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We couldn't have done it without you. As you may know, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was recently named the best undergraduate business school by US News & World Report, and the Real Estate Program was rated #1 in the country. More recently, Business Week rated the Wharton Graduate School #1 for an unprecedented fourth time. We are proud, and acknowledge that it could not have been done without your unflagging support. In connection with the article, the Business Week folks interviewed students who had just graduated to get their opinions of their MBA experience. We excerpt Alex Virtue's (WG '00) remarks below, which should convince you, even more than ratings, just how valuable your support is to our program. "...During the first quarter, I attended Wharton's Club Day and signed up for just about every possible professional and social group that piqued my interest: Wine-tasting, rowing, finance, real estate, golf, hockey, and even flying with Wharton Wings. It didn't take very long before I realized that this list would require massive truncation. As most students find, there's really only time to take a serious leadership or officer position in one club -- my obvious choice was Wharton's Real Estate Club. Once appointed as a first-year officer on the Professional Affairs Committee, I quickly began working on initiatives with the second-year officers, allowing me to interface with professors in the Real Estate department -- as well as the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton. "While I appreciate the fact that only a 'real estate guy/gal' can probably share my true excitement for Wharton's Real Estate Program, I must mention the Fall Members' Meeting of the Zell/Lurie RE Center that took place (during my first year). The two-day symposium, kicked off by a talk by Mike Fasticelli, President of Vornado Realty Trust, was truly a gathering of the most influential and powerful players in corporate real estate and finance. In addition to the many superb panel discussions, a Center-hosted breakfast and luncheon allowed the students to meet with the visiting professional and begin to form what may some day be a very formidable network. The true benefit of the Zell/Lurie RE Center, from a student's perspective, is the access that we have to the center's members and contributors -- people who regularly make the news in the most prominent business magazines and newspapers in the country. In my view, Wharton's commitment to being at the forefront of today's rapidly changing real estate environment is truly unique..."
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