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Future in Real Estate

Amaya White ‘22, Montclair State University 
I had the opportunity to ask my friend Randall from high school about his real estate major and his experience at Georgia State University. Continue reading to find out more information on what it’s like to be a real estate major. 

Choosing my major

Real Estate. This major educates those looking to participate in the commercial real estate industry. Students are provided with an understanding of the phases of real estate activity, the economics of each investment situation, and the forms of business and professional service that support real estate investment.

Why Real Estate

I became interested in investing after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, which led me to the world of commercial real estate investing. My major advisor has helped me map out my course schedule leading up to graduation.

My experience in high school also led me in the direction of the business, within which I found real estate.

Favorite class

I won’t take my first real estate course until next semester; however, my favorite business-required course was Macroeconomics. My professor was great, and I received great information about the economy.

Friends with the same major

My closest friend here at Georgia State is also a real estate major. His liking for this major also stems from the investment opportunity commercial real estate provides.

Q: What does your future look like?

I’m aspiring to be a founder of a real estate investment firm specializing in multifamily (apartment buildings). We will be in the business of syndication, which is the pooling of money from passive investors in order to purchase large assets that would be otherwise hard to acquire individually, such as apartment buildings. What’s great about the commercial real estate industry is that there are several aspects to the business. One could enter property management, development, lending, brokerage, or private equity. My major will prepare me for life after school by providing me with technical knowledge and demonstrating my interest in real estate to employers.

Curriculum setting

I’ve taken financial & managerial accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics, corporation finance, marketing, and computer information systems. These base-level courses are required for all business majors at GSU.

Common misconceptions

People tend to associate real estate with residential activity like single-family fix and flips, but the area of study is actually focused on commercial real estate, which is income-producing property used for investment purposes.

Career Goals

If you want to major in real estate, your options may be limited as not every university offers this track; however, a real estate degree isn’t required to enter the industry.

Related majors

Some related majors are economics, finance, marketing & Geographic Information Systems). My original major was business economics before I switched to finance, keeping economics as a minor. In Fall 2019, I decided to add real estate to my degree and double major in finance and real estate.

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An Education in Education

Michael Savello ‘21, SUNY Oneonta

I’m an education major at SUNY Oneonta. It’s pretty straightforward – my education major is preparing me to teach students in school, though it’s up to me to decide what grade level and subject I want to teach. You can also decide if you want to teach special education students.

Choosing my major

My parents played a big role in helping me choose my major. I really enjoyed my social studies classes in high school, and considered becoming a teacher, but I didn’t decide until I actually came to college. Now, I have a great advisor who helps me choose classes every semester and get ready for new subjects.

Favorite class

I’m a pretty big history buff, and I’m pretty sure I want to teach history after I graduate. My favorite class so far was about military history, which I thought was really cool. It’s not something I’d actually teach high school students, but I loved the topic.

Student Teaching

Although it’s really fun, the workload can be pretty stressful. On top of your classes and projects, you need to student teach, or help lead a classroom to learn more about how to work with students. Most places won’t hire you until you have experience in an actual classroom, so this is really important to get done while you’re still in college. 

Career Goals

Like I said, I want to become a history teacher once I graduate. I’ve also always played sports, so I think it’d be really cool to be a high school coach as well. You need a special certification, but most education majors get specific certifications to go with their degrees anyways. 

Just because you’re an education major doesn’t mean you have to teach in a traditional school, though. Whether you end up tutoring, or in school administration, or even getting a Master’s degree and working at a university, there are lots of paths outside of the classroom for education majors. Education majors can look into positions and graduate degrees involving: administration, library sciences, instructional technology, managerial training, education development, counseling, and etc.

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Tips for high school seniors

Amaya White ‘22, Montclair State University

It’s getting to that time of the year where many high school seniors have decided where they’re going to school and have a hard time finding the motivation to complete school work. However, just because you’ve been accepted into college doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue to work hard in school. If anything, these next few months can determine whether or not you’ll be able to attend your college the following year. Here are some tips to avoid the trap of senioritis.

