UW Madison - REMBA’s hired by Top REPE Firms?
Hello- I have been looking at attending the REMBA program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Madison is known for having one of the best real estate programs in the nation. I’m interested in this program because of its 12-credit RE Private Equity track where you take four private equity courses and can partake in a student-led ‘Investment Fund’. That said, I’m curious to hear if some of the nations top REPE firms (e.g. Starwood, Blackstone, Carlyle) have been hiring UW REMBA’s? I have 8+ years experience working in corporate real estate consulting for JLL but would like to pivot in to REPE for a company based in the Midwest. It would be helpful to know if this is the right program to make that transition. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is highly regarded for its real estate program. Here are some key points to consider:
However, specific information about top REPE firms like Starwood, Blackstone, and Carlyle hiring directly from the UW REMBA program is not explicitly mentioned in the context provided. Given your 8+ years of experience in corporate real estate consulting, the program's strong network and reputation could certainly help in making a transition to REPE, especially within the Midwest.
If you need more detailed insights or specific examples of placements, it might be beneficial to reach out directly to the program's alumni network or career services.
I'm sorry, but it looks like this may be out of my ability to answer... maybe some of the links below might help?
Feel free to explore these resources for more detailed information.
UW isn’t a MBA target school for any of those firms.
You’d have more opportunities through a T-7 but if you’re open minded to other firms the UW network will open a lot of doors.
Agree 100% with the above. It will not get you into any of those firms. There have been a handful that network their way in, but that is very atypical.
It's a good program with a strong network (especially in the Midwest) if you are not set on the MF REPE.
Not a strong program nationally, but will get your foot in the door in the Midwest. Would put them very far behind the top programs Wharton, MIT, Columbia, and Cornell. They are more similar to UT-Austin, UNC, USC; however, consensus would say UW's the worst between UT-Austin, UNC, USC (have more national placements at preeminent firms). As someone at one of the target firms, we do not have anyone from UW at an undergraduate or graduate level. Personally, I have worked with UW real estate graduates and have been very unimpressed.
I would argue it is pretty strong nationally. I've come across large networks of them outside of the midwest. There are particularly a lot on west coast for some reason.
They can be hit or miss. I've worked with some that are very impressive and others that aren't. The problem is that it's such a big program that a lot of less talented end up working their way in. I've found a tendency for them to generally do well in real estate since the culture / tier of the program fits really well with real estate. What I mean by that is those successful in real estate aren't necessarily the smartest book smart guys in the room, but you also can't be an idiot. At the same time, the program attracts a lot of people that tilt pretty heavy on the social skill which we all know is very important in real estate.
Could just say this about anyone who came in after an MBA lol
There are some great MBA students out there, from nearly every school. There’s just fewer from each school as you go down the rankings. Some of the quality MBAs are career switchers, so you do need to accept they are going to have a ramp up period. Once up to speed though, I have seen the quality MBAs then grow exponentially and that’s why people like me hire them - they will keep growing, not max out at a Senior Associate-like position.
I would put UW-Madison MBA a tier below McCombs, Kenan-Flagler, and the MSREDs at Columbia and MIT. Madison is on par or a half step behind USC, that said has a lot of similarities where the people at both schools are very well equipped socially and the network goes a long, long way in their regions.
Considering they have alumni at nearly every major shop, “not strong nationally” lacks basis.
There are unimpressive people from every school, including all the ones that you listed above.
I agree with what everyone else has said regarding the national ranking. However, I have been very surprised by how strong the UW alumni presence is in the industry so if you do enter the program, lean heavily on alumni outreach/networking and it's possible. Blackstone, Starwood, etc. tend to have a more "check the box" type of approach to recruiting though so it might only be a benefit on the owner/operator side which tends to be where I see most of the strong alumni.
As others have noted, the types of firms you're mentioning tend to focus more on the blue chip MBA's. Similar to how they also tend to look for associate hires that did 2 years in traditional IB vs. hiring someone that was an analyst at a mid-tier REPE firm.
I think you could realistically recruit anywhere out of it with the right networking, but you're going to have much more success outside of the Starwood and Blackstone's of the world.
Alumni here.
Our program doesn’t place well into the top firms at the undergraduate or graduate level. The strength lies in our extensive network, being the oldest program in the country, rather than in training for elite finance roles.
If your goal is to secure a REPE job in the Midwest, this is a good option. Our highest alumni concentration is in Chicago. However, this is quite different from aiming for positions at firms like BX or Starwood.
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