Seventeen Universities to Compete in Cornell Real Estate Case Competition

The annual Cornell International Real Estate Case Competition, set for 4 November 2014 in New York City, will feature a record field with student teams from seventeen universities on four continents competing for a share of over US$22,000 in prize money.

Now in its sixth year, the case competition gives teams of six students just five days to prepare an analysis of an actual real estate transaction, which is not revealed until the time of the competition.

This year, the competition will be held at Convene Financial District @ 32 Old Slip, in New York City.

"This is far more than a competition, although it is exciting for the student teams," said Professor Daniel Quan, director of the Center for Real Estate and Finance. "Our real purpose is to open an educational door for the students, so that they can work on an actual real estate case. In doing this, they are supported by an all-star group of judges, who are focused on helping the students learn more effectively."

Quan pointed out that the inaugural competition began with just six teams, and he is pleased to see how it has grown. This year's competing teams are: Brown University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Cornell University, Indiana University, McGill University, New York University, Renmin University, University of Aberdeen, University of British Columbia (Sauder School of Business), University of Cambridge, University of Connecticut, University of Guelph, University of Michigan, University of Sydney, University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, Villanova University. At the University of Sydney alone, more than 100 students applied to become one of the six members of that school's team.

During the five days of the competition, the student teams prepare their analysis of the case and make their recommendations regarding the transaction. After a preliminary presentation round, five remaining finalist teams will present their case solution to the full panel of judges. These real estate experts will determine a winner based on the best overall analysis and presentation.

The teams are judged not only on their investment recommendations, their approach to the problem, and their presentation skills, but also on their ability to answer and respond to questions posed by the judges.