1. Don’t Procrastinate

If you were to get the flu would you just wait until it went away or would you try to treat it immediately? It becomes easy to lose motivation during your last few months of school, however, if you avoid doing work for a period of time it will just pile up and get worse. A way to avoid this is to establish a list of short term goals and long term goals. This can help you identify the most important task that you need to complete regarding school. It also feels so nice to check items off your to-do list when you’re finished.

2. Limit Your Outings

Senior year has some of the most exciting moments of your high school career, yet not completing work can prohibit you from being involved in senior activities. So before agreeing to spend another afternoon hanging out with your friends, analyze whether or not you’ve completed all your work. 

3. Remember How Far You’ve Come

I’m sure you’ve spent the last twelve years grinding in school for the highest grades and accolades, so don’t waste your last year giving up. Continue to push through, write those papers, and complete your final projects. Don’t let all your years of schooling go to waste just because you know what school you’re attending.

4. Colleges Can Change Their Minds

Just because you’ve been accepted into your dream school doesn’t mean they can’t change their mind about accepting you. College’s look at your final transcript which includes all of your senior year grades. If they see that you gave up in the last few months that doesn’t look very good for you. You want to show colleges that you’re a dedicated hard-working student who always strives for success.

Although the senior year may seem like all fun and games, you have to continue to work hard in order to maintain your status as an incoming student at the college of your choice. Remember that you’ve already completed eleven years of schooling, what’re a few more months going to do for you?

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College Recruiting Process for Athletes

Are you interested in playing sports in college, but don’t know where to start? In this article, Mike Savello, a high school coach with 15+ years of experience, shares his advice for high school athletes.

Timeline

We tell our athletes to get started at the end of their sophomore year. They should register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Eligibility Center to begin the recruiting process. This will prove that you’re eligible to play a college sport. You just have to set up an account and fill out your profile with your athletic and academic information. Some people begin this process as early as freshman year, but I’ve found that sophomore year gives students plenty of time.

Steps after setting up your account

After you register, you should take a look at the academic requirements. Depending on what division you are aiming for, you will need to make sure you complete a particular set of core courses and reach certain requirements for your GPA and standardized test scores. 

Once your grades are squared away, you should work to create a highlight tape of your best moments on the field. You and your coach will then post this on a recruiting platform like Hudl or Field Level for recruiters to view. You can also upload your transcript to these platforms.

New Level in College

As you start the process in tenth grade, sit down and have a conversation with your coach. I always tell my athletes to focus on their grades first and foremost. Whatever level they want to play will be determined later on. That will take care of itself. Register for the NCAA first and see what happens.

I recommend going on the NCAA website to learn about the different divisions and related scholarships. (See here)

Looking to be recruited in junior or senior year

Interested schools will reach out to you directly. They often contact you and set up a visit at the end of junior year. Many schools offer an official visit, where you can go to the school and get a sense of what it would be like to play on their team. 

The NCAA site explains the recruiting process in detail (see here) and provides in-depth recruiting calendars for each sport. There are certain periods where college coaches cannot contact students and certain periods when they can, so be aware of that as you’re going through the process.

The school in your mind

If a kid is interested in a school, they can reach out to that coach themselves and send their film. Their coach doesn’t have to be involved. Over the years, thanks to the online platforms, the process is very hands-off in general. You do not necessarily need your high school coach to reach out.

The athletic program

It might sound simple, but it’s just a gut feeling. Go on campus and see if you feel comfortable with the team members, the coaching staff, the surroundings. You will spend four years playing a sport there, so if it doesn’t feel right, chances are you won’t be happy. 

I always tell my athletes to go to a school for academics as well as the sports. They should go to school where they will be comfortable getting an education. As yourself: If you weren’t playing sports, would you still be happy there?

Advice for athletes

Trust the process and work hard. You will end up where you need to be in the end.

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Experimenting with Chemical Engineering

Ashley Tong ‘22, Texas A&M University

My major is Chemical Engineering (or ChemE). ChemE combines chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, and economics to design and make everything from medicines, fuel, car products, skincare products, makeup, and agricultural supplements. 

