Would it be smart to do Baruch's Masters in Real Estate?
I graduated from an ivy in 2015 and had shitty grades there (2.8 GPA). I have no excuse. I totally fucked around and didn't have my priorities straight. I know I'm capable of doing way better. I went to a top 5 private national High School (think Exeter, Trinity, etc.) and got excellent grades there but I wasted away four years in college by having too much fun and not focusing on my grades. I'm a total idiot I know and I deserve absolutely no slack. Call me a spoiled little shit because that's exactly what I am. I absolutely hate myself for it.
I'm having a bit of trouble finding a job in real estate right now (I'd preferably like to work on the investment side but I would be open to working in investment sales or development if possible too). If I'm not able to network my way into a job by May, I don't see any other option than trying to do a masters in real estate and working my absolute hardest to make sure that I get a 4.0 there while doing relevant internships throughout the program.
I would have to pay for it, so I'm very skeptical about applying for NYU's program (assuming I could even get in) since that would put me in $70K debt. Do you think it would be wise to try to do Baruch's MS in real estate instead? It's only about $10-15K since I'm an NY resident but will doing well there just make it look like I couldn't do well at a top school so I went to an easier school to get good grades? Also, does anyone know what the reputation of Baruch's MS in real estate is and how people in their program place? Like if I absolutely killed it there and got amazing grades and networked with my undergrad's alumni database, would that help my chances of landing a job considerably?
Reach out to alumni that work or manage smaller firms (Probably way more from ivy league schools) and pitch them your story. Do your research on the firms and business 110% . You don't want to show up there and look like a deer in the headlights when they ask you questions during an interview. You live in NYC so I'm certain there are more alumni that might be willing to help much more than if you lived in North Dakota. I won't comment too much on the master's program since I admittedly believe that in most cases grad school is better suited for people with some full-time experience. If you do want to get a MS in RE you should strive to do well on the GMAT to compensate for the low gpa. You went to an Ivy so I'm sure you are capable. Ivy, 2.8 Gpa, 750 GMAT would give you a much more solid profile!
^^That's great advice. From your post, I assume you would prefer to work right out of school vs MS. I think that is the right mind set.
You still have a good amount of time before you graduate, keep networking your ass off. I guarantee you can find something. Probably not REPE, but you could probably obtain a debt placement / IS job at a smaller firm. Based on GPA alone (I don't know the rest of your credentials) you probably won't get an offer at Eastdil or JLL, but I've heard crazier stories. Look for some smaller firms and sell yourself and your love of RE. That will impress your interviewers a lot more than GPA. RE is personality based, I can't stress that enough.
Good luck man, hope things shake out for you.
Thank you for the advice. I actually graduated in 2015 and have been working a part-time job since then but am still looking for a full-time one.
I'm sure you'd rather be working full-time but the good thing is that this gives you some more time throughout the day to be an absolute animal at networking. Also have the ability to study more for the GMAT if you do want to do so. Go on linkedin, facebook, etc. and ask your friends/professors/ etc. if they know anyone. Also, if possible you could go to your school's career services and ask for help. I'm willing to bet they will push hard for you since it's an ivy league and they are renowned for their OCR and career services. Just have a humble attitude and don't feel bad about yourself anymore. If you have internship experience you can contact them too. Just reach out to anyone that you can.
My apologies man, I didn't realize you had already graduated. I mirror the advice above, you have an ivy league degree, don't worry about the GPA. So many people think it is the impediment of all impediments, but that is absolutely not the case in RE,
Some thoughts:
First of all, don't get discouraged and don't be too hard on yourself. Shit happens and you move on. I went to a no-name highschool, a no-name college, and (somehow) got a worse undergraduate GPA than you. From that lackluster beginning, I networked my way into a top international commercial real estate brokerage platform, went from that to a multi-family family shop, and then interned in REPE before heading to a MRED program myself. If I can do it, you certainly can.
I think a real estate masters program would be great for you, but not necessarily for the reasons you mention. GPA won't matter. I'm kicking ass and taking names in business school, but not one company has asked for my graduate GPA. (And honestly, business school GPAs are laughably inflated.) Not one company has asked for my undergraduate GPA either. Hell, your low GPA won't matter in admissions to grad school either, and I don't mean "it won't matter as much" I mean "it literally won't matter."
I can't speak on Baruch's program, but the things you need to research are course offerings, alumni and alumni interaction, and on-campus interviews. You aren't have the "brand name" from your undergrad, so as long as you learn proper modeling, have solid contact with successful alumni from the program, have companies coming to campus to interview for internships and/or jobs, and notice that recent alumni (check LinkedIn) are getting the types of jobs you want to get after you graduate.
Whether you try to find a job or go to a master's program, you need to get involved in the industry. ULI, NAIOP, etc. are all incredibly important for meeting people. Better still, they almost always have a database where you can look up members (aka the exact people you want to hire you). You'll pay like $100-$200 a year or something, which sucks if you're not employed, but I have easily gotten more out of ULI than my dues have cost.
In my market, the junior membership (under 35) for the ULI is only $200. Also, they are flexible to junior members who are not employed full-time i.e. a monthly payment structure.
Baruch MSRE (Originally Posted: 11/08/2016)
Anyone know anything about the program? Obviously Columbia and NYU are the top dogs so curious about it. Baruch isn't a bad school and the program from the site seems decent I'm just curious if someone who gets one is kind lost in the wind when guys down the street are getting the same degree but from Columbia or NYU. I've actually yet to see a guy in the NYC with a masters that isn't from those two or maybe Cornell.
I know some of the Professors at Baruch and they also teach at NYU/Columbia. I'm sure the quality of the education is excellent and affordable. You're not going to have the same kind of alumni network though.
Debitis ut quod nisi laborum voluptas alias. Aliquid in ut illum reiciendis qui. Autem rem sapiente consectetur ea id at. Quia incidunt perspiciatis sit et ut et. Sed in magnam quo sed.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...