Basically, compared to transfer students, what is the acceptance rate to get into Haas School of Business for a student at UC Berkeley? and Why/How does Haas cover this education in two years when most college’s business programs last 4 years?
Haas acceptance rate is 43% - from a pool of students who were admitted to Berkeley - so not easy at all.
They have a bunch of prerequisites to satisfy so it is not as though you are squeezing in a 4 year program into 2. You have to have the foundation to be a Haas student before you are allowed to enroll. And some of the courses you would do at another college (2nd language, reading comp etc) are done in the first 2 years at berkeley.
Essentially you do 2 years at L&S taking the prerequisites and other GEs then go to Haas for 2 years.
If you entered as a frosh, you apply during your (normally) second year to enter the business major for your two remaining years.
At other prestigious business schools (i.e., Univ. of So. CA, Univ. of Washington) which admit freshmen into the business school, for the first 2 years, these freshmen students who enroll in the business school are required to take prerequisites and general education courses the university requires for graduation. These general education requirements includes courses such as writing, cultural studies, history, social sciences, etc… type course with the intend to graduate well rounded people, rather than just the narrow business knowledge. The final 2 years would entail taking the core business courses and some business concentration.
At UC Berkeley, it is the same with the exception that Haas does not admit freshmen. During the first 2 years at UCB, students would take the prerequisites (calculus, basis accounting, computer, etc. to get into Haas) and general education requirements such as writing, cultural studies, history, social sciences, etc. to meet the university’s graduation requirements. The intent is the same to produce well rounded individuals. If admitted to Haas, the students begin to take their core business classes and concentration for a major. If not admitted, the backup plan for the students is to either major in economics at UCB or transfer to another college’s business school.
You first have to apply and get into Berkeley and then need to apply and get into Haas. Once you’re already in it’s like a 40-50% admit rate. If you don’t get into Haas, you go into an alternate major like Econ.
Transfer students have a much lower admit rate. They say it’s like 6% or 8%, but that includes people who weren’t eligible from the beginning due to missing pre-reqs. Still, only ~90 transfer students are admitted out of 1,500+ applicants. It’s easier in the sense that the courses taken at a community college (i.e the equivalent to UGBA10, etc.) are in many cases much easier. Also, you can have better alternatives in place if you don’t get into Haas as a transfer, though you can’t have an alternate major at Berkeley so if you don’t get into Haas as a transfer, you don’t get into Berkeley at all.
There are pros and cons to it all.