Berkeley Haas vs. UF for IB (M&A/TMT/RX) — Which Actually Places Better?
Incoming freshman choosing between UC Berkeley Haas and University of Florida. Berkeley will be $90k/yr vs UF $20k/yr.
Interested in M&A (preferably TMT) or RX long-term, with a possible pivot to HF/credit if banking doesn't work out. I've done my research and spoke with few students but want more perspectives from people who've actually recruited from these schools.
Specific questions:
- Which school genuinely places better into BB/EB for M&A and RX? Berkeley has the Bay proximity but UF has a surprisingly strong alumni base in NY from what I've seen.
- What clubs should I keep an eye out for at Berkeley/UF.
- Which school has a stronger alumni network for NY-based deal work specifically (not just tech/SF)?
Thanks.
2. At UF, GSIF is the #1 with best alumni network and best placements overall
3. UF is such a sleeper here. The alumni base in NY has been compounding fast af considering how large the school is
UF alum, can speak to this, the gators absolutely crushed it with placements this year. 3 GS, 5 EVR, and even some pretty good buy side placements, as well as a vast majority of the solid MM banks. Even had a kid place at Bridgewater lol, which would’ve been unheard of 5 years ago. With that being said, Haas is definitely a more reputable program, and for TMT, the Berkeley Pipeline to SF is pretty hard to pass up as well. In NY I’d definitely say UF has a stronger rep. Now as for clubs, can’t speak for Berkeley but Gator Student Investment Fund (GSIF) is the best finance club on campus. Founders Fund, which I was in is number 2 and also places well. I dont want to sound bias to sway you one way or the other, but it’s crazy how much UFs presence has grown in high finance. When I was there people really only placed at RBC, Truist or RJ, and we maybe had one kid a class who got a BB or EB, or other banks.
This is exactly the kind of response I was looking for - appreciate you breaking it down without sugarcoating. The growth you're describing at UF is honestly impressive, and the GSIF/Founders Fund intel is helpful. Would you be open to a quick 15–20 min call sometime? I have some more specific questions about recruiting timeline and how you approached the process. Happy to work around your schedule.
PM Me
Have a good buddy at UF, PM as well if you want insights.
Go to Berkeley and work in SF for some time before lateraling
Bro, I'll make this simple since you clearly need someone to spell it out for you. Unless you're at Wharton, Harvard, or Yale, the name on your diploma means nothing it's all about what you do with it. Ross? Overrated. Stern? Glorified non-target. UT Austin? Cute. Berkeley Haas? You're paying $90K a year to cosplay as a target school kid while California firms give your spot to an actual Stanford or Wharton grad.
UF is the obvious answer and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. GSIF and Gator Finance place kids into NYC every single cycle and the alumni network is expanding faster than people on this forum want to admit. You take the $70K per year you save, stack your resume harder than every Haas kid who's coasting on the Berkeley name, and you come out the other side with zero debt and the same shot at a BB as anyone outside the Holy Trinity.
Berkeley grads walk in thinking the name does the work. UF grads walk in hungry. Guess which one MDs actually remember after a superday.
Pay $20K, go to UF, network like a maniac, lock in a GSIF spot, and stop asking questions. The kids debating this too long are the same ones posting "why can't I crack IB" threads two years from now.
Congrats on UVA!
congrats on stern
Somewhat agree, but I will say if you’re at UF you need to be in the top 5% of finance kids to break in. Other schools you mentioned you can be middle of the pack and break in, that’s not a possibility at UF. Like you said securing GSIF can go a long way, and GSIF is already like top 1% of finance kids here.
UF sounds a lot more fun and it’s cheaper…
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