Choosing ChemE

I chose my major because I really enjoyed general chemistry and was really good at it. I took AP Chemistry in high school and I realized my love for the subject. But I knew I wanted to be in engineering, so I thought ChemE would be the best fit for me.

Friends in my major

I am friends with people in the same major, and what they like the most about ChemE is that our program is so small that we all know and recognize one another. We can help each other out, which is great

Career paths

There are so many career paths with chemical engineering. You can go to medical school, venture into the business side and do something like supply chain, or you can do process engineering, which is like industrial product design. 

I hope to be able to start my own company one day where I create my own makeup. Until then, I want to work with an engineering firm, preferably not in the oil and gas industry.

Tips for future majors

Do your research and keep an open mind. Don’t just go into a major for the money – pick something you would think you would actually like, even if it means taking a more unconventional path.

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Building a New World: Urban Planning

Amaya White ‘22, Montclair State University

I had the opportunity to interview one of my friends from high school about his college experience at Rutgers.  Jared Aisenberg is an Urban Planning and Design major, which he defines as ”the study of urban realms, and the fundamentals of planning and revitalization of them”. He’s very knowledgeable on transportation and the geography of New York City. Anytime I have questions about navigating the Big Apple, he’s there to guide me. 

If you’re thinking about an Urban Planning major, you’ll be interested to read about Jared’s experience.

Q: How did you decide on Urban Planning

A: I’ve always had an affinity for geographic landscapes and maps, and I found a fascination in ones that had public transportation on them. I studied them on my own and created ‘what if’s’ in my head as if I was actually planning extensions and overhauls. When I took a freshman seminar related to the topic, I learned to love the movements of people and how they interact with transit. As someone with the social skills and mind that I have it was the perfect fit.

Q: What was your favorite class – and why?

A: My favorite class so far is Designing Healthy Cities. The class gave me an independent approach to how each student would make a city more sustainable for the future and we all presented final projects on our plans in the end.

Q: Did you have a favorite project?

A: The project, as mentioned previously, was the complete overhaul and revitalization of the New York City subway system. It was a 14-minute video that tackled health problems, planning & operations, and policy to make the system healthier for the people.

Q: How does Urban Planning translate into your career goals?

A: I hope to revitalize mass transit systems. My career goal would be to be known as the man that made mass transit a fun, reliable source again. To get there, I think my major will help me find a career very easily, since Rutgers is at the heart of two major cities that rely on urban planners. Internship opportunities start with the university’s own mass transit system. It can lead to working in transportation corporations, public health and policy, government, and architectural firms. Some people continue into law.

Q: Any tips for students considering an Urban Planning major?

A:  An Urban Planning major is pretty unique. You might also want to try a Planning & Public Policy major, which takes a more law and governmental approach to the making of policy for planning purposes. But don’t worry that you feel like none of the classes you’ve taken correlate. Take the intro courses, and see what they’re all about!

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Into the Computer-verse: What are my options?

By Jaadyyah Shearrion  
Hello everyone! Today I want to dive into what exactly is the Computer Science field. As some of you may know, I want to study CS in college and I wanted to help shed some light on the different options available within the field. 

Computer engineering 

If you like a more hands-on life then you would love the Computer Engineering path. Computer Engineering is the hardware side of the Computer Science field. If you have a vendetta against your computer because it doesn’t have enough dedicated RAM to run your Minecraft server, Computer Engineering studies can help you through that problem. This major also involves Electrical Engineering, which means that if you were to study Computer Engineering, you would also learn about how wiring and electricity plays a part in everyone’s computer. Depending on what school you go to, you could even get some experience building robots! 

Computer Science

This website that you are reading this on was created by a Computer Scientist! The creation of websites is a really cool aspect of CS. The whole major entails being able to problem-solve and employ technical skills. The skills I’ve been taught in this field include coding, creating a video game, and looking into how AI works. I personally have made my own game using the game engine Unity, which is fairly basic, but has some complex functionality. I even started to look at a concept called neural networks, which is a large part of AI systems. 

