The first mini semester of my MBA is over! After the last stressful
exam I met up with my classmates for some dinner and drinks. I looked around at
the 240 students around me and thought about how dear to my heart these people
have become. I love them! Every one of them!
**
Last Spring I was faced to choose between a 700-student program and a
240-student program. I was contemplating whether a bigger or smaller class
would suit me more and saw the benefits for both options. The benefits to being
part of a 700 student program were the opportunity to significantly increase my
network vs. a smaller class and having a higher chance of meeting friends that
share my hobbies and values. On the other hand, the benefit of being part of a
smaller class was having a larger influence on the class.
At the end, I choose the smaller class program.
In the past 8 weeks at Berkeley-Haas I have truly understood the uniqueness
of being part of a small class. First, the fact that I know most of my
classmates by name make it easier for me to reach out and connect with others;
when I walk out to the courtyard for lunch, I look around and feel comfortable
to join any table. Second, I feel that the small class structure supports international
students associating with American students; the small class structure creates
a dependence on each student, and leads to high collaboration.
Obviously, I can only testify to the benefits of a small class
program, as this is the only one I have experienced. However, I encourage you,
as a prospective student, to ask students how the class size plays a factor in their
MBA experience.
As the new mini semester emerges, I am eager to start the new course
in problem framing, take part in the Digital Media company treks and strengthen
the connection with my classmates.
Noa Elan, Forte Fellow
Class of 2014, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
Noa, I so much agree with you! We're definetely in the right place to reap a full pile of MBA benefits! =)
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