Poll: MIT Sloan vs. Berkeley Haas for free

Question

I'm having a huge dilemma. I thought MIT was hands down my first choice then I visited Haas. Haas would be completely free for me(all tuition, fees, and healthcare covered) plus some spending money. Is there a significant enough difference between these two schools to justify taking on debt for MIT? I really enjoyed the people I met at Haas too. I'm looking to start my own company during business school and have little interest in recruiting anywhere(I might consider consulting as a back-up plan).

bb · Answer

I don't think there is a difference really between Haas and Sloan to justify that much of a premium.
Both are well ranked and highly respected. I feel Haas is only #2 to Stanford on the West Coast and is a strong SF/Bay area/ California program. Of course it depends on what areas/industry and geo location you are planning to be (MIT is a great school and a great match for some career tracks); however, if you are not doing some kind of biotech or something MIT-stronghold-related, I would not pass up the money. The fact that you are planning to be broke and start your own business pretty much requires you not to take on debt (it is not the best thing to borrow 100-200K right before you plan not to get paid for a while)

In conclusion, if you are not planning to move East or Out of the country then I think Haas will be a solid choice.

jessepinkman · Answer

i'd also do Haas. There is not enough of a gap between sloan and haas to justify the $ plus being in the bay will be super helpful for networking and fundraising purposes

Mo2men · Answer

Consider yourself are investing into 2 projects MBA & your company. Haas will sponsor your MBA program and provides with opportunity to be in the heart of startup actions. In Sloan you won't be accessible to resources compared to Hass. As you are investor, in you case money talks and starting you career project will be minimal. However, it won't be the case, if you do not want to stay in west coast. :wink:

photonic18 · Answer

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm having trouble making the logical decision because it's been a dream of mine to go to MIT since I was a kid. Appreciate the honest feedback.

pandashack · Answer

If this is true, and MIT has actually been your dream school your entire life, then don't let money sway you. You'll spend the rest of your life wondering "What if...?" Just my humble opinion.

It's not like MIT is necessarily the illogical choice, by the way. If this  P&Q article  from a few years back is to be believed, the proportion of graduates who start businesses right out of school is twice as high at Sloan compared to Haas, and the proportion who go into consulting is seven percentage points higher (33% vs. 26%).

jessepinkman · Answer

have you spoken to sloan about your situation? they may be willing to offer you some money to entice you to come there over haas

Red|L · Answer

If you really fancy about attending in MIT Sloan, go there. But then again, Sloan is not better than Haas. At best, it is just as good. In fact, the average starting salary of graduates now favors Berkeley Haas.

Poll: MIT Sloan vs. Berkeley Haas for free

Should I attend Sloan or Haas?

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