Information Technology

Do you ever wonder how those pesky hackers end up getting your information? Well, information technology (I.T.) deals with this side of the computer science world. I.T. also encompasses data collection and sometimes can be combined with a business degree. Cyber Security is a field that is always changing because we humans keep creating more technology, which makes some systems vulnerable. With an Information Technology degree, you could get a job as a server manager, in which you take control of the networks that house people’s information, a company’s information, or cloud information. You could even be a maintenance person who deals with the hardware side of computers, such as a Microsoft or Apple Technician who could remotely fix someone’s device. 

If you are interested in any of these, you should pursue your passion. In addition to doing research at your school’s specific program, you should also look into ways to get some hands-on experience before you arrive as well.

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Making the most of freshman year

Blake Rozelle ‘20, Pace University

Some students may know exactly what they want to do or have no clue. It’s important freshman year to take the classes necessary to find where you want to head.

Explore different majors

I knew what I wanted to do going into school. I took a lot of general education classes when first coming into school, which only proved to me that I was going for the right major. Other people may find the opposite. Some people go in for a business degree and find that in the first two courses that it’s not for them. Have an open mind for everything and go based on what feels right.

Find a club

Each campus is typically filled with many types of clubs. Find at least one club that interests you as a starting point to find a community to fit into. For example, I began at a club called WPAW, where we do radio, video, and photos. I went there as a freshman and got on the executive board as treasurer. At this point, I’m a senior and president of the organization. I’m glad that I explored clubs as a freshman, so that I could work my way towards what I’m doing now. 

Get to know your department

Just like finding a community through a club, you can also connect with students in the same academic department. You’ll all be taking a lot of the same courses, so it’s good to know everyone’s faces and names.

I started working in my department as a media lab manager. This allowed me to work with the film equipment that I would be using for my projects in the future. I also became very involved in helping events in my department, so I got to meet most of the professors and a lot of people from the department. At this point as a senior, I know most of the students and professors and have been able to film many projects with them because of the connections I’ve made. The more people I’ve met, the more I’ve been able to expand my work and try new things. 

Get to know your professors

Getting to know your professors can be a good opportunity in many different ways. At the end of the day, they may be recommending you for a job in the future. Professors are different than high school teachers. They are typically more open to talk about anything and get to know you quite well.

Some of the professors at Pace have been great mentors for me. I spend a lot of time with them in and outside of class – we eat together sometimes, and they’ve even helped me with my film shoots. They’ve given me great experience and recommendations for the real world after college. 

Don’t be afraid to be open

It may be scary at first when arriving at school. No one knows anyone. Everyone is in a new environment, which is very intimidating. But being yourself will help you find a group that you enjoy being around. A lot of college students try to be someone they are not so they can “fit in” but end up being unhappy with the groups they find. There are all types of people in college, so just be yourself and find the people you like!

Enjoy your time

Lastly, take advantage of all the time you have in college. The time goes very fast once you get into a general routine. Days become weeks and weeks become months. Try to do something different every week to keep it interesting. I’ve found that the more robotic the weeks are, the less I enjoyed them. My favorite moments in college have been the most spontaneous ones. Spend time with new friends. Go on a hike. Go to all the school events. Freshman year is possibly the best year of college, so make sure to take advantage of it.

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Finding LGBTQ+ Friendly Colleges

Jeremy Caldwell ’18, Tufts University

The college search can be draining. There are so many questions to ask: do they have the major I want? Do I like the location? Is it too big or too small? The good news is, many colleges overlap in what they offer, so there might be multiple right answers for you.

However, for LGBTQ+ students, it’s important to ask a few extra questions. It’s one thing to find the right academic or social fit, but you also need to find a college that has resources to support you, and a student body that supports you, too. This doesn’t have to be intimidating, but it can be challenging if you aren’t out to everyone yet. Don’t worry – we’ll help you figure out the questions to ask and the way to find a positive college experience.

