Full-time MBA Program
The Berkeley MBA – Online Admissions Chat
November 29, 2007
Chat with Current Haas MBA Students
Tracy Cheung, MBA Class of 2008
Aneesh Krishna, MBA Class of 2008
Kara_Moderator
Welcome to the Berkeley MBA chat. My name is Kara and I will be moderating the chat today. I would like to introduce Tracy Cheung and Aneesh Krishna, current second-year MBA students and members of our Haas Student Ambassador team. Please send us your questions!
AneeshMBA08
Hi, everyone! My name is Aneesh Krishna. I am a second year student at Haas and also a Haas Student Ambassador (HSA). Prior to coming to business school I worked for IBM's consulting practice for 5 years. This past summer I interned at Bain and Company and will most likely work for them upon graduation. Apart from being an HSA, I am the co-president of the Berkeley Solutions Group, co-chair of the Graduate Business Conference and also a consulting career coach. I welcome you to this chat session. Please feel free to send us your questions.
Roberta F
Tracy, could you explain how is your work in energy research and at the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative
Tracy MBA08
Sure. The Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) has been a great resource for me. I've already learned a lot through different workshops that are organized as well as lectures, conferences, etc. Is there anything specific that you'd like to know about the club and about energy studies here on campus?
PK
Hi all, I have had the pleasure of talking with Aneesh Krishna earlier about Haas. Haas seems to have several extremely interesting certificate courses. Can they be chosen in lieu of electives or are they outside of the curriculum?
Tracy MBA08
The certificate programs here on campus are fairly informal, in that you can take any electives you would like that fulfill your requirements. What that means is that the certificate courses become your electives and are not considered outside of the normal curriculum
PK
Hello all! Thanks for hosting this chat. Does the admissions office regard the school visits as a mark of seriousness on the part of the prospective student towards Haas? I live in Detroit, and have a full time job. Although I would have loved to visit, it has been very difficult to coordinate a visit to Haas during the regular school hours.
Kara_Moderator
PK, the committee is interested to know how you have familiarized yourself with the Haas School. One of the best ways to do that is to visit; however, we do realize not everyone is able to visit campus. Reaching out to our Haas Student Ambassadors is another great way to familiarize yourself with the community: hsa@haas.berkeley.edu.
MBA 2010
Aneesh and Tracy, can you both briefly touch on what made you decide to attend Berkeley?
Aneesh MBA08
I chose Haas for a number of reasons. Firstly, the collaborative culture of the students. Throughout the admissions process the student body was extremely helpful and I felt I would fit well within this community. Secondly, the career opportunities here at Haas are great. The career center has excellent resources and they ensure that several companies recruit on campus. Lastly, I also liked the structure of the curriculum especially the core. The way one course builds on another.
Ardati
First of all, great to be here! Tracy, really lucky to see you here since I'm also interested in alternative energy particularly in the Middle East. I've seen that there are a few courses on the topic offered through Berkeley and of course there’s BERC which must be a great resource. Do you feel all that has left you with enough experience and a background to say, launch your own company focused on that?
Tracy MBA08
I haven't been focused so much on entrepreneurship since I've been here, but I definitely feel that I've learned a lot, particularly because I came to Haas without a prior background in energy. There are a few things here that would really help you out if you're focused on starting your own energy company. First, you can take classes here at Haas and ALSO at other programs within the greater Berkeley campus, so you'll have access to energies, law classes, policy classes, etc. Second, we have a lot of entrepreneurship mixers so that you can find business partners who have more of the technical background you might need.
Josh
Thank you both for taking the time to talk to us to today. I was wondering if you could comment on the degree to which you were able to customize your curriculum based on your own interests. I know that Haas offers a lot of electives, but were you able to take courses at other schools and programs?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Josh. I chose not to take electives from other schools. However, in my second year I am taking electives ranging from marketing to strategy to finance. In addition, I am also taking an elective next semester in real estate just to learn how to make better investment decisions. At Haas, we are not required to specialize in a particular field. As a result I have been able to focus on multiple fields.
ns
Hi, from a second year student perspective what are some things that surprised you about Haas?
Tracy MBA08
When I first came into the school, I was impressed by how well the core is structured. Professors meet on a regular basis to talk about what they're each teaching, so there can be crossover in each of our classes. Also, the order of the classes is well thought out.
