The Twentieth Class: Talented, Experienced, Diverse
Each year at MIT, one of the most intriguing puzzles is trying to discern the character of the class which will enroll in August from the bios of incoming students. It makes a difference because the experience, drive and temperament of class members affect the quality of their learning experience as they share their backgrounds with each other and work together on projects.
It is clear from the statistics that members of the Class of '04, the twentieth class to enter the MS in Real Estate Development program, are well qualified to do the work at MIT with an average GMAT in the high 600s. Several already have graduate degrees - an MBA, an MS in Structural Engineering, an MS in Civil Engineering, an architect and a landscape architect, an MS in City Planning. The 25 men and 8 women are also on the young side, averaging 28 years old, compared to an overall average of entering students that is closer to 30. Like previous classes, they are diverse in geographic origin, coming from 12 states and 6 foreign countries. There are almost as many students from the West Coast as from the East, and more from California than Massachusetts. The Class of 2004 includes the first student who is a native of Turkey.
Their work experience is as varied as their training. Among incoming class members is an ex-naval officer who helped run his family’s development company; a commercial broker who excelled in the red hot San Francisco market of the late '90s; an architect with a distinguished international firm who worked on many big projects; a hotel developer with a conference center under his belt; the director of a city planning office in Austria; an investment consultant for a large real estate services firm who once ran his own web-based auction business. In their spare time, almost everyone likes to travel and play golf and other sports. Several are looking forward to following their "beloved Red Sox." Others have unique pursuits. One works on and races cars; another ran a successful state senate re-election campaign; a third trekked in Tibet. All their talents, training and interests will contribute to the MIT/CRE Class of 2004.
