UC Berkeley Haas vs UCLA Business Economics Undergrad

Hey everyone, I've just been admitted to these two wonderful schools! UC Berkeley for Business Administration and UCLA for Business Economics. This is the first year that UC Berkeley has done direct admission to Haas as well. I'm currently struggling to pick between the two schools; I prefer the social scene at UCLA, but the prestige of Haas cannot be overlooked. My end goal would be to work in PE or IB in NYC, but I wouldn't be mad working in SF or LA either. I'm limited to just these schools and cost is not a factor. Would choosing UCLA over Haas put me at such a big disadvantage?


Thank you so much!

 
Most Helpful

Firstly congrats on both offers!

To echo what others have already said the IB prospects from CAL are better than UCLA, but the truth of the matter is UCLA is a strong enough school where you can almost definetly land an offer if you put in the right work.

As a UCLA student I'll shed some light here (even though it's very prevalent on other forums). A lot of UCLA's IB placement will come from the two main programs (IB Workshop and Sharpe Fellows) and its main finance clubs (BAM, BIT, BHF, and BVI). Those clubs have their job placements listed on their website if you want to check them out, you can definetly get a NYC offer from UCLA. It's worth noting that all of the above programs and clubs are incredibly competitive, and although it is possible to recruit without them, you'll have to put in significantly more work without the same access to opportunities, networks, and guidance.

Overall CAL is definetly a safer option, but if a more social atmosphere and sun is what you want, UCLA won't hold you back. 

 

UCLA is good, Berkeley just has a better rep. Placements this year are exceptional and there’s representation at every BB and EB (including PJT RSSG, EVR RX/M&A, Q, LAZ NYC, MOE NYC and LA etc) and even MF PE (Vista, Bain, BX non corp pe, KKR non corp pre, Ares etc)…

 

Sit et perferendis dolor culpa sed molestias molestias. Veniam tempora dolor quisquam aut architecto vel.

Et porro consequatur eveniet. Illum atque ut assumenda occaecati dolorem harum dolorum. Iste minima consequuntur sequi et. Tempore accusantium itaque quis veniam non dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”