Imatalkingmime3

Hi, Im going to senior year in HS and I want to be an accountant. I live in Langhorne, PA which is a suburd of Philly. For college I dont want to go below Virginia or Above Conneticuit. What is a suggested college for me to go to? Also Ive read about the "Big 4" but I could not find a list of colleges they recruit, does anyone know those colleges or of a list. If someone can answer these questions that would be great.

Thanks John

openedskittles

You could get a big 4 job out of lots of accredited programs, but there are going to be some where you clearly have better chances:
Undergraduate business specialties: Accounting - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report
For example, at the school at the top of that list, UT Austin, something like 19 out of 20 graduates of the MPA program had job offers from big 4 companies. I'm not sure which ones on that list (besides Penn) would be in an acceptable location to you, but you might want to consider expanding your horizons in that department.

exhumed

They recruit everywhere pretty much, but going to a big business school isn't going to hurt since the big 4 need hundreds or thousands of new hires every year. So they primarily focus their efforts on the big colleges, like Texas.

Zackdudde

Hi imatalkingmime3. look into drexel closeby, a great accounting program but the great thing is the co-op program, with either one or three 6 month work experiences. Big 4 recruits here for full time positions and co-ops. Think of a co-op as a full time 6 month job to get your foot in the door. I started as a co-op with a big 4 firm when i was 19 and still in school and still work there part-time. sure the jobs are competitive, but if you go to their recruiting events, have a good resume, good grades, and look for the "in" you can control your own destiny.

shoot me a PM if you have any questions, i'd be glad to help

Fattyp99

hey guys! do any of you guys know if University of Tennessee is a good school to go for accounting? and if the big 4 recruits there?

JHB619

The big 4 recruit at all AACSB business schools. Also to note, most Big 4 employers are going to recruit at the schools within its region. So if you want to work and live in Tennessee, then going to any AACSB business school within that state will probably receive some Big 4 attention.

southpasdena

Well first, due to cost cutting and current conditions, the big 4 are reducing the number of campuses they are recruiting from AND have already decided to cancel full time recruiting at some campuses for some positions such as tax because the intern class has already exhausted their budget. This is for now. In 4-5 years, different story.

Zackdudde

southpasdena, i work in tax consulting for a big 4, and my specific department is actually taking on several six-month interns every year specifically from my college alone. there will always be taxes, it's recession proof.

southpasdena

There are differences per office and per region. ERS is reducing new hire count from 250 in 2009 to 200 in 2010. Second, ERS hiring has been reduced to 40 campuses from 120. PWC has already announced no new full time tax hires for some offices. GT intern classes are half of what they used to be in some offices, etc.

Again, it varies depending on where you are and what school your attending. I know transfer pricing is looking for a good number of people at most firms, but you have to admit tax revenues are either down or flat. The only firm that has released numbers in the US is deloitte, so we have to see in the coming months what will happen. I am curious to see KPMG's results.