<p>I applied undecided/pre-business but I was wondering is it really that hard to get into Haas, I don't want to waste 2 years and then not even get into Haas so does anybody know if it's really that hard to get into?</p>
<p>Its definitely competitive. That is why they advise you to have a backup major in mind… in case it doesn’t work out as planned. If your backup major is… say Econ, many of the pre-requisites overlap so it wouldn’t be a big waste of time at all.</p>
<p>plus, cal is such a great institution that even if haas doesnt work out, you cant ignore the fact that you’re still in the freakin awesome cal. in other words, don’t let the fear of not getting into haas deter you from not choosing cal (im assuming that you’re an incoming frosh)</p>
<p>Hey I have a question, were you already admitted? Because I also applied Pre-business but my acceptance letter just said I was accepted to the College of Letters and Science so I was wondering if this meant I was not accepted as a pre-business major?</p>
<p>^there is no such thing as a pre-business major. you’re in l&s your first 2 years and if you get in you’re in haas.</p>
<p>and it’s not really that hard, almost everyone i know got in… even a guy with a 3.3</p>
<p>Berkeley doesn’t have a “pre-business” or a “pre-law” major. If you’re interested in attending Haas, you spend your first four semesters fulfilling prerequisites. You apply to Haas during your third semester. From there, you’ll pursue a Business Administration degree if you get accepted or an alternate degree if you don’t.</p>
<p>Ya I was already admitted and my acceptance letter said that also tinselkawa, I’m pretty sure that pre-business is under the College of Letters and Science.</p>
<p>Oh sweet, thanks flutterfly & inconnu. I only mention the “pre-business” aspect because it was something I had to indicate on my application. But sounds cool to me :)</p>
<p>[Class</a> Profile, Undergraduate Program - Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley](<a href=“Class Profile - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas”>Class Profile - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas)</p>
<p>According to Haas, a little less than half of the Berkeley applicants get in.</p>
<p>To respond to flutterfly<em>28’s comment, there’s a lot of aspects that determine what gets you in and not. Since on average there is less than 50% that gets in, there’s a chance you may know lots of people who got in (like flutterfly</em>28’s case) or no one (like my case for my year). I knew people with both high and low GPAs, active and not-active participants on campus, and even knew one person who had previously worked a bounty of valuable high-position experiences with BofA, Merrill Lynch and other corporations and still did not get in. So that’s why it’s really stressed that you pick a alternative/backup major, because no matter how much you do to work towards it, there’s always a chance you don’t get in.</p>
<p>It really is a big gamble to be a Business major in Cal. As BusyMei brought up, less than half of the applicants get accepted every year. What they look for is someone who has good grades, participates in extra curricular activities, and can articulate his/her ideas well in an essay–basically, you’re applying to college again… And yes, the admission process here can also appear quite “random” at times. </p>
<p>The average GPA of the admitted students are usually around 3.7, which sounds ridiculously high, but isn’t particularly hard to obtain if you stay away from the difficult and competitive courses (ex: Bio, Chem, etc.). The four pre-reqs for the major are Calculus, Statistics, Intro to BA, and Intro to Econ. They can be competitive, but if you have good work ethics, you should be fine (and FYI, you do not need to obtain A’s in all of these classes to be admitted). </p>
<p>As many have mentioned, it is extremely important to have a backup major. Econ is typically the way to go for many; the pre-reqs are very similar so you would not be wasting too many courses. Econ at Cal is a very nice program ranking wise, and often times, Econ graduates wind up with the same jobs as Haas majors.</p>
<p>Overall, Haas can be a pain, but is definitely achievable if you put in your effort. Join some clubs/find some jobs, don’t waste your summer sitting at home, do well in school (obviously), and don’t procrastinate on your essays, and you will be very competitive!</p>
<p>It’s pretty easy to get in… =____=</p>
<p>Don’t listen to the hype. Have a decent 3.7+ GPA in all pre-reqs, be relatively active in extra curricular, be able to write decently and you’re in. :)</p>
<p>It’s not a 50% chance. It’s near 95% if you have the stuff I listed above. </p>
<p>I know kids who have 4.0, but had no ECs and didn’t get in. Or kids who has great ECs but couldn’t write about them well and didn’t get in etc. </p>
<p>All my friends (who had above 3.4 GPA) got in this year. :)</p>
<p>Even at the most grade inflated universities I know of, a 3.7 GPA is not something you can just assume you’re going to get (and Berkeley does not have much grade inflation in general). It’s hard to do that well.</p>
<p>Actually, if you’re talking about business pre-reqs, it’s not that hard.</p>
<p>I have taken them, I would know ^_~</p>
<p>It isn’t hard IF you are willing to put in the effort and really try your best. Stats 21 (w/ curve) made AP Physics C seem like a joke. It isn’t very difficult to get at or even below the mean, despite putting in a lot of studying time</p>
<p>dont be a ha[*******]</p>
<p>@Derek:
Are you talking to me? Just how am I being one? Please explain instead of just calling names.</p>
<p>I’m just saying compared to Chem, Bio, Physics, Engineering, Haas pre-reqs are far easier to good grades in. It’s not difficult for anyone who don’t have terrible study habits to get decent grades. </p>
<p>The rumors are exaggerated, and there’s no need to scare potential freshman from the major just because a few complained about how difficult it is.</p>
<p>@Azn
Very few classes in berkeley are going to be like high school courses…</p>
<p>It’s a 50% acceptance rate after about half of the people drop out. The classes aren’t hard but rather competitive. Some tests are stupid or easy and missing just one question hurts.</p>
<p>For those of you talking about taking Econ as a back-up major–what if there is no space at all? I realize that these posts were almost a year ago, so is the situation any different at Cal now, especially with the $500 mil cut to the UC system? Is getting Econ as an alternate major (since the pre-requisites often overlap nicely) going to be utterly impossible in this case?</p>
<p>I’m starting to think that even if I am lucky enough to be accepted to Cal, having Haas as a goal is too risky.</p>
<p>It seems like most commenters here are already Haas students, so there might be some hindsight bias there, I’m not sure. Before they were accepted to Haas, they probably had the same worries and doubts as you do now. 
Try your best in the prereqs, take breadth courses to boost GPA, apply for a summer job, prepare for a backup major that you’re equally interested in?</p>