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12 Jun 2025, 03:14
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Bookmarks
📌 Booth vs. Haas – Entrepreneurial Goals, MBA Experience, and Long-Term Flexibility (Would Love Your Thoughts)
[hr]
TL;DR:
International founder choosing between Booth and Haas. Want to explore what to build next, work with startups, and keep big tech as a backup. Booth offers brand and structure. Haas offers access and ecosystem. Wondering how much the prestige tradeoff will matter long-term.
Hi everyone,
I’ve been fortunate to be accepted to both Chicago Booth and Berkeley Haas for the 2-year MBA. I’m now facing a tough decision and would really appreciate any input from this community.
👤 A bit about me:
🎯 Post-MBA Goals:
🏫 School Comparison
Berkeley Haas
✅ Proximity to Silicon Valley and stronger access to Bay Area startup/VC ecosystem
✅ Strong entrepreneurship infrastructure: SkyDeck, LAUNCH, cross-campus CS/engineering collaboration
✅ Easy to build network organically within early-stage/startup space
⚠️ Slightly lower global brand/reputation compared to Booth
⚠️ MBA experience may feel more niche or less “traditional”
Chicago Booth
✅ Stronger global brand and prestige in business circles
✅ Better structured for big tech/consulting recruiting (great backup path)
✅ Polsky Center has hands-on VC/entrepreneurship programs
✅ Very flexible curriculum — big plus for me
✅ Strong alumni network globally, especially in NYC, Chicago, and SF
⚠️ Less organically entrepreneurial
⚠️ Physically far from Bay Area — startup access will take more effort
🛣️ Decision Paths I'm Considering:
Plan A (Booth):
→ Land a tech job in the Bay Area
→ Network with startups while working
→ Eventually start up when ready
Plan B (Haas):
→ Target roles at big tech or mid-sized startups
→ Build network during MBA
→ Potentially start something while still in school
🤔 Questions I’d love your help with:
Thanks in advance — I really value this community and would love to hear any personal experiences or perspectives you’re willing to share 🙏
[hr]
TL;DR:
International founder choosing between Booth and Haas. Want to explore what to build next, work with startups, and keep big tech as a backup. Booth offers brand and structure. Haas offers access and ecosystem. Wondering how much the prestige tradeoff will matter long-term.
Hi everyone,
I’ve been fortunate to be accepted to both Chicago Booth and Berkeley Haas for the 2-year MBA. I’m now facing a tough decision and would really appreciate any input from this community.
👤 A bit about me:
- International student from India
- Been a co-founder of a B2B SaaS startup in higher education in India for the last few years
- Part of the founding team of a global fund and accelerator — worked closely with early-stage startups across product and growth
- Interested in building something again, but no fixed idea or timeline yet
- Industry interests: AI, D2C, B2B SaaS — open to exploring
🎯 Post-MBA Goals:
- I’d like to eventually build something of my own but don’t have a fixed idea or timeline yet.
- In parallel, I’m keen to work with early/mid-stage startups in product or growth roles to learn and contribute meaningfully.
- Big tech is a practical backup, mainly for visa and stability.
- I see the MBA as a sandbox to explore ideas, industries (AI, D2C, B2B SaaS), potential co-founders — and to start my building journey.
- Also looking forward to a great MBA experience — socially and academically.
🏫 School Comparison
Berkeley Haas
✅ Proximity to Silicon Valley and stronger access to Bay Area startup/VC ecosystem
✅ Strong entrepreneurship infrastructure: SkyDeck, LAUNCH, cross-campus CS/engineering collaboration
✅ Easy to build network organically within early-stage/startup space
⚠️ Slightly lower global brand/reputation compared to Booth
⚠️ MBA experience may feel more niche or less “traditional”
Chicago Booth
✅ Stronger global brand and prestige in business circles
✅ Better structured for big tech/consulting recruiting (great backup path)
✅ Polsky Center has hands-on VC/entrepreneurship programs
✅ Very flexible curriculum — big plus for me
✅ Strong alumni network globally, especially in NYC, Chicago, and SF
⚠️ Less organically entrepreneurial
⚠️ Physically far from Bay Area — startup access will take more effort
🛣️ Decision Paths I'm Considering:
Plan A (Booth):
→ Land a tech job in the Bay Area
→ Network with startups while working
→ Eventually start up when ready
Plan B (Haas):
→ Target roles at big tech or mid-sized startups
→ Build network during MBA
→ Potentially start something while still in school
🤔 Questions I’d love your help with:
- How much does global brand/reputation actually matter — both in terms of long-term flexibility (big tech, startups, corporate), and if I want to explore other markets after my MBA? I can’t help but wonder if I’ll regret giving up the global prestige and long-term brand strength that Booth offers if I choose Haas.
