Columbia, MIT, USC, Cornell...Do they all require work experience or can you get in straight from undergrad?
Context: I'd be applying with 2 IBD internships and 1 PWM internship, 3.7 GPA. Top 15 public uni. No RE experience.
I know NYU takes straight from undergrad, but what about the other top ones?
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Columbia takes undergrad too, the other require work experience.
I'm pretty sure Columbia requires three years work exp. NYU will accept straight from undergrad
If you have absolutely no RE experience, I would probably try to get some so you know you actually like it before you buy a ~70k degree in it.
MIT requires 3 years. I believe everyone else takes people straight from undergrad.
Other than MIT though - there's a sweet spot in terms of experience for MSRE/MRED admissions. Thinking of my class - I had 2.5 years going in and it was way too much. While my overall experience was positive and the degree definitely accomplished what I wanted it to, I didn't get as much as I should out of my classes. When you're in a cohort, topics are always going to be taught to the lowest knowledge base out of necessity.
Similarly, I wouldn't go in straight out of undergrad either. Those kids learned a shit ton compared to what I did, but they also really struggled with basic concepts that first semester and struggled in the job hunt coming out. I came out of school a bit over-educated but under-experienced for the roles I was seeking - you can imagine what someone with a masters degree and zero full time experience would be dealing with.
If I would do it over again, I'd work for a year in the industry in whatever role I could find, ignoring what that role even is to a point, and then go into grad school. By the time you start, you'll have basically a year and a half of experience (Graduate in May, Apply in November or whatever, get accepted in January, work until classes start in August) which I think is perfect.
USC's MRED requires a minimum of two years experience. Average experience for students enrolling in the program is 5-6 years in real estate or closely related fields (architecture, construction, RE finance).
Would the top schools look down on residential brokerage experience as work experience? I've debated applying for some MSRE/MSRED programs to make a transition to some sort of commercial or development role with 4 years of successful residential brokerage experience (50+ homes/year) but don't know how that will be viewed.
That sounds like as good a reason as any to go back to school. You're in the industry (roughly), you have applicable experience and knowledge, and you want to elevate your career.
The issue becomes finding a job after graduate school. It depends on what you would like to do. If your goal is to go into development or acquisitions/investment, employers will not highly value experience in residential brokerage. You would be better able to leverage a masters degree if you got a couple year of experience in commercial brokerage before going back to school.
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