Final Decision Stern vs Haas

ocean5641
Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:44:51 +0000

I think what it basically comes down to is location. Both schools are extremely great for business. While Haas is a slightly better overall business school, Stern is slightly better in finance and international business. In the end though, the academics at both schools are excellent and in this case, it should not be a deciding factor. One thing you must consider is that whatever school you do decide to attend, it is very likely that you will get a job in that surrounding area. The statistic for job placement before senior graduation is about 97% at Haas and 98% at Stern, which is practically the same. The biggest question you need to ask yourself is what type of college experience and environment you would most enjoy. While Berkeley offers a more laid-back lifestyle accompanied by a traditional university campus, Stern is located in the epicenter of the business world and offers a very fast paced, “always on the move” experience (more like the adult worklife). From what I noticed Stern students also seem to be a little more arrogant and more competitive. From day one, most students are set on what they want to be in four years: whether it be I-Banking at Goldman Sachs or consulting at Baine. Stern is also heavily finance oriented. Almost all students will major in finance in addition to another major. In Stern and NYU in general, New York City “runs” the university while at Berkeley, the university runs the town. Also note that over 65% of students at NYU are from the Tri-State area and many are also commuter students. This means that at times it may get lonely as students return to their families over the weekend. The weather, although not a big factor is also something to consider (at least for me since I am coming from So. Cal). Stern also places more emphasis on internships. In fact, there is no school on Friday to encourage students to get involved with NYC. Over 80% of students have completed 3 or more internships by graduation. According to the alum I was talking to, he said that because you are in NYC at Stern, recruiters will expect students to have done more internships and fellowships simply because there are more opportunities in NYC then anywhere else. So just because a Haas student did 2 internships and a Stern student did 4 internships, the Stern student will not necessarily be given preference. At Berkeley, you may have trouble getting internships your first two years since Haas does not begin until junior year. That being said, once you are in at Haas internships are jobs will not be a problem. Also, if you do want an internship your freshmen or sophomore year at Berkeley, its not impossible, you just will need to do most of the work of finding a place yourself. Furthermore, in terms of opportunity and recruitment, while NYC has many more business firms than NorCal or SoCal, all of the major banks and large companies will recruit at both campuses. It’s just the higher number of smaller “boutique” companies located in NYC that will give Stern an advantage in the number of companies that recruit on campus. Also, if you are set on international business, I would definitely recommend Stern because the school has amazing overseas programs and also the fact that over 15% of the student body is international. I have gotten the chance to talk to a couple alums at both schools, and none of them had anything negative to say about their school or even the other school.

Well…this is basically what I learned. Sorry for having the information all unorganized, but I just typed what came to mind.

In the end of the day, almost everything is equally as good when comparing both schools, it just depends what kind of college experience and environment you prefer. Also, remember that both schools will provide you with the resources to succeed its just a matter if you make use of them.