So I'm just going to talk about the big points of attraction for Haas - relative to my interests of course. I'd love to hear from others who have or will be applying and hear about their motivations.

Haas has a very strong focus on innovation - it's marketed very clearly as such. Innovation and entrepreneurship are closely interconnected and that is the main reason why I chose Haas. Although innovation is often thought of as purely product based, Haas splits innovation into three areas: product, organizational and strategic.

Teamwork and collaboration are very important for my personal style of work. Haas seemed to place a big emphasis on this and I appreciated that. Berkeley has a non-disclosure policy that encourages and fosters teamwork.

Small class size fixed at 240. Some people like a big class size, but one of the benefits of business school is the ability to network and build a nice social circle. A class size of 240 means you can and probably will meet everyone else. Although the alumni network may be smaller as a result, you can argue that the network is more close knit.

International business. Haas was one of the few schools to have a joint MBA & international studies degree. This means that I can study the business aspects of international business and at the same time study the other aspects (culture, history, language, people). I worked abroad for two years and if there's one thing I learned, it's that these "other" things greatly influence the working environment and your personal fulfillment and success.