[Anonymous]

When I started college I was a stupid adolescent, and didn’t take school very seriously. My first few semesters I did dreadful, without knowing what subject I was actually going to study. I started college as a math major originally with plans to be a teacher. I decided if I continued down this path and finished I would end up as a teacher with very little options. I switched to business, with no specific concentration. When I took Principles of Accounting II, I ended up with my favorite professor who convinced me accounting was the way to go. It took until my fifth semester, but I finally decided ultimately what I would receive a degree in.

I didn’t take school very seriously at the time. I spent too much time boozing and partying, When it came to academics I usually did the bare minimum to to receive my bachelors. I ended up with a 2.97 which I am absolutely embarrassed about. I did participate in some clubs and academics (VITA, Accounting Sociey, Social Fraternity), and had a Tax internship in Spring 2009. I graduated in May 2010, I told myself it couldn’t be too difficult to find a job.

I took an unpaid A/P internship in early June 2010 in NYC.

I finally took a finance position at a Non-Profit organization in August 2010 (and have been since), where my duties are spread over numerous different areas. I perform bookkeeping, monthly close, internal audit, portfolio management, and IT tasks.

I had no idea where I saw myself in 5 years, but just kept chugging away at work. It took until this past summer, but I finally made some decisions. I wanted to find myself in a Big 4 or mid-size accounting firm within the next 18 months. I knew my GPA had me way behind, so I had to increase my marketability. I first had to decide whether to go to grad school or pass my CPA exams first. I decided that taking CPA exams would give me time to choose on a school/program. I paid for Becker out of pocket, and paid for my NTS in August. I took AUD & REG in October/November. Pass & Pass. I took BEC in January. Pass. I take FAR tomorrow (not going to pass, barely got done with all the videos in time; and stupid NTS expires too). Will pass in April.

I’ve added Professional Development to my resume and have included my CPA exam grades. I’ve been reading stories, and I still don’t think this is enough to my foot in the door any big accounting firm. I’m also in a strange position as I’m not a campus recruit, and I’m not exactly an experienced hire.

I won’t let that stop me though. I’m committed to this.

So what is the best course of action now? Should I do a MAcc? I’m still going to need 28 more credits to meet the educational requirement. Should I do something more specialized and go for the MS in Tax? Or should I go the MBA route? Not really liking the MBA route, as I’d only want to go to a Columbia or NYU (which I can’t afford or get into). Should I focus on finding a school that the Big 4 & midsize firms recruit from? Or should I skip the graduate school, and just earn credits at a local community and just keep trying with applications?

Any success stories that relate to me?

I live in NJ/NYC area if it helps with ideas.

Cliff notes:

-Boozed it up way too much in college

-Did bare minimum in school to end with a 2.97 GPA

-Works on a finance team for a small non-profit

-Started taking things more seriously and has passed first three sections of CPA exam

-Wants to work for big 4 or midsize (GT, BDO, etc.)

-Needs more to get noticed

-MAcc or MS Tax?

[kmwgrace]

I attended UMass Amherst as an undergrad, then U of Idaho and now Mississippi State as a graduate student. All of them had active recruiting from the major accounting firms so honestly with regard to where you go to school, there will be recruiting and career services at every accredited university.

With regard to your path now, it seems like you have more questions to answer. Do you want to do audit or tax? Are you better at one than the other? Have you looked at the accredidation hours in NJ and NY for getting your CPA license? It might help you to make an appointment with a career counselor at a graduate institution in your area to determine what courses you would need for what degrees. They should also know the state requirements for the CPA.

Hope that helps!

~ Kate... MTX!
CPA exam on hold while I homeschool my 6 year old!

[kmwgrace]

I meant to ask if you've looked at the accredidation *requirements,* not hours. Sorry for the typo.

~ Kate... MTX!
CPA exam on hold while I homeschool my 6 year old!

[Anonymous]

I screwed myself as an undergrad too. I got crap grades for the three accounting classes I took. Had boring professors for those classes. Seriously, Ben Stein's performance in “Ferris Bueller's Day off” made these professors look like party animals. Yes, THAT boring.

[Anonymous]

(This post is not of any help)

Just wanted to say your in a better position than I am, just keep your head up, and I will do the same.

My Cliff Notes:

-Did not care early on in college (depressed) and ended with a 2.97 GPA

-Have no experience

-Started taking things more seriously and has passed entire CPA exam.

-Looking for work… and looking… (1 year 5 months since I graduated)

[misanthrope87]

If you have a friend in the big 4 or another firm, you should ask them to refer you. Helps a lot.

B 2/12 87
A 11/11 90
R 8/11 86
F 5/12 88

[Texas27]

If you have passed the CPA exam there is no reason you shouldn't get into a Big 4 regardless of your GPA. The only problem is getting an interview. Most of the time this is done through campus recruiting but if you have already graduated you have to go to their website with about a million other people and apply. Campus recruiting is by far the easiest way to get into a Big 4 and as long as you “fit” in the firm and make a good impression your GPA won't matter if you have passed the CPA exam because that is all they really care about.

BEC - Feb 2012: 80
AUD - Feb 2012: 84
FAR - Apr 2012: 78
REG - May 2012: 90

Thanks Becker!

[Elaine]

Heeeeya, I'm on a similar boat.

My cliff notes:

– similar GPA as yours with an Economics BA

– graduated last June

– attending a certificate program in LA to get my accounting credits

– starting Becker in July, taking FAR in August

– no experience; looking for internships/part-time in accounting to get any

– been going to campus recruiting events at the university where my certificate program is held

I actually had a good connection with an E&Y recruiter and she told me to keep in contact with her until recruiting starts in September. I am no expert but I don't think you should go for further education; it should be better to contact the recruiters (contacts are on their websites), tell them that you have passed three sections in CPA exam and that you are looking for a position. Passing the exams is the best way to get you noticed because a lot of Big 4 firms are looking for that candidacy or passing scores.

