Shanon Gao,
I have done a lot of research on Haas-UC Berkeley. They break down your application like this:
50% = Grades/GPA
35% = Essays (4 Questions)
15% = Extra Curricular Activities
— For your application to even be read by Haas, you must complete 100% of THEIR prerequisites. If you’re missing 1 prerequisite, then Haas will close your application & move to the next app without reading anything further.
— Prerequisites must not have been taken more than 5 years ago otherwise you will need to repeat the prerequisite.
— Internships: Anything that is business related. Accounting firms, Banking firms, Consulting firms. Your college’s Transfer Center will have a list of internships available. Also, it’s OK if you want to skip the internship and just work for a business related employer. You don’t have to be an intern.
— On-campus activities: Does your Community College have a PBL club? Any club that is business-oriented will suffice but you need to hold an Executive Office position in that club. i.e. President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc.
Also, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity either through your college or the organization itself. Anything that involves you giving back to the community. Tutoring on campus, etc. These are all options.
— Your essays should include the 4 Principles of Haas. http://haas.berkeley.edu/mission/principles.html
1-Question the Status Quo (Don’t just accept what everyone is doing; Create your own invention/pathway)
2-Confidence Without the Attitude (Be confident, but don’t be cocky & conceited)
3-Students Always (Always be willing to learn new things throughout life instead of stopping after you graduate)
4-Beyond Yourself (Giving back/Volunteering)
Since there are 4 essay questions & 4 Haas Principles, you could include 1 Principle into each essay question.
— Being Old: No, UC Berkeley & Haas prefer their transfer students to be older. They love to hear about hardships that you have experienced in life & how you turned that hardship into a positive. As long as you turned it into a positive. They want to know that if any challenges come your way, you’ll be able to figure out how to handle it.
Transfer Students are allowed to apply to Haas unlimited times every Fall. Just change your essay answers & add more EC’s and work full-time during that year of waiting until the next Fall. However, you won’t be able to apply if you already transferred to another 4-year college since they only take transfer students from Community Colleges. So it’s a gamble to wait a year but it’s an option. Berkeley Freshman & Sophomore are allowed to apply to Haas only 1 time. So Transfer students have the advantage of unlimited attempts.
UC Berkeley has “CAL Day” every year in April. Every major/department puts on their own event on CAL Day. Haas usually starts at 9 AM and it’s on a Saturday. They have a panel of students & the Admissions staff talk about what is expected & what to focus on. There are over 400 events that take place on CAL Day & it is invaluable to attend.
If you would like to email me, I can send you Haas’ agreement with Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill that lists every prerequisite Haas requires. DVC has an excellent reputation for transferring its students to UC Berkeley.