[Tyler]

Hello, I accepted an offer from a Big 4 firm this Fall. I just received word that they are requesting my transcripts from this past semester. I did relatively well in most of my classes, except I got a D+ in audit. The position I accepted is not in audit (it is in tax), but I am wondering if this is grounds for rescinding my offer. Please give me as honest of an answer as possible because I am extremely worried. How should I handle this when submitting my transcripts?

[Anonymous]

what is your major (accounting) GPA? overall GPA? after this semester and that D.

big4 is picky, my buddy lost his offer cuz he dropped to a 3.48. but i think at that margin they didnt like him much anyways, he needed a 3.5. we came from a prestigious graduate school program and students with a 3.9 in the masters program were getting rejected because they had a 2.9 GPA in their undergrad years a decade ago! now you would wonder what firms care about what happened 10 years ago over being a straight A student currently? well, the big4 does.

i inserted that anecdote just to highlight how absurd these big4 firms are with their grading/GPA policies and cutoffs. i think overall and major is what matters the D+ might not matter if you're still in the 3.0/3.5 range.

[Tyler]

My overall GPA went from a 3.14 to a 3.10. My technical business GPA is now a 3.01 (I am accounting and finance; this also includes all marketing and economics classes required by my school). My GPA for accounting classes I have taken so far is 2.70, but I am taking 3 advanced accounting classes this semester. If I get straight As in them I will have a 3.09 in accounting classes.

[Anonymous]

to tell you the truth, i am surprised you got a big4 offer with those grades. cuz lets face it your grades put you in the “maybe” pile at best, and you survived the cut!

that just speaks volumes about your personality/interview skills. that's a good thing and means you must have impressed the recruiters with your demeanor/intangibles. i think youll be alright with the D+ like i said they definitely know you're not academically talented- perhaps they see you working great in teams, or being just a solid, young recruit with a great attitude for their office. just dont drop below a 3 because then you'll leave them no choice. need anymore motivation to not party as much and get A's this semester lol?

unless you didnt disclose grades during application process? (when i applied to big4 they asked for a tentative GPA during the application process as far as i can recall)

[Tyler]

I submitted my transcript when applying. Do you think that I should write a letter with my transcript or will that just call attention to a problem that they might not necessarily see?

[Anonymous]

i would let it be. dont stir the water, tyler. you already submitted it, they already saw it. now what they care about is your GPA @ graduation. im sure you'll be fine, man, if you get all A's.

[Tyler]

Thanks, eesti, for your help.

[fuzyfro89]

Depends on which GPA they use as a reference. Generally speaking, a 3.0 is the firm-wide cutoff before they may consider pulling an offer, but this could very well be higher at some schools than others.

Should you be worried? Yes. You stated a 2.70 GPA in accounting coursework, which is low… no matter if you went to a top school or not. I wonder what they saw when you got the offer in terms of your GPA/grades so far? Was it in the same range? If so, then maybe it won't be a problem since it's nothing new.

[Son]

Tyler, do you mind me asking if you were referred to the firm by one of the current employees or partners? I second eesti and fuzyfro, your GPA seems slightly lower than usual to start with; but if you had some support from the inside, that is probably something you can still bank on even now.

That being said, there's no need to worry until it's time to worry. I would not provide any additional information to your recruiter until they ask for it. My Big4 offer was pretty specific as to the GPA that I had to maintain, so I would check your again to see if there's any indication there as to what the expectations are.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Tyler]

I know no one at the firm. I am generally a good student, hard worker, and genuine. I also go to a school which this firm recruits from often. If I knew someone at the firm I would ask them for help, but since I don't and also don't have anyone to ask for advice I am worried. This is my lowest grade ever.

[PublicGuy]

Sounds like you made your bed so your gonna have to lie in it as they say. All you can do is hope HR really likes you.

My other concern is that you dont have a good enough handle on audit material to pass AUD, which tax or not, you do need to pass to be a CPA. Even if you stay at the firm, that is material your gonna have to learn.

[Son]

eh, don't be so grim guys. Tyler, eesti is right – if they hired you in the first place, it means you've really impressed them. That didn't go away just because you've got one bad grade. A well-known secret at Big4s is that they spend an exorbitant amount of money and time looking for new hires; if you got far along in the process to get an offer, they would be hesitant to revoke it.

One last question – did you get hired by one of the bigger offices? I.e., New York or San Francisco? Or a smaller one? Smaller offices tend to have less competition when it comes to new hires, so that's why the requirements might have been slightly more lax to begin with.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Author]

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