2 year Cornell vs 1 yr Columbia MSRE
I am currently debating which of these two programs to attend ( accepted to Cornell, waiting on Columbia ). I am pivoting from civil engineering and most likely want to work in development or REPE role. Given this goal which program would be a better fit for me ?
I was very set on Cornell but recently have been having second thoughts since it is a 2 year commitment and I am not sure if taken on that added cost is necessary to achieve my goal. If I choose to attend Columbia I am worried that it being only a one year program and no time to intern will make it hard to get a good role upon graduation. Can anyone shed light on the recruitment for Columbia ?. Cornell has published stats but I don't see any for Columbia and it would be very helpful to get some information on it. Thank you
Just to add color: Columbia is a MSRED. Very development ('sticks and bricks') focused whereas Cornell is definitely broader although with specialization possibilities, IIRC. Anecdotally, why not track down 10 alumni from each program and ask about their outcomes. [Solid, ~multiple, ideally local, and completed internships are critical to success unless you already have the relevant experience and references post-grad. Don't graduate without them as a hard and standing rule when it comes to all MSRE/D programs].
Cornell alum here so obviously biased, but the 2-year program was IMO a huge benefit for recruiting from a cycle perspective. You're on the normal intern/job search cycle and it felt more safe than the 1.5/1 year options where I saw some people leave empty handed and go back to their old jobs. I feel like after my first year I would have been super underprepared for the interviews I had my 2nd year and that extra time/experience helped a lot.
Does the program place well into say acquisition or repe roels ?
It's definitely driven by job market demand as much as the student body, A/E backgrounds that work with some bigger firms are pretty much guaranteed bigger name interviews and it's up to you to execute after that. If you look at employment trends year by year you'll see that it's affected significantly by what's available, so right if you graduated today you'd likely be looking at AM/Debt jobs since a equity positions (dev/acquisitions) have generally gotten hit hardest by the current market. The Baker program is like 30-40 a class so background variance is highly likely.
I'd say there's a "high" tier of REPE/Debt/IB that is tough to break into (Blackstone/Apollo/Carlyle/BB IBs) but there are a couple every year that hit that mark. Everything else felt very doable if you focused and chose to pursue it. Sorry for the lack of detail, but since classes are small we're all very doxxable.
What’s the total cost difference between the two, including tuition, room and board, additional year without income? And how much student debt are you in already? Not to pry, but these are the first questions you shouldn’t answer.
They’re both good programs. You’re already aware of the 1/2 year difference. I’d throw locations in the mix for consideration. A big part of these grad school programs is the coffee chats and interactions with alum/classmates. Hard to have these social meetings in Ithaca but some Cornell folks swear by it. Columbia MSRED alum here and I’d say the 20-25 coffee chats I had in my 12 months would’ve been very difficult to schedule had I picked Ithaca.
That was an issue of mine but having talked to a lot of MSRED students from the top schools, most of the chats are over zoom or cell. Obv the face the face is way better but if you can chop it up over the phone that’s good as well
I feel like an MBA would suit someone coming from civil background especially if looking for an REPE role. Columbia, UVA/UNC place well. Obviously HSW as well but not sure what your stats are etc.
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