[TheAsiaticFlash]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question that I could really use some assistance with.

I have a BA (3.7GPA) and MA (3.5GPA) from a state university in a totally different field than Accounting. I work full time. I also just finished fulfilling the prereq’s for my MAcc program this semester on a full time basis as well. I’m doing these at the graduate level because I wanted a greater challenge and I thought it would provide me such. I have already been accepted to a top MAcc program with a partial scholarship and I start in the fall. It is a 9 month program and I will graduate in May 2016.

Here are my grades for the prereq’s:

Federal Income Tax: B

Managerial: B

Auditing: A-

Intermediate I: B

Intermediate II: C

Financial Management: A-

That Intermediate II grade is killing me. I am not compromising my admission nor my scholarship with that grade, though. I have met the “minimum” requirement. I completed it with two other graduate classes while working full time. Also, I had a professor who had some issues conveying ideas in English. He was a first year professor from China. It was kind of brutal because I’m not great at teaching myself topics like those in Intermediate II.

So, I am thinking about retaking it at another school in Summer Session 2 because I do not feel I absorbed enough.

My question is: Are these prereq grades going to kill my chances at a good job? Again, I’m going to a top program, I have 4 years of work experience (including working full time and doing prereq’s full time), an MA and a good GPA in my undergrad. Are these mitigating factors that I could leverage? I should add that my current job is highly interactive (relationship manager in legal industry) and I have been told I have very strong soft skills. I know this matters in an interview, but I need to ensure I get an interview.

I just need some help making some sense of my options so I would appreciate all feedback.

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Are you trying to get into Big 4? If so, I'll leave that for someone else to answer, since the Big 4 is more specific if what they do. Outside of B4, I wouldn't worry about the grades at all. Personally I've only had 1 interview where I was asked about my grades, and that was because they were skeptical of my degree being online and were also looking for an experienced hire (which I wasn't – I was green out of school) and I think just looking for an excuse not to hire me. 😐 I'm not saying you won't be asked your grades, but just saying it's not asked in all interviews or by all HR departments. Even if it is asked, though, you're still what – a 3.5 for those courses? (It's been a few years since I've computed a GPA…) A 3.5 isn't that bad. Not the best ever, but not terrible either. I don't think it will hold you back outside of Big 4 or similar firms, and for Big 4 etc. I don't know – someone else will have to answer that part. 🙂

[TheAsiaticFlash]

Lilla,

Thanks for your advice. Well, I think that Financial Management would be excluded from computation of an accounting GPA which means that in the prereq's I have about a 2.9.

I am not sure the Big4 would be the best fit for me given that I will be older than their average new hire and have more work experience. I really don't want to spend all my time with 21 year olds. No offense to 21 year olds, but I'm just in a different place in life. If my assumptions are true about the Big4, I doubt I will pursue those paths. I don't know if this is the case with companies like BDO, Grant Thornton or McGladrey. I have no problem with midsize firms.

I just know that a good bit of hiring goes on in the Fall so I just want to mitigate the harm that these low scores will cause. That being said, I am interested in whether anyone can tell me if the pros on my resume (higher UG GPA, work including FT professional job wile completing prereq's, soft skills) will be able to mitigate the cons(low prereq GPA).

[wawr47aa87]

No the prereqs will not kill your chance at all. Your GPAs are pretty solid and your soft skills are a huge plus, not to mention the fact that you're going into a MAcc program. Don't worry about your past grades. What you should be worrying about is making sure that your resume is good enough to get noticed and that you're getting YOURSELF noticed during job recruiting, esp at campus recruiting events. If you do well in your MAcc program and your resume looks good, you're going to have interviews left and right. And if you know how to speak to recruiters and interviewers, then you got nothing to worry about!

Take me for example. I was a very average accounting student and I wasn't part of a single accounting/business org on campus. Graduated undergrad in 2014 from a Top 30 business school (good but not the top) with a 3.3. No MAcc program, just a regular B.S. in Accounting. Here are my pre-req grades:

Intermediate I – B+

Intermediate II – A

Audit – B

Managerial – B

Tax I – C

I had an offer from Big 4 and 2 offers from Top 10, all 3 in tax. Go figure.

BEC 76 (2/15)
REG 81 (4/15)
AUD 78 (5/15)
FAR 81 (7/15)

Roger + Ninja MCQ

[TheAsiaticFlash]

wawr47aa87,

Thanks for your input and for using yourself as an example. You're right, I think it is important to showcase my strengths with the recruiters.

Very encouraging post!

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't even put those grades on your resume. Just leave your undergraduate and undergrad GPA on there.

[TheAsiaticFlash]

Thanks for your advice. I hope I can navigate this process effectively!

[EuroAddict]

Maybe just put overall GPA. I was never asked how I did in individual courses and on a rare occasion I was asked my GPA.

The only reason to retake a course would be for knowledge base only, not gpa reasons.

Big 4 isn't for everyone. Not sure why people on this forum get blinders on thinking that is the only way to go. Wait, I know why. B/c your school is telling you that. It looks damn good on the school to say “this # of graduates went on to a B4 firm”.

-----------------------------
BEC - 77, 03/2015 (first try)
FAR - 79, 05/2015 (second try)
REG - 83, 12/2015 (first try)
AUD - 84, 03/2015 (first try)

I got 99 problems but the CPA ain't one.

[Author]

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