Intel CEO Paul Otellini, MBA 74, and Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen, MBA 93, were among the business leaders who greeted graduate students launching their studies at the Haas School this fall.
Nearly 500 new students in the Full-time MBA, Evening & Weekend MBA, and PhD programs began classes this month. Students in the Undergraduate Program began in July, Berkeley-Columbia students started in May, and Master's in Financial Engineering students began classes in March.
The Berkeley Full-time MBA Program
Otellini inspired the 240 members of the full-time MBA class of 2011 with thoughts on how to take themselves and their organizations to unlimited heights. Students also heard from World of Good CEO Priya Haji, MBA 03, and from Adjunct Professor Henry Chesbrough, executive director of the Center for Open Innovation at Haas.
In addition to leadership lessons, students bonded over a community impact project and the Go-Game, a morning of navigating Haas as an obstacle course with technology-fueled challenges.
For the second year in a row, the entering full-time Berkeley MBA class is statistically the strongest class ever, with an average GPA of 3.59 and an average GMAT of 718. Applications increased by 7 percent this past year to 4,064, and admission was offered to about 11 percent of the applicant pool.
"This class is not just about numbers, however," says Pete Johnson, director of admissions. "These students truly embody the Berkeley MBA values of confidence without attitude, ability to see beyond the status quo, and an interest in creating positive change."
Incoming students have an average five years of professional experience and a median age of 28. Sixty-seven percent speak two or more languages, from Serbian and Urdu to Flemish and Farsi, and the class represents 31 different countries.
Two students are attending Haas as Fulbright Scholars. One student launched the first cable broadband service in Grenada, one worked on the development of a plug-in hybrid car at Ford, and another worked on the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid proposal.
These students have distinguished themselves in athletics as well: One rowed across the Atlantic, another is a professional surfer, and yet another student has been an assistant trainer for the Boston Celtics.
The Evening & Weekend MBA Program
Adobe CEO Narayen, a graduate of the Evening & Weekend Program, spoke to the program's class of 2012 at its orientation in early August. He talked about the importance of creating a vision and culture to create a successful team and work environment as well as the importance of staying out of the way to allow the team to take ownership of what it does rather than overseeing every detail.
A total of 242 new students make up the class of 2012. The new students' orientation also featured a team-building activity that involved building a castle. Pictured here with their castle are Zhenyu Tang and Mike Nabasny, both MBA 2012. The program accepted about one-third of applicants this year.
These fully employed students have a median age of 32 and a median GMAT score of 700. Thirty-two countries are represented by the class, and 71 percent of students speak more than one language. On average students have eight years of work experience and about 42 percent already hold advanced degrees.
The new Evening & Weekend MBA class brings the total enrollment for the three-year program to 782.
The PhD Program
Sixteen new PhD students were chosen from an applicant pool of 511, which was up 33 percent from last year. Six students are from overseas, hailing from Brazil, China, Italy, and Korea, among other countries. Admission of the new students brings total enrollment in the Haas School PhD Program to 83.
Three students have enrolled in Finance, and three have enrolled in Business and Public Policy. Two students enrolled in each of the following groups: Accounting, Marketing, Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations, Operations and Information Technology Management, and Real Estate.
Half of the entering students are women, and the average age is 27. The median GMAT score for the entering class is 740. The median undergraduate GPA is 3.7 and the average graduate GPA for the seven students already holding advanced degrees is 4.0.