Like most, Ryan Khondokar spent some of his pandemic quarantine time scrolling his social media. That鈥檚 where he discovered a job opportunity he hadn鈥檛 previously considered: real estate.

鈥淚 was like, oh, selling homes seems kind of cool. How does that work? So, I did a little due diligence, seeing what it鈥檚 all about,鈥� recalled Ryan, now a B.S. in Business Administration student at The 极乐禁地. 鈥淚 got my license about two years ago in April and I鈥檝e been loving it ever since. It鈥檚 the best decision I鈥檝e ever made.鈥�

Ryan transferred to UBalt from Howard Community College in 2022. He was already studying for his real estate exam and had been looking for a four-year program where he could learn more about real estate.

UBalt鈥檚 Merrick School of Business offers a specialization in Real Estate and Economic Development within its undergraduate business program. Between that and the fact that his father is already a business school alumnus, Ryan knew he was headed for UBalt.

鈥淚 think UBalt is the best school to go if you want to have a real estate path,鈥� he said.

He pointed to the expertise of professors and networking opportunities as the key reasons, and they were evident on Day 1.

鈥淚 already could feel the welcoming feeling not only from the professor, but also the students. Everybody was on their own path, but it felt like everybody was together, reaching a common goal of doing well in the class.鈥�

One highlight of his experience was attending the business school鈥檚 Lessons from Legends in Real Estate, a series that brings the city鈥檚 most influential and successful business leaders to campus to interact with students.

鈥淚 met different individuals who are also in the real estate industry and just being able to network鈥擴Balt is a school to go to if you want to have a career in real estate,鈥� he said.

Ryan is also hoping to grow the Real Estate and Economic Development Association before completing his program in the next year.

Ryan may have come to UBalt for its academic opportunities but has found so much more to love about his time here.

鈥淯Balt is nothing less than amazing. I鈥檝e thoroughly enjoyed my experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love the people that I met here. I love the professors. I love how it鈥檚 very flexible.鈥�

Ryan is balancing his full-time class schedule with his part-time work with Keller Williams Realty Centre in Howard County, Maryland.

At school, his adviser has been key to helping him set a course plan that works with his schedule.

At work, he helps first-time home buyers navigate the search process and paperwork that come with the milestone event.  

鈥淏uying your first house is a bit challenging. You don鈥檛 know what to expect, obviously, because it鈥檚 your first time going through it. So, it鈥檚 nice to ease someone through it, step by step, and just be their guide,鈥� he said.

Ryan got his real estate license around the time he started at UBalt and could have delayed or skipped a four-year program. But he thought the value of a college degree would make the extra work and time pursuing it worthwhile. His first class in his specialization proved him right.

鈥淚 definitely have learned stuff because there were other students in the real estate industry, but not in the agent side. There were people in the commercial side, so I could learn more about that. It鈥檚 all about like growing your network.鈥