Haas School of Business

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I just want to know as much as I can about it. It seems like all the current students want to say is that its a 50% admission rate, that it's just like applying to college all over, and that it's filled with asians (I have nothing against Asians, btw). But, really now, is this all there is to say about the mysterious Business school?? I doubt it. </p>

<p>I am planning on majoring in Business Administration and wondered if any of you guys has some info or experiences you could share. It could be pre-business, schedule, applications, admissions stats (recent), on-campus organizations/programs, anecdotes, anything goes as far as it's related to Haas. </p>

<p>Thnx.</p>

2

<p>The Search function is there for a reason. Use it.</p>

3

<p>What the ***** is your problem, Student??? First, you attack me personally at another post and then you take me on in this thread.</p>

<p>Can't someone ask a question in this forums???? I thought this was the main purpose for the forum's existence. Or else, people would just use "the search function" and avoid making comments.</p>

4

<p>BTW, why don't you do me a favor and search "Haas" for me. What did you get??? Nothing in terms of what I'd like to know, I assure you. Not even close. The closest it got was to a UCLA Econ vs Haas thread found in the UCLA forums??? There are merits to the Search function but not for what I'd like to know and just as in your last failed attack, I still get my point across.</p>

<p>Why don't you "charactorize" yourself and stop being a pain in the butt??? I really don't want ANY conflicts in this forum. I really want to know the opinion of fellow CCers and what they know or heard about Haas. Does that ring a bell to you--maybe the previous post????</p>

<p>Lastly, we're all here to SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE. If I read something pertinent in a previous post, I am more than willing to share it in another post. Try doing that yourself before you start attacking others.</p>

<p>I rest my case.</p>

<p>So.....can anybody share their knowledge about mystic Haas???</p>

<p>Anything--except attacks by Student, of course--are highly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

5

<p>I've been on this forum for 2 years and I can assure that questions come up about Haas very often, and using search does bring up a lot of information. In many ways search is in many ways better than starting a new topic if you want to learn about something because there is so much information available, and faster than waiting for someone to respond.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=330426&highlight=haas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=330426&highlight=haas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=325935&highlight=haas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=325935&highlight=haas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=312671&highlight=haas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=312671&highlight=haas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=260960&highlight=haas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=260960&highlight=haas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=253202&highlight=haas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=253202&highlight=haas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>these are just a few of the many, many threads about Haas.</p>

6

<p>Here I come to the rescue. Brief stuff:</p>

<p>I'm not in Haas, but from what I've seen its selectivity reputation is way overblown. They accept about 60% of students, and, with 85% of the application focused on grades/essays, it should be a piece of cake if you get decent grades.</p>

<p>I've taken Haas classes though, and I can tell you that even though the selectivity is overblown the program is not. I don't have any experience with engineering (which seems to be the other prestigious major at Cal), but to me Haas seems far and away the best UG program here. Reasons:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The facilities are some of the newest and best maintained on campus. It might not seem like an important advantage but it really shows you who the pride of the school is.</p></li>
<li><p>I feel that the Haas professors are more interesting and engaging than most. They're in a prestigious department in a very nice setting, so they just seem happier and more upbeat.</p></li>
<li><p>Haas has tons of Haas-only special events. They get food, they get mini-parties, they get fundraisers, and they're only available to Haas students. </p></li>
<li><p>The Haas Jimmy FIFO cafe serves what is easily the best food on the actual campus. </p></li>
<li><p>You get your own job listing and recruiting site, separate from CalJobs. </p></li>
<li><p>Many non-business people try to take Haas classes and have to get stuck on waitlists (like me). If you're in Haas, you are guaranteed into some of the most desired classes in the school, and you have a very easy time getting into everyone else's (un)popular department classes if you want.</p></li>
<li><p>The people here are just hotter and more confident. Seriously.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I'm sure there's more but I can't think of any right now.</p>

