Berkeley Econ vs. Haas vs. USC Marshall vs. Indiana Bloomington
Hi guys, I currently have a big decision to make. I'm hoping you guys can give me some input. I am currently studying at UC Riverside, and I just got an admission letter from UC Berkeley, USC, and Indiana University - Bloomington.
I am hoping to break into IB in the future. From my understanding, all 3 schools are semi-target schools for IB. I am just very troubled by which school to pick because I would love to go to Berkeley, but I'm being admitted as an Econ major. As an economics major, will I be exposed to the same type of opportunities as Haas students? Also, I heard it's pretty hard for an econ major to transfer to Haas. Additionally, I wish to finish school in 4years, and I don't know if that's unrealistic for a junior transfer such as myself or not. On the other hand, USC and IU - Bloomington seem to have great prospects as well. What do you guys think? Which school will best position me to land a BB IB job in the future?
P.S. Which school or program will be the easiest to get a high GPA? I want to make sure that I will have at least a 3.8 so I can better position myself in searching for a job in the future.
Thanks in advance guys!
I went to Berkeley Econ from my freshman year and I haven't heard anyone transferred from Econ to Haas (after the typical Haas application during the sophomore year). Let's say you applied to Haas this winter and got admitted (although highly unlikely), the program would officially start in Fall 2018 and last for two years.
I think if you only do econ at Berkeley, it is not hard to keep a high GPA (compared to my other STEM major). But there are just so many high-GPA, Econ-major Asian males at Berkeley aiming for iBanking and many of them have already been in business frats or clubs for several semesters.
I like Berkeley and you will get to explore many fields and subjects here. But if your goal is to break into FO IB, I would not recommend it. I think the business program at a private school may better prepare you for it.
Also, I think this post might be somewhat helpful.
Finally, I might be too pessimistic about Berkeley econ and I did not have any knowledge of USC, so feel free to take this as a grain of salt. And if you are not an international student and are willing to start in a Boutique shop, you might be a better shot at Berkeley.
@JJQQQ Would you say Berkely Econ majors are looked down upon? I am very interested in learning business courses and not so much econ. But, my dilemma is that since I am a UC transfer, my GPA will rollover to Berkely which is a 3.70. If I go to USC, my GPA refreshes, and I have limited time to get involved and build new connections, so it's a lot more challenging to stand out at USC in my opinion. What do you think?
I am trying to understand your situation; please bear with me if I understand it in a wrong way since I am a non-native speaker. By whom are you asking Berkeley Econ majors are looked down upon?
IMO Berkeley letter and science college does not offer elitist education, so the pool of econ undergrads is every large and many of them are mediocre students (no offense). In this case, on average an econ undergrad does not stand out compared to one from more prestigious programs. The FO BB and MBB placement statistics does not look good either (There is data on Career Center website; I also included my personal observation).
Also, when we talk about FO BB and MBB, Haas majors are not super competitive, let alone just econ majors. There are definitely high achievers who made it to FO BB, but you have to view them on a case by case basis because there is no easy way to do it (extensive networking, summer internship in an international office, business club leadership, etc). Why don't you do a search on LinkedIn and stalk their profiles.
Overall, I find it is a difficult task especially when you insist on graduating in two years. I would say two and a half years would be much better because it gives you one more chance for internship recruiting. I do understand you concerns about GPA, because my GPA in the last two semesters was not as good as the prior ones. I would say 3.7 is decent and you should try keep it rather than rest on you laurels.
One last word, you really need to STAND OUT and be super PROACTIVE as a Berkeley (NOT Berkely) Econ major.
Thanks so much for your insight. I was asking you if Berkeley Econ majors are looked down upon by firms since you mentioned you were one before. Nonetheless, I am leaning towards USC a lot more now due to its similar placements to Berkely Econ and a much better social life.
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