I was looking into pursuing an MRE and was wondering what the benefits would be. Basically looking for someone to either talk me in or out of it before I start studying for the GMAT.

Fwiw I found getting mine very worth while. I got to know my now best friend and biz partner, and I got two more years of football out of it. If you'd like to shoot me a DM with your phone number id talk to you about more in length sometime

I'm in the program as well and would be glad to grab a beer if you want to hear more about it. The program connects you to a lot of people out in the industry.

Come by one of our tailgates this season and you can see first hand what it's all about.

I graduated from the program in 2008, feel free to DM and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

What up Rusty, I know u

I will definitely be in contact with yall, and will have to come check out the tailgate. Does anyone have experience on obtaining an MRE here and then moving out of state?

Thinking about applying as well. Do many people work a year or two out of college and the join the program, or is it mostly students who just graduated?

Come on by! We usually setup directly across the SE Tower at Spence Park. Look for the Master of Real Estate banner.

To answer your other question most people end up somewhere in the South region of the US. A lot of people in Dallas and Houston. With that being said I am currently interviewing for roles in Miami and New York.

LERE/MRE class of fall '06. DM if you'd like to talk. I have classmates around the world that I still keep in touch with. Go to the tailgates and say hi,it's the best informal way to learn about the program. I'll be there for the Tennessee tailgate and can give you a perspective from 10 years out.

I'm MRE class of '12 and sit on the Board for the Aggie Real Estate Network. I can without a doubt say it was the best decision I made at A&M.

I'll be there for the Tennessee and Ole Miss tailgates - stop by and grab a beverage.

OP...what's your end goal? I thought about going back and getting the MRE but honestly I don't think it would do much for what I do and what I want to continue to do. I spent time in commercial brokerage and didn't care for it much. Some of that could be the 'projects' I was assigned or could be b/c I didn't have an MRE...who knows. When I think MRE I think commercial brokerage, commercial analyst, etc. If your goal is to get into the commercial real estate world (which I assume it is since you started this thread) then I think the MRE is for sure a good investment.

I work for myself now (HomeVestors franchisee, Real Estate Broker (I'll explain more in a bit), real estate investor (rentals, notes, flips, etc) and private lender. I'm not a huge fan of the traditional Realtor role but also don't want my Broker's license to go to waste so my real estate brokerage does flat fee listings and we have a buyer rep specialist who we give 99% of our buyer rep leads to. Through my HomeVestors franchise we do all things real estate investing...fix/flip, fix/rent, owner finance, wholesale and are even getting into some development. It's mostly residential but if we can find the right commercial property there's nothing keeping us from doing anything we want.

At any rate, there's lots of different avenues to take in the real estate world and lots of ways to make really good money.

Truth be told, commercial brokerage is about connections and personality. Most commercial brokers are clueless to how the real estate world works, unless you are talking to legitimate investment sales brokers. Disciplines like acquisition, development, asset management, lending, and appraisal require skills that you get from MRE.

If you just want to flip houses or be a residential realtor, it would be a waste of time.

On the commercial brokerage side, our company likes MRE grads because the attrition rate is higher in undergrad only hires. If someone goes through MRE knowing they want to be a broker, it tells me they stand a much better chance of making it thru the initial 2-3 year ramp up period, whereas and undergrad hire can be riskier. This is speaking generally as anyone can be successful in brokerage, but our hiring numbers has shown us MRE grads stand a higher chance of success than those straight out of undergrad.

You will never regret going through the MRE program. It was LERE when I came through, but still the same program. It will make you better regardless what real estate avenue you chose to go through. If you have the time and resources, I would always recommend it.

Agreed, in my class of 35 people, there were only 3 or 4 commercial brokers, most went into finance/development/appraisal roles.

I kinda wish they offered it somewhere other than college station because it's nearly impractical to go back and get it unless you do it right after undergrad. Seems like there's little opportunity to do it in addition to a full time job like a lot of traditional MBA stuff.

I agree with all of the above. Education is knowledge and regardless of what aspect of real estate someone were to go into, an MRE can't hurt...it just might not be as beneficial/needed/required...like for what I do.

One thing to note is the curriculum is more geared towards finance than it has been historically. You still get exposure to valuation and land economics, but a lot of graduates in recent years work in lending, underwriting, capital markets and development shops.

My goal would be to end up in commercial real estate, but would be open to other options as well. I was leaning towards the MRE to separate me from other ungrad students, however I would ideally like to work on the west coast and am curious how much it will set me apart outside of Texas. Also, what is the value of the degree since it is only offered here?

While it is a regional degree, there is no doubt it is recognized nation wide. I would say our master program is in the top 5-8 nationally. I have 3 or 4 classmates that are on the west coast.

It's top 4 or 5 in the last poll I saw. I've got four classmates in NYC and two others in Chicago. The program director is pretty good about getting students into out of state markets.

Awesome, I am going to go ahead and pursue it. Hopefully i'll be able to come meet some of yall at the Tailgate.

Best decision I made at TAMU, graduated December 2014.

If you decide you want to head that direction, I would go sit down with Ms. Angela Degelman. She is the admissions/admin for the program and can advise you on most application/requirements into the program. I met with her every six weeks or so to make sure I was on track with what was required.