[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

I recently retook two accounting classes to raise my accounting GPA. Should I (1) include all of the accounting classes that I have taken, which would count two of the classes twice or (2) include all of the accounting classes once in the GPA calculation. The reason I ask is because the first option would be a 2.983 GPA and the second would be a 3.192.

I have hopes to recruit with the big four, and I want to make sure that if use the second option, my accounting GPA will not be deceiving and hurt me if a recruiter picks up on that in my transcript.

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

[Anonymous]

did you take the same courses over again? It was my understanding when I was in school that if you took the same course twice the higher gpa was the one that was counted.

[foreverstudying]

What's your cumulative GPA? I had a 2.7 accounting GPA but 3.0 cumulative and landed Big 4 interviews. I also didn't list my accounting GPA on my résumé and they didn't ask.

FAR - 70, 83
REG - 82
BEC - 78
AUD - 76

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of people putting their accounting GPA on resumes. I always put my business (all business courses) GPA and cumulative GPA. Maybe people do it differently though.

[jkpoker1]

Good luck getting a job at big 4 with a gpa under 3.3. The lower your gpa, the better you have to network, know people through family or plain luck, talk well, and do extracurricular activities. If your accounting gpa is the best calculation, I would just list your accounting gpa (of only accounting courses). Otherwise leaving your gpa off your resume can be done however it might raise a red flag. I know people that have gotten decent jobs (not big 4 or accounting necessarily) and haven't listed their gpas. Honestly, I think its rare for an employer to ask you your gpa at an interview (unless competitive position or big 4). Also if they do ask, you can BS a story like you partied too much and didn't realize how important school was. As long as you make it sound like you were immature and had done better at the end of college (hopefully true), you can turn that into a slight positive.

Quest to be a CPA

BEC-74 (7/13),
REG- ?? (8/13)
AUD-TBA
FAR-TBA

[kmaahs]

I would use the strongest GPA you have available for resume purposes.

Just make sure it holds up upon scrutiny. I.E. don't call it an “accounting gpa” and include a marketing class you 4-pointed as fluff.

C.P.A.

[Anonymous]

@bnrhilton Yes, I took the same course twice. That's kind of what I was thinking.

@wr07 my cumulative is about a 3.15. Can you give me some tips on how you were able to do that with a low GPA? I'm really wanting an internship with one of the big 4, so my chances of getting a staff position while recruiting in the MACC program will increase.

@co10101 I think it's a pretty recent trend. The majority of the people I know have their accounting GPAs on their resumes, or it may just be my school.

@jkpoker1 I appreciate the insight. I believe I have a good response when that question rolls around! I'm just needing to get the interview. Worst case scenario I'll just do good in the macc program and go from there.

[foreverstudying]

@ebarb0913 Make sure the rest of your resume makes you sound like a superstar! My work, leadership, and volunteer experience made up for an unimpressive GPA. Even I was a little surprised by the amount of interviews I was able to get with a low GPA, but I realized it had a lot to do with all the extracurricular activities highlighted on my resume (both social and academic). I think the hardest part of the recruiting process is getting that first interview, and the best way to get it is to make sure your resume is a complete, stellar reflection of you.

Since you aren't required to share your accounting GPA, only list your cumulative & focus on bringing that up instead. 3.15 isn't bad, but if your school is competitive you'll want any edge you can get. Aside from that make sure the rest of your resume is up to par. A good GPA will get you through the initial filtering process, but being the total package will get you the internship and eventually the job 🙂

FAR - 70, 83
REG - 82
BEC - 78
AUD - 76

[Author]

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