MAnsari
If someone is not coming from the typical 'corporate' environment, is that a disadvantage? I am coming from a small nonprofit so I am not sure if this will affect my learning experience and opportunities to network at Haas, can you let me know from your experience?
Tracy MBA08
Many of our classmates come from non-corporate environments, including nonprofit organizations. While it may mean you have to put in a little more work on quantitative and financial assignments that you're not accustomed to, you will not be at a significant disadvantage. Moreover, study groups are structured so that others in your group will most likely have that type of knowledge and can help you through your coursework.
PK
To Aneesh and Tracy: I am a little unclear about how the IBDP and Certificate in Global management fit together.
Aneesh MBA08
Hi PK , IBD is a 3-week consulting project that takes place outside of the US. The certificate in global management, which is also under the Clausen Center, is a certificate granted to students who satisfy a certain set of criteria. IBD can be used to satisfy one criterion, but you will still need to take some other electives and also know another language to satisfy those requirements. For details, please check the website.
PK
For Tracy: How can I combine my interests in Technology and nonprofit work at Haas?
Tracy MBA08
I think there are a few ways in which you could combine your two interests. First, you could be involved in clubs such as the Net Impact club which focuses on nonprofits and socially responsible businesses. Second, you could take coursework in both nonprofit management as well as technology. The field is really broad so you would need to narrow down your interests within technology, but it's definitely possible here. Also, we have a partnership with UNIDO (the United Nations International Development Organization) which sponsors student groups to go into developing countries over the summer to work on technology-related projects. Most of those are focused on nonprofit organizations, so this is another program you could participate in if technology and nonprofit work are your interests.
tenzingt
Hi! Just curious if either Tracy or Aneesh know what percentage of Haas students who apply to the IBD program are able to take it
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Tensingt! Last year about 120 students applied for IBD and 72 were offered a spot. There were some students on the waitlist and they were able to get a spot since a few students pulled out.
MBA 2010
I know neither of you are in finance, but you can touch on what the recruiting opportunities have been like for those interested in a finance career? I am specifically interested in Investment Management
Tracy MBA08
I came from a finance background, and while I'm not going back into that realm, I have kept up a little bit with what's available on campus. A number of our classmates are going into investment management post-Haas. While it's not as easy as getting an investment banking or consulting job in the sense that those are organized on-campus recruiting processes, there are ample opportunities available here through clubs, job postings on our website, and other networking activities. Our classmates put in a little bit of extra work but had no trouble finding jobs in the end.
Vahe
Can you mention anything that you would like to be better in Haas or is everything just perfect?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Vahe! I feel there is room for improvement as nothing is perfect! :-). I think Haas could do with some more facilities i.e. rooms for group discussions, etc. We have a few of those rooms, but usually they have to be booked a few days in advance. That’s the only thing I could think of at the moment.
Anson
I would like to know the short essay question about innovation. Do you have any advice?
Tracy MBA08
Hi Anson, in our minds, innovation is not just about technological innovation but about thinking outside the box. At Haas, we feel that our strength is to develop leaders who are able to promote and manage change in organizations, particularly in the present time where the global environment requires us to respond to change very quickly. I would advise focusing on experiences that exhibit opportunities where you've demonstrated this ability to think outside the box. Hope this helps!
Ardati
How much of the learning experience to do you get outside of the class room as in, not actually part of the course work but say in your interactions with other students and the general environment of Berkeley?
Aneesh MBA08
I think you learn a lot from other students both inside and outside the classroom. Most students participate in case competitions, do independent projects, and hold several leadership positions. All these provide significant interactions with fellow students and you learn a lot. For example, I am leading a project in which we are writing a business plan for a Healthcare idea. This is a project under the Berkeley Solutions Group. IN my team, I have someone who worked in the White House as a part of the Healthcare advisory team to President Bush. I am learning a lot from him.
Callie
Hi Anneesh and Tracy-- Could you tell me whether you feel that you are able to gain sufficient understanding of the course topics during 7-week courses? I realize you can then go into greater depth in additional courses, but in terms of gaining a real understanding of ALL fundamentals, I'm wondering if you feel the 7-weeks are sufficient.
Tracy MBA08
7 weeks is definitely a short amount of time to learn our core subjects. However, it doesn't mean that our professors try to teach us less than we would get in a regular 14-week course. In fact, they try to teach us as much as possible which means that courses are very intense. The other thing though is that it means professors are focused on us learning several key things in each class and these are all very practical. For example, our microeconomics class centered on decision making, pricing, and game theory...those are all things that I've already had the opportunity to apply to real-life settings.
