A look back

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As the year winds down, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on the last nine months in the Wisconsin MBA program. I have certainly learned a lot about a wide variety of topics. I will leave school for my internship this summer more knowledgeable about real estate finance and appraisal, as well as operations and marketing, which will certainly help impress my boss and earn me a full time job.

I have also had the opportunity to travel, both domestically and internationally, to Washington, DC with the Real Estate Club and to Cannes, France for MIPIM to discover how the real estate market works in regions I was previously unfamiliar with. These new perspectives will help me consider new alternatives and explore new ideas that will help me thrive in the good times and, hopefully, survive the next “worst recession since the great depression.”

But most importantly, I have developed contacts and forged relationships with a variety of interesting people. From my fellow classmates to our guest speakers and the industry leaders at MIPIM, I have met so many people who will enrich my life. Whether they consider investing in my latest project, give me guidance on which avenue to take on my career, or just accompany me down to the shell to play basketball, I am better off for having spent this year at UW.
So as I finish off my last blog post of the term, I would like to wish everyone the best of luck with their endeavors this summer, and I look forward to seeing everyone again--along with some new faces--in the fall.

Jeff Swhier is a first-year MBA student in the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the Wisconsin School of Business. He moved back to the Midwest from NYC to take a position in a property management company and plans to return there after completing his degree.

Photo by Jeff Miller © UW-Madison University Communications