Hi everyone! I am a student from Vancouver, Canada who is looking to pursue business/finance. Right now, I’m contemplating three schools:
- UC Berkeley (Letters & Science --> Pre-business)
- This is the only non-Canadian school I am considering. Most people I've talked to say that it's the best choice for me, and they bring up Berkeley's great reputation and great job prospects in business. However, at around 70-75K CAD per year, it's much more expensive than the other two school choices. My family can readily handle the tuition costs, but at the same time we aren't rich. Furthermore, Berkeley is the only option that DOES NOT GUARANTEE my acceptance into their undergrad business program (Haas has a 40% admit rate). My backup choice is to double major in math+econ there.
- Queen's University (Commerce)
- Arguably the top business school in Canada, and I've heard great things about their commerce program. One problem could be that Queen's sucks at pretty much everything else, so it would be hard for me to potentially change my career path there.
- University of British Columbia (Commerce)
- Very close to home, and I received a $30,000 major entrance scholarship which would cover all tuition costs. However, in terms of both ranking and job prospects, UBC seems to be the worst choice out of the three.
At the moment I am leaning towards Berkeley, but not 100% sure. Let me know if there’s anything else I should clear up, and all opinions are appreciated 
Are you in the top 10% of UCB admits?
If not, go with Queen’s.
In any case, congratulations!
@MYOS1634 thanks for your response! Would you mind elaborating on your reasons behind saying that?
In order to “pre-guarantee” an admission into Haas, you’d have to be among the top entering students. Otherwise, you’re really taking a risk, and with the added costs, I don’t think it’d be worth it if you’re totally committed to Business. Of course, you could major in statistics, or pretty much anything at UCB
That’s the thing… I do feel committed to business, but my dad says it’s better to go to a school where I can keep my options open. He’s usually right too ><
The Canadian business school rankings that I can find on the web do not seem to consistently rank Queen’s or UBC higher, but usually have both in the top single digits. Is ranking a huge deal in recruiting new graduate business majors in Canada?
Queen’s may be more convenient to recruit from by employers based in Toronto and Montréal, which may be an explanation for greater recruiting activity if that is what you are seeing.
Go to Berkeley and do this: “My backup choice is to double major in math+econ there.” If you do well and get that double major from UCB, you’ll be a very, very good B-school candidate (and very employable, as well). It’s a more marketable undergrad education than “pre-Biz” or whatever, honestly.
Commerce in Canada is different from prebusiness in the US though (a pre-requisite for admission into the first year of BComm at Queens is calculus, for instance). Math+ econ, or econometrics, or statistics + econ, is indeed extremely marketable.
[quote]
My family can readily handle the tuition costs, but at the same time we aren’t rich. [unquote]
Check if your family can pay 75K out of pocket without loans - out of savings or income. If they can, they’re definitely upper middle class to upper class, likely in to the 2-3% of incomes. If they plan on taking a loan, it’s a different situation. You’d need to look at how much, what loans, whether you’d be allowed to take on student loans…
@ucbalumnus Yeah you’re right about the rankings! I think Queen’s advantage is that it’s closer to the major finance centers of Canada. Vancouver is a great place to live, but its business opportunities pale in comparison.
@marvin100 Thanks! This isn’t the first time you’ve helped me with my questions To clarify, are you saying that my backup choice is more marketable than going to Haas for the latter half of my undergrad?
@MYOS1634 My dad showed me some financial statements yesterday, and I’m convinced that we can afford Berkeley without loans. Perhaps the question isn’t whether I can afford going, but whether it’s worth going, if you know what i mean 
Everybody goes to Haas for 2 years, you don’t enter as a freshman.
If your family can afford it and you like UCB’s weather& flexibility more, go there. Be aware that it’s a huge university. but your degree from Haas (or the Plan B and C suggested) would be very marketable.
To put it another way: what’s holding you back?
@MYOS1634 Good question. To be honest, maybe it’s just the pressure of the situation and having to decide where to spend the next 4 years of my life. I don’t want to screw up by choosing the wrong school and then have regrets, y’know? My parents, sister, close friends, and girlfriend have all been extremely supportive of Berkeley, and I appreciate what they’re doing, but part of me wants to stay with them back home in Vancouver. Going to UBC would clearly make me happiest in the near future, but Berkeley is probably better for the long term.
In short, my struggle is this: Opportunity at Berkeley versus happiness back home 
@BarrelBlaster -
Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Everything I’m seeing these days suggests (strongly!) that a robust “quanty” undergrad background, esp. with lots of math, stat, and even some comp sci, is the most marketable route to a successful career in business. There are many other routes, of course, but for maximizing your chances of finding upwardly-mobile employment out of undergrad, I believe your “backup choice” is the better one. What you may “lose” in undergrad-biz-school networking you will more than compensate for in real, marketable, usable skills and competencies.
(sorry I didn’t reply sooner–I was on vacation)
Yes, math+economics is much more quantitative than business (at least at Berkeley), so if quantitative work is preferred, your “backup” plan may actually be more desirable. There is also the related operations research and management science (ORMS) major at Berkeley. Be aware that both economics and ORMS need a GPA to enter the major (3.0 and 3.2 respectively), though math does not (minimum C grades in math courses, but students who get C grades in math courses probably are not interested in majoring in math).
But do check how big a deal the cost of Berkeley is for your parents’ household finances (and if you have any younger siblings, whether it will affect your parents’ contribution to their college costs).