<p>About me: I actually transferred from CC into Econ because I thought I'd prefer it over Business, but I've found Berkeley's Econ program to be very sub-par. I now wish that I went into Haas instead (especially since I had higher stats than a lot of the people admitted :o). Unfortunately, as a transfer I'm pretty sure that I'm ineligible to apply to Haas as a continuing student.</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
I'm not in Haas, but from what I've seen its selectivity reputation is way overblown. They accept about 60% of students, and, with 85% of the application focused on grades/essays, it should be a piece of cake if you get decent grades.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yeah, but that's a pretty big 'if' there, don't you think? Let's be honest. A lot of Berkeley students are not getting "decent" grades. </p>

<p>I think it should be pointed out that the 60% figure has to do, obviously, only with those who * apply *. Plenty of people don't even bother to apply because they know they won't get in. For example, if you have a 2.5 GPA, you know you're not getting in, so you're not even going to apply.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I'm not in Haas, but from what I've seen its selectivity reputation is way overblown. They accept about 60% of students, and, with 85% of the application focused on grades/essays, it should be a piece of cake if you get decent grades.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well sakky beat me to it, but I'll add that the 85% includes essays, which I think is around 30%. So, if should be a piece of cake if you can get decent grades AND write good essays. I've heard of students with 4.0s rejected because of their lackluster essays/ECs.</p>

<p>
[quote]
1. The facilities are some of the newest and best maintained on campus. It might not seem like an important advantage but it really shows you who the pride of the school is.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It's true...now. I heard that maybe a decade ago, Haas used to be a conglomerate of dingy basements under Wheeler and other buildings. The buildings are new because they happened to have been built recently. As time goes by and construction continues, other departments will have newer buildings. I don't think you can base how good a program is based on how new the buildings are.</p>

<p>
[quote]
2. I feel that the Haas professors are more interesting and engaging than most. They're in a prestigious department in a very nice setting, so they just seem happier and more upbeat.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Really? Since you're not in Haas, how many of them have you actually been taught by? I think that's a bit of a generalization, although I'd guess they're better than the engineering professors, as a whole.</p>

<p>
[quote]
5. You get your own job listing and recruiting site, separate from CalJobs.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Does this necessarily make it better? For example, I see from Berkeley's career center stats that Engineers still get better starting salaries:</p>

<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(for 2006, average starting salaries for -
Haas: $55,000
MechE: $57,522
IEOR: $58,719
Materials Engineering: $60,169
EECS: $66,000</p>

<p>
[quote]
6. Many non-business people try to take Haas classes and have to get stuck on waitlists (like me). If you're in Haas, you are guaranteed into some of the most desired classes in the school, and you have a very easy time getting into everyone else's (un)popular department classes if you want.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's only if you want to take Haas classes, which you generally would only if you major in Business. That in itself does not make the program better.</p>

<p>
[quote]
7. The people here are just hotter and more confident. Seriously.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Another generalization.</p>

<p>Let's not forget that Haas is pretty inflexible in that they really want you to graduate in 4 years, so you only get 2 years in the school, and that you have to compete to get in. I don't doubt that it provides a lot of perks and is one of the best majors/departments at Berkeley, but "far and away the best UG program"? I don't think I can agree with that.</p>

9

<p>I am admitted to college of enviromental design this upcoming fall. But I am planning to take the Haas required courses for the freshman and sophomore years and apply for Haas. If I don't get in, do I have to go back to choose a major in CED? Does that mean I have to spend extra 2 years to catch up on the major I choose in CED?</p>

10

<p>Vicissitudes: I think your response is a little silly given the context of the OP's question. He said:</p>

<p>
[quote]
It seems like all the current students want to say is that its a 50% admission rate, that it's just like applying to college all over, and that it's filled with asians (I have nothing against Asians, btw). But, really now, is this all there is to say about the mysterious Business school??