Check the score

Campus Pride Index creates a list of the top LGBTQ+ friendly schools in the country. This can be a great place to start in your college search, but take it with a grain of salt. Their list is a sort of checklist – does the college have clubs for LGBTQ+ students? A support center? These are great resources, but they don’t necessarily account for your entire college experience. So start with checking, but then do your own research to figure out what it would actually be like to attend that school.

What to research

Knowing what to ask can be especially tricky. A few good places to start:Do they have gender-neutral bathrooms?

  • Do they have gender-neutral housing options?
  • Are you allowed to select your name and gender pronouns?
  • Do they have health resources for LGBTQ+ (specifically transgender or gender non-conforming) students?
  • Do they have an LGBTQ+ student center? Is it lumped in with a larger “diversity center” or is it actually tailored to your needs?
  • What clubs are available to LGBTQ+ students? Are there support groups as well as social clubs?

These last two can be really important. Many colleges set up “diversity centers” as a nod to their minority students, but these centers might not be well-funded, or might not have the resources to actually serve all different groups. It’s also important to find groups of students you can rely on for support, not just administrators and adults.

Talk to students

The best way to get answers is to talk with a student. There are a few ways you can do this:

  1. Go on a tour. If you get to pick your own tour guide, try to find a student that works with the LGBTQ+ center. If not, still ask questions. If your tour guide has no idea what life is like for LGBTQ+ students on campus, there might not be a very open LGBTQ+ student life on campus.
  2. Send an email. If the college you’re looking at does have an LGBTQ+ student center, or even a diversity center, they probably have a phone number or email address listed. Feel free to contact them and ask to speak with a current student. This is a great way to get your questions answered by someone who is probably in the same position as you, rather than an employee of the college who will give you simpler, potentially less genuine answer.

This might feel like a lot of work, but it’s a good way to make sure you’ll be comfortable and happy wherever you choose to go to school. College is a matter of fit, and you’re too good to go to a school that won’t support you for who you are. No matter what, don’t be afraid to ask questions and be yourself. You’ve got this. 

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Handling Rejection

Jaadyyah Shearrion ’20, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School

What’s up, I’m back again. I know some of you have already gotten your acceptance letters from ED schools, I also know that some of you haven’t gotten the response you wanted from those ED schools. I applied to Wellesley College, a very competitive all women’s liberal arts school, as an early decision student. Sadly, I wasn’t accepted and I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave my house that entire weekend. I thought my dreams of going to college were over. I’m telling you now, it’s okay to initially be upset.

To get myself out of that funk I gave myself a pep talk about how that college wasn’t ready for me yet, they need time to get used to the idea of me. After my super dope pep talk, I started to distance myself from college. I unfollowed all their social media accounts and threw away all the evidence that I was interested in the college. Once those steps have concluded, I would suggest talking to someone. I definitely needed a shoulder to cry on, maybe you won’t need someone to bawl your eyes out like me, but it’s very relieving to talk to someone about this. 

I know it’s definitely hard not to take the decision personally. You might think that whoever looked at your application obviously didn’t look hard enough. And maybe they didn’t. But it’s not the end of the world, trust me! 

Hopefully, you’ve made a strong list of potential colleges that you’ve also applied to. If not, some colleges do have a super late application date, like December 30th, while some even go into January. It never hurts to have some kind of a back-up plan, and then a back-up plan for that back-up plan. For example,

  • Get excited about your other schools. Maybe they see the real you and will be a better fit anyway.
  • Reapply next year. It may be just as hard to get in then, but it’s worth a try. And it gives you a chance to amp up your profile and application.
  • Remember that you can transfer later. If you still want to attend your dream school, you have the option of trying to transfer in, down the road.

Though rejection does hurt, take it in stride. I definitely took my rejection hard, but I took my time to process it, and now I feel like I’m ready to move on from the college that didn’t accept my love. 

No matter what you choose to do, take care to remind yourself that getting rejected doesn’t mean you’re a bad student or that your application was horrendous. It just means that the school could only admit so many people, and you happened to not be one of them.

Even though the college admissions process can feel like an uphill battle, just know that you’re definitely not alone. As we say at my alma mater, “Fight on!”