Meet The Incoming Haas Class of 2017

Hadiatou Barry

Hadiatou Barry

 

University of California-Berkeley, Haas School of Business 

Hometown: Conakry, Guinea

Undergraduate School and Major: Georgetown University, International Economics

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: CARANA Corporation: Project Specialist;

American Bar Association, Rule of Law Initiative: Administrative Assistant

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Take as many practice tests as you can. It will demystify the process and increase your familiarity with the test format. Identify early-on the type of questions you struggle with and focus on them. Put in the time and make sure you understand the mistakes you make so as not to repeat them. However, do not neglect the other parts of your application. At the end of the day, even if you do not get the score you worked toward, apply to your top school and make sure the rest of your application shines.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Know what matters to you. For me it was location, culture and the resources available for would-be entrepreneurs. When you figure that out, do your best to speak to alumni and current students. Tap into your LinkedIn network, ask the Admissions team to connect you, or reach out to leadership at the school’s clubs. Factor in the school’s reputation and do look at the rankings, but take them with a grain of salt. Finally, only apply to a mix schools you would actually attend, such as your dream school and a couple others that you have better odds of getting into.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? The application process is an opportunity to spend time thinking about what you want, to get to the core of what you care about, and what you would do if you weren’t afraid. As you write your essays and go through the rounds of interviews, remain true to yourself and dream big. The schools want to get to know you, not the version of yourself that you think matches their stats. For letters of recommendation, reach out to those supervisors whom you have impressed and who have shown genuine interest in your growth. Their title doesn’t matter as much as their ability to really paint a picture of who you are.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?

I chose Haas for its Defining Principles, the strong representation of women (43% in the Class of 2016!), the proximity to a hub of innovation, and, of course, the promise of beautiful Berkeley weather. One of the core principles at Haas is Beyond Yourself and it resonated with me, given my background in international development and interest in social entrepreneurship. My post-graduation goal is to start a venture that will tap into opportunities to increase affordable access to quality education in Francophone Africa and I couldn’t think of a better place to incubate that idea than at Haas.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate?

There are four things I would like to achieve before graduation: 1) Play my part to ensure that female representation in future classes continues to grow both in number and in diversity of backgrounds. 2) Create a space dedicated to raising the profile of Africa and exploring the opportunities and challenges that arise from doing business on the continent. The UC Berkeley first-ever African Business Forum was held in May 2015 and my goal is to build on the momentum it created. 3) Launch or be ready to launch a social enterprise; and 4) Really get to know and learn from as many of my amazing fellow Hassies as possible.

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