[/quote]
</p>

<p>In other words, he's really looking for more info about the classes, the professors, the culture...a real perspective. I gave him a human perspective of the school that most people do not give. For example, if you read all of the posts that unlimitedx referenced, I only count one that actually gives an inside-Haas perspective (the one about Asians). Everything else gives admission statistics that really are not illuminating to what Haas is actually like.</p>

<p>I gave the OP what he asked for. The list shows the real perks of Haas and, as you can see with item number seven, it is not a serious attempt to prove that Haas is objectively the best program. I preluded the "best UG program" statement with, "To me," which was a clear indicator of my casualness. Context sir, context.</p>

<p>In light of that, I will respond to some of your points.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Does this necessarily make it better? For example, I see from Berkeley's career center stats that Engineers still get better starting salaries:

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The fact is that effort was made to give Haas majors a career website that is distinctly separate from the rest of the school. It is a perk, that again, shows the priority given to Haas. What one makes after graduation has no relation, as this is not a discussion on "who makes more?" but one on "at Cal, what makes Haas special?"</p>

<p>Similarly, the Haas facilities are part of what makes Haas special. Take a tour of the entire Haas area sometime and you'll see how differentiated it is from the rest of the school. Haas was literally built as a "mini-campus," not just a bunch of new buildings. The appropriation of funds to build these projects is not random. Why help Business and leave Econ in the basement? Why not any other department? Why did they build Soda? These things are much more significant than just appearances and maintenance. At the very least, they reflect that Haas is valued at this point in time, and this is the time period that matters to anyone making a decision</p>

<p>
[quote]
Really? Since you're not in Haas, how many of them have you actually been taught by? I think that's a bit of a generalization, although I'd guess they're better than the engineering professors, as a whole.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I hope you realize that you told me that I generalized, and then followed up by guessing with a generalization. Any comparison of professors would be a generalization by your terms, because who sets the number for when it stops being a generalization? </p>

<p>So to make it more objective, I've done a crude measure of professor satisfaction. I went on ratemyprofessors.com, counted all of the average-poor rated professors by department, and calculated the percentage of average-poor professors to total professors (don't worry I didn't double count :p). Here it is:</p>

<p>Business: 25% (12/47)
Poli Sci: 30% (25/82)
Engineering: 38% (31/81)
Economics: 38% (25/65)
Physics: 38% (26/69)
History: 39% (31/79)</p>

<p>Now again, this is very crude, but it's way more objective than you taking my word for it. Look how consistent the numbers are, and look at business all the way down there at 25%.</p>

<p>
[quote]
That's only if you want to take Haas classes, which you generally would only if you major in Business. That in itself does not make the program better.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Again, context. The OP is obviously interested in business, which is the reason I listed the waitlist problem. Besides that, I just looked at dozens of upper division departments and I have not seen one that has the amount of waitlist problems as business. Almost every business class is in double-digit waitlists. If one has any interest in business at all, it would be advantageous to be a Haas major, have priority in the most waitlisted classes at Cal, and easily (relatively) enroll in most other departments as a double major or minor. Again, this is all in the context of the OP's question.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
Another generalization.</p>

<p>Let's not forget that Haas is pretty inflexible in that they really want you to graduate in 4 years, so you only get 2 years in the school, and that you have to compete to get in. I don't doubt that it provides a lot of perks and is one of the best majors/departments at Berkeley, but "far and away the best UG program"? I don't think I can agree with that.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>vicissitudes, you make generalizations in many of your posts too. And sometimes, you seem to just summarize what other people say in the same topic just to boost your post count (<em>shocking</em>).</p>

12

<p>ucbhi:</p>

<p>i really commend you for your insightful posts. I want to go to Haas and when I spoke to some Haas students, all I was told was statistics. What use is there for statistics??? Many, but as you concluded correctly, my interest lies in the heart of the "Haas experience". Every response I got from Haas students was not what I hoped. And, although I asked this same question to them, they simply ignored it or kept their opinions strictly to the "You must do this, that, ... then that... in order to get into Haas" attitude.</p>

<p>You have taken Haas classes. Can you elaborate on the lectures, courseload, etc. How are the discussions (dynamic, case-study based, current issues) and the homework???? </p>

