2013 MSRED applicants

[JFK]

Hey guys. Im taking gre test tomorrow. Wish me luck )
I'm 24 years old expected to graduate next winter with a master of advanced studies in architecture.
Im planning to apply to real estate development degrees at each of harvard, columbia and nyu for the fall of 2014.
I would have rathered substitute nyu with mit but the latter requires a certain number of experience years of which i barely have one and it is only related to architecture. So i saw more hope in getting accepted at the institutions aforementioned.
In addition, I have noticed that most of you were or are mainly applying to columbia and mit amongst others but no one mentioned anything about gsd or harvard which is what i'm actually aiming for. Any reason for that? And what do you think are my chances of getting accepted (given my age/ experience,etc.)? Any hints or suggestions for my test tomorrow?

Good Luck on your test! I applied to GSD and didn't get in. I'm 25 (will be 26 at the end of the month) interned at several real estate firms from development to brokerage to property management while in undergrad and landed a job in planning oddly enough for me. GSD is more design focused and it makes sense because the degree is a Masters in Design Studies not real estate development. I felt I could tie in city planning with their real estate concentration in my statement of objective but I guess I focused more about my passion for real estate development and I think GSD was looking for someone with design background or highlighted an interest in the design like architecture because they asked for a portfolio of your work as part of the submission. I encourage you to still apply to these schools and if you feel you need to retake the test by all means go for it. You have plenty of time and well ahead for the 2014 round. By the way Columbia starts in the Summer and is a 1 yr program.

[rutuvora]

Hi everyone, I got accepted to columbia as well! Very excited to meet all of you!
Any updates on the open house? How was it? How many people turned up? How was the interaction with faculty? Anything...

[Sinsrabih]

Good Luck on your test! I applied to GSD and didn't get in. I'm 25 (will be 26 at the end of the month) interned at several real estate firms from development to brokerage to property management while in undergrad and landed a job in planning oddly enough for me. GSD is more design focused and it makes sense because the degree is a Masters in Design Studies not real estate development. I felt I could tie in city planning with their real estate concentration in my statement of objective but I guess I focused more about my passion for real estate development and I think GSD was looking for someone with design background or highlighted an interest in the design like architecture because they asked for a portfolio of your work as part of the submission. I encourage you to still apply to these schools and if you feel you need to retake the test by all means go for it. You have plenty of time and well ahead for the 2014 round. By the way Columbia starts in the Summer and is a 1 yr program.

I've always wondered what was the difference between the degree offered at GSD and the degrees offered at the other institutions. Basically, GSD is the only one to have a different name for its degree: Master in Design Studies in Real Estate and the Built Environment, whereas the others are mainly Master in Real Estate Development. My raw score for the GRE is 152 quant and 151 verb. Still waiting for the official scores but i'm planning to retake it in summer and will hopefully be less stressed. I have been in contact with a recent 24-year-old person who got admitted to GSD for a MdesS but in the technology concentration. And to my surprise, he only scored on the GRE 149 on the verbal and 154 on the quant. He holds a bachelor degree in architecture and has one year of experience. That's a bit weird but it kind of boosted my hopes. I don't know how much we can compare between the 2 concentrations of technology and real estate but can acceptance to the latter be as easy as to the former?
Anyhow, can anyone explain to me the major differences between the degree offered by GSD and the other schools such as Columbia, MIT, etc.?

[chrisjr]

How did everyone's housing assignments go?

After starting off my search with the intention of living off campus in Midtown, Chelsea or West Village, I am now strongly leaning towards to option offered by UAH. Takes a lot of stress out of the moving process given that it is furnished, inexpensive and with easy access to campus.

Now I am trying to figure out if I can exit the lease after first semester if I find something compelling off-campus.

How is everyone else doing for housing? I am moving down for a 4-wk development internship prior to the program start date if anyone wants to meet up for a beer before things kick off.

Chris