Haas MBA Deadlines:
Round 1: September 26, 2019
Round 2: January 9, 2020
Round 3: April 20, 2020
Haas MBA Essays for 2019-2020
Our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles – Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. We encourage you to reflect on your experiences, values, and passions so that you may craft thoughtful and authentic responses that demonstrate your fit with our program – culturally, academically, and professionally.
Short Answer:
Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal, and discuss how it will put you on a path to a meaningful and rewarding career. (150 words maximum)
Essay 1: What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)
Essay 2: At Berkeley Haas, we are redefining leadership. We value different opinions and perspectives, recognizing that we always have more to learn about others’ lived experiences and histories. We encourage speaking up and listening, and courageously use our power to address barriers and drive change for positive impact.
Tell us how a Berkeley Haas MBA would enhance your leadership profile, incorporating specific examples. (300 words max)
Optional Information #1
We invite you to help us better understand the context of your opportunities and achievements:
1. What is the highest level of education completed by your parent(s) or guardian(s)?
Did not complete high school
High school diploma or equivalency (GED) Associate’s degree (junior college) or vocational degree/license
Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS)
Master’s degree (MA, MS)
Doctorate or professional degree (MD, JD, DDS)
2. What is the most recent occupation of your parent(s) or guardian(s)?
Unemployed
Homemaker
Laborer
Skilled worker
Professional
3. If you were raised in one of the following household types, please indicate:
Raised by a single parent
Raised by an extended family member (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, cousin)
Raised in a multi-generational home
Raised in foster care
4. What was the primary language spoken in your childhood home?
5. If you have you ever been responsible for providing significant and continuing financial or supervisory support for someone else, please indicate:
Child
Spouse
Sibling
Parent
Extended family member (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, cousin)
Other
6. Please elaborate on any of your above responses. Alternatively, you may use this opportunity to expand on other hardships or unusual life circumstances that may help us understand the context of your opportunities, achievements, and impact. (300 words maximum)
Optional Information #2
This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate.
Supplemental Information #2
If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain. If not applicable, enter N/A.
Other application Information:
Resume :
Upload a one page resume in a standard business format. A second page may be used if you have extensive business or research experience.
Letters of Recommendations:
Require two letters of recommendations and prefer atleast one from a current employer/ current supervisor. If you are not getting a recommendation from a current supervisor, explain why in the supplemental section.
Following are the Recommendation questions:
- Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization.
- How does the applicant’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?)
- Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
- In the Berkeley MBA program, we develop leaders who embody our distinctive culture’s four key principles one of which is “confidence without attitude” or “confidence with humility”. Please comment on how the applicant reflects this Berkeley Haas value.
- (Optional) Is there anything else we should know?
Interview:
Interviews are by invitation only. These take place on campus an in cities around the world.
Reapplications:
Reapplicants are expected to submit a new application, along with new essays and preferable new recommendations (atleast one, if not both).
Also, the HAAS program recommends that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information.
TOEFL: International applicants should remember that TOEFL is necessary to take if the primary official language of your country is not English.