<p>I really hope I am not asking too much of you. It's just that I plan to double-major in Haas and Statistics. I was thinking Econ but it would be pretty redundant if I got into Haas.</p>

13

<p>Best way to get into Haas: High GPA</p>

<p>Best way to find out how the courses are structured: Take a UGBA class</p>

<p>Best way to learn about requirements: Go to the undergraduate office at Haas and get some forms and talk to the advisor.</p>

<p>The best way is just to go there and take a class by yourself. You will hear this and that, but after a semester taking a class there you will know how it works.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
I want to go to Haas and when I spoke to some Haas students, all I was told was statistics. What use is there for statistics???

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
It could be pre-business, schedule, applications, admissions stats<a href="recent">/b</a>, on-campus organizations/programs, anecdotes, **anything goes as far as it's related to Haas.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Contradiction detected.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
In other words, he's really looking for more info about the classes, the professors, the culture...a real perspective. I gave him a human perspective of the school that most people do not give. For example, if you read all of the posts that unlimitedx referenced, I only count one that actually gives an inside-Haas perspective (the one about Asians). Everything else gives admission statistics that really are not illuminating to what Haas is actually like.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I realize that you want to give a more personal take on Haas, and I have no problem with that. My problem is that your post sounded more like a brochure for Haas than a fair evaluation of the program, and my skepticism was only enhanced when you mentioned that you're not in the program since many students do (in my opinion) put Haas on too high of a pedestal, perhaps a case of "the grass is greener on the other side"?</p>

<p>You said that "to you" Haas is far and away the best UG program at Berkeley. It's fine with me if you want to present your opinion, but I also wanted to present my opinion that "to me" Haas is not far and away the best UG program at Berkeley. I think it's one of the best programs at Berkeley, but I certainly don't think it blows all the other programs out of the water.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The fact is that effort was made to give Haas majors a career website that is distinctly separate from the rest of the school. It is a perk, that again, shows the priority given to Haas. What one makes after graduation has no relation, as this is not a discussion on "who makes more?" but one on "at Cal, what makes Haas special?"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You speak of context. It seems to me like in the context of your post, you think that this distinction makes Haas better than all the other programs in terms of getting a job since it has a "special recruiting site" (aka better)separate from all the other programs. I wanted to point out that despite this advantage, Haas still might not net you the biggest salary.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Similarly, the Haas facilities are part of what makes Haas special. Take a tour of the entire Haas area sometime and you'll see how differentiated it is from the rest of the school. Haas was literally built as a "mini-campus," not just a bunch of new buildings. The appropriation of funds to build these projects is not random. Why help Business and leave Econ in the basement? Why not any other department?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I am quite familiar with what you're talking about, but I think it's a big stretch to rate a program's quality based on the appearance of the buildings. I didn't used to think so (awed with Haas myself) but I've become more convinced of this. Take Boalt for example. It's ranked as a top Law School, just like Haas is ranked a top Business School. I think the numbers are quite similar, but if you take a look at the buildings it's like night and day. In fact, I heard somewhere that they're planning to renovate Boalt following Haas's suit. Let's assume that this is true: does this mean that Boalt's quality suddenly shoots up? Of course not. Does it mean Berkeley now values Boalt more than Haas since it has newer facilities? Again the answer is no.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I hope you realize that you told me that I generalized, and then followed up by guessing with a generalization. Any comparison of professors would be a generalization by your terms, because who sets the number for when it stops being a generalization?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, but I think your generalization is bigger than mine. To say that one department's professors are better than another is different from saying one department's professors are better than all other departments (on the whole).</p>

<p>
[quote]
I hope you realize that you told me that I generalized, and then followed up by guessing with a generalization. Any comparison of professors would be a generalization by your terms, because who sets the number for when it stops being a generalization? </p>

