s

I strongly believe in the Berkeley MBA program. I used my coursework to do internal projects within my company to gain more insight and, in some cases, spark some change. Putting concepts into practice with different teams every semester was the best part of my program.

MBA instructors knew how to teach in a real-world context. They provided real-world examples, fantastic guest lecturers, and allowed [students] to fill in the gaps of their expertise. They are collaborative, respectful, and expect nothing but excellence.

I like the program, my professors, my colleagues, and the excellent staff of the program office. I am proud to be part of the Haas network. There are certain things I did not like about the program. First, there are fewer classes offered over the weekend than during the weekdays. Second, the quality and experience of the professors teaching the part-time programs are less than those teaching full time. And, most importantly, there are fewer networking opportunities for weekend students compared to evening students or full timers.

s

We have many opportunities to network outside of class. By far, the most benficial is the Mid Program Academic Retreat, consisting of a three-day team building exercise covering all business disciplines. As students, we are grouped into teams of five and compete on a very intense simulation 10 hours a day, and then relax and enjoy the Pacific ocean at night. You get to witness how your peers deal with strategic decisions in a stressful environment, while at night relax and enjoy the game's politics.

Berkeley is well positioned among the Silicon Valley crowd, however its focus is naturally limited and distinctly West Coast. I was unpleasantly surprised with the limitations of career services to look beyond California to basic financial centers such as New York, London, Houston, and Asia-Pacific.

s

In addition to the high-quality education, the Haas community is very collaborative and emphasizes teamwork and innovation. I was pleasantly surprised that in almost every class I took, the professor made a point to highlight the importance of ethical business practice. Integrity and authenticity are very important values to me. It is apparent that these values are also important to Haas. Also, I really appreciate the flexibility of the class schedules. I have been able to excel at my full-time job while going to school.