While the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has made it very clear that applicants need outstanding academics to get in, the program will not compromise its values to maintain it high stats. Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles are taken very seriously by the school’s administration and admissions team. You will need to show that you share and live by those principles if you are to receive serious consideration as an candidate. The four principles are as follows:

1. Question the Status Quo





2. Confidence Without Attitude





3. Students Always





4. Beyond Yourself

Keep those principles very much at the forefront of your mind as you prepare your Haas application.

Ready to get to work on your Haas application? Read on. 

• Haas application essay tips





• Haas application deadlines 





• Haas class profile

Don’t miss our Admissions Straight Talk podcast interview with Eric Askins, Executive Director of Full-time MBA Admissions at UC Berkeley Haas. He reveals why prospective applicants are encouraged to focus in their applications on their overall story and narrative, and how they can demonstrate their ability to handle the academic rigor of the program. Askins also encourages candidates to engage with students and alumni to learn more about the program and its opportunities. Listen via the link below, or click the image to read the full transcript.

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Haas application essay tips

Haas Essay #1

What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)

This essay question is not just an opportunity for the admissions committee to gain an authentic perspective of an activity that is important to you, it’s a key to unlocking a deeper understanding of your character and values. It’s a chance for you to share what motivates and energizes you and why. Beyond what matters to you, this question seeks an answer to why the activity fills you with a sense of being on top of the world. There are no limitations on the areas of your life you can explore for the answer. However, considering the broader application, there are specific areas that serve to highlight your professional experience and academic achievements. This essay is your chance to showcase a side of yourself that might not be immediately apparent in your application, providing a more comprehensive view of your interests and motivations. 

Paint a picture of a specific experience by describing it in a way that will take the reader into the experience with you and convey why the activity has had an immense impact on you. You might, for example, explain how you feel when you save a life as a volunteer emergency medical technician – from the adrenaline rush of immediately arriving on the scene to the elation and relief you feel when you know your quick thinking and actions have saved a life, your gratitude for the training that had provided you with the necessary tools, and the humility that renews your commitment to making a difference in this way. Alternatively, you could share your experience leading a community effort to save stray dogs from certain death. For a dog lover, this activity is emotionally rich and deeply fulfilling. Driven by empathy, it might be sad, considering the extreme challenges a stray dog faces, but knowing your act of kindness and commitment to help such animals provides you with optimism for the life they have yet ahead. This fulfillment drives the cycle of advocating for stray animals and continued participation in these activities.

A successful essay will reveal important aspects of your character and values and highlight the unique contribution you can make to the Haas community. The reader will understand the difference you will make as a member of the next MBA class, enriching the community with your unique perspective, experiences, and skills. 

Haas Essay #2

What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from Haas help you achieve those goals?

Short-term career goals should be achievable within 3-5 years post-MBA, whereas long-term goals may span a decade or more and encompass broader professional aspirations. (300 words max)

In this year’s goals essay, Haas has clarified that applicants should consider their short-term goal one they would achieve three to five years post-MBA. The position you desire immediately after graduation isn’t necessarily at play here. Thinking about the short-term goal differently than your post-MBA goal means that while considering what you want to do immediately after the MBA program, you must focus on the stepping stones you’ll follow toward your long-term goal. Of course, you want to speak about industry and function in your answer and the developmental milestones you have achieved since graduation.

To write this essay well, you must first understand and share Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles (as presented on the Haas website): 

• Question the Status Quo: We thrive at the epicenter of innovation. We make progress by speaking our minds even when it challenges convention. We lead by championing bold ideas and taking intelligent risks.





• Confidence Without Attitude: We make decisions based on evidence and analysis, giving us the confidence to act with humility. We foster collaboration by building a foundation of empathy, inclusion, and trust.





• Students Always: We are a community designed to support curiosity. We actively seek out diverse perspectives as part of our lifelong pursuit of personal and intellectual growth. There is always more to learn.





• Beyond Yourself: We shape our world by leading ethically and responsibly. As stewards of our enterprises, we take the longer view in our decisions and actions. This often means putting the collective good above our own interests.

I recommend one of two approaches:

1. Start by describing your long-term goal, and then explain how your short-term goal (three to five years post-MBA), combined with a Haas MBA education, will help you achieve it once you gain a few years working toward your goals.

2. Start by describing your short-term goal (three to five years post-MBA) and build toward your long-term goal, explaining how a Haas MBA education would be the catalyst to achieve both goals.

With respect to your short-term goal, you must convey your understanding of a given career path – that is, how the role you take post-MBA will progress within the first few years to prepare you to achieve your short-term goal in three to five years. As for your long-term goal, consider the big problems you want to solve using business tools. 

Regardless of how you start your essay, be sure to address how Haas’s four principles align with your goals. Since the school gives you room for only 300 words