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Minimum GPA of Haas
what is a typical grade you would need to maintain in your freshman to sophomore year of college in order to get into a business program like Haas? in terms of GPA wise
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Natalie Dunn
CareerVillage.org TeamProduct Manager at CareerVillage.org
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Natalie’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Gianna,
I was an undergrad student at Haas, I graduated in 2018! Congratulations on taking steps to plan your future. :)
In terms of applying to Haas, according to their admissions website, they say 50% of the admissions process is grade and coursework. So that means GPA in your Freshman and Sophomore year is important, but it's not the only thing that matters! That being said, I would guess most students who are admitted to Haas mostly get A's/A-'s and maybe a few B's/B+'s. Probably around a 3.5 GPA would be the minimum to try to meet to be a "competitive" candidate. That being said, some students have strengths in some categories and don't excel in others, and as long as you consider what your whole application looks like (50% – Grades & Coursework, 35% – Essays, 15% – Resume) it could make up for grades that aren't as high. I would start thinking about what clubs, or jobs outside of school might be good additions to your resume in the application.
The application process happens Fall of your Sophomore year, meaning that your grades from Spring of Sophomore year shouldn't make a big impact on your application. Most students take the statistics requirement spring of sophomore year, since it tends to be a challenging class they might not get a good grade in.
I know it can be a stressful situation to be in, so I do want to mention that majoring in Economics is a GREAT option if Haas doesn't work out. I sometimes wished I majored in Economics instead! As an anecdote, in my first job out of college, one of my colleagues who started with me was an Economics major at Berkeley, so it definitely doesn't limit your options after school. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and just do your best. Good luck and Go Bears!!
I was an undergrad student at Haas, I graduated in 2018! Congratulations on taking steps to plan your future. :)
In terms of applying to Haas, according to their admissions website, they say 50% of the admissions process is grade and coursework. So that means GPA in your Freshman and Sophomore year is important, but it's not the only thing that matters! That being said, I would guess most students who are admitted to Haas mostly get A's/A-'s and maybe a few B's/B+'s. Probably around a 3.5 GPA would be the minimum to try to meet to be a "competitive" candidate. That being said, some students have strengths in some categories and don't excel in others, and as long as you consider what your whole application looks like (50% – Grades & Coursework, 35% – Essays, 15% – Resume) it could make up for grades that aren't as high. I would start thinking about what clubs, or jobs outside of school might be good additions to your resume in the application.
The application process happens Fall of your Sophomore year, meaning that your grades from Spring of Sophomore year shouldn't make a big impact on your application. Most students take the statistics requirement spring of sophomore year, since it tends to be a challenging class they might not get a good grade in.
I know it can be a stressful situation to be in, so I do want to mention that majoring in Economics is a GREAT option if Haas doesn't work out. I sometimes wished I majored in Economics instead! As an anecdote, in my first job out of college, one of my colleagues who started with me was an Economics major at Berkeley, so it definitely doesn't limit your options after school. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and just do your best. Good luck and Go Bears!!
Updated
Brian’s Answer
Hi Gianna,
Great to hear you are interested in studying Business Admin! I am a Haas alumnus (c/o 2008), so while admission is more competitive now than before, my observations on studying business in general:
1). Some school's let you apply directly into the undergraduate program (think Marshall at USC, Wharton at Penn) while others require you to apply after admission (Haas). Before settling on Haas, I do recommend you investigate other very good business programs and see what their process is (UT Austin - McCombs, Michigan Ross).
2). Assuming you want to go to Haas, or are already enrolled in Berkeley (congrats by the way):
a). success in pre-reqs is more important, so high grades in Statistics, Calculus, undergrad business, Econ, Comp Sci, and reading/writing are more important
b). As for a GPA benchmark, Haas will never say, but I agree 3.5 is a strong cut off. By no means does that mean a lower GPA is an automatic reject, but always try to aim high
c). I used the general ed requirements as a buffer for my GPA and targeted courses that were interesting yet easier to excel (like Astronomy, Nutrition, History)
d). Difficulty of course does come into account, so if your GPA is "lower" than 3.5 but you took a lot of upper division economics, calculus, statistics, politics courses, that will be taken into account.
Hope this helps. Most important, Haas is harder to get into now, but you can still have a great education and career opportunities without being a Haas graduate. Many companies recruit out of Haas, but if you're a Math/Politics/English/Economics major, you will still get noticed by recruiters as on campus recruiting for undergrads is open to everyone (you can also still sign up for the core Haas courses like Accounting/Finance/Marketing as spots are reserved for non-Haas majors) to complement your academic studies with business courses.
Lesson I hope resonates is: Haas is a great school, but you can still achieve great things and have a wonderful college experience if you end up not getting accepted (my friend was rejected by Haas while I was accepted, and he's now CEO of his own company and previously worked throughout Asia in private equity).
Great to hear you are interested in studying Business Admin! I am a Haas alumnus (c/o 2008), so while admission is more competitive now than before, my observations on studying business in general:
1). Some school's let you apply directly into the undergraduate program (think Marshall at USC, Wharton at Penn) while others require you to apply after admission (Haas). Before settling on Haas, I do recommend you investigate other very good business programs and see what their process is (UT Austin - McCombs, Michigan Ross).
2). Assuming you want to go to Haas, or are already enrolled in Berkeley (congrats by the way):
a). success in pre-reqs is more important, so high grades in Statistics, Calculus, undergrad business, Econ, Comp Sci, and reading/writing are more important
b). As for a GPA benchmark, Haas will never say, but I agree 3.5 is a strong cut off. By no means does that mean a lower GPA is an automatic reject, but always try to aim high
c). I used the general ed requirements as a buffer for my GPA and targeted courses that were interesting yet easier to excel (like Astronomy, Nutrition, History)
d). Difficulty of course does come into account, so if your GPA is "lower" than 3.5 but you took a lot of upper division economics, calculus, statistics, politics courses, that will be taken into account.
Hope this helps. Most important, Haas is harder to get into now, but you can still have a great education and career opportunities without being a Haas graduate. Many companies recruit out of Haas, but if you're a Math/Politics/English/Economics major, you will still get noticed by recruiters as on campus recruiting for undergrads is open to everyone (you can also still sign up for the core Haas courses like Accounting/Finance/Marketing as spots are reserved for non-Haas majors) to complement your academic studies with business courses.
Lesson I hope resonates is: Haas is a great school, but you can still achieve great things and have a wonderful college experience if you end up not getting accepted (my friend was rejected by Haas while I was accepted, and he's now CEO of his own company and previously worked throughout Asia in private equity).