<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I will be applying to Haas in the Fall and was wondering what people thought about finishing all of the Haas prerequisites before submitting the application. I know that many students use the trick of waiting off on Statistics until Spring semester after applying because it is the “hardest” prerequisite to get an A in. While this does seem strategic, it feels a little unfair that students can essentially leave one of their prerequisites with a blank grade on their application and essentially get a C in their Statistics class later if they get into Haas, since it has no effect on their GPA prior to applying.</p>
<p>In your opinion, do you think Haas prefers students who finish all of their prerequisites before applying or do they not care whether or not there is a blank grade on the application? I’m just concerned because I will have finished all of my prerequisites before applying, but I’m concerned that I might get a B in my summer Stats W21 class. I don’t want the B in statistics to be the make or break class that hurts me from possibly getting into Haas ): Thank you!</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of being preferred, they actually automatically reject anyone who does not have the pre-requisites done by the spring prior to applying for Haas. <a href=“Admissions - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas”>Admissions - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas;
<p>^ xD before anyone gets confused, prereqs should be done by end of spring semester prior to starting at the Haas School of Business (not prior to applying)</p>
<p><a href=“Important Dates - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas”>Important Dates - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas;
Haas states that the application process is weighted 50% grades/coursework, 15% resume, and 35% essay; that being said, Haas does know that some people take classes in the spring purposely to avoid it affecting their gpa when the application comes out in fall, so they will take it into consideration. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t think it would make a big difference if you get a B in Stat W21 instead of taking it spring; Haas has other things they look at on your application. Try to get a A on the class, but if you can’t, it’s not a big deal. Hopefully you have leadership/internship/extracurricular activities that will help you stand out in the application process. Well-written essays are another important factor as well. </p>
<p>@totalcaprice I understand that students need to finish their prereqs by the end of spring semester. However, that’s why it feels a little unfair that students who wait off to take a prereq class in the Spring can get into Haas even though the readers never know how they did in the class until after they are already in Haas. It’s almost as if you SHOULD wait to take a class until the Spring in case you don’t get an A in the class. I guess it just bothers me because if someone who has the same stats(extracurriculars, essays, grades) gets in because they waited off on a class compared to a student who got a B in the prereq that the other student skipped, where is the justice in that? </p>
<p>Well, yeah that’s life unfortunately haha. Some people that are talented don’t get in, and there are some that might not deserve to get in. Doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Just do what you have to do, shine in your application through well-written essays and leadership positions and hope for the best. There are people who deserved to get into Haas who did not get in. They were still able to do well and get the same jobs as people in Haas. </p>
<p>“Justice”…doesn’t really apply in life sometimes. Some people might get better jobs despite a subpar resume due to good looks and connections. Happens all the time. Plus, one class is not going to make a big difference if you have a good application and everything else is amazing. </p>
<p>It makes sense that some people are going to use the opportunity to avoid Stats until spring because they know they can’t do well. People are going to take any opportunity or advantage they can get. The important thing is that you shouldn’t really care too much about what they are doing since there’s not much of a point; it’s more important to focus on what you are trying to achieve. </p>