- Would Google, Meta, or AI startups care significantly more about Booth vs. Haas for tech recruiting?
- Which plan feels more practical based on my background — entrepreneurial experience but limited Bay Area network?
- And finally — based on everything above, which school would be a better fit for someone like me?
Thanks in advance — I really value this community and would love to hear any personal experiences or perspectives you’re willing to share 🙏
16 Jun 2025, 15:18
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congrats! Did you clear a WL?
Booth has a decent Startup environment. A number of startups came out of Booth, and perhaps as notable as from Haas?
1. You will only rely on the school's brand for your first job - it is more critical and more important but 5 years later, after you graduate, your MBA name will be just a glance and much more important will be your accomplishments during the last 5 years after you graduated. Nobody cares where exactly you went per se. I have seen at Amazon people from Tepper, Fuqua, Wharton, and no MBA in PM roles.
2. Google only recruits CS background people. Meta does not recruit from MBA (and does not sponsor Visas - they only transfer is what I have heard lately) so you won't get there with either. AI startups want someone to come in and immediately start working. They don't care what label you have on the Diploma. What matters to them is that you are referred by someone who can vouch for you (this is where the network comes in), so the brand by itself is not critical but what matters is the things you get with that brand - your classmates, professors, etc.
3. An international person coming from abroad, you want to have the big tech validation on your resume. Imagine you join a startup and it fizzles out after a year. it will be a lot harder to land a job in big tech after than or anywhere if you have a no-name brand. But imagine having Amazon, MSFT, or McKinsey - with those brands and your MBA you have the maximum validation.
I love Bay Area and it is awesome. There are different meetups and networking events that you can join and sign up for, lots of people stay in the area. If your heart is on the startup world, you will need to network a lot and connect with lots of people. However, the fact that you have not connected with many of them is a bit of a concern - perhaps you are feeling not empowered or need that you are not ready and in that case, I would recommend Booth which is much more structured and the safest option perhaps.
Booth has a decent Startup environment. A number of startups came out of Booth, and perhaps as notable as from Haas?
1. You will only rely on the school's brand for your first job - it is more critical and more important but 5 years later, after you graduate, your MBA name will be just a glance and much more important will be your accomplishments during the last 5 years after you graduated. Nobody cares where exactly you went per se. I have seen at Amazon people from Tepper, Fuqua, Wharton, and no MBA in PM roles.
2. Google only recruits CS background people. Meta does not recruit from MBA (and does not sponsor Visas - they only transfer is what I have heard lately) so you won't get there with either. AI startups want someone to come in and immediately start working. They don't care what label you have on the Diploma. What matters to them is that you are referred by someone who can vouch for you (this is where the network comes in), so the brand by itself is not critical but what matters is the things you get with that brand - your classmates, professors, etc.
3. An international person coming from abroad, you want to have the big tech validation on your resume. Imagine you join a startup and it fizzles out after a year. it will be a lot harder to land a job in big tech after than or anywhere if you have a no-name brand. But imagine having Amazon, MSFT, or McKinsey - with those brands and your MBA you have the maximum validation.
I love Bay Area and it is awesome. There are different meetups and networking events that you can join and sign up for, lots of people stay in the area. If your heart is on the startup world, you will need to network a lot and connect with lots of people. However, the fact that you have not connected with many of them is a bit of a concern - perhaps you are feeling not empowered or need that you are not ready and in that case, I would recommend Booth which is much more structured and the safest option perhaps.
