I know the HAAS undergrad program at berkeley is considered #2 in the nation by U.S. news but i want to see how it stacks up against USC, which is a private university. My assumptions are that USC would offer a better network but i might be wrong which is why i want your guys opinion. I feel like since I will be a transfer my opportunities are limited and so I want to know which school has the best business program of the three (undergraduate) for a transfer student.
in terms of the two southern California schools, USC and UCLA, I know UCLA is kinda seen as the more “prestigious”, I may be wrong once again but that it just what I am hearing since USC is still being regarded as the “party and athletics school” (which i am not saying i agree with), but i have heard numerous things about USC’s business school not their undergraduate program. so i was wondering which of the two southern California schools would be better.
please rank 1 to 3 if possible. thanks!
Those reputations and rankings are based on MBA quality and other non-undergraduate factors, even if they claim to be undergraduate rankings. At the undergraduate level you learn basic finance, accounting, marketing, operations, etc. with a few higher level courses in whatever specialty you choose. But the textbooks and coursework, etc, is very similar in all these schools. Pick the one you like best for whatever reason you like it. They are all great, all have strong alumni networks (especially in California) and will all provide you with a high quality education. You are obsessing over something that doesn’t really exist.
UCLA doesn’t have an undergrad business major
@mom2collegekids correct, the closest majors they have are economics and business economics. however students of these major end up in business
I would suggest applying to all 3 as I don’t think you can go wrong with any on your list. In socal USC offers an incredible network as you already noted and I would give it the nod if you plan to stay in the area. UCLA is excellent but really only good if you truly want an econ focused major. Haas a great option overall but for me a toss up vs. USC. So I would rank USC and Berkeley as a tie, and UCLA just behind them only because of the more limited major. Different schools and environments - where do you see yourself fitting best?
@my2caligirls Thank you for the reply. I actually do plan on applying to al 3 universities. I have not yet visited the USC campus but of the two other campuses I see myself at UCLA more. However, I do have a problem with each university. With UC Berkeley my concern is not getting a good enough GPA, which I need for grad school (getting my MBA) and that i would be behind other berkeley students in terms of extracurriculars/internships as a transfer student. With USC, tuition is the only problem, and with UCLA, as you mentioned, the limited econ major is my only concern.
@josh2633 definitely understand your position. Very hard to quantify the value of the USC network and whether the added cost is worth it given that your other options are excellent. If you decide to stay in socal USC is a plus. It’s probably hard to go wrong with any of them. If UCLA is the best match you may have your answer. Depending on what you want to do with your career, the Haas undergrad may serve you very well and even make an MBA unnecessary and that would factor into your decison. I am also not convinced that your GPA would vary much between these 3 - all have very similar caliber students in these programs.