Vahe
Is there any disadvantage in applying in the 2nd round compared with applying in the 3rd round?
Kara_Moderator
Historically, most offers of admission are made out of rounds 1, 2, and 3. We encourage everyone to apply as early as possible, but do not sacrifice your competitiveness just to push for a particular round.
K17
Hi Aneesh and Tracy. I know that Berkeley really stresses the concept of "leadership through innovation." How is that translated to the teaching and your experience at Haas?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi K17. At Haas you are encouraged to think out of the box in almost every setting. We have core classes such as Leadership that help you develop skills to be a better leader and to be able to bring about change effectively. From a teaching point of view, faculty is free to chose the type of teaching method they feel is most appropriate. Faculty members use games, cases, newspapers, etc to communicate the material. IN addition we have options programs such as Peers@Haas, Haas@work, etc. which are all geared towards innovation.
Ardati
From all that I've read and heard about the program, it seems as if all your time is spent in something that's related to your MBA, either clubs and organizations or events and mixers. Do you get to a point where you feel that you've had enough and need to disconnect from it all or is the environment so dynamic that it never gets repetitive and boring?
Tracy MBA08
There are never times when I feel that things have become boring and repetitive. There are times though when I feel overwhelmed by everything that I'm involved in, and those are the times when I feel like I need to take a break. That said, my experience here has been amazing, and I know that I've already grown a lot both professionally and personally because of all the activities in which I'm involved. I'm also really sad that my experience is almost over.
Vahe
When applying we must write about our most significant accomplishment. Should it be from the professional sphere or it can be any accomplishment from everyday life?
Kara_Moderator
You can choose to answer this question drawing from any aspect of your life.
PK
Tracy: thanks for your response. How can I narrow down my interest in Technology at Haas i.e. what are my choices if I want to specialize in Technology?
Tracy MBA08
Unfortunately, my focus hasn't been on technology so I don't have enough knowledge of coursework here to let you know what all of your choices might be. If you want to specialize in technology more generally here at Haas, you can pursue the Management of Technology certificate which is our most popular certificate on campus. Approximately 30 people each year will receive one.
Doug A.
I have visited Haas and sat through the info sessions and some classes. What else can one do to emphasize the desire to attend Haas?
Kara_Moderator
You will want to familiarize yourself with the aspects of Haas you are most interested in. For example, we have many centers of excellence (http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/institutes.html) - reaching out to centers can be a valuable way to learn more about Haas.
PK
How easy or difficult is it to enroll/be admitted to one or more certificates? For instance I am extremely keen on enrolling in 2 certificates that Haas offers.
Tracy MBA08
It's definitely possible to do more than one certificate program here, but the limiting factor will be your time and whether you want to do other electives that fall outside of the requirements.
Doug A.
I will be returning to school with a family. I saw that there are many opportunities to get significant others involved at Haas. Have either of you participated in these events and what are they typically like?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Doug. We have a partners club which is very, very active. In fact sometimes I see partners in a social event and not the student because they are probably studying hard. The club organizes several activities throughout the year, baby sit and pet sit for each other, and provide a strong support system. Further, partners are invited to all social events hosted by students.
Callie
How many students apply for the Board Fellows Program and how many are accepted?
Tracy MBA08
Hi Callie. I helped organize the Board Fellows program this year so I'm glad to hear you asking about it! This year we placed almost all of our students who applied (nearly 70) into over 50 organizations ranging in industries from healthcare, the environment, microfinance and economic development, to health and human services and education.
jameswang
Hi, Tracy, The average TOEFL score of admitted applicants for fall 2006 entry was 278, but my TOEFL score is only 267, will the TOEFL score become the disadvantage for my application? Thanks.
Kara_Moderator
The TOEFL exam is just one piece of the evaluation of your entire application. Strengths in one area of your application can balance out some weaknesses.
K17
I'm particularly interested in the entrepreneurial studies/activities at Haas. Could you comment on any entrepreneurial classes/activities that you have undertaken at Haas?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi K17, unfortunately I have not taken this path. However, there are several opportunities ranging from business plan competitions to classes. The center for entrepreneurship provides excellent access to VCs and also office space to start-ups. In fact, several of my classmates are already working on their companies. 18 students from the class of 2007 started their own firms.
