The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley is one of the most prestigious business schools in the world. With a rigorous admissions process, Haas is selective about who it admits.
Application Requirements
The following are the requirements for applying to the Haas MBA program:
Resume: Your resume should highlight your academic achievements, work experience, and extracurricular activities.
Essays: Haas requires two essays: a personal statement and a diversity statement. Your essays should be well-written and demonstrate your fit for the Haas community.
Two letters of recommendation: The people who write your letters of recommendation should be able to speak to your academic and professional achievements.
Transcripts: All transcripts must be submitted all undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended.
Test scores: Haas requires the GMAT or GRE. The average GMAT score for Haas MBA students is 727.
Interview: Haas interviews all admitted students.
Application Tips
Start early: The Haas MBA application is competitive, so it is important to start early and give yourself plenty of time to prepare your materials.
Get feedback on your essays: Ask friends, family, or career counselors to review your essays and give you feedback.
Practice for your interview: The Haas interview is a two-part interview with a Haas faculty member and a current Haas student. Practice answering common interview questions to increase your chances of success.
We share several links on different tips for applying to Berkeley Haas. The first link talks about Berkeley Haas Adcom Q&A | Haas MBA Admissions. In addition, it discusses the following topics: why Haas, the Haas MBA experience, admissions overview, application process, deadlines, and finally, questions and answers.
The second links talks about How to Get Into Berkeley Haas School Business, The culture al Haas, Haas MBA application essay number 1 – What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? , Haas MBA application essay number 2 ,What kind of leader do you aspire to be and why?, Haas optional essays.
The third link talks about How to Fill Out Berkeley Haas MBA Application. In addition, it discusses the following topics: Application, Application Walkthrough, Personal Data, Academic Interest, GPA, Work Experience, Diversity Equity Inclusion, Financial Aid, Schools, Academic History, Resume, Essays and Supplemental Information.
The fourth link talks about Everything You Wanted to Know About Berkeley Haas. In addition, it discusses the following topics: Introduction, Why MBA, Haas Community, What to Expect, Admissions Process, Admission Questions, Virtual Classes, Internships, Cal Advantage, Work Experience, Career Orientation, Impact of deferrals, Teaching assistantships, MBA burn to experience, Alumini network, Admission essays, Reputation, Scholarships Fellowships, Veterans network, Career Resources, Will an increase in deferrals for the class of 21 imply that the intake of international students will necessarily be lesser, Are there any fulltime professionals who work parttime or still run their company while in school, Do you consider second MBA aspirants, Can you have any paths for career and development finance institutions, What is the student professor relationship like and Is it still a good time to apply.
Essays
Berkeley MBA Essay 1: This essay asks you to describe what makes you feel alive and why. The Haas Admissions Committee is looking for applicants who are passionate about something and who can articulate why that passion is important to them.
Berkeley MBA Essay 2: This essay asks you to explain how an MBA will help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals. The Haas Admissions Committee wants to know what you want to do with your MBA and how the program will help you achieve your goals.
Berkeley MBA Essay 3 – Video: This essay asks you to 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. The Haas Admissions Committee wants to see how you embody their four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself.
Berkeley MBA Essay 4: This essay asks you to describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging. The Haas Admissions Committee wants to know how you have contributed to creating a more inclusive and equitable world.
Berkeley MBA Optional Essay 1: This essay asks you to share any hardships or unusual life circumstances that have shaped you. The Haas Admissions Committee wants to get to know you as a person and understand the context of your opportunities and achievements.
Overall, the Berkeley MBA essays are designed to get to know you as a person and understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA. By answering these questions thoughtfully, you can show the Haas Admissions Committee why you would be a good fit for their program.
Here are some additional tips for writing strong Berkeley MBA essays:
Be honest and authentic. The Haas Admissions Committee wants to get to know the real you, so don’t try to be someone you’re not.
Be specific and concrete. Don’t just tell the committee what you’re passionate about; show them by sharing specific examples.
Be concise. The essays have a word limit, so make sure you use your words wisely.
Proofread carefully. Typos and grammatical errors will make you look sloppy.
Berkeley MBA Optional Essay 2: This optional essay is for applicants to share any relevant information that is not addressed elsewhere in their application. This could include things like employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. Applicants are encouraged to use bullet points to make their points clear.
Applicants should exercise discretion when responding to this prompt. Providing an optional essay creates extra work for the admissions reader, so it should only be used if there is something truly important that the applicant feels needs to be shared. This could be an extenuating circumstance that has influenced their academic or professional history, a weakness in their application, or an unusual choice of recommender.
The wording of this question is open enough that applicants may also choose to discuss an element of their background that is not reflected in their other materials. However, they will need to demonstrate sound judgment in doing so. The information should be material to their application and summarized as concisely as possible.
Clear Admit Resources: Clear Admit is a website that provides advice and admissions information for MBA programs. They offer a profile of the Berkeley Haas School of Business, a forum where applicants can share updates on their applications, and a tool that tracks where admitted students are attending school.
We are sharing several link for more information.
Letter of recommendation questions
The Haas MBA Recommendation Questions are designed to assess an applicant’s leadership potential. They ask recommenders to rate the applicant on a scale of 1 to 5 in 12 competencies and character traits that contribute to successful leadership. The competencies and character traits are grouped into five categories:
Achievement: Initiative, Results Orientation.
Influence: Communication, Professional Impression, Poise & Presence, Influence and Collaboration.
People: Respect for Others, Team Leadership, Developing Others.
Personal Qualities: Trustworthiness/ Integrity, Adaptability/ Resilience, Self Awareness.
Cognitive Abilities: Strategic Orientation, Problem Solving.
For each competency, recommenders are asked to select the one button that corresponds to the behavior that they have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. The competencies are organized in a way that builds upon each other, so the higher the rating, the more developed the applicant’s leadership skills are.
The Haas MBA Recommendation Questions are an important part of the application process. They give the admissions committee a valuable perspective on the applicant’s leadership potential of someone who knows them well.
Here are some additional tips for completing the Haas MBA Recommendation Questions:
Be specific and provide examples to support your ratings.
Be honest and objective.
Focus on the applicant’s leadership skills and potential.
Avoid making negative comments.
How do you rate this applicant compared to her/his peer group?
The recommender is asked to rate the applicant’s performance compared to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles. The ratings are:
* Unable to assess
* Below average
* Average
* Very good (well above average)
* Excellent (top 10%)
* Outstanding (top 5%)
* The best encountered in my career
Overall, I…
The recommender is asked to provide an overall assessment of the applicant. The options are:
* Do not recommend this applicant
* Recommend this applicant, with reservations
* Recommend this applicant
* Enthusiastically recommend this applicant
Section 3: Haas MBA Recommendation Questions
The recommender is asked to provide a brief description of their interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in their organization. They are also asked to:
* Compare the applicant’s performance to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles, providing specific examples.
* Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback they have given the applicant, detailing the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
* Optionally, share anything else they think the admissions committee should know.
Here are some additional tips for completing the Haas MBA Recommendation Questions:
- Be specific and provide examples to support your ratings.
- Be honest and objective.
- Focus on the applicant’s strengths and potential.
- Avoid making negative comments.
We are sharing several link for more information.
If invited for an interview this resource is useful: Interview reports submitted by interviewees
We are sharing several link for more information.
Admissions events in your area
All the information you need is in this link.