<p>yeah i definitely get what you’re saying. krannert is ranked 59th compared to kelley which is ranked 19th. they’re both very big schools, pretty close in size.</p>
<p>Taxguy,
I have read many of your posts and really appreciate your straightforward advice. My 16 old son is very interested in becoming a CPA. He will graduate high school early with 60 hours of college level dual credits (both high school/college credit) and be a college junior at age 17. At that point, next year, he will have the option of attending UT Austin for his BBA/MPA (which is 700 miles from home) or University of Kansas for his accounting degrees. I know UT is much higher ranking but it is so far from home for such a young student. If he attended KU locally his CPA father could tutor him as needed and he could be near his siblings to whom he is very close. KU ranks #4 in their CPA “first-time pass rate” at 72% but is 35th in public undergrad business schools vs. UT’s #2 ranking pass-rate of 76.8% and #4 undergrad business school. Do you think he should attend KU locally or UT out-of-state? I’m a little worried he may crash and burn so far from home at such a young age in UT’s rigid accounting program. We are UT Business School alumni and LOVE it but think perhaps he would be wise to wait and attend law school at UT when he’s older and more world wise rather than b. school now at his young age. Your opinion?</p>
<p>Learningscool, where does your son want to live and practice? If he wants to live in Kansas, go to school in Kansas. He will actually be at an advantage going to a Kansas state school over attending to UT. If , however, he wants to work and practice outside of kansas then UT might be the better choice due to its contacts and larger number of recruiters. Frankly, as I said in post number 1 of “Everything you wanted to know about accounting,” as long as he gets a great GPA and does well on the interview, he should be able to work at almost any firm attending a Kansas school. The key is that GPA rules over almost everything. </p>
<p>Bottom line: if he wants to live and work in Kansas, I would bet that most Kansas firms recruit from their local schools.</p>
<p>taxguy is wrong if he wants to work outside of public accounting, and probably wrong there too. If you go to a school where there’s going to be lots of people with 3.5+, you are going to have a hard time when they come to your school looking for 2 people to hire and there’s 100 people whose GPA is good enough. If you go to UT that’s not really going to be a problem.</p>
<p>Jonah. Can you share your experience with the Big 4 recruiting process? Have you ever made it to an interview? Have you ever interviewed someone? Have you even taken Intermediate II?</p>
<p>For anyone to move to an out of state college and pay OOS tuition to major in accounting is foolish. I go to a school with a top 15 accounting program and guess what? The Big 4 recruits about 10 people (each) at my school. There is another state school about 2 hours away with no name recognition for accounting. This year the big 4 averaged hiring 6 interns from that school. Another state school is two hours north and while they have a strong business program, Accounting is just on the rise. They placed 4+ students in each of the Big 4. These are the 3 schools that make up the entire base of recruiting for the Big 4 in a major metropolitian area. My t-15 accounting school placed 34 students in Big 4 internships. The other two placed 14 and 18. The difference is there, but the point is the Big 4 (or 3 in my city) recruited from schools within the area. All of the partners attended these schools, as did the managers, etc etc.</p>
<p>So…YOU’RE wrong. The Big 4 in my city do not go and recruit from UT. I interned at Big 4 and there was not a single person in these offices from UT. The fact is it is MUCH more rare for someone to move across country to work for Big 4 than it is for someone to work at the closest Big 4 office to their school. </p>
<p>Of course GPA isn’t all that matters. However, I promise you that name recognition matters less. If I go to one of those lesser ranked schools but land a leadership position in a couple of organizations and have a strong GPA, I’ll get the interview. After that it’s up to me to do well.</p>
<p>For you to come on here and say that someone with experience in the field is wrong when it’s evident you may not even be at a point in college to look for Big 4 internships is just ■■■■■■■■. Go study.</p>
<p>^ Not entirely right. And I am someone who has gone through the recruiting process (at a top oos school) </p>
<p>If you’re at a top school vs a no name regional school, you’ll have better opportunities to work for the Big 4. The reason is, they hire a lot more from those schools, and also recruit for non-regional Big 4 offices.</p>
<p>pls, I’m graduating with a BBA in December and have already been accepted into a Masters program and will probably apply to UT also. I’m actually taking Advanced Accounting(consolidations, foreign currency issues, etc). </p>
<p>I have been interviewed by Big Four firms, GT, and a few other t10-20 firms. What I saw at the callback for GT was a lot more people from a higher ranked school even though there are less people graduating with accounting degrees there. Significantly less(maybe a quarter as many). I don’t think that was the case before the economy crumbled. And it was a few hundred miles away. They needed to dig down further into the rankings. They still need to do it, but I think hiring has been slashed much more lower down than at places higher up.</p>
<p>The school you go to absolutely matters. While it is possible to get a big4 job from any school that is recruited, your odds go up substantially at a better school. I am living proof…</p>
<p>Oh and I just wanted to make a few more points.</p>
<p>For someone that is ABSOLUTELY certain that they want to major in accounting and get an accounting job upon college graduation, it is quite foolish to spend a ton of money to go to an ivy or a top out of state public school. You will have just as good of a chance staying in your state, graduating with a high GPA at a local university, and working at the Big 4 or regional accounting firms. </p>
<p>But face it, how many of us know what we exactly want to do with our lives even after we graduate college, let alone high school? What if you do know you like accounting, but upon interning at a Big 4, you absolutely hate the work and would like to do consulting, investment banking, sales & trading, investment management, or corporate finance etc instead? If you’re stuck at a no name school, you’re pretty much screwed as your recruiting opportunities are fairly limited. That is why it makes much more sense to go to the best school you can possibly afford (afford is the key word, as I wouldn’t suggest going to a top school but being 30-40K in debt, but obviously, that depends on your personal discount rate!). </p>
<p>I admire those that absolutely know what they want to do in their career right after the graduate high school, and for you guys, what taxguy and others say makes absolute sense (dont’ go into debt, school doesn’t matter, GPA is king). But if you don’t want to limit your opportunities, and think there is a possibility you’d like to do something else, spend the extra money and go to the best ranked school you can get into.</p>
<p>Any input on 2011 offers? What are they looking like?</p>
<p>63K (base + other comp combined).</p>
<p>Nick - Big 4? Comp as in sign on and CPA pass bonus?</p>
<p>Yes that’s right.</p>
<p>nick what city or if you don’t want to tell what state is that in?</p>
<p>MIGHTYNICK, why are you spreading false information?</p>
<p>More like $6,000-$8,000 LESS than what you said INCLUDING other compensation and only in expensive areas like New York City or San Francisco.</p>
<p>^^Wrong. In a southeastern city (cheapest area of the country) and they’re offering 50k base + 3K signing bonus + 5k CPA bonus.</p>
<p>Signing bonuses don’t exist. Get outta here.</p>
<p>It’s nowhere near the high 50s combined.</p>
<p>Why would I make this up? I mean it’s more than I’m making. Damn cpas and their signing bonuses.</p>
<p>This is what I was offered by a big 4 (but turned down).</p>
<p>Some in the southeast will be lucky to get into the mid 50s range combined their first year.</p>
<p>Usually it’s mid to high 40s base.</p>
<p>You’re confusing me. </p>
<p>I LIVE IN THE SE. I am here to tell you that big 4 is offering 56-58k combined. </p>
<p>I mean I have a friend interning at Deloitte this winter and he’s getting $25/hour. That is based on first year associates so that is $52k base. I see them offering less jobs and paying a bit more.</p>