Student Perspectives

Being called humble is the greatest compliment

Unfortunately, engineers aren’t always known for being humble. I like the Confidence Without Attitude at Berkeley Haas. I’m in class with corporate leaders, VCs, entrepreneurs. Not one of them is cocky.

You see Confidence Without Attitude inside and outside the classroom. My classmates are knowledgeable and experienced, never arrogant.

Our professors are knowledgeable in their industries. They excel in the classroom. They are extremely down to earth and approachable.

A dream Rolodex

Lots of programs say you’ll learn from classmates. I never really understood the weight of that until I got to Haas. My classmates are experienced in every industry, from pharma to construction, tech to professional sports team management.

Everybody’s input is from a different angle. We balance each other out and learn from each other.

The more you get involved, the more people you meet and the more relationships you can develop. Getting involved with student government was going Beyond Yourself. My aim was to become the catalyst that brought people together and helped them form more meaningful relationships.

An MBA program is an entrepreneur’s or a CEO’s dream because you have a Rolodex of friends, experts in everything you will need as your career progresses. My go-to will always be ‘which of my classmates should I call?’

Applying lessons on the job

Haas has done a great job of putting together a holistic curriculum. The core classes deliver the full package, including soft skills like leadership and ethics.

My Operations class opened my eyes to so many opportunities for continuous improvement at our company. I came out of each class alert for small bottlenecks or process improvements that could have a huge impact.

Every class and every lesson gave me something to think about on the job. Financial Accounting got me wondering about how we manage our books. Strategy gave me a new lens to view the competition we face in our sector.

There is no better way to retain what you learn than to take a class and see how you can apply it at work. This is especially true if you’re ambitious to advance into a general management position that demands an understanding of the entire scope of the business.

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