Saurabh Khurana
Question for Aneesh: This is Saurabh, nice to get to talk to you again. Regarding the different hands-on experiences available at Haas such as IBD course, Haas@work, Strategic CSR projects what do you think are their relative merits? I am planning to go into consulting and I see them as good applied experiences.
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Saurabh, I think for consulting IBD and haas@work are most relevant.
hung fu
I am interested in finance area, as a current student there, do you think Berkeley MBA has any strength in this area and why?
Tracy MBA08
Over 30% of our graduates go into finance post-Haas, so I do think Berkeley is strong in finance for a number of reasons. First, we have a number of classes here that you can take to hone your finance skills. Second, we have a very active finance club on campus. This year they organized the first on-campus conference, bringing in a number of companies and panelists to speak with current students. Finally, I think it's nice to know that not everyone here is competing for a finance job (because we have good diversity in industry interests), so many of my classmates here talk of how there's less competition for finance jobs. That's because we have all the same recruiters as many of our peer schools, but less students on an overall numbers basis applying for each position.
Isa
Hi everyone! To Aneesh: You greatly contribute to the student's community. Can you please tell us more about this valuable experience?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Isa. My experience at Haas would have been very incomplete if I had not taken these activities. Through these activities, I have gotten to know my classmates a lot better, I have learnt a lot from them and also formed connections that will last a lifetime. These activities also give you a chance to explore something new. For example, I undertook a healthcare project under BSG, just because I wanted to learn something about the industry.
jeremy
May I know if Berkeley has any special curriculum in the field of finance?
Kara_Moderator
You might want to check out http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/elective_finance.html as a start for learning what courses are offered in the finance area. You might also wish to reach out to the finance group or to the Finance Club: http://groups.haas.berkeley.edu/fc/
Matt
Aneesh and Tracy, are either of you pursuing a concurrent International and Area Studies degree? If so, what has been your experience pursuing two degrees at the same time (pros/cons)? If not, are you familiar with another student's experience with the program?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Matt, none of us is enrolled in this program. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head. But please send us an email at hsa@haas.berkeley.edu and we will do our best to find someone.
PK
Tracy: I am a woman and so want to know what your experience has been as a woman at Haas?
Tracy MBA08
I've had a great time here and have built a great connection to both the men and women in my class. We have a very strong Women in Leadership club ("WIL") here that gives us regular opportunities to network with our fellow ladies on campus (as well as the partners of our male counterparts). WIL runs a yearly conference and also holds many interesting speakers who talk about work/life balance, being a woman in business and getting ahead, etc. I don't feel any different being here as a woman than I think I would feel as a male here. It's not an intimidating environment by any means.
Matt
Aneesh, you mentioned the collaborative culture of the students during the admissions process, how do you find the culture among the students in an academic environment? Does Berkeley foster a cooperative learning experience or do students view each other as direct competition?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Matt, even in an academic setting students are collaborative. There are examples when a student takes 8 hours to create a summary sheet and then emails that to the whole class. Having said that, students definitely want to excel and push each other in a very healthy manner.
Smitkc0
Have either of you taken any Corporate Social Responsibility courses? If so, have you also gotten to do some CSR work in the field with corporations that are associated with Haas? This is an area I am interested in, thanks!
Tracy MBA08
I'm involved in the Net Impact club (which is very CSR-focused), and have also taken some coursework in CSR, including a social enterprise course. There's also a CSR consulting course here where teams of students work with companies on CSR projects. For example, we had several students working with eBay on their Project Good marketplace. On top of this academic setting, companies are constantly seeking MBA students to do outside consulting projects for them...these are things that pop up a lot and we have the opportunity to work on these as an extracurricular activity.
MBA 2010
What has been your biggest challenge while you were at Berkeley, besides the traditional answer that you have to decide between all the different opportunities you have at your disposal?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi MBA 2010. As an international I found the initial settling in phase a bit challenging. I got here 3 days before orientation and was quite overwhelmed with all the activities. The support from the student body certainly made it easier. But yeah this was my biggest challenge - new place, new people and a new experience.
PK
Kara: I just reviewed the website at the link for centers you'd provided. Now, how are the certificates and centers connected?
