Haas School of Business

The building design is gorgeous and the buildings inside also feel like it is brand new. It appears to be modern and new both on the outside and inside and there are always events going on here something in this building. I would love to come to class here everyday.

I came here since my brother was graduating from the Number 1 ranked and most selective part time MBA program in the United states.
Needless to say, I summarize that he was very happy for 3 years of effort culminating in an outstanding achievement while working in a full time job.
The Haas School itself looks impressive and the professors and dean looked very proud of this freshly minted batch of MBA’s ready to change the world

The facilities are always clean and neat, unlike other parts of campus. Center plaza is very pleasant under the trees in the daytime.
Library: plenty of space to study. Rooms for group study can be reserved ahead of time. Solo study desks hiding behind the book shelves. Very comfy chairs and clean tables. No place to nap though.
Auditorium: new black chairs! Those green ones were getting very dirty. 299 occupancy.
Bathrooms: pretty clean. Way better than Dwinelle ew. The water pressure is sometimes iffy in the library bathroom. Cheit building bathrooms are small so go to the bigger ones next to Andersen Auditorium and Koret Center in the Faculty building during prime time.
Café: dim lighting. No meal points here. Good for bites between classes. Their chicken sandwich is pretty good!
As a Haas student: access to computer lab and $ 200 worth of printing. The printers can run into problems when everyone is printing their homework right before class. Plan ahead! Afternoons are much less busy and more computers are open. Staff is willing to help you out with your printer and computer problems.

Remodel of the patio area up front is complete. Now much easier to get to Fifo Café!
Haas’ Fifo Café is a great place to get lunch between classes. They revamped their menu so there are more healthy options available to students. Prices are average for campus dining establishments – not too high and not too low. If you are looking for a light snack, I would recommend the chocolate banana bread (wrapped in plastic wrap, near the cashiers). I think it’s somewhere near $ 1.50 and it tastes great! It usually lasts me for one class. :P
I can’t really speak about the business school itself, but I have frequented the library on occasion. There are several nice study nooks all around the library. Don’t forget to check the basement level, too, as there are plenty of individual carrel desks below. Do be aware that the cell reception can be somewhat spotty in the basement level. However, if your desire is to isolate yourself from all distractions, this may be a plus! :D

Look the «business professional» vibe here. Library is a nice place to study

Haas is now under construction which really isn’t necessary since it is already beautiful and clean.

Had nice roomy auditoriums and very clean and professional lookin. There is a nice little food court there as well. One of the best places to have lecture.

Nice to be here for classes all day on a rainy day — you don’t need to really go out of the buildings at all and just stay dry all day. The haas café is pretty good, but I did prefer the old café catering better. The new café’s lemon hibiscus juice is always refreshing though!

What a magnificent campus. Haas has one of the coolest b-​school campuses I’ve seen in a while. They’ve made great use of the courtyard area, and the interior design fits perfectly.
Parking was extremely easy to find, and the students were very friendly. If I were going back to b-​school, I’d definitely apply here. I have a handful of Stanford friends so keep this review on the DL if possible.

I absolutely love Haas. When I was in undergrad we used to wander over to Haas to hang out because it was so nice. Its like a completely different world than the rest of the campus. The facilities are new and look amazing.

I attended a summer business program here for non business majors called Base.
Lots of things are included in the tuition fee backpacks, all of our textbooks, an iclickr, tshirts, catered lunches on Mondays (this ranged from eating a buffet at the Bancroft hotel to getting top dog lunches), free snacks every day (coffee, juice, fruit, pastries, bagels), trips (downtown SF, company visits), meals at these trips (Like lunch at the ferry building). If you couldn’t already tell Base fed us well!
Anyways the courses are all intro courses they include organizational behavior, accounting, and marketing. I would recommend that if you take this program you live at the dormitory (foothill) or at an apartment in Berkeley. I commuted and it was a nightmare waking up at 5 every morning and then staying at Berkeley until late at night to work on group projects.
It is a cohort so all of your classes will be with the same group of people. I enjoyed my experience with this program and it’s great for anyone who wants to get a feel of Cal (especially for those of us who got rejected!) or if you already go to Cal but want to try out business.
Through the program you’ll get to know the program coordinator and your professors very well! It was a pretty good experience and it was nice not being lost in a sea of students.

