As a career switcher, Columbia Business School was a top choice for me because of the potential opportunities provided by the Paul Milstein Center, the rigorous real estate program coursework, numerous alumni in real estate, and having a dedicated real estate participant within the Executives in Residence. In my time at CBS, these opportunities became my reality and I was able to participate in a wide range of events featuring industry experts, as well as gain technical experience that enabled me to successfully transition into the industry full-time in my current role as an Acquisitions Associate at Schulte Hospitality Group.
Additionally, both years I partnered with the PMC and the Black Business Students Association during Black History Month to highlight the role that real estate can play in building equity for historically marginalized communities. I look forward to building upon the experiences and network that I have gained through CBS.
Justine Murphy '21
Attending Columbia Business School was one of the best decisions I ever made. As someone looking to earn an MBA from a top school, progress further in his real estate career, and reside in a major city, I was immediately drawn to Columbia University.
I believe one of the greatest strengths of CBS and the Paul Milstein Center is its real estate curriculum. The classes, taught by a deep and accomplished roster of adjunct and full-time professors, focus on theory and practice, which helped me put my prior experiences in perspective and expand my knowledge and understanding of the industry. For recruiting, I was impressed by the number and names of real estate firms CBS and the PMC have active relationships with. The recruiting channels proved instrumental in landing my summer internship offers and my full-time position at Invesco Real Estate (NYC).
One of my favorite parts of my CBS experience is the people. My classmates in the Real Estate Association are among the brightest and some of my closest friends. I learned a tremendous amount through these friendships. My career has also benefited significantly because of the CBS real estate alumni network. From providing guidance to connecting me to people and opportunities, the alumni are generous with their time and willing to help. I am often amazed at the breadth and depth of the CBS real estate alumni network. I am grateful to be a part of the Columbia Business School real estate community.
Andrew Kim '21
During my time at Columbia Business School, I benefited immensely from the events hosted by the Real Estate Association (REA) and the Paul Milstein Center. Programming centered on financial modeling training and market updates, opportunities to network with alumni/industry leaders, and social events with peers passionate about real estate, provided me with the skills and professional network to land my summer internship at Hines on its NY development team and my full time role at Tishman Speyer in New York. I had the privilege to serve as co-president of the REA my second year and I am immensely grateful for the CBS real estate community that was at the heart of my MBA experience.
Lisa Weingarten '21
I pursued my MBA because I knew I could not pivot into real estate without one. I chose Columbia’s MBA program for its unparalleled network of graduates working in New York City real estate. The network was even stronger than I expected—alums are always happy to have a coffee chat, give resume feedback, and offer advice. I was amazed at the Milstein Center’s and professors’ networks—it was incredible to engage in rigorous discussion with a guest speaker and read about them in the newspaper the following day. In a full-circle moment, some guest speakers are investors in deals that I’m currently working on! In speaking with classmates pursuing other concentrations I feel that the combined support of the Paul Milstein Center, Real Estate Association, professors, and Executives in Residence made Columbia’s real estate program the strongest of the school’s offerings. I know that Columbia’s program has set me up for success!
Maureen Devenny '21
My connection with the MBA Real Estate Program and the Paul Milstein Center (PMC) started even before my MBA journey. During my campus visit, I got a chance to talk to the staff at PMC and was given thorough advice as well as resources to be better prepared for my experiences with CBS. Throughout the two years at school, I was empowered by well-designed real estate courses, practical workshops, company / site visit opportunities, career forums, supportive PMC and Executive in Residence staff, and of course, a group of friends who shared the same passion in real estate. My Chazen trip to Mexico with the PMC has been the most memorable part of my MBA.
At school, I served on the Real Estate Association Board as VP of Case Competitions. Since graduation, I’ve remained engaged with my peers and the PMC via alumni talks and the Real Estate Circle events. The PMC will always feel like home to me.