Kara_Moderator
PK - The centers are very involved. The coursework and research are coordinated out of the specific centers.
ankit
Hi Tracy, Aneesh … How would you describe a typical Haas student? Someone with terrific academic recordss, good undergrad institute, amazing career progression etc., or are there some mere mortals as well :)?
Tracy MBA08
I don't know that there is a typical Haas student but I would describe my peers as very accomplished people who have amazing goals that they're looking to accomplish. They're very smart, but fun as well, and while we're all competitive and want to do well, that's never at the expense of others. One of the things that amazed me so much about the community here was that everyone is so supportive of each other, whether it's in academics, career searches, club work etc. It's really a diverse group of people.
Matt
How closely are you able to work individually with professors outside of the classroom? Put differently, how available are professors to the students on a one-off basis and how interested are they in including students in their work outside of the classroom?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Matt, professors are very approachable. As a part of my IBD experience I was working on a project for Nokia. I need help from two professors who were doing research in related fields. None of them had taught me previously, both are extremely popular, yet they met me for an hour just to see how they could help me. Then even connected me to friends they had in the industry.
haas_aspirant
Tracy...could you narrate an instance where you experienced innovation yourself in Haas?
Tracy MBA08
My IBD experience really highlighted the idea of innovation to me personally. I was on one of three teams that went to Ghana to work on a school feeding program that is backed by the Dutch and Ghanaian governments. It uses a really unique model in that 80% of the food that's used to feed the children must be grown locally, so that the economy receives a multiplier effect and can grow substantially. The Gates Foundation is looking to potentially back the program as a pilot project for other school feeding programs across the world. My team investigated how this Ghana School Feeding Program could integrate the best practices of the World Food Programme which already runs many relief food-aid programs in countries including Ghana.
JO
Hi, l am really interested in BSG, is there any requirement for joining that group?
Aneesh MBA08
Not really. BSG functions like a consulting firm. Next year I aim to have 6 partners who will lead the group. They will then get projects, staff teams and deliver the work. It is open to all MBA students.
Saurabh Khurana
This question is for Tracy and Aneesh, I want to pursue a future career in Retail industry and post-MBA would like to join a consultancy or a retail chain in Strategy, what avenues are available at Haas to learn more about the retail industry (I do not have a background in retail), including career resources ?
Tracy MBA08
Hi Saurabh, many of our classmates are interested in retail as well and several of them went to work for companies such as Levi's and Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic over the summer. In terms of learning about retail, I think the courses that might be most useful to you would be more along the lines of sustainable design (which we offer here) as well as operations and marketing.
amazingk
My first GMAT score is really poor(400+) because I took it without any preparation just to get a sense what kind of test it is. Later, I got 700+. Should I explain about the lowest score in the essay?
Kara_Moderator
You may wish to explain this if you feel it will help the committee understand what happened.
haas_aspirant
Tracy....what courses or tracks within Haas would you recommend for someone who wants to understand if entrepreneurship is right for them ?
Tracy MBA08
If you come to Haas, I would suggest that you join the Entrepreneur's Association which is our student group focused on entrepreneurship. You would also want to start taking electives in the first year of studies (which you can do starting in your 2nd semester). In particular, we have an introduction to entrepreneurship class where you work with a team of students on an actual business plan, which you will then present to professors and experienced entrepreneurs. Winners receive awards at the end of the course.
ns
I am from a Healthcare Information Technology background and I am interested in the Healthcare Certificate....does Haas have any initiatives in HIT ? What other HIT companies other than McKesson recruit at Haas?
Kara_Moderator
Check out our Career Services website for recruiting company information: http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/careercenter/corplinks.html
Rose
I'm interested in the Nonprofit & Public Management Program - for more information, should I reach out to the Student Ambassadors, or directly to the NetImpact club, or is there a better place to ask for information?
Tracy MBA08
Hi Rose, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the Nonprofit and Public Management program, as I'm fairly involved in it. I'm also the VP of nonprofit for the Net Impact Club so can give you that perspective as well. Feel free to send me an e-mail at hsa@haas.berkeley.edu. Thanks!
LK
Can you explain a little bit about the interview process?
Kara_Moderator
Applicants are invited to interview either on or off campus. Most interviews are conducted by current students and alumni. The interview is a blind interview, meaning that the interviewer only sees the applicant's resume.
Jer
Tracy , I would be curious to learn more about your involvement with Net Impact. Also, do you find non-profit or CSR related cases/readings to be well integrated into Haas classes that are not specifically about the non-profit sector? Thanks.
