<p>How difficult is it? I know the acceptance rate is ~50% but I'm sure getting in is much harder since I imagine many of the weaker Pre-Haas students don't even end up applying for Haas. Can any current Haas students comment on which types of students end up getting in and provide some tips?</p>
<p>The 50% admittance rate figure is what a lot of people throw around, and you are right that some people don’t even bother. As cliche as it sounds, I’d say that it’s important to pursue your passions (and become a leader in them) during your first year and a half at Berkeley (including the summer after your freshman year). Since you don’t have much time (i.e. not the whole four years of college; you also have to get good grades in classes), I’d find a few activities that you enjoy, with ideally maybe one being “professional” (that could include something ASUC-related, an internship of some sort, etc. and doesn’t have to be truly business-related in the traditional sense). I’d also get a summer internship since so many applicants nowadays have them, making it hard to otherwise stay competitive. I’d also do volunteer work too, either related or unrelated to your major extracurricular commitments, and, if you do compete in case competitions, make it worth your time by fully committing in an attempt to place (since you can include that on your Haas app). Lastly, the most straightforward one: get good grades. That is made easier in part by spreading out your Haas pre-requisites, taking easy/interesting breadths, and understanding that they’ll see your grades for the first three semesters (including the one in which you apply) but not the fourth (the only in which you hear back). </p>
<p>Bottom line, you can definitely get in if you make it a real priority, but it’s something you really need to want and are willing to do what is outlined above in order to get.</p>
<p>first off you need a decent GPA to be considered.</p>
<p>to get the position, you need to show some initiative: prove you want to be in business by doing business related things and having the following things built into your resume and essays:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>relevant extracurricular activities (business clubs/frats or clubs/sports/volunteer work where you have held leadership and got something DONE)</p></li>
<li><p>relevant internships (marketing, nonprofits, finance, startups, etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>relevant interests, background, motivation for attending haas (“I want to go to Haas because I just want to explore business to see if I like it” does not scream of unwavering commitment… you need to go into the application sounding like it’s either Haas or bust)</p></li>
<li><p>show that you HAVE A PLAN: tell them what a degree from haas would do for you. why you want the degree. how you will bolster the haas COMMUNITY (try to speak to those “4 defining principles” as often as possible, the admissions committee has been making that a bigger part of their consideration. or so i’ve heard them say.)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks guys! Very helpful. Would summer internships that I do the summer BEFORE my freshman year count?</p>
<p>My understanding is that more weight is generally given to what you have done after you have entered Berkeley in the fall. That being said, it could certainly add depth to your application and would be meaningful especially if the internship is highly regarded, both in terms of where you worked and what you did. I’d advise doing the internship not only for Haas but also just to pursue the opportunity (i.e. to network, get experience, arrange for the possibility, to at least have the option, of returning to the company next summer perhaps in a different role).</p>
<p>Thanks again for your response. What types of internships do you think would be best for an incoming Pre-Haas freshman? Ideally finance, I know, but those are difficult to get. What about as an administrative assistant, political intern (helping a candidate run for Congress, for example), or social media assistant?</p>
<p>I’d put a priority on internships that you can learn a lot from, which will mostly come from people you know as opposed to official options. From what I understand, internships in financial advisory are what you are most likely to get as an underclassmen looking for something in finance, so you could pursue that. Keep an eye out for “internships” like CutCo, PaintWorks, or others where you’re just a salesman making commission; similarly, a campus representative of a product is more like a job (just getting paid to make money) as opposed to an internship (valuable learning opportunities). The positions you listed are all reasonable options given your year and depending on what you have available to you.</p>