<p>So to make it more objective, I've done a crude measure of professor satisfaction. I went on ratemyprofessors.com, counted all of the average-poor rated professors by department, and calculated the percentage of average-poor professors to total professors (don't worry I didn't double count ). Here it is:</p>

<p>Business: 25% (12/47)
Poli Sci: 30% (25/82)
Engineering: 38% (31/81)
Economics: 38% (25/65)
Physics: 38% (26/69)
History: 39% (31/79)</p>

<p>Now again, this is very crude, but it's way more objective than you taking my word for it. Look how consistent the numbers are, and look at business all the way down there at 25%.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>There are a few things wrong with this analysis. One, it seems like you arbitrarily picked a few departments and picked them. You could have just posted all the departments that make Haas look good in comparison, although I'm not saying that's what you did. Another problem is the other departments listed tend to focus more on research so it's more likely that the teaching will suffer a little. The third thing that is wrong with this analysis is that, if you'll notice, Haas is a significantly smaller department than the others listed. I'll illustrate the faultiness of your analysis with one very simple example: Japanese. If you'll go on ratemyprofessors.com you'll see that all 12 Japanese professors have a smiley face. In other words, if we were to add in Japanese, the stats would look like this:</p>

<p>Japanese 0% (0/12)
Business: 25% (12/47)
Poli Sci: 30% (25/82)
Engineering: 38% (31/81)
Economics: 38% (25/65)
Physics: 38% (26/69)
History: 39% (31/79)</p>

<p>Or, if we were to only look at good professors:</p>

<p>Japanese 100% (12/12)
Business: 75% (35/47)
Poli Sci: 70% (57/82)
Engineering: 62% (50/81)
Economics: 62% (40/65)
Physics: 62% (43/69)
History: 61% (48/79)</p>

<p>But of course, I'm not going to start saying that Japanese is a significantly better department than Haas, Poly Sci, Engineering, Economics, Physics, and History.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Again, context. The OP is obviously interested in business, which is the reason I listed the waitlist problem.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I think you're missing my point. You mentioned that if you're not in Haas, then it's hard to get into Haas classes, thus Haas is advantageous in that it will let you into these "high-demand" classes. I don't think that's a big problem since if you're not in Haas then you probably don't want to get into Haas classes in the first place.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
I think the numbers are quite similar, but if you take a look at the buildings it's like night and day. In fact, I heard somewhere that they're planning to renovate Boalt following Haas's suit. Let's assume that this is true: does this mean that Boalt's quality suddenly shoots up? Of course not. Does it mean Berkeley now values Boalt more than Haas since it has newer facilities? Again the answer is no.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I took a peek inside the Boalt classrooms. They aren't too shabby, certainly not represented by how it looks on the outside!</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
vicissitudes, you make generalizations in many of your posts too. And sometimes, you seem to just summarize what other people say in the same topic just to boost your post count (<em>shocking</em>).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I know I make generalizations in many of my posts too, but I don't think I make huge generalizations, and I try to show that they are generalizations by saying things like "I'd guess the engineering professors aren't as good on a whole". I don't blantly post things like "the people here are just hotter and more confident", at least I don't think I do. I'm not perfect and if I make bad generalizations, please feel free to point them out to me.</p>

<p>As to repeating/summarizing what other people say, if I am guilty of that it's only because I feel like the point needs emphasis. If a point is particularly important, and it is repeated by several people, then the posters will have more confidence of its accuracy and remember it more. Otherwise I may just repeat a point with a slightly different spin because I feel a certain aspect needs to be clarified.</p>

<p>Frankly, I don't care much about my post count. Who am I trying to impress, a bunch of people I've never met and know nothing about? My main motivation for posting is to provide information/opinions, as well as the occasional good debate. If anything, having a large post count just shows you spend much more time on CC than you really should (of which I am guilty). Then again, it's not how much you post, it's what you post that counts, right?</p>

