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Baker Student Experience

Learning beyond the classroom

Students in the Cornell Baker Program in Real Estate carry their passion for real estate into student groups, community engagement, and case competitions across the country.

The Cornell Real Estate Community

The small, collaborative cohort of the Baker Program is one piece of the larger Cornell real estate community. Comprising undergraduate and graduate students in real estate minors and related fields, the Cornell real estate community on campus includes more than 500 people with a shared passion for the industry. This group interacts in shared courses; through the Center for Real Estate and Finance programs; via student groups; at career fairs, speaker events, and workshops; and through the Cornell Real Estate Council. Expanding your real estate network among Cornell peers brings long-term benefits throughout your career.

Case Competitions

Baker Program students are regular and successful participants in master’s-degree case competitions across the country, including those listed below.

  • ARGUS University Challenge: Students create real-world investment strategies through informed decisions using ARGUS solutions. Students compete for cash prizes totaling $14,000.
    • 1st-Place Team: Paul Heydweiller, MPS-RE ’18; Peter Romano, MPS-RE ’19, MRP ’19; Laura Curi de Mattos, MPS-RE ’18; Gary Esposito, M Arch’18; Gary Mitchell, M Arch’18
  • The Impact Investing in Commercial Real Estate Competition: The case competition tasks teams with identifying projects with the intention to generate measurable, beneficial, social or environmental impact alongside an appropriate financial return and presenting a plan to bring them to fruition.
    • 2nd-Place Team: Miguel Klipstein, MPS-RE ’18; Alejandro Garza, MPS-RE ’18; Mark Hughes, MPS-RE ’18
  • Kellogg Real Estate Conference and Venture Competition: The primary purpose of the competition is to encourage entrepreneurial real estate ventures. The event also serves as an opportunity to promote top student talent before prominent industry professionals.
    • 2018 Competitors: Henry Akerele, MPS-RE ’19; Kristen Collins, M Arch ’18; Lera Covington, MPS-RE ’19; Ali Daye, MPS-RE ’19; Tyler Phelps, MPS-RE ’19; Jimin Won, MPS-RE ’19
  • The CASE Competition: Teams of no more than four graduate students have six days to submit a development proposal that includes a brief concept narrative, a bid price and development program for the site, a description of the capital structure for the development venture, a fully functional Excel-based financial model, and a summary PowerPoint presentation.
    • 2018 Competitors: Chris Baker, MPS-RE ’18; Laura Curi de Mattos, MPS-RE ’18; Alejandro Garza Pena, MPS-RE ’18; Rawinthira Narkusook, MPS-RE ’18; Dustin Dunham, MPS-RE ’19; Puttikit Suvarnapunya, MPS-RE ’19; Philip Tapia, MPS-RE ’18; Julian Karel, MPS-RE ’19
  • University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business National Real Estate Competition: Graduate student teams compete for the highest honors and cash awards in an invitation-only real estate case competition. The top four finalist teams receive a $25,000 cash prize.
  • Developers’ Den: Canada’ longest-running and most prestigious real estate case competition, Developers’ Den, the Schulich international real estate case competition, is presented by Schulich’s Brookfield Centre in Real Estate and Infrastructure and the Schulich Real Property Alumni Association. Students from top schools will take part in an intense two-part case competition where the best and brightest real estate students will showcase their skills before a panel of judges composed of industry leaders, investors, and executives.

Student Groups

CORNELL UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATE REAL ESTATE COUNCIL (AREC)

Cornell AREC provides its members with access to real estate-centric events, career services, and workshops that enhance their professional development and broaden their industry knowledge. It also serves as a networking organization among real estate-focused graduate students across the Cornell community.

CORNELL REAL ESTATE REVIEW

The Cornell Real Estate Review is the only entirely student-managed scholarly real estate journal in the country. The editorial board consists of a second-year executive editor and three to four assistant editors, selected by the outgoing editorial board and the Baker Program director. Students are encouraged to submit articles, reviews, and collateral materials for web or print publication. Opportunities exist for current students to collaborate with a professor or practicing professional to write an article for submission; in addition, articles may be submitted for one of two annual prizes awarded at the decision of a review committee.

ASSOCIATION of CORNELL WOMEN in REAL ESTATE

Association of Cornell Women in Real Estate  (ACWIRE) is Cornell’s primary graduate and professional student organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of women in real estate. ACWIRE provides networking and mentorship opportunities with female industry leaders in order to build connections between future and current professional real estate women. By attracting more female real estate executives to come to Cornell, especially to speak at the Baker Program’s Distinguished Speaker Series, the Association of Cornell Women in Real Estate hopes to prepare members for their future professional settings, to ensure that all members are comfortable in the industry and in their work environment.

DESIGN CONNECT

Design Connect is a student-run community-design organization that offers practical experience to students through partnering with local municipalities and nonprofit organizations that may not have the resources to hire professionals.