Tracy MBA08
I'm VP of Nonprofit for the Net Impact Club so I manage the Board Fellows Program and also ensure that we're well-represented on the nonprofit side. As for classes that aren't non-profit specific, we do get a fair amount of CSR exposure. For example, our ethics classes often focused on cases where we discussed CSR, how it could fit into the mission of an organization, and whether it was necessary in our current environment. Also, our strategy and marketing classes both had at least one or two cases throughout the duration of the course that were nonprofit or CSR-related.
JO
How about the cost of living in San Francisco, I currently live in Michigan, and the cost for a one-room apartment is around 500 to 600, How about in San Francisco?
Kara_Moderator
Cal Rentals and Cal Housing provide great information about rental rates in the Bay Area. Check out https://calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu/flyers/Typical_Rent.asp for more information. SF rental prices can be more expensive than the East Bay.
Callie
Do the research centers, faculty and students work collaboratively on projects- for example, it would seem to me that there would be a lot of overlap in interest between the Nonprofit Management Center and the Center for Responsible Business. Do centers ever work together on projects, and can students use the resources in multiple centers to create their own projects?
Tracy MBA08
Yes, the centers often work together and it is possible to use resources from multiple centers to create your own project.
Daidipya
Were either of you California residents before applying?
Tracy MBA08
I wasn't a California resident when I applied, but I grew up here so was originally a California resident.
Smitkc0
Does it hurt the strength of the application if an applicant applies to more than 4 business schools? Does the admissions office have access to this information?
Kara_Moderator
No -this does not impact your application in any way. We ask for the information in the application strictly for statistical reasons. This is not a factor in the admission decision.
Roberta F
I am particularly impressed by the Center for Responsible Business initiatives. Which center at Haas most called your attention and why?
Tracy MBA08
I was most interested in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership because I have an interest in a nonprofit career post-Haas. The reason that attracted me (versus CSR for example) is because I often feel that for-profit entities have to make too many trade-offs. Particularly with CSR, companies will often trade social responsibility for added returns (at least in my experience) and I felt like that was less the case in the nonprofit sector.
Sahai
hi can you shed some light on exchange programs offered? Are they popular?
Kara_Moderator
Yes - we offer exchange programs in a variety of locations (http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/community_06.html).
Eunice
Hi Aneesh: are there any courses related to Green issues in Hass?
Tracy MBA08
Hi Eunice, yes there are many courses related to green issues at Haas. I took one last year called Energy, Sustainability and Business Innovation. This year there is an alternative energy speaker series course, as well as a CSR course related to incorporating green initiatives into a corporate setting.
haas_aspirant
Hi Aneesh, can you think of an instance to show how students can take advantage of interdisciplinary projects/internships opportunities in Haas ?
Aneesh MBA08
Hi haas_aspirant, there is a project in a class called Social Sector Solutions in which you work with students from other schools (Law, Public Policy, Engineering, etc). This is just one example; there are several other similar classes.
BJ
For the full-time MBA, how many students still work part-time at their jobs?
Tracy MBA08
We discourage first-year students (particularly in the 1st semester) from taking part-time jobs only because the academic course load is fairly intense. With that said, however, there are several 1st-year students working part-time right now. Also, it's more common for our 2nd-year students to work part-time as a continuation of their summer internships.
PK
Question for Admissions: Are self-reported transcripts accepted? My university abroad hasn't apparently processed my request yet.
Kara_Moderator
No - we do not accept self-reported transcripts. You need to submit official copies of your academic records as part of your application. All supplemental material should be postmarked by the deadline for the round you are applying.
Saurabh Khurana
Further is there anyone I can get in touch with to know more about their efforts to get into the retail industry, I see that there isn't any club focused on retail?
Kara_Moderator
contact the Haas Student Ambassador team at hsa@haas.berkeley.edu - they can try to connect you with someone interested in that industry here at Haas.
K17
Hi Aneesh, can you tell us a bit about the type of volunteer consulting projects that you're engaged in?
Aneesh MBA08
Under the BSG umbrella, I am leading a project to write a business plan for 2 doctors. These doctors have a very innovative solution for the diagnosis of mental conditions. I can't talk more about the details because of a non-disclosure agreement. In a nut-shell we are writing a business plan for them, ready to be presented to VCs.
jameswang
Hi, Tracy, would you share with us your experience in the Net Impact and Challenge for Charity? Thanks!