If you had talked to me two years ago, I would have told you that Haas is full of fake, self-​serving jerks and deserved a two star rating at best. After all, I wouldn’t have wanted the Unilocal community thinking I’m one of them… a haashole. After two years in the undergraduate program, I have come to appreciate the benefits and opportunities that go along with attending Haas:
1. No longer do you have to worry about Telebears and signing up for classes. When you’re in Haas, you can easily get into virtually any (business) class that tickles your fancy. My non-​business friends were not so lucky and had a lot of trouble getting into the big business classes (e.g. UGBA 102a, Intro to Financial Accounting.)
2. The professors have very impressive resumes and tons of real world experience. In addition, they’re generally nice and genuinely care about the students. One of my professors even postponed a midterm just because it was scheduled during recruiting season.
3. Speaking of recruiting, Haas and its reputation does open a lot of doors when it comes to job prospects, particularly if you want to be an accountant, banker or consultant, as another Unilocaler so accurately described. Especially in this economy, job hunting is competitive so merely having the Haas name on your resume helps. In fact, the majority of my graduating friends at Haas already have jobs lined up.
4. While the Haas logo backpacks might be a little much, I definitely took advantage of the free printing that comes along with the major. It’s a great added benefit. However, every once in a while a bottleneck will form at the printer because someone decided to print up an entire annual report or sometimes, even a textbook.
Of course, there are some dubious characters in Haas (Haasholes do exist) but I feel like there are outliers in every major. Plus, we’re forced to take some pretty useless classes. (I’m talking about Business Communications. I don’t need a class to learn how to write an effective e-​mail.) To be honest, if I could, I probably would give Haas a 3.5 but I’m rounding up due to my impending graduation and increasing feelings of nostalgia. Graduation goggles! Woo!

REVIEW #2600
I attended an Alumni Conference at Haas yesterday and was left both impressed and humbled at the same time. The panel discussion from the 1996 «Dot Com» graduates left my head spinning, while Professor Kenneth Rosen’s learned Real Estate presentation left me proud to be part of such a world class institution (and grateful for the market insights). Then there was the presentation by the Founder of Pandora that left me yearning for multiple music downloads and thinking about doing what I was really meant to do. In between were social investing discussions, a fun conversation over lunch with random fellow Alums, and a sense of connection to this school that I had not experienced in a very long time. Maybe the only thing missing was an appearance by Richard Reich (Goldman School) to talk about the economy, taxes, and the budget. So at the end of the day when Dean Lyon’s asked us to think about Hiring Haas, Staying Connected, and Contributing, I was almost ready to sign on the dotted line.
It’s safe to say that a lot has changed since I graduated from the Evening program in 1987. My MBA is also my least used degree. However, borrow a line from my Father, it has taught me how to think and work in a very productive way. And with all the accomplished people in this room, I am an equal (of sorts).
I have also seen this personal evolution every Thursday during the last Semester as I’ve audited a class. The students are more diverse, smarter, and their use of Technology is certainly impressive. I have learned a lot, am motivated by the school facilities and faculty, and am anxious to try another subject next semester. My only troubling thought is that I wonder about the «soul» of our future business leaders as I observe the competition, a sometimes linear mind set, and a perception that the business school world does not seem to tolerate a stumble or 2 (but should). However, I’m very much looking forward to continuing the conversation and learning more on my own path-​bending leadership journey.

Excellent program at an excellent school. I am not a student enrolled in this program, but through word of mouth from somebody who does, all I hear is positives.
The undergrad program at Haas prepares people well for this program from what I hear. Albeit cut-​throat competitive, if you survive undergrad, this program should be no problem. The doors that completing this program will open is infinite.
Not sure why Nikki S. decided to rate this place, but hopefully it’ll get flagged and removed.

Took a few classes at Haas during my graduate career at Cal. It’s always refreshing to get OUT of the engineering buildings and talk to people who are more business & entrepreneurship oriented. It always seems like there’s something interesting going on at the BofA forum whenever I’m around, and there are lots of opportunities to network with other MBA students.