GOOD LUCK!!! I'm in Cali btw.

[whatkey]

if you don't know anyone in big 4 just sneak into a local campus career fair where you know they'll be recruiting…don't lie to the recruiters about why you're there though. I have friends who have done this and its worked.

Using Becker, Ninja Notes, and CpaReviewForFree

FAR - 87 (2/17)
REG - 89 (4/21)
AUD - 89 (5/31)
BEC - 89 (7/11)

[Mayo]

“If you have passed the CPA exam there is no reason you shouldn't get into a Big 4 regardless of your GPA”

Err…not sure why this would be true at all. If you're looking to go big 4 your best bet was campus recruiting. Otherwise, they will look at your relevant experience to see if its of the quality and specific type they want.

CPA exams passed helps, but its not a panacea. If you were to continue on your current route it would be pretty difficult to get your foot in the door. I'd try joining the local CPA society or other networking groups in an erfort to expand your network.

IMO, going to a decent Macc is your best option. Kill the GMAT, get good recommendations, and write a great essay to get into the program you want. Once there do all the things necessary to get an interview: good grades, join an accounting or business organization, volunteer, get to know your professors, get to know the firms, and create a professional resume.

You mentioned community college. I'd recommend against it. At this point, your only reason to go back for the Macc is access to campus recruiting. If that's the ase, stay away from any institution that doesn't have firm presence there.

As for MBA, meh, unless it's a good quality one its value is not as high. Stick to accounting and take courses you ffind interesting. An MBA will just repeat a lot of your undergrad classes anyways. In the end, if you really wanted an MBA it's probably fine as long as you have the accounting hours.

Background:

Big 4 audit intern (now 2012 new hire)

Undergrad gpa: 2.67

Grad gpa: 3.8

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[wdanni]

@Mayo, just want to know if you did a non-accounting major undergrad? I'm in NYC and in the same boat as some of the others above. Graduated from a public ivy (with a GPA around yours) w/ econ BS. Most firms in NY require at least 2 yrs experience and I haven't any. Seriously considering a MAcc like you suggested, but not sure if it's worth shouldering more student loans at this point. in any case, I plan on following your guidelines and taking both the GMAT and CPA this year.

[Mayo]

My undergrad was accounting. I basically screwed myself my first two years, busted my butt junior and senior year, did the Macc, got recruited and did m yinternship.

My situation is a bit different in that I had two years of great performance under my belt to point to in terms of showing maturity and growth. Just simply doing a Macc after a crappy undergrad is no guarantee that you'll get recruited, so there is some risks involved.

However, seeing that 90% of public accounting firms hire through campus recruiting, Macc is still your best option. Like I mentioned before, try to get ino a decent program. The better ranked it is the more heavily recruited it will be. This will increase your chances of recruitment.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Anonymous]

@bcc624…and other “screwed” people above…don't know why you called yourselves “screw” or “stupid adolescent”…really screwed up or stupid adolescent don't go to school or graduated from college…or on their way to their CPA.

[Anonymous]

Thought I would update this thread:

Last Monday, I received notice of my acceptance into Rutgers MAcc, Financial Accounting program. I'll be quitting my job to complete the 10 week 15-credit summer semester that begins after Memorial Day. The final 15 credits are done through online courses.

I took FAR on Monday, my final CPA section, and I feel as if it went very well. On 5/4, I hope to receive word that I passed and am done!

I was told campus recruiting for accounting students takes place in both Summer and Fall at Rutgers. Hopefully from there I can obtain an interview for one of the firms I've set my eyes on.

baby steps.

[2/15 n/30]

If you pass all 4 sections of the CPA and you have a degree (possibly two since you need 150 college credit hours anyway) why not just leave your GPA out of your resume?

I mean, if the recruiter asks, they ask. If they don't, it's safe to say they'll assume you did well based on your CPA performance. Plus, your GPA at that point is irrelevant. You've proven your ability to continue learning by earning one of the hardest certifications.

I may be wrong because I'm not a recruiter. I'm only speculating.

Edit:

Congrats btw

Bec: 8/31/12
Aud: 8/1/12
Reg: 76
Far: 73

[See Pee A]

I will disagree with the last post. Leaving your GPA off your resume makes the recruiter assume it is a 2.0. Put it on there, and also be sure to list everything else. If anything, you can put it at the bottom or in parenthesis instead of on its own line, or whatever to make it less bold, but don't leave it off. I have done my share of resume ‘sorting' at a career fair, and every few hours we take notes and sort through resumes to help stay organized. The first resumes that are thrown out are not the ones with low GPA's, but those that have typos or are ineligible based on their year or some other factor (in which case we note whether to stay in touch or forget about it).

Before each event, our HR people brief us on basics of recruiting. Honestly, little has to do with credentials, most has to do with you and your personality. Personality is the key requirement. You can have a 4.0 and passed the entire CPA, but if you aren't presentable in front of a client then you are worthless. We have staff in India that are all wonderfully qualified and charge us about 1/4 a US employee, so when we need people to churn through some work, that's where we go. We need people to face clients. So demonstrate that you can do that, and you have your foot in the door. Honestly, step 1 is simply to be presentable. Afterwards, you will have to answer about everything else, but being in a MACC/MS program is so helpful since we do so much of our recruiting on campus. Either is equally as strong, just depends on which service line you want to get into. Good luck!

BEC 86 (08/30/11)
FAR 84 (10/13/11)
REG 88 (11/08/11)
AUD 86 (11/29/11)

Exam prep - Becker self-study

[Author]

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