UCLA Biz Econ 2026
Hi everyone,
I am a senior from NorCal who got accepted into UCLA Biz Econ. I got absolutely fried by the Ivies plus Berkeley, so I am essentially committing to UCLA.
I have read various threads from past years, one saying that UCLA is "the worst top college there is," and another, more recent one, saying that UCLA has drastically improved in terms of placements.
This post is mainly for confirmation and to quell my nerves as an anxious senior.
I have a few questions:
- How is UCLA viewed prestige-wise on the West Coast (LA & SF)? How about on the East Coast?
- Are clubs really important for recruitment? If so, which ones do I target, and do you have any tips for breaking into them?
- Any insight into the grading system and classes? Is there grade deflation? Inflation?
Any other miscellaneous info, like social life/frats, is also welcome.
Thank you all in advance.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know:
1. UCLA's Prestige on the West Coast vs. East Coast
2. Importance of Clubs for Recruitment
3. Grading System and Classes
4. Miscellaneous Info
Final Thoughts
UCLA Biz Econ is a solid choice, especially if you're targeting West Coast opportunities. Focus on excelling academically, building relationships through clubs, and leveraging the UCLA network. Over time, your work experience will outweigh the name of your school, so stay confident and proactive!
Sources: UCLA Clubs to showcase their elitism, Kellogg vs. Anderson (w/ $) vs. Ross (w/ $), Back to make fun of UCLA, the worst top college there is, West Coast Semi Targets
It's a good school with a strong reputation on the West Coast and internationally (slightly weaker on East Coast).
The clubs are very helpful. You can break in without them but joining one will give you access to important mentorship, a strong network, etc. The clubs place into top banks like GS, Q, PJT etc. on the West and East Coast (look at their websites for placements). To get in you should maintain a good GPA and read all the technical guides from BIWS as they'll grill you on those. Also important to be personable during the interview and not come off as annoying or sweaty. I was a part of one of these clubs and honestly without my club I don't think I would have gotten into BB IB... It's really competitive to get in with 5% offer rates but the key is to be prepared as most people wont' be so make sure to prepare a lot if you have time. The clubs to join are BAM, BVI, BHF or BIT mainly. They're all very good if you get in.
Grading is curved. Just work hard and if you are decently smart you should be fine. A lot of students come in with a more careless attitude. Anyone who is willing to grind should do well.
I also think lifestyle wise UCLA is incredible. You have great weather, are in a great neighborhood in LA, have greek life, lots of festivals and clubs nearby, and beautiful nature. The campus is beautiful. I loved my time there personally. If you get an offer during sophomore year you can spend the rest of the time enjoying life and it's great. It's important freshman and sophomore year to prep getting into clubs, do internships, prep junior summer internship recruiting. If you pull it off then the rest of college should be a breeze with an offer locked in.
To be honest it's not the BEST school for IB recruiting obviously, but if you put your head down you can get there and people get into great banks every year by doing so.
Thank you so much. This was very helpful. I have a few additional questions:
1) I know the school is considered a semi-target (at best) for East Coast recruiting, but how is it viewed on the West Coast compared to a school like Berkeley Haas?
2) Also, is it necessary/recommended to network with existing club members? Do they have a referral system, or is it all merit-based (from past threads, I see the answer is no)?
3) How is the alumni network? I know they might not be as receptive as USC, but are they like Stern's, for example?
Thank you again for your time and help.
It's strong for West Coast recruiting IMO but slightly behind Haas. I think between Haas and UCLA it will mostly come down to you as a person. If you are smart, polished, etc. you can do very well out of both. Don't worry too much at this point about target school etc etc. you are in a good enough school to make it happen. It's really just up to you.
I got in just by networking at the information session and preparing my interviews. Make sure to be friendly and genuinely curious at the session and make sure you prepare to pitch yourself and do technicals at the interview. Don't go on overkill mode with the networking and outreach you can come off as abrasive. Again no one likes hardos (seriously). There will be a bit of shoulder rubbing especially between the frat bros to be fair. I guess if you want to rush certain frats have more of a presence in these clubs that can help but it's not necessary (I would just for the experience though)
Good alumni network. These clubs tend to be smaller and tight knit so people are receptive to outreach emails from students. Since these clubs help you so much in getting a job a lot of people have a lot of gratitude and want to pay it back. You do need to be polite and respectful though as always.
I'll also say not getting into Berkeley might have been a good thing... If you get into IB from UCLA you'll also have the benefit of a much better student experience. LA vs the Bay is not really a fair comparison in terms of weather, nightlife, fun, and girls... Berkeley people tend to be weird too in my experience. They're kind of hardos compared to UCLA students who are more well rounded.
UCLA is a good school for investment banking recruiting; if you put your head down and work hard you will get a great offer. Each year about 80 or so kids recruit successfully. I would say at this point we are a target for any group on the West Coast, and a semi-target for banks on the East Coast. If your goal is to go to New York and you are willing to put in the work to do so, you will be successful, plenty of people do so each year.
It does help a lot to be in one of the finance clubs. They will guide you through the process of training/recruiting advice, and also help you get into the Investment Banking Workshop sophomore year, which is the most important program to get into for recruitment. The clubs take single-digit numbers of people each of fall and winter quarter, but if you are well-prepared (well-formatted resume, studied the BIWS guides and 400Q) you will probably get into one. It is important to be personable as a lot of these clubs screen for social fit too (some clubs are a little more Greek than others, if you rush a frat you will generally have a bit of an advantage in club recruitment). Go to the info sessions and try to meet people in the fall.
On the Berkeley note, echoing the poster above, it may be a good thing you didn't get into Berkeley. I have friends who recruited out of Cal and the culture there is far more sharp-elbowed and gatekeep-y than I experienced at UCLA (this is not just with regard to investment banking recruiting, it applies to general academics too). At UCLA you will find that people are generally happy to help each other, even if not in the same club or affiliation. Plus UCLA is a far more enjoyable college experience, though I am biased.
I am in one of the clubs and would not have gone the IB route if not for that. However it is possible to recruit well if not in a club/not in the IB Workshop, so do not let that discourage you. Most importantly, enjoy the rest of your senior year and summer, and don't stress about this until the fall. Congratulations on getting into UCLA!
Thank you! This was very helpful advice. I will be sure to keep this in mind for the fall. And you are right, I will try to enjoy the rest of my senior year.
USC grad from NorCal here (8ish years ago). You will be totally fine at UCLA. It’s a west coast target for sure. Feel free to PM me
I go to a semi-target (think McCombs/Duke/Georgetown/Dartmouth) and recruited for West Coast. I got absolutely fried. Most of the kids who ended up getting offers were all from UCLA. UCLA probably has one of the strongest West Coast placements out of any other school in the US besides Wharton and Stanford. IMO UCLA > UC Berkeley > USC for West Coast Placement
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