Faizan Qureshi, Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2020
Age: 28
Hometown: Manassas, VA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Virginia Tech, Civil Engineering
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 4 years with Clark Construction in construction management; 2 years with Cushman & Wakefield in real estate development.
Why business school? Why now?
After having managed the execution of a multitude of construction projects across a variety of asset classes and geographies, I realized I needed stronger business skills in order to move to the strategy side of real estate. An MBA is the ultimate holistic degree that offers experience in finance, accounting, marketing, operations, and leadership, which is crucial for such a multi-faceted industry like real estate.
The timing worked well because I had just earned my Professional Engineering license—providing a capstone for my engineering credentials—and had surpassed five years of industry experience that provided me a solid foundation to leverage in my post-MBA career.
Why McDonough? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
It was important for me to be located in a large gateway city at a school with a dedicated real estate program. Georgetown specifically attracted me for a number of reasons—the class size of 270 students is large enough to provide a diverse peer and alumni network, yet small enough to ensure I can get to know most of my classmates on a personal level. Furthermore, being located in a major real estate market meant that I would have the opportunity to intern during the school year with top local firms.
Georgetown’s brand and reputation across the world is invaluable. There is a strong alumni presence across the U.S., but especially in the Northeast, D.C. and New York specifically—our global network is unparalleled. There are influential Hoyas in almost every country and numerous foreign dignitaries and business people have graduated from this program (our building is named after the former Prime Minister of Lebanon).
Lastly, there are numerous avenues outside of the MBA that I can tap into including alumni from the undergraduate business school, law school, School of Continuing Studies, and School of Foreign Service.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
Coming from a construction background, my success was dependent on working with and leading diverse teams of tradesmen and subcontractors. Over the course of a single day, I would work with a tradesman in the field who may have dropped out of school, an architect with a PhD, or a developer with an MBA.
Despite the stressful environment, I was able to help my teams coalesce around a common goal to deliver projects on-time and under-budget. Teamwork is crucial in business school, many of our projects and assignments are completed in our groups. Georgetown does a great job composing teams of students from diverse career paths, and I feel my background has helped me lead our teams more effectively.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
My family tree has been traced back over 1,400 years!
Post-MBA career interests?
Real estate finance.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Take the time to talk to as many current students and alumni as possible to get an inside view of the schools and see where graduates end up working.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
Initially in the MBA application process, my strategy of choosing schools was very hodgepodge and almost entirely based on rankings. I did not take the time to visit schools and really connect with admissions staffs. I formulated a more concrete and methodical strategy later on in the process, and should have taken this approach earlier to save me from applying to schools that were not a good fit.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Spend less time finding an admissions consultant and focus on how I could individually strengthen my application. What was most helpful was reaching out to current students and soliciting their feedback and advice on my application materials.
What is your initial impression of McDonough’s students/culture/community?
The culture at McDonough is very close-knit and inviting. The second-year students are very generous with their time and serve as great mentors for class/career guidance. Through individual cohorts and smaller study teams, I feel personally connected to my peers. My classmates come from incredibly diverse backgrounds—Peace Corps, TFA, private sector, and public servants.
Georgetown students consistently push the envelope and challenge the status quo by exploring the intersection of business and other fields, including technology and social good. The school is also underpinned by its Jesuit values, which sets it apart from other institutions which solely focus on getting the highest-paying job. Our professors weave ethics and morality into each course, and espouse cura personalis, or care for the entire person.
One thing you have learned about McDonough that has surprised you?
McDonough has a very strong focus on academics. Professors are very enthusiastic about teaching, and our classes start much earlier in the year than other schools. Opening Term is a three-week session before the fall semester, where we take an accounting and macroeconomics course.
These are full classes that meet every day, and the workload is pretty significant. Opening Term can be very stressful, but looking back on it, it was a good primer to get back into an academic setting and provides a leg-up for early recruitment opportunities.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Real estate recruiting is very late-cycle, and sometimes does not even start until after banking/consulting students have already received their offers. This can cause a lot of anxiety, and I even know of some students who did not get their offers until the last week of classes. I am hoping I can land my dream gig without having to wait until the last minute!
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am definitely looking forward to all of the international traveling. The real estate center has an annual London trek in the spring, the Global Business Experience allows students to collaborate and consult for an international firm and present our findings to leadership at their office, and there are numerous treks over winter and spring breaks. The trips will be especially unique because they are led by students who are from those countries or have lived/worked there.
