Rotational programs, Consulting)...after all, the Tech bubble may burst! 5) Academic rigor (sure, everyone says the MBA is a joke academically...but some really want to learn!) 6) Reputation in Technology among Big Tech companies 7) Reputation in Technology among "blue-chip" early stage/startups 8) Reputation in the Bay Area 9) Alumni willingness to go out of the way to help current students 10) Friendships/Bonds in the alumni community

PTK · Answer

Unlikely that MIT provided you with some scholarship. They are known as most greedy among MBA programmes.

Decide where you wonna work and live west or east coast.

myturn2012 · Answer

I have visited both the schools. I would say other than the geographic location (weather and proximity to Silicon valley), Berkeley does not offer anything that MIT Sloan cannot better. Both schools to an extent play second fiddle to their neighboring institutions, HBS and GSB Stanford respectively. However, I would recommend Sloan because you can work in one of their labs at MIT as a research assistant and that would give you a good transition experience to joining the Tech industry. And there are tons of Sloan students starting up start-ups in partnership with Harvard and MIT students and then moving to the Valley.

wallstreetbarbie · Answer

I am dating a MIT grad... he is in tech (of course)... and allow me to say this... MIT opens many doors... he is in the east coast and loves it here but constantly gets calls from west coast companies for recrutiting. What MIT has done for him is allow him to do his tech consulting by leveraging their network. Most of his clients are MIT grads or have been referred to him by MIT. The power of that network never ceases to amaze me.

MDF · Answer

The bay area is absolutely gorgeous. However, I think Sloan has a stronger reputation.

SMACKDOWN - FT MBA Class of 2014: MIT Sloan vs Berkeley Haas

MIT SLOAN or BERKELEY HAAS? What is your vote?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards