[Spock]

Hey everyone, first post here and I really need some help. I am at a fairly well-recruited state school about to start a 2 yr macc program with hopes of landing big 4. I transferred from a cc where I had a 2.8 gpa, and when I went to do my bachelors I completed the remaining 60 credits with a 3.8+ (my 2.8 was not calculated as part of my new gpa)

Now, I am about to start my macc and I am afraid what will happen if recruiters want to see my transcripts. If they ask for my transcripts for the school I got my undergrad degree from it will be obvious that there must have been another school. Is it common practice to ask for transcripts from all schools attended? Has anyone had a similar experience. Thanks.

[futuremdcpa]

Hello –

I went to a community college for the first 2.5 years, and then a heavily recruited university for the remainder 2. When I interviewed/accepted the job offer they only required that I send my final two year school transcript. However, the one I sent did have my grades BUT NOT GPA from com. college.

REG: PASS || BEC: PASS || AUD: PASS || F: SCORE PENDING..

[MeaDebitum]

Shouldn't be an issue, your transfer school GPA won't appear on your current school's transcript.

[Whatdidyou]

They ask for ALL prior transcripts (both from CC & your Undergraduate).

However, I honestly don't think it will effect you at all, because you can easily arrange your resume so that only the 3.8 appears and firms care mostly about your intermediate level & advanced coursework grades anyways. NO reason to stress IMO.

REG - Passed!!
BEC - Passed
FAR - Passed
AUD - Passed

Study Materials: Becker basic course

[futuremdcpa]

@Whatyoudid – I think it depends. They only needed undergraduate for the final two years. No CC.

REG: PASS || BEC: PASS || AUD: PASS || F: SCORE PENDING..

[Spock]

I was hoping that since I will be a grad student they will not go to far into my academic background, but we'll see. Also, is it really true that all of the big 4 & the top tier firms ask for all transcripts? I would really appreciate it if someone could outline their recruiting experience. Thanks.

[junpark]

The recruiters from my school, usually wouldn't even look at resumes if the GPA was below 3.5 (This is the Big4) They also have you fill out some online applications through their web portal which filters out those who are below 3.5. My school had their own web portal where the Big 4 had their job openings listed and it was somehow linked to your school's academic records where if you were below at least 3.3 in undergrad, it flat out just told you that you didn't meet the qualification requirement. This is probably because my school pumps out a lot of accounting students with at least 3.3 and it takes a little more effort to get 3.5. Also, 3.5 is overall, not just last 60 hours or major GPA. I thought that was kind of dumb because I have little or no interest in science and my attendance reflected my interest.

[Anonymous]

You should be fine. Applying with grades that have substantially improved over time shows personal growth – this is something that all of the Big 4 firms can empathize with, especially if you can further correlate that improvement over time with reasonable, amicable life events/attitudes.

I don't see a reason as to why you shouldn't be able to disclose your grades per major GPA (I'm assuming that is higher). From my perspective, taking two different sets of data (i.e., your CC grades and your remaining credits at your current school) isn't necessarily always 100% correct. As long as you make it a point to put on your resume “Major GPA: X.XX”, there is no problem – your resume is essentially your brand/advertisement for yourself; why shouldn't you display yourself in the best light possible without serious misrepresentations?

The above thought process comes with a caveat however: when they request transcripts, disclose EVERYTHING – trying to leave out your transcripts from community college gives off the impression that you're trying to hide something which is NEVER a good impression to make.

Though honestly, once you actually get an on-campus or Superday interview, you should be golden – GPA (in theory) should no longer matter. At that point, it's all about your personality, leadership, prior applicable work experience, and extracurricular activities.

Good luck with the hunt; it's a really tough market out there at the moment.

[Author]

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