Worth doing a Cambridge MPhil in Real Estate Finance?

Background:

I received an AB in Economics from Harvard, Magna Çum Laude, then completed an MSc in Economics for Development at Oxford with Distinction. After Oxford, I worked for 2 years in Investment Banking before exiting to Growth Equity as an associate. I have been in my current role for about 1.5 years, and I am currently based in NYC.

I am 26, turning 27 this summer. My Growth Equity associate program ends at the end of this summer and I am not on track for VP, so I will be making a move either way.

Just months ago, on a whim, I decided to apply to Cambridge’s MPhil in Real Estate Finance and expect to be accepted in a few weeks.

Long term, I want to move into asset management, ideally in real assets, or potentially do something entrepreneurial. However, the past 3.5 years of working in high finance have seriously burnt me out and I love the idea of taking short-term sabbatical before entering the workforce again.

The Cambridge program is appealing from a subject matter standpoint and is only one year, so the time commitment is manageable. That said, I already have two strong degrees and solid experience, so I am unsure if another master’s is truly additive or unnecessary. The main tradeoff is one year of opportunity cost versus a clean pivot into real assets and AM.

It would also be cool to finish the global T3 combination of Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge, but that is obviously not the main driver.

Pragmatically, it may make more sense to lateral into AM from industry. On the other hand, this could be a structured way to reposition and build a real estate focused network.

What would you do in my position? Take the degree or stay in industry and lateral?

Thanks!

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Abhishek_x110

Hey, your background is amazing, can I ask you a bit on how you got there. Also, I personally think that you should go for the T3 if you want to focus on prestige, building your profile, and it could also help expand your network especially if you are passionate about real estate.