How Berkeley Promotes Business and Entrepreneurship Through Their Programs
The land of business and entrepreneurship is an ever-evolving landscape. Berkeley Business Academy promises to give middle and high school students “a glimpse into the future.” The Berkeley Business Academy (B-BAY) for youth offers programs to high schoolers and the program is directed under the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.
As part of the program, you will receive education from a carefully crafted curriculum from top-notch staff, faculty and PhD students. The curriculum includes core values of entrepreneurship, leadership, business disciplines and presentation skills.
Program Information
Keep in mind that this program is non-credited but you still receive a certificate upon completion. You are only given a certificate if you complete 98% of the program ー meaning you cannot miss any day of the program.
Residence
For the duration of the program, it is mandatory to reside in Berkeley’s dorms and it is not permitted to be a commuter.
Roommates are assigned based on information provided in your application.
For safety reasons, any participant of the B-BAY program must travel in pairs/groups when leaving their dorm (even if they’re 18 years old.)
Sessions, deadlines and tuition
There are two sessions for the program:
Session 1: July 7 - July 20
Session 2: July 30 - August 3
The deadline to apply for the 2024 sessions is March 17, 2024 @ 5 pm PST.
Admissions are based upon rolling admissions, therefore we’d advise you to not to leave your application till the very last date.
Supporting documents can be sent till March 18, 2024 but applications will not be reviewed till every required document is submitted.
Tuition for both sessions is $6050 USD for California residents and $7050 USD for non-California residents and international applicants.
Accepted payment methods for domestic applicants is credit card, while international applicants have the choice between credit card and wire transfer.
International applicants (upon being selected for the program)
If you are a citizen of a country that requires a visa to travel to the United States, Berkeley advises you to obtain the B-2 “Visitor for Pleasure” visa instead of the F-1 student visa. The “Visitor for Pleasure” visa allows you to participate in the B-Bay as well as enjoy tourist activities.
If you are a citizen of a country participating in the Visa Waiver program, you could enter the United States under the “Waiver Tourist” status.
As an international applicant, a member of the program’s admissions committee will interview you to determine your English proficiency.
Eligibility and Selection
The Berkeley Business Academy for Youth is incredibly selective ー only 50 spots are offered every year.
All high school students (U.S. residents and international students) are eligible to apply
A complete application requires you to:
Write a 600 word essay: Berkeley requires you to choose two out of the four essay prompts given, which are then evaluated based on presentation, relevance, content and writing (grammar, spelling mistakes.)
Provide teacher recommendation letters: Two of your teachers must submit recommendation letters directly to B-BAY.
Submit a transcript: You must also provide a transcript with two years of grades. While Berkeley doesn’t have a minimum grade for entry to the program, its competitiveness signals that the better your grades are, the better chances you have of being admitted into B-BAY.
Application fee: An $80 non-refundable fee is required for a complete application.
Virtual Interview: You might also be asked to complete a virtual interview with an Admissions committee member.
After 10 days of your complete application, you will get to know if you were accepted or not. If your application is deemed incomplete, it will not be reviewed.
Essay Prompts
The three essay prompts, directly from Berkeley’s website are:
”The future of business is equitable and to successfully innovate and maintain a competitive advantage, organizations must embrace inclusion wholeheartedly.” (1) Why is it important for teams to embrace inclusion? (2)How does inclusion help improve the performance of individuals and teams? (3) *How will Berkeley Business Academy for Youth help you to achieve your goals? * If English is not your native language, please write one paragraph describing your English educational background and experience.
The Benefits of B-BAY
Networking: Access to some of the most qualified educators and alumni in a vast range of careers can be helpful in future endeavors. B-BAY also invited guest speakers to come in and give talks to the students during the program. You will also get the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals in your own age group. The connections you form here, will extend the program’s duration.
Creativity and Innovation: Participants are encouraged to think outside the box and develop solutions to problems just like they would in real life. Examples would be creating a business plan, devising marketing strategies, and pitching a startup idea.
Prestige: One of the first things that people think of when they hear “Berkeley” is the prestige. As part of the University of California system, UC Berkeley inhibits a distinguished reputation for quality in various different ways, including alumni contribution to society, academics, innovation and entrepreneurship and much more.
Competitiveness/Intensity of the Program/Cost
B-BAY is an extremely interesting program that you high school students can apply to. You might be worried about how selective this program is. With only 50 seats available, there will be cutthroat competition. However, the competition itself shouldn’t become the reason for you not to apply. Remember, you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. Since B-BAY only accepts 50 students each year, it will add value to both your resume and college applications.
The program is reasonably rigorous ー and it covers a wide span of topics in the span of two weeks. B-BAY mentions that the participants will be held onto high academic expectations and there will be no tolerance for poor performance (for example, missing classes and not engaging in classes, etc.)
Even though this is a great program, its cost could be a dealbreaker for some students because unfortunately, B-BAYdoes not offer any scholarships.
Conclusion
Therefore, the B-BAY program embodies far more than just an academic, education program. It represents a transformative journey, through its holistic approach to mentorship and entrepreneurship and commitment to empowering young minds and our future leaders. The shared passion of students, professors and teaching assistants help build skills that outlast the program and will continue to help participants in their daily lives.
As B-BAY participants graduate, they carry with themselves not just a certificate indicating the completion of the prestigious program but also an elevated sense and learning of the business and entrepreneurial world, fortified confidence and a new network to fuel and help with their personal aspirations in the future.
B-BAY isn’t just a summer program that you forget about in the coming years, it becomes an investment in the dreams that you have fostered in your mind. It allows you to get a jump start into your own entrepreneurial ideas and can become the first step in the path to become successful in the business world.
About Inspirit AI
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