this is my personal opinion of Haas, take it with a grain of salt.
Pros:1. Specialized Strengths - Very impressive strengths in Hi-Tech, Entrepreneurship, VC, Health Care Management, Non-Profit, Net Impact/Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility. Relatively strong in marketing, general management, internationally business.
2. Student Body - Super friendly student body. Loads of energy.
3. "Quirky" - People tend to do less traditional MBA stuff (consluting/banking) here than many other schools.
4. Small Class Size - very personal, staff very responsive and knows you by name, you really bond with everyone
5. Alums - extremely responsive alums due to class size, very similar to Kellogg culture
6. Weather and location - located in one of the biggest metro areas in the country
7. International Brand Name - Mostly their "rebranding" to use UC Berkeley's name, which is
very big in Asia and many parts of Europe.
Cons:1. National Reach - East Coast reach is still growing. Better in finance (on the EC) due to NYC account managers working with major financial institutions, and good with consulting because they've been targeting a lot of the top consulting firms to come and recruit. But the reach is definitely not as strong as a H/S/W, and maybe slightly weaker than MIT/Kellogg/Chicago (them on the West Coast).
2. Alum Network Size - Smaller class size
may lead to smaller alum network outside of the West Coast, Asia, and NYC. But the tightness of the alums makes up for part of it.
3. Public School - Haas is currently transitioning to a "private school" model, so it does not have as much endowment, programs (like KWEST or Random Walk), facility upgrades, etc... as other private schools (or "private" public schools like Darden and Ross). The law passed last year (2007) will help with Haas managing its own fundraising and building its endowment.
4. Traditional MBA Industries - Still needs to grow its strength in traditional MBA sectors to really be recognized as a top 5 school (i.e. Finance/Consulting). Right now seen (again, perceptions may vary) as a "specialized" top MBA for certain industries (e.g. Tech, Non-Profit, etc)
5. Brand Name - We'll see how well the rebranding with the "Berkeley MBA" works. Haas has been climbing the ranks rapidly in the last few years and have gained a lot of recognition for being a great B-school. But it's still not there yet with the "Top 5" schools. With new buildings and an expanded class size in the future (2012 time frame), it may do what Chicago GSB did 5-7 years ago and climb from the lower Top 10 spot solidly into the Top 5.