Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley

Haas School of Business – UC Berkeley

Chat representative: Eric Askins
Meetings representative: Cindy Jennings Millette, Senior Associate Director of Admissions
Email: [email protected]
Open chat hours: 17:00-18:00
School brochure: click to open
Q&A with admissions: click to open

Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley

About

The Haas School of Business is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. It consistently ranks as one of the top ten business schools in worldwide rankings published by The Economist, Financial Times, US News and Businessweek. The Berkeley MBA Program is a two-year curriculum designed to prepare students for the business world in an experience that Haas calls “Leading Through Innovation”, which includes the core MBA curriculum and specialization in an area of interest.

Website

https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/

Program Details

Haas is differentiated from other Top MBA programs in a few key ways. First, location: we’re in the heart of the most innovative space in business in the world right now, the San Francisco Bay Area. Our connections to and relationships with all the big tech companies, startups, venture capital, sustainability companies, and other innovators is a tremendous advantage for our students. Second, it’s our history and commitment to questioning the status quo, one of our key defining leadership principles – that shows up in our investment in entrepreneurship, in embedding that entrepreneurial spirit into everything we do. Third, it’s our class culture. We are one of the smallest top 10 programs, and that enables us to really build a hyper-collaborative, close-knit class. You’ll leave knowing everyone in your whole class, and you’ll graduate into an alumni community that’s extremely supportive. Further, perhaps the biggest differentiator is our alignment to the 4 defining principles at Haas: Questioning the Status Quo, Beyond Yourself, Students Always, and Confidence Without Attitude.

Our admissions process is quite similar to those of our peer institutions in order to streamline the application process for our applicants. Where we diverge is in three key areas. Our essay questions lend themselves to responses that cover not only an applicant’s experiences but also their values. We don’t utilize a standard letter or recommendation template as we prefer to prompt an applicant’s recommender to focus on specific leadership attributes. Lastly, our interview process allows applicants to select from several interview options including a pre-recorded option which allows applicants to schedule an interview that fits their own schedules.

Length

2 years

Tuition

Estimated Tuition and Fees for 2020-2021

CA Resident Non-Resident

$64,246 $68,444

Scholarships

All applicants are evaluated for fellowships, awards and scholarship funding. In addition we offer a small number of additional awards which require an additional application. We also offer a need based grant which students can apply for separate from their admissions application. Funding will be awarded to students at the time of admission based on the strength of the student’s application. Whether a candidate is a domestic candidate or international students is not a factor in our funding decisions. https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/scholarships

Specializations

Location

Berkeley, California, USA

What should Israeli candidates know about your program?

Berkeley Haas is committed to a globally diverse program. In most years over one third of the student body is international. As such we have a robust international alumni community. You can get to know Haas a bit better and opportunities from your region by reaching out to alumni chapters here in Israel. We have chapters in Tel Aviv and Yokneam. Our chapter leaders would be happy to connect with you. Feel free to reach them at this link: https://haas.berkeley.edu/alumni/community/chapters/

Guest- Ali nawaz

6/10 02:55PM

I was working with an airline and because of Covid I laid off with last experience of 10 months.Is it acceptable.

MBAFair Admin

6/10 03:20PM

Great question Ali - this chat will open LIVE in 1H and 40M...

Guest- Dor

6/10 04:58PM

Hi! Will there be any Zoom conference?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:00PM

Hello All, Welcome to our Chat Session. Happy to take your questions.

Guest- Yoni

6/10 05:03PM

Hi, I already have an MBA. Can I still apply?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:04PM

@Ali Nawaz, I see you had a question about your career journey as you prepare for your applications. Please know that many candidates have had their career progression paused or altered in some way as a result of this global pandemic. In this way you aren't alone in having a resume gap to address. We encourage you to reflect on where that journey has taken you. How have you filled the time in between. What have you learned from the experience in terms of your own personal resilience. I wish you the best of luck in the Journey.

Guest- Itai

6/10 05:04PM

Hello, I'm interested to know if you expect more applications this year? will it be harder to get in?

Guest- Noy

6/10 05:04PM

Can you please share what, in your opinion, makes the school unique or different from other top schools?

Guest- Dor

6/10 05:04PM

Can you elaborate on the terms of admission?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:06PM

@Yoni, Our application eligibility requires that you have not already completed a similar degree. Certain educational systems are different enough for you to apply for Berkeley Haas even with an existing MBA. You may contact our team at [email protected] with questions about your particular case.

@Dor, Happy to have your question and comment from earlier. We will be participating in Zoom chats later on today, my colleague Cindy will be hosting the small group sessions. In terms of your more recent question: We require 2 Letters or recommendation, 2 Essays, a resume/CV and a completed application. Our candidates typically have between 2-5 years worth of work experience and can demonstrate academic readiness through their undergraduate transcripts and standardized test results. We accept both the GMAT and GRE.

@Noy, Hello! There are a number of differentiators that help Berkeley Haas stand out. We are proud of our program's ability to connect students to one another through our small class size which sets us apart from many of the schools that are similar positioned. Our location in the heart of innovation offers our students a great opportunity to learn by doing through a large number of experiential courses. https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/academics/applied-innovation

Guest- Saar

6/10 05:11PM

Hi, A question about military experience effect while applying for an MBA degree. As for myself, an officer serving in the army for the past six years (Captain rank). Through my time in the army, I have both been in operational zones and staff roles, specializing in military intelligence. How is your university admission policy for veterans, having less experience in the labor market?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:13PM

Hello @ Itai, We received nearly 4,000 applications this past cycle. In part due to the pent up demand from students who were unable to apply in the prior cycle and as applications to business programs tend to run counter-cyclical to the global economy. This is likely to continue into the next cycle in some ways. However, we have always made room for the best fit applicants. This change amounts to a few hundred additional applications.