I spent the last two years of my undergrad life here (similar to all other students in the undegrad program). Whether it’s because of the application process during sophomore year, the competitive prerequisite classes (hi Stat21), or the fact that Haas is located at the top of it’s own hill– there seems to be a mystique about the school and a sense of entitlement (true or not, I don’t know).
To be honest, Haas is completely different from the main campus. The building is newer, our classrooms actually look like an Ivy level institution, our library always has study space, and the BofA forum is an excellent to study in between classes.
The bad part is that you see a lot of the same people in all your classes. Whereas my first two years, I was able to make new friends in classes and reviews– my years at Haas felt a little more like contrived networking (though according to Facebook, 75% of my friends are from Haas, so I’m obviously not above this). Curves in some classes are intense and make me wish I were in a business frat (which 33% of students are in). And as awful as this sounds, I hated taking classes with the nontraditional students, you know– 40 year olds. It wasn’t that I had a problem with age, but from my experiences they seemed to carry a wise-​ass «I’ve seen it all» attitude to the classroom experience which was very off-​putting, and I’m not going to call them out, for goodness sake, they’ve got a family to feed.
Most, if not all, of the classes required group work. This works well if you’re in a frat, but for those of us not into being blindfolded in a field before a midterm (me!)– you had better strategically sign up for classes with a friend because I often found the one or two random people were either superstars who became good friends or total flakes who seem to drop off the face of the earth once they sign onto your group.
Haas is cliquey– I’ve said it. It’s not only the frats, but with so much competition and the tendency to work with people you know– it’s definitely about having your own group of friends. Sure discussion sections foster exchange of ideas, but many can attest that it is more an opportunity for some to hear themselves talk like a mindless ass.
When internship recruiting session rolls around, expect low classroom turn out as everyone is too busy «dropping» and shooting daggers at each other all the way on the other side of campus at the Career Center waiting room (which looks like a Dentists office, only no one gives you a sticker if you cry and with terrible elevators).
By the time you’re a senior, expect to be placed in one of four categories: Banking, Consulting, Accounting, I’m fucking around— OH and Google.
The names that will make any Haashole cream their pants to be with you or die on the inside with jealousy are: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bain, McKinsey, Google, and Citi. And if you don’t end up working in LA, SF, or NYC, good luck showing your face at graduation, you fail at life.
The professors are great yet always tread the fine line between genius mentor and entitled primadonnas. Steven Wood is cute and perhaps that’s why it was so easy to get an A+ in his otherwise difficult finance class for me and seal my fate in the banking category. I hated the accounting classes where the average was often a 97, one time this girl got a 92 and cried. Instead of feeling bad for her, people around were more on the side of «suxors for you».
Professor office hours are great, not only are you up close enough to see the wrinkles and facial imperfections of your professors, but you’ll also get bonus gold morsels of information out of them that your parents undoubtedly worked hard to pay for. Go regularly because everyone and their mom shows up around midterms/​finals time and it starts looking like a scene out of Saving Private Ryan without the commadry.
If I could do it all over again– I probably wouldn’t– too much studying. But I’d probably relive a semester or two, and this time I wouldn’t spend the lectures writing on people’s Facebook walls.
Haas is a great experience that prepared me well for my career in terms of professionalism, team-​work, putting out fires, and dodging bullets. The actual content? Useless– if you show up at Goldman with your financial calculator expecting to calculate NPV, just quit now.

I’m gonna sound like a haashole when I say this but Haas is totally different than the rest of Cal. This may be just David Robinson, but the teachers actually treat you differently. I know in UGBA 10 he was an utter jerk. But now, he’s a totally different man who actually wants you to succeed. This happens however with most of my teachers so far, and they really do want to teach you as much as possible. They also seem very frank and honest with their own experiences.
Most of the people are also pretty darn nice, with the exception of those few people who actually fulfill their roles as utter competitive jerks. But most of my friends from Haas are just genuinely nice people.
And the place itself is no slouch. Really cool architecture and a really nice library I just recently discovered. The place needs a fountain though.