Real Estate Society helps students connect

One student organization is helping students to stake a claim in the real estate industry.The Real Estate Society of San Diego State is aimed at helping students interested in real estate to network with current professionals and find career opportunities, according to Sean Bascom, business senior and vice president for the RES. The RES is open to students of all majors and Bascom said anyone who might be interested in real estate should attend a meeting, because the industry is about more than just housing sales. “I think a lot of people who aren’t really familiar with real estate think that if you work in real estate you only buy and sell houses,” he said. New this semester, the RES will be offering $10,000 worth of scholarships, which are only open to real estate society members. Four $2,000 scholarships and four $500 scholarships will be awarded.

Bascom said the organization was founded five years ago by two students interested in real estate and featured only about six members and no sponsors. Since then, the society has grown to more than 80 members, with several major sponsors including Corky-McMillin Companies and ECP Commercial, and operates with a budget of $25,000.

Every semester, RES hosts networking events, social events and weekly meetings.

Bascom said networking events give members a chance to connect with professionals in the industry and help students find internships and other job opportunities.

The weekly meetings allow members to create and update their resumes, improve their interviewing skills and help arrange meetings and job interviews.

The next meeting is from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 in lower Aztec Center. The meeting will feature Michael Hartnett from Ernst & Young, who will be speaking about real estate tax services and what it takes to get into the industry.

Students who are interested in RES can find more information can be found at the RES Web site atwww.resofsdsu.com.