You can apply to all top 10 schools, and should. As we always say (to keep things niiiiice and simple), get into the best school you can, period.
But it’s not always in the cards, and if that’s the case, don’t give up so easily. It might be an interesting idea to have a look around at some of the interesting real estate MBAs out there that can also help you make your dream of building that chain of casinos in Vegas come true. (And when you do, we expect solid comps.)
First off, some of the better-ranked and well-known real estate programs.
Columbia has their The Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate which is always highly considered: http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/realestate
Wharton’s Real Estate program is quite nice as well: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/real-estate.cfm
Secondly, its probably not a bad idea to also have a look at the list of Master of Real Estate (MScRE) programs here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Real_Estate
If you are really motivated and love to work hard at school, you might even consider going for a double degree. USC Marshall, for example offers a very nice double degree program: http://www.marshall.usc.edu/fbe/realestate/dualjoint-degrees.htm as do our friends up in Ithaca at Cornell: MBA/MPS in Real Estate http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/prospectivestudents/dualdegree/realestate.html
So take advantage of the moment while Investment Bankers are THE most feared and loathed folks around (yep, you guys are only second on that list), and do your research to make sure you aren’t just shooting for prestige, but for something that will meaningfully get you closer to your future goals.
