Anna Rasmussen’s ’21 summer internship at Freddie Mac served as a launch pad for her post-Hamilton career. Below are some of the economics major’s thoughts about her job search and college experience.
Can you talk a little about what your job will be like?
I'm going to work in underwriting for multifamily [lending] ... [it’s] a lot of background research on the people that are lending to build multifamily properties. We have to dive deep into searches on the borrower to make sure they have … no lawsuits against them or against any of the properties that they own. We need to make sure that their credit history is good, see if they’ve done deals with Freddie in the past, and make sure that the market area is clean — there's no crime, or it’s not a lot of crime in the area, just like any major concerns or market risks.
I'd say also the open curriculum and the liberal arts education have really made me think more broadly and have made me a better, dynamic thinker. I think that’s been a big plus of this type of education.
What attracted you to this field?
Both of my parents are in commercial real estate, and specifically in appraisal, and then I have a brother in brokerage. So, it’s kind of family business. … I’ve definitely been influenced by them, but I like the multifamily section and multifamily lending, just because I think I can see a lot of different property types and different areas around the Northeast.
Could you explain a little bit about what multifamily lending is?
Freddie Mac does both traditional, like single family, and multifamily lending. Single family’s your standard, like home loan or your mortgage, and then we do multifamily. I’m in the multifamily lending sector. So that’s going to be like — their minimum’s right around a $5 million loan — so it’s for condos or apartment building units. I think it’s at least five or more units for an apartment or condo-style.
Major: Economics
Minor: Theatre
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.
How did you land at this particular job?
I had an internship this past summer. I got that through a family friend, my mom’s friend that she met in an appraisal class, actually, in 1985. They’ve been friends ever since. So she put my name in the pool of candidates, and I luckily got the internship and then from there, interviewed for the full-time position and got it.
How has Hamilton helped prepare you for this job?
I think sociology class, oddly, got me more interested in commercial real estate. It made me really think about the effects that development can have on the surrounding community. And I think that's really cool how, you know, different sectors can influence a local economy in ways that you wouldn’t expect. I’d say also the open curriculum and the liberal arts education have really made me think more broadly and have made me a better, dynamic thinker. I think that's been a big plus of this type of education.
What's something that you’ll miss about Hamilton?
I think just being able to see my peers every day, you know. I know in the future ... to see my best friends it’ll probably be maybe once a quarter, and you’ll have to schedule it pretty far in advance if we live in different areas and stuff like that. So definitely just the convenience of being around friends all the time.
