Berkeley

One of the schools I considered.

School Information

• Name: University of California at Berkeley Walter A. Haas School of Business
• Website: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/
• Application Fee: $175
  • Deadline, Round 1: November 4
• GMAC Code: N2V-PT-47

Media

• Public lecture video archive
• Haas MBA Admissions Podcasts

Target ECs

• International Exchange - Exchange program with HKUST
• Haas Technology Club
• Haas Entrepreneur's Association
• Clausen Center for International Business & Policy

Essay Questions (Fall 2009)

Supplemental Questions

1. If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain; otherwise, enter N/A.
   1. Projectized work environment: Manager is secondary to projects.
   2. Recommenders work daily with me.
2. List in order of importance all community & professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Indicate the nature of the activity or organization, dates of involvement, offices held, & average number of hours spent per month.
   1. LambdaMOO and JHCore Development — (January 1997 to Present) Approximately 10 hours/month. Free software used for virtual collaboration and education.
   2. Habitat for Humanity — (April 2003 to Present) Approxmately 2 hours/month. Have assisted with two build days per year through employer programs.
3. List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies, indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree.
   1. Hewlett-Packard, Account Support Engineer, Jan 2003 to Jan 2005, Overland Park, Kansas, approximately 40 hours/week
   2. Hewlett-Packard, Technical Consultant, Jan 2005 to Jan 2007, Overland Park, Kansas, approximately 45 hours/week
4. Please explain all gaps in your employment since earning your university degree.
   1. N/A
5. Please identify the course(s) you have taken or intend to take to demonstrate quantitative proficiency. Provide the course name, date, grade if any, and institution at which the course was or will be taken. If you wish, you may discuss other ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities.
   1. Discrete Mathematics, ??-200?, A, Baker College
   2. GMAT Quant
   3. Programming algorithms
6. If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.)
   1. KU?

Short Answer

1. If you could change one thing you've done in your life, what would it be, and how would you do it differently? (250 word maximum)

   When I was a junior in high school, my parents agreed to let a friend of a relative stay with us on his way from Chicago to Texas; I was only told that Mr. John Horton would be with us for the night. He arrived in a mid-80’s Honda Civic that lacked even air conditioning as evidenced by the sweat beading on his brow from the hot Kansas summer. I gave him a brief tour to help him settle in.

   Upon seeing the computer network I had cobbled together from parts donated in payment for work I did during the past couple school years, he asked me to help him with his computer. After I fixed the problems, we spoke for a couple hours about technology and other interests. He encouraged me to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and offered to fully sponsor my undergraduate degree if I would work for his company afterward.

   Looking back now, I realize that I missed a fantastic opportunity. Instead I focused on the work that I loved. My father had always taught me that hard work leads to success, so I started working part-time at 14 years-old as a network administrator. By my junior year, I had even earned enough credits in high school to leave at noon and work full time until 9 P.M. In the end, my dedication to work presented opportunities that otherwise would have gone unexplored: from acting as a senior team lead at 19 to international consulting with Hewlett-Packard.

2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)

3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe an innovative solution you have created to address a specific challenge. (250 word maximum)

4. What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program, and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? (250 word maximum)

Required Essays

1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)

Optional Essays

1. (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
2. (Optional) If you wish to be considered for the Haas Achievement Award (for individuals who have achieved success in spite of significant economic, educational, health-related and/or other obstacles), please use this space to address the obstacles you have overcome. (750 word maximum)

Recommender Questions (Fall 2009)

1. Are you, or have you been, the applicant’s direct supervisor? If not, what is the nature of your relationship?
2. How long have you known the applicant? How frequent is (was) your interaction with the applicant?
3. How does the applicant’s performance compare with that of his or her peers?
4. How effective are the applicant’s interpersonal skills?
5. What are the applicant’s three greatest strengths? Cite specific examples.
6. What are the applicant’s three greatest weaknesses or areas in need of improvement? Cite specific examples.
7. What significant contribution has the applicant made to your organization?
8. Please comment on the applicant’s potential for leading an organization.
9. Please give us your appraisal of the applicant in terms of the traits listed below. Compare the applicant with others whom you know have applied to business school or with individuals who are being groomed for leadership positions within your organization. It should be extremely rare for any candidate to receive "truly exceptional" in all areas, and unusual for a candidate to receive either "superior" or "truly exceptional" in all areas.