[Anonymous]

Hey everyone,

Recently accepted into both of these programs. Need some help choosing which one to attend. Ideally would like to end up in Big 4 Audit (wouldn’t mind Dallas but Audit in east coast would be cool). Unfortunately I couldn’t find extensive stats on either of their placement into the Big 4.

Based on what you guys have heard on either program, which one would you recommend?

[Anonymous]

UT Dallas is a school with much more of a reputation in general, so assuming that cost etc. wasn't an issue, I would go for UT Dallas. However, I'm not in the TX/Dallas area, so have never heard of SMU. If SMU is well-known there and well-respected, then it may be a good option for looking for a job in that area.

Do you know if B4 actually recruits out of either/both? If B4 is your target, then ensuring that B4 actively recruits out of the one you pick would be a good idea. I'm sure you can ask the schools if and which B4 recruit from them.

[rp 12]

If I was you, I would go to UT Dallas – just bc it is closer to large metro city or in a metro city. This means better access to firms in the area, other organizations like ASCEND, NABA, and ALPFA (for networking). I went to a school in Boston that that not attractive to Big4, but still being closer to the city – I had access to above mentioned organizations, networked the hell out of people to know them, and see if they were interested to ask me if I was thinking to apply. I got 2 offers from Big4 before I graduate, and one of them was in the city I did not go to school at nor I knew someone. I just connected randomly with a recruiter by taking a chance of calling office and got connected by a receptionist, and left that recruiter a VM – she called back and things picked up from there to get 2 interviews (internship, and FT) – succeeded in the FT interview.

All am trying to say is school matters, but not very much at all. There are people who went to bigger, and better schools than I went, but did not make it to Big4 before their graduation. For me it did not come easy to make it to Big4, but I enjoyed each and every bit of my networking process during my time in school – I got to learn a lot from directly asking for a job, burning a bridge (was a rookie in networking aspect) to impressing people, and being nice, humble, and persistent with this process.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss act only as motivation"

AUD: 68, 62, 77✔ (expires 10/31/16)
FAR: 53, 48, XX (retake 6/16)
REG:
BEC: 53

[Anonymous]

I vote UT Dallas. My big 4 firm recruits at both schools so that's not something you can deferentiate with. Basically SMU is a good (also expensive) private school with a strong alumni presence. UT Dallas is a solid state school that's not very flashy but it gets the job done. It honestly depends on money in my opionin. I went to a state school in Louisiana, graduated with little debt, and multiple big 4 offers. Wouldn't trade that for the private school experience / alumni base.

[Lostinamerica]

I would go to UT Dallas for cost reasons alone.

SMU is Southern Methodist and they do have a very national reputation but the additional cost is too much to justify. FOr those concerned SMU is not near Dallas, it is actually very close to downtown Dallas. UT Dallas is farther out in the suburbs of North Richardson.

SMU is a prettier campus and right in the middle of the old money of Dallas. Yet, the ridiculous cost is not worth the difference.

I say this as a bankruptcy and tax attorney. I have had a SMU grads that have been suffocated by their student loans and I have to tell them I have no answer because there is little if anything that can be done.

B Passed
A Passed
R Passed
F 8/31/2016

[Author]

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