should I go to Berkeley?

Colleges & Universities University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Here’s my dilemma: I cannot decide whether to go to Berkeley (my other choices are USC, NYU, and CMC). I’m afraid that Berkeley’s harsh grading standards will hinder my efforts to get into a good business (or possibly law) school. If I were to go to Berkeley, I’d want to get into Haas, since only it has a finance major.
However, I have heard horror stories where people are worked to death and still get mediocre/low marks. Apparently, this is most evident in the lower level courses – ones which I cannot avoid. My 3 questions are:</p>

<p>1) How bad is the grade deflation in the first two years? And to what extent can I avoid these GPA deathtraps?</p>

<p>2) How are grades in Haas?</p>

<p>3) And finally, how will these factors affect my chances of getting into HBS, SGSB, or Wharton? What sort of GPA can a reasonably hardworking and modestly smart student expect at Cal?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot in advance!</p>

2

<p>Yea. it’s not as bad as people make it. life’s great.</p>

3

<p>life’s great? how…?</p>

<p>Keep in mind that I’d really really like to go to a good grad school, and not getting in is not considered great. </p>

<p>And preferably, the cost of admissions to a top grad school should not be having to spend 25hrs in the library…</p>

4

<p>Also, if you could comment on the impact this would on internship placement, that’d be great. It seems that HSB is McKinsey heavy, and McKinsey seems to like UCB better than USC or NYU. Thanks again!</p>

5

<p>According to Businessweek, Berkeley-Haas undergrad is the 2nd best feeders school to best (graduate) business schools in the US. [The</a> Top Undergraduate Business Programs](<a href=“http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/undergrad_bschool_2009/]The”>http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/undergrad_bschool_2009/)</p>

6

<p>If you are smart, and work hard, you should be able to pull good grades in the courses you are talking about. But you need both factors going in your favor to do that.</p>

7

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<p>hmmm… I’ve always been quite curious as to how they devised that list… Wharton is 10th, behind Emory, Michigan, and Georgetown. Sloan is further up in the list, but sill behind Berkeley, Cornell (I didn’t even know Cornell had a undergrad business program), and WUSTL. It seems rather strange</p>

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<p>True. I work hard at Cal and get a very good GPA. I work hard at another university and get a great GPA. I just want to know how this discrepancy affects graduate school placement, and how internship opportunities are at other universities compared to Cal.</p>