18

<p>Just to clarify, the reason I posted in this thread is not to put down ucbhi or the Haas program. Like I've said, I think Haas is one of the best programs at Berkeley and ucbhi's post has a lot of useful information. I just thought it was a little over the top and didn't want readers to get a wrong impression. I see so many students come to Berkeley with an extremely elevated view of Haas and planning to go into Business only to be discouraged or convinced otherwise (sometimes by the Haas admissions committee!) and they're perfectly happy with where they are. I want prospective students to realize that while Haas is a great choice, the other departments at Berkeley are not mediocre in comparison, and they should feel free to explore all their options instead of deciding on a career in business without even setting foot in college.</p>

19

<p>Rather than respond to everything in one post, which can be long and irritating, I will separate my posts :)</p>

<p>unlimited:</p>

<p>Okay, I'm going to have to come in and defend the OP, because I feel that he is being improperly portrayed / insulted (not just by you)...</p>

<p>First, I have been on this forum almost as long as you unlimited, and while I do not post nearly as much, I have a good idea of what happens here. You said:</p>

<p>
[quote]
I've been on this forum for 2 years and I can assure that questions come up about Haas very often, and using search does bring up a lot of information. In many ways search is in many ways better than starting a new topic...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Your meaning here is clear: Rather than post a new topic, you'd rather have the OP search for Haas topics because his questions are the similar to everyone else's questions.</p>

<p>However, I argue that his questions are not the same as everyone else's questions. I don't even think we need a reading comprehension class to get the picture, but let's break it down:</p>

<p>
[quote]
It seems like all the current students want to say is that its a 50% admission rate, that it's just like applying to college all over, and that it's filled with asians (I have nothing against Asians, btw). But, really now, is this all there is to say about the mysterious Business school??

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is 50% of his original post. It is very clear from the first sentence that he has heard enough about admissions and all of the pre-Haas information. In his second sentence he calls Haas "mysterious," then follows up by insinuating that people must know things beyond the pre-haas crap. </p>

<p>Now, it is true that at the end of the OP's second paragraph he expands his request to seemingly include all aspects of Haas: "it could be pre-business, schedule, applications, admissions stats (recent), on-campus organizations/programs, anecdotes, anything goes as far as it's related to Haas." That may be the fault of the OP, but it is irrelevant because he already dedicated 81% (yes, calculated) of his words to what I have outlined above. Clearly by the "mysterious" label the OP would like to know more about the school of Haas itself, i.e. the part that CCers historically have not given.</p>

<p>You may not believe me that CCers have not covered the information that he requests, so now I will prove it to you. Using advanced search, search for topics within the UC Berkeley forum that contain "Haas" in the title. The search will return 61 topics dating back to 12-28-2005. Out of those 61 topics, only ONE covers what Haas is actually like from the inside, "Haas Students" by Happywanderer. Every other topic is about admissions or pre-Haas or "versus posts" or something similar. Don't take my word for it, go look yourself. I may have missed one or two, but the message remains. So the attitude about the information already existing on CC is unneeded. The OP said this himself in his response to Student: "why don't you do me a favor and search "Haas" for me. What did you get??? Nothing in terms of what I'd like to know, I assure you. Not even close."</p>

<p>In addition, I feel the need to mention that you took the OP's response out of context. He followed up "What use is their for statistics?" with "Many, but as you concluded correctly, my interest lies in the heart of the 'Haas experience.'" The second part is vital. Using the statements in the way you did is a contortion of the OP's real meaning.</p>

20

<p>
[quote]

The best way is just to go there and take a class by yourself. You will hear this and that, but after a semester taking a class there you will know how it works.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is true, but the OP is an incoming freshman. Take a look at the Berkeley schedule for Haas and the majority of what you will see is this:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Seats have been reserved for:<br>
1. Undergraduate students and Students in the Haas School of Business (Open)
2. Students with a class level of Junior or Senior or Limited Status (Full).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For UGBA 101A and 101B, sophomores are added to number two. But even with those classes you have to duke it out on the waitlists, so access is not guaranteed. Thus experiencing a UGBA class is not a truly viable option for the OP or for any lower division student.</p>