Tracy MBA08
Net Impact and Challenge for Charity (our community service organization on campus) are both great organizations. Net Impact has been really helpful for me in terms of connecting me with classmates and others who are interested in nonprofit and CSR. The club organizes firm nights and days on the job events. Also, there's an annual Net Impact Conference which is amazing. As for Challenge for Charity, it's so much fun. We have an annual fundraising auction which I'm helping organize right now. Also, I volunteer on a regular basis with Special Olympics (I go bowling with the kids), and all of these activities culminate in Sports Weekend at Stanford. Last year, it was one of the most memorable experiences during my time here and was a great way to connect with other business school students outside of Haas.
Carlos
Hello. I realize that the Haas student body is very diverse, but I am curious - in your experience, how well integrated are international students with US students? Thanks!
Aneesh MBA08
Hi Carlos, the US students are very welcoming to international students. Some of my best friends are US students. I was just amazed at how much interest US students showed in learning about the culture of international students. In fact, a lot of students stay in groups of 3-5 and in most houses there is a good mix of US and international students.
Vahe
You discourage letters of recommendation from relatives, friends or co-workers. But what if my uncle was my partner and superior in business for a long time and can objectively present valuable information
Kara_Moderator
you will want to explain why you chose your uncle as a recommender.
Shanky
Aneesh, query regarding BSG - Does the consultancy opportunity through BSG happen during the internship days or through out the academic year? With my marketing career aspirations, I would like to consult in the marketing field through BSG. I am interested to know the proportion of marketing consultancy opportunities through BSG.
Aneesh MBA08
These opportunities happen during the year. And we have had a few projects on marketing strategy. We do about a maximum of 8-10 projects a year so it really depends on the pipeline. IN fact, I had had to say no to some projects because we just did not have enough people.
PK
Tracy: Question regarding non-profits. I'd imagine that non-profits will not participate in an active recruitment process on campus; they perhaps do not even need candidates/employees on a yearly basis. What would you have to say about this and how does placement with non-profits happen? What is the placement rate and with whom?
Tracy MBA08
You're right in that nonprofits don't hire on a regular basis. At Haas, though, we have great resources in the nonprofit sector. The one I'd really like to emphasize is our partnership with the MBA Nonprofit Connection, which is a nonprofit organization that focuses on placing MBA's into nonprofits. They send out multiple job listings in the nonprofit sector each day, and is actually how I found many of my most promising prospects for summer internship. Over the summer, there were about a dozen people in the class who went to work for nonprofits and received Haas for Students funding, including myself. Haas for Students is a student-run fund that raises money to compensate individuals who go into nonprofit internships between their first and second year. We raised over $60k last year.
James
Hi I plan on interning abroad for 4-5 months, however there will be a 1-2 month gap prior to me applying for an MBA next year. Will this hinder my application process?
Kara_Moderator
You will want to explain this gap in your application - there is a question that specifically asks to explain any gaps in your employment history.
Isa
Tracy and Aneesh: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I heard that not every student who entered Berkeley Haas with a clear career goal stuck to it. Does this happen often since Berkeley enhances fresh thinking?
Tracy MBA08
It does happen fairly often. Many of our classmates say that the best thing about b-school is that it made them realize that they didn't actually want to follow-through with their original plans.
haas_aspirant
Tracy....from your MBA application experience, what would say are the most important things an applicant should focus on in different parts of the app. process?
Tracy MBA08
I think that the most important thing for any applicant is to evaluate where you find the best fit, culturally. There are so many great MBA programs available, but it's really important to find the one where you genuinely like the culture, including the people, the classes, the environment, etc. Also, while you're writing your applications, really take time to reflect on yourself and your goals and have that come through in your writing. The most important thing is to really show the admissions committee who you are...don't give them canned answers that you think they want to hear. They can usually read right through that.
Tracy MBA08
Thanks everyone! Good luck in the process and please feel free to e-mail hsa@haas.berkeley.edu if you have any additional questions.
Aneesh MBA08
Thanks everyone, I hope you found this session useful. Good luck with the process.
Kara_Moderator
Hi all! Thank you for joining us. The chat has now ended. We greatly appreciate your questions. We apologize for not getting to everyone. Please check back on our website for transcripts of today’s chat and for future chat dates.
