“My mentoring session with Andre was extremely valuable and gave me the clarity and direction I needed at an important stage of my application journey. He was kind, approachable, and generous with his time, creating an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable sharing my experiences, asking questions, and discussing my doubts openly.
One of the most helpful aspects of our conversation was his guidance on how to organize and communicate my personal story. Andre helped me understand how to connect different experiences into a coherent narrative, identify the elements that matter most, and explain their significance more clearly. His perspective was fundamental in helping me see how to present my background with greater confidence, purpose, and authenticity.
I particularly appreciated his advice on what to avoid. He helped me recognize that including every detail does not necessarily make a story stronger, and that being selective can make a message much more effective. Our discussion gave me a clearer understanding of how to avoid unnecessary repetition, keep my narrative focused, and ensure that each part contributes something meaningful to the overall application.
Andre also provided valuable guidance on how to organize the application process itself. He helped me think more clearly about priorities, how to approach the different components, and how to make the work feel more manageable. Having a clearer structure has made a difference to my mindset: instead of seeing the applications as one overwhelming task, I now feel better equipped to approach them through specific, achievable steps.
Another important takeaway was his advice on how to use the coming days effectively. Our conversation helped me understand where to focus my energy, which tasks deserve immediate attention, and how to establish a realistic plan. I left the session with a stronger sense of direction and a better understanding of how to balance thoughtful preparation with consistent progress.
What made the experience positive was the combination of practical guidance and encouragement. Andre offered suggestions in a considerate and constructive way, helping me reflect on my choices while also making me feel supported. His kindness made it easier to engage honestly with the process and to see areas for improvement as opportunities to strengthen my applications.
Overall, this session was fundamental in helping me understand both what I want to communicate and how to move forward. I now have a clearer approach to telling my story, organizing my applications, avoiding common mistakes, and planning the next few days with intention.
I am very grateful for Andre’s support and for the care he brought to our conversation. His advice gave me useful tools, renewed confidence, and a more focused approach to the work ahead. I would highly recommend a session with him to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance, practical direction, and a supportive space to develop their application narrative. The session helped me turn uncertainty into a clearer plan, and I feel much more prepared to make the most of the time ahead and present my experiences in a meaningful and convincing way.”
I dont care if UW Seattle is ranked Top 10 or Top 100. Pick Berkeley.
I dont know which business community you are referring too but AMZN and MSFT will def prefer a berkeley kid over UW. I am aware of UW’s alum presence in SEA tech scene but its nowhere close
UW is tremendously worse. No OCR. These schools are not comparable.
I hope you have a reliable source for making statements like this. This kid is trying to make a college decision.
UW has an undergrad business school?
Foster’s School of Imaginary Business
Berkeley is #2 on the West Coast for finance recruiting after Stanford (a very distant #2) and UW Seattle isn't even on the radar for most firms. Pretty intuitive what to do here.
I’m a current student at UW Foster. Here are my thoughts:
Foster is a solid program if you want to recruit for the local tech firms (AMZN, MSFT, EXPE, etc). We have a solid alumni base at most of these and plenty of campus recruiting/networking events (for example, I was a part of a program where we would meet with alumni at MSFT’s HQ once a week; we have a similar program with AMZN as well). I was able to interview with both AMZN and MSFT and have plenty of buddies (who did Foster or CS) who work/interned at these firms. If you do well in your classes and network, I’m sure you would be fine at UW for recruiting with the local tech firms.
As for consulting, we do have MBB OCR but most opportunities will come from the Big 4, who recruit heavily at UW (particularly Foster). Again, if you have good grades, it’s not too hard to get first rounds with Bain/BCG. Have a few friends who got offers this year.
Most of my recruiting efforts were focused on banking, particularly for SF and NY. There are a few of us at Foster who did break into banking, but very few placed in SF compared to Berkeley grads (when I went on a UW-hosted networking trip to SF, not surprisingly, many of the Analysts and Associates we met came from Berkeley/UCLA). The only reason I was able to get an SA offer at a BB in NY was because I had a ton of internships, including IB at a relatively well known boutique in Seattle (basically got lucky and leveraged past experiences).
It’s definitely possible to break in from Foster but I guarantee you Berkeley’s brand and alumni would take you farther, particularly if you wan to do banking. If you want to end up at a boutique in Seattle, Foster would be a great choice. But if you have aspirations to end up at a BB in SF, go for Berkeley (there are barely any BB’s with IB groups in Seattle; most are commercial banking/PWM).
This decision really should come down to how scrappy you are and whether tuition is a huge factor (in state vs out of state). I’m going to be graduating loan free but if I had the chance to attend Berkeley, even with loans, I probably would have. Best of luck and feel free to PM.