Ellen Qiu '20
The advantage that comes with Columbia Business School is the unparalleled exposure. I chose the MBA Real Estate Program because I wanted to physically be in New York while undergoing my coursework. There is no substitute for completing a case study in the classroom and having the opportunity to visit the principals involved on the very assets in which you are analyzing. As a career enhancer, I was looking to pivot to an equity investment role from my prior experience on the debt side. Through the resources the Paul Milstein Center and Real Estate Association provided including the Argus and excel modeling training, elective offerings and networking opportunities, I felt confident in my abilities to gain a role in this sector.
One of the highlights of my CBS experience was serving on the Real Estate Association Board as VP of Events where I organized REA supper clubs to provide students the ability to bond and network with one another. These close bonds help strengthen the CBS real estate community providing such a strong alumni network. Since graduation, I’ve remained very close and engaged with my peers and can say with certainty I’ve made lifelong connections.
Jeremy Holder '20
Columbia Business School, and in particular the Real Estate program and the Paul Milstein Center, exceeded my highest expectations. I initially decided to attend CBS after speaking with a handful of alumni who had successfully moved into Real Estate investing from other fields through their time in the program. As someone trying to do the same, I had come to the conclusion that there was no better path than CBS. While the program helped me achieve exactly that, it also gave me so much more. I took courses with leading real estate investors, some who were shaping the city of New York and others focused internationally. I traveled to Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Austin on Real Estate centric trips and learned about the cities through the lens of real estate development. The various NYC property tours gave me a glimpse of the city that I had never seen before despite living here for six years. I was able to learn from my colleagues and friends who had spent their career pre-business school doing similar work to what I hoped to move into. I entered CBS knowing that I wanted to invest in real estate but I had a very limited view as to what that actually meant. By the time I finished the program, I was able to see the possibilities.
Michael Barkman '20
The MBA Real Estate Program at Columbia has given me so much more than I could’ve imagined when I first started school in 2016. My classmates, the alumni, the real estate courses, speaker series, and special industry events have been the main ingredients to a transformative educational experience I would not have gotten anywhere else. As a career switcher looking to pivot into real estate development and investment from a background in construction management, I benefited immensely from the strong and tight-knit CBS real estate community that spans across the globe and across all functions within the industry.
One of the best decisions I made during my time at Columbia was to serve on the board of the school’s Real Estate Association (REA). Not only did my role as AVP and then VP of Trips offer me the opportunity to meet more of my peers, but it also gave me the chance to connect with alumni in various cities and countries we planned real estate market trips to. I was always impressed with how generous these busy professionals would be with their time and how enthusiastic they would be about hosting current REA students for a company visit, no matter where they were, from San Francisco to Hong Kong.
Mandy Yeung '18
Before I begin, I want to first acknowledge that this is intended as an extension to the alumni testimonial written last year by my former classmate, John Pollock ’17. I will elaborate on a few specific areas that he discussed, but I would strongly advise reading his testimonial as well because it includes a more comprehensive overview of the multitude of benefits offered by the CBS MBA Real Estate Program.
From an academic standpoint, a major benefit for me personally was the mix of teaching styles within the real estate elective course offerings. My undergraduate degree was in Civil Engineering, so I did not have a strong academic foundation in real estate or finance coursework before attending CBS. With this in mind, I was pleased to take some courses that were taught in a traditional academic lecture setting, such as Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Transactions, to learn the basics before moving on to more advanced immersion and master classes, such as the Real Estate Project Class.
Jeff Harrington '18
When I started the MBA program at Columbia Business School in 2015, I was a prospective career-switcher. My work experience was in institutional investment consulting and private equity, but I wanted to change gears and pursue a career in real estate. For me, Columbia’s real estate program was exactly what I was looking for: a combination of strong academics and real world, hands-on experiences in a collegial environment, as well as access to a strong, active alumni network. Students in Columbia’s MBA program are not required to pick a “concentration,” although many do to focus their academics and recruiting efforts. In other words, students pursuing an MBA, but focusing in Real Estate, do not receive a separate degree such as a Masters in Real Estate Development, which is obtained within a separate school. The MBA Real Estate Program is a series of real estate electives which build upon one another, interwoven with academic activities which complement the curriculum and is fully supported by the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate (PMC), which helps develop the academic experience, holds industry conferences, connects students with alumni, and supports the students’ initiatives within the Real Estate Association.