Greetings @Saar, One of the hidden gems of Berkeley Haas is our veteran community. This includes both those who completed service in the US and those from communities abroad. In most years our Veteran community accounts for around 9-10% of our student body. The veteran community often brings a strong undercurrent of servant leadership to our community and backgrounds and experiences are reviewed in the admissions office with this in mind. https://haas.campusgroups.com/veterans/home/

Guest- Dor

6/10 05:22PM

You mentioned employment experience as one of the acceptance conditions. What's your expectation of the type of workplace?

Guest- Noy

6/10 05:22PM

Thanks! can you please elaborate on alumni community, and more specifically on Israeli alumni?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:24PM

Great Question @Dor, We typically look for candidates how have professional experience in areas that relate to their future goals or where they can demonstrate skills and attributes that reflect how they will engage here on campus or in their future career. We do not require supervisory experience, however we will review for leadership attributes. This may include collaborative inclination, empathy, and intellectual curiosity.

Guest- Jonah

6/10 05:25PM

Hi!

I wanted to know if you have differed acceptance and if so how does it work

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:27PM

@Noy, We have an incredibly active and engaged alumni community. This consists of students in the immediate region of the school who participate in programming as mentors and speakers on campus as well as our 43 active alumni chapters globally. Including two chapters in Israel: Yokneam and Tel Aviv. You can review the chapters here: https://haas.berkeley.edu/alumni/alumni-network/chapters/

Hello @Jonah, We did launch a globally available Deferred Enrollment Program this year, the Accelerated Access program. The details can be found here: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/accelerated-access

https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/haas-launches-deferred-mba-admission-program/

Guest- Anoushka

6/10 05:29PM

Hi I’ve done a post graduate diploma. Will I still be able to apply?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:32PM

Hello @Anoushka, We are open to receiving application from candidates who have completed some business education through other means. We do require that you haven't completed a similarly structured degree, You can confirm if your eligible by contacting my colleagues at [email protected]

Guest- Jonah

6/10 05:32PM

Thank you! I would also like to know if I could visit the campus or take a tour in September, and if so who should I contact

Guest- Barak

6/10 05:32PM

Do you offer specific scholarships for Israeli candidates?

Guest- Guest - Grisha

6/10 05:34PM

Please shed some light on the deferred MBA programs that Berkeley Haas offers?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:35PM

@Jonah, Unfortunately, we are still waiting on updated health regulations to open the campus up for visitation. Please keep visiting this webpage: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/upcoming-events As soon as on campus events are permitted they will be listed here.

Guest- Jonah

6/10 05:36PM

Thank you!

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:36PM

Greetings @Barak, We offer a number of scholarships that are available to candidates from all over the globe which you can find here: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/scholarships However, there are none that are specifically targeted to candidates from Israel

Guest- Dan

6/10 05:37PM

Hi, thanks for doing this! I come from a finance background. someone told me that Haas is mainly tech. is this true? is there a finance career path and specilization?

Also, will my wife be able to work while I am a student?

Guest- Itay Varkovitzky

6/10 05:38PM

Hi! I wanted to ask how do you treat people with ~10 years of experience? Do you recommend such people (if they are good enough) to come to Haas?

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:39PM

Hello @Grisha, Our Deferred Enrollment Program, Accelerated Access launched two years ago as a pilot program for Berkeley students and expanded this past year to include candidate from around the globe. The program requires that you be within one year of completing your undergraduate education and among the areas we focus on in our review is your professional plan. Information can be found here: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/accelerated-access

Guest- Grisha

6/10 05:40PM

Okay, thank you so much for your time & effort!

Berkeley Haas

6/10 05:41PM

Hi @Dan, Haas draws a broad array of candidates with varying interests. Among those interests is the innovation ecosystem that exists in the San Francisco Bay Area but an equal draw is the finance ecosystem which includes investment banking, private equity, venture capital. You can review employment outcomes here: https://haas.berkeley.edu/recruiters/report/

@Dan in terms of students with partners. There is a broad array of activates and engagement opportunities for partners. However, ability to work is governed by visa type and not within the school's power to control. https://haas.campusgroups.com/partners/about/

@Itay Varkovitzky Our average work experience is around 5.5 years. That often presents a misleading understanding of the level of experience among our student body. We have students with 12+ years of experience regularly participating in the program alongside those with around 2 years experience. Pursuing an MBA is often aligned with your personal time table and the right time varies by individual.

Hello Israeli Community. We'll be shutting down the chat in a few minutes to focus on our small group zoom sessions. Happy to take your questions in the next 10 minutes.

Guest- Dan

6/10 05:49PM

AMAZING, thanks

Guest- Itay Varkovitzky

6/10 05:52PM

Thank you for your answer!

Guest- Ali nawaz

6/10 05:59PM

I have graduated with Hotel management. I lost the job in Airline with in 10 month experience because of covid.710 in gmat what are the chances to get the admission

Berkeley Haas

6/10 06:01PM

Hello again @Ali, There is likely so much more to your story than the few sentences above. Our process is holistic review of the entire application, unfortunately we can't offer a probability of admission without understanding your journey (and what you've learned from that journey).

THANK YOU EVERYONE. I HAD A LOVELY TIME CHATTING. PLEASE FIND US IN OUR SMALL GROUP ZOOM SESSIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FAIR. You may also find us via email at: [email protected]

Haas School of Business – UC Berkeley

Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, 2220 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720