Real Estate 101 Series Workshops

Real Estate 101 sessions are designed to be educational opportunities for current students and are often conducted by second-year students and/or recent alumni working in the real estate industry. Educational presentation topics in the past have included real estate financial modeling and ARGUS training, urban in-fill development, land acquisition, the role of private equity financing and purchasing a home.

Distinguished Speaker Series

At various times throughout the year, AREA will host speakers from the national and local real estate industry.

Alumni Networking Mixers

AREA hosts alumni events that offer students opportunities to network with UCLA Anderson alumni who are presently working in the real estate field. AREA also has a close relationship with the UCLA Real Estate Alumni Group (REAG), an association of real estate professionals with undergraduate UCLA ties. REAG also hosts quarterly meetings, usually with a notable speaker.

Mentorship Program

The Ziman Center sponsors a real estate mentor program designed to meet the needs of students and busy real estate professionals. The program allows real estate professionals to share their work experience, offer career advice, interface with students and participate in the Ziman Center‘s activities.

Days on the Job

Days on the Job (DOJ) events bring students to the offices of a local real estate company to visit with employees and learn more about the employer and the industry in general. These student-organized events offer a more intimate opportunity to meet real estate executives and demonstrate an interest in a particular employer.

Site Visits

Given the tangible nature of real estate, AREA often organizes site visits during the year to expose students to the construction process. In past years, AREA has toured commercial developments such as the Staples Center and residential developments such as the Hollywood & Vine project with the companies responsible for developing or financing the sites.

Real Estate Lunches

Real estate lunches are one of the regular on-campus recruiting programs sponsored by the Career Management Center, in coordination with AREA. Lunch presentations consist of a noontime presentation made by the host company, followed by a question-and-answer session. Lunch presentations offer students an opportunity to learn firsthand about different careers in the industry.

Real Estate Industry Career Night

Sponsored by the Ziman Center and organized by students, AREA’s Real Estate Career Night is a well-attended annual event that offers students a unique career-related networking opportunity. Over 100 companies have participated in past years. These companies have included AEW Capital Management, American Realty Advisors, Apollo Real Estate Advisors, Arden Realty, Buchanan Street Partners, CB Richard Ellis, CIM Group, Colony Capital, Cushman & Wakefield, Douglas Emmett, George Smith Partners, Grubb & Ellis, Jones Lang LaSalle, JP Morgan Mortgage Capital, KB Homes, KeyBank Real Estate Capital, Lowe Enterprises, MetLife, Resmark Equity Partners, TA Associates, The Olson Company, Trammell Crow, Wells Fargo and Westfield America.

NAIOP Challenge:

Each year, The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) organizes a student competition between UCLA’s and USC’s business schools. Each five-person team is asked to determine the best use for an existing real estate project. In 2016, UCLA’s team was awarded the prestigious Silver Shovel for its presentation and recommended strategy to develop a 5.07-acre land site in the City of Inglewood. Students will be notified once the selection process gets underway, but please visit the NAIOP Challenge website to find out more details.

Selected Case Competitions

Each year, UCLA Anderson is invited to compete in many different case competitions, such as The University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business Real Estate Challenge, the UNC Real Estate Development Challenge, the MIT Real Estate CASE Competition, among others. The Ziman Center sponsors many of these annual events by paying for the team’s entry fee and travel expenses.