The Berkeley Haas School of Business is a small but dynamic powerhouse among MBA programs. Its proximity to the big metropolis of San Francisco, combined with the intimacy of a small college town of Berkeley, allows its students can enjoy the best of both worlds during their studies. Haas is renowned for its tight-knit student community fostered by its culture, location, and class size—the typical Haas class features approximately 350 students. The school’s closeness to Silicon Valley leads to almost one-third of Haas graduates joining the technology sector each year. Apart from the vibrant Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Program, the school also has an established health policy and management program (since 1948) and a thriving Center for Social Sector Leadership. If you see yourself attending school in beautiful Berkeley, mbaMission offers a depth of resources and services to help you on your journey.
Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA Insider’s Guide
Our Insider’s Guide to the Berkeley Haas School of Business is based on our consultations with Haas MBA students, admissions committee members, and alumni about their Haas experiences. We take an in-depth look at life as a Berkeley Haas MBA student, examining how the school’s location, class size, curriculum, alumni network, and focus on teamwork all affect its culture and MBA experience. Then we discuss how traditions such as its student-initiated and student-led courses have resulted in unique classes over the years, such as “Improvisational Leadership,” “Wine Industry,” and “Life as an Entrepreneur.” Through our guide, you will learn more about how the Haas Defining Leadership Principles—Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself—are integrated across core and elective courses. Further, you can read more about Berkeley Haas’s 13 academic areas of emphasis, which are similar to majors. Haas dean Ann E. Harrison, an accomplished economist and a UC Berkeley alumna herself, has been guiding the Berkeley Haas School of Business since 2019. Our guide allows you to dive deeply into the incredible program that continues to grow under her leadership.
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The Berkeley Haas School of Business Interview Guide
Haas interviews—most often conducted by Haas MBA alumni—are conversational, friendly, and usually have a relaxed air. Nevertheless, you should expect a combination of behavioral, goals-focused, and probing interview questions; these are meant to help your interviewer get to know you and your accomplishments better. Further, you will need to have a strong grasp of how you believe the Berkeley Haas MBA program will help you reach your career goals. Finally, you will want to be prepared to discuss why you are a good fit for the school. For sample interview questions and commentary from past students, check out our Berkeley Haas School of Business Interview Guide.
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Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
For its first required application essay, the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, wants candidates to dig deep on a personal level and discuss something about which they are passionate, and for its second, applicants are asked to explain where they hope to go professionally after earning their MBA. The school’s third prompt hearkens back to a question Haas last posed in 2010 and centers on the school’s four distinctive defining principles. This time, however, candidates are asked to respond via a short video, rather than a traditional essay. Applicants must then submit a brief essay on their firsthand experience with a diversity-related situation or issue. The Haas admissions committee takes a slightly different approach to the optional essay than most programs do, offering both a short, multipart questionnaire (which is less complicated than it might seem at first glance) and a straightforward prompt that invites applicants, if needed, to address any unclear or problem areas in their profile. Together, the essays should allow you to offer insight into who you are as an individual and who you hope to be as a future business leader, to complement the information presented in your resume, recommendations, and basic stats.
In our essay analysis, we provide in-depth guidance on each of Berkeley Haas’s 2023–2024 application essay questions:
- Essay 1: What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)
- Essay 2: How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max)
- Essay 3 (video): The Berkeley MBA program develops leaders who embody our four Defining Leadership Principles. Briefly introduce yourself to the admissions committee, explain which leadership principle resonates most with you, and tell us how you have exemplified the principle in your personal or professional life. (Not to exceed 2 minutes.)
- Essay 4 (short answer): Can you please describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace? (150 words max)
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Berkeley Haas MBA Admissions Deadlines (2023-2024)
Round 1
September 14, 2023
Round 1 Decision
December 7, 2023
Round 2
January 4, 2024
Round 2 Decision
March 21, 2024
Round 3
March 28, 2024
Round 3 Decision
May 2, 2024