<p>I'm planning to get an M.B.A. after I graduate. I'm currently an incoming freshman, with Undeclared/Pre-Business Administration at Berkeley. However, people have told me that M.B.A. programs want more diversity, so undergraduate business administration degrees aren't that attractive. I'm now looking into either Berkeley's Political Economy major or Economics major. Which one appeals better to M.B.A. programs? In addition, what's the difference between them? Thanks!!</p>
<p>Go for Business Administration. Of those 3 majors, I don’t think Business school admissions would place more weight on any particularly one.</p>
<p>What ultimately matters is having a high GPA.</p>
<p>What truly matters is the work experience after you graduate</p>
<p>Berkeley undergraduate Haas program is going to give you the best shot for work experience after undergrad. It’s usually very hard (near impossible) to get into a good MBA program right after undergraduate because you will be competing with individuals who have work experience in their relevant field and methodically planned out an MBA path. Top MBA schools want individuals who know what they want, and have the experience to back it up. As a fresh undergraduate out of college, I doubt any decent MBA is going to be sold on anything you try to sell yourself as. </p>
<p>With that said, it’s better to major in Business administration at Berkeley since they have the connections and ‘brand’ to help you get your feet wet in whichever industry you pursue. Of course, this assumes you get in; which is the one of the reasons individuals major in economics. Aim for business, Economics will be there as a fall back.</p>
<p>I agree with everything above, but just thought I’d add another perspective.</p>
<p>In many ways, given the connections, resources, education and recognition of a Haas undergraduate degree, Haas undergraduates have oftentimes put themselves in a position where an MBA is unnecessary. Some get MBAs if their undergraduate degrees are technical and they want a stronger business education for their professional pursuits; others get them because, regardless of their undergraduate degree, the MBA will be helpful in receiving promotions. </p>
<p>If you want an MBA merely to learn business and you get into Haas, I’d definitely do Haas and consider doing an MBA after you graduate if you feel that it will be helpful to you (but I wouldn’t mentally commit to getting an MBA after you graduate). If you don’t get into Haas, the situation is slightly different (though you can always selectively take interesting Haas classes, albeit with low priority registration). </p>
<p>Work experience is absolutely critical for getting into a good MBA program anyway, so I’d work on getting educated/experienced in business disciplines that are interesting to you to get into Haas and simultaneously to get a good job after you graduate. If you accomplish this, a notable amount of the MBA value has already been achieved.</p>
<p>yeah bro, you are just an incoming freshman. come down</p>
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<p>Strongly disagree. IMO, a traditional liberal arts degree is better prep for a MBA than is undergrad biz.</p>
<p>But the real issue is not the major, but the work experience that one picks up post BA/BS. A strong quant background in Econ can position you well for good jobs, as can political economy (just different types of jobs).</p>
<p>Heh. I’m an incoming freshman too and I thought I was worried about my future, but apparently not as much as you.</p>
<p>You have at least another half decade before getting an MBA should become a concern…for now, just focus on getting into Haas and figure it out later. Like someone said, you might not even need that MBA. Don’t worry too much about the diversity thing…the MBA programs won’t care too much about your degree as they will about what you do with it. Just to be safe, stick with Biz. Admin or Econ as backup.</p>
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<p>But I think that’s the core conflict. Whether the Haas undergrad program provides better preparation for an aspiring MBA student or not, what is indisputable is that the Haas undergrad program provides superior access to the types of jobs (e.g. consulting/banking) that are most conducive towards future MBA admissions than do the other undergrad majors, largely due to access to recruiting and networking. After all, would it really matter how well your undergrad major prepared you for an MBA program if you could never obtain a job with which to obtain strong work experience in the first place? I see a lot of liberal arts grads, including from Berkeley, relegated to low-end jobs after graduation.</p>
<p>^^ Just to add to that, one could further make the claim that a Haas undergrad degree has a liberal arts character anyway because the Haas requirements essentially match the L & S requirements (i.e. 7 breadth). Another key point is that MBA programs don’t care much about diverse majors; they more highly prioritize the work experience aspect of an application.</p>