berkeley eecs vs ucla business econ for finance

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice because I’m pretty conflicted right now.

I got into Berkeley for EECS, and also into UCLA for Business Economics.

Originally I applied to Berkeley for MET for eecs + haas, but I didn’t get into MET, just eecs. I know eecs is an insane opportunity and I don’t want to take it for granted.

My goal is to go into finance, ideally investment banking, private equity, VC, or something finance adjacent, but I’ve always wanted to keep some exposure to tech as well.

Here’s where I’m stuck:

I’m not very technical right now and don’t have much programming experience. I’m definitely willing to work hard and I know Berkeley’s culture and environment will lead me to have amazing opportunities, connections, and upside, but I’m honestly worried about going in and getting filtered out early or struggling a lot in classes in such a cut-throat environment where so many people are already coming in with experience. 

At the same time, UCLA Business Econ seems like a much more straightforward path into finance, and probably a better academic fit for me on paper right now. 

I also feel like recruiting into finance might be a bit harder from UCLA compared to Berkeley, but I’m not sure if being in EECS would actually give me the same opportunities, especially since I wouldn’t be in Haas. I'm also a little worried about the GPA risk that comes with being in eecs, esp for finance recruiting.

At Berkeley I’d probably try to:

• either stick with EECS and recruit into finance
• Potentially apply to Haas later if that seems appropriate 

So I’m trying to figure out:

How much of a disadvantage would I be coming into EECS without a strong programming background?

Is UCLA Business Econ the smarter move if my main goal is finance and I want to avoid getting overwhelmed early?

How realistic is it to break into IB or PE from Berkeley EECS compared to UCLA Business Econ?

How valuable is an EECS major for someone trying to break into finance?

How much does the GPA risk in EECS impact finance recruiting, especially compared to something like Business Econ?

Would really appreciate any honest advice, especially from people who chose between similar paths.

Thanks