Basic Guidance/Tips For Pursuing MBA In RE Fin - 25 Y/O Analyst

Hi all, I have been thinking a lot lately about pursuing a dream of mine and being the first in my family to obtain a master's degree, but I also want to prove my dedication to my industry while switching to a new role within the field that I work in.

A little background on me - I'm 25 y/o , attended an SEC school for 4 years and graduated in 2018 with a degree in Marketing, I was about a 2.8 GPAish student. I farted-off a lot in college and now completely regret having a lackluster, uncharacteristic GPA. I fell in love with Real estate during one of my RE finance courses and started working at a small RE firm for over a year while still in college (1 year 3 mos. total). After college I accepted an analyst position with JLL and moved to Texas. I had been working as an analyst up until September of last year, (1 year 4 mos to be exact). I was primarily working in brokerage support but really want to make the switch to the debt/equity/ asset mgt. side of RE. The decision came during the peak of covid and at a time when I knew I didn't want to be in brokerage, there wasn't a clear future for me and I would not be able to join another team like I had hoped. Since then, I have gotten Argus Enterprise certified (Cash Flow software) which also counts for MBA course credits.

With CV-19 going on and a healthy savings, I have a good opportunity to invest in myself and pay for an MBA program that I know will pay itself off in the long run. I am completely dedicated to making this switch to the more financial side of real estate and believe an MBA would help me stand out and open many doors for my career. I do have meaningful work experience with good companies and also well respected rec letters.

I have not taken the GMAT yet, but what would I roughly be looking at in order to get into a SMU/TTU/A&M/TCU tier MBA program given my work experience and lackluster gpa? Is my background strong enough to get into some of these programs? I am looking to stay in Texas and would genuinely appreciate anyone's thoughts/2-cents.

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