Hi, I’m a senior nearing the end of the college search process, I have narrowed down my selection to either IU Kelley (direct admit) or the College of the Holy Cross, as an accounting major. This could change though as I am still waiting to hear from Lehigh and Bucknell. I know how reputable Kelley is in the business field, however, I am not sure about the reputation of holy cross. Out of these two, which degree would do better on the east coast, and would that change given an acceptance to either Lehigh or Bucknell?
Congrats on your acceptances!
I love Holy Cross and think its academics pretty much equal to anywhere. I don’t know much about the business program though.
However, it seems to me that Kelley would be a better choice for accounting if you are sure that is what you want to study and you will very likely be seeking employment in that field after graduation. It’s such a good business school.
I am a little intrigued, though, that your other top choices are Lehigh and Bucknell, which are in many ways (not all) similar to HC. Is this the type of school you prefer (and can afford)? If so, I’m sure you can do very well studying business, or something else, at any of these schools if you work hard and are active in seeking and taking advantage of all the opportunities they offer. They will also have strong ties to the business world and helpful alumni networks. They might be better choices if you decided to change majors (which happens), though IU is still a great choice (and I’m ignoring any cost differences). For example, if you decided you wanted to go law school, I’d think HC the best choice. So you might want to weigh that.
I know several people from IU, HC, and Bucknell who’ve had tremendous success right from the beginning of their business/professional careers. Lehigh is excellent, and I’m sure that’s true for its grads as well. Good luck!
Those schools came into mind mainly because they’re fairly local for me and in the northeast. I’m not entirely positive about accounting but I know something in the business field maybe economics or finance. As for law school its something I’ve considered but I’m not sure on.
Both are excellent schools so I’d definitely consider what environment you want to spend your next four years at.
I wouldn’t be concerned about Kelly’s location as the big accounting forms recruit nationally so you can be at a school in IN and get a job in NYC. (My S got his Master’s in Accounting at Notre Dame and had no problems getting jobs in NY). But all the other schools you applied to are much smaller in size – do you want the big university environment?
In terms of accounting specifically (I may be wrong but) I don’t think Holy Cross has a full business program so you should do the research to be certain that the school offers all of the courses required to become a CPA. In addition CPA’s now need to get 150 college credits (a typical bachelors is around 120 credits) so I would ask what Holy Cross offers in terms of getting students to that 150 credit threshold. Many students go on for a one year Master’s in Accounting to get the additional credits so see if something like that is offered at Holy Cross. You can find a different school for the Master’s program (my S did that) but it is nice to have the option to stay at the same school to finish up and many schools have auto-admit programs for their own undergrad students. Again, I don’t know the answers but the questions are worth asking.
I think Lehigh would be another excellent option if admitted.
Bucknell is excellent as well although I’d ask the same questions I’d have for Holy Cross.
Both Lehigh and Bucknell have very strong Greek Life so think about if you want that or not.
Sorry, I was writing and didn’t see your post #2 until now. If you don’t want to go the CPA route then the questions I noted about Holy Cross don’t matter very much at all.
The CPA route is one of the many I’m considering, thats my only worry about Holy Cross is the limited business related major programs.
What is the difference in COA (cost of attendance) for IU-Kelley versus Holy Cross College ?
Also, if you major in accounting & want to work for a Big 4, jobs are available in NYC, San Francisco & San Jose.
Assuming that cost is not an issue, Indiana University as a direct admit to Kelley is the better choice due to the size & breadth of the business school offerings & recruiting.
I received a small merit scholarship to Kelley, and I am not sure about holy cross yet, I have not received an aid package yet.
I think it would be best if you wait until you get all of your decisions and all of your financial information and then update the post.
As an accounting major you need to attend an AACSB accredited school. The goal of an accounting major is to start your career as an CPA, after that you can get a better accounting job. If you start in corporate accounting it’s too slow to attain the same level as an CPA. IU obviously is an AACSB accredited school, so is Bucknell and Lehigh, but Holly Cross is not. The choice is obvious.
US News ranks IU-Kelley at #11 (tied with Notre Dame & USC) for best undergraduate business programs.
The top 5 accounting schools are according to US News:
- University of Texas–Austin
- Illinois–UC
- BYU
- UPenn
- Univ. of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Texas is a great place to earn a Masters in Accounting. I have a relative who earned his masters in accounting at Texas, wrote a prominent book in accounting, rose to Director’s level in what was then a Big 6 accounting firm, now has his own firm & spends a lot of time teaching as a consultant for the federal government in the DC area. Makes a lot of money. So hang in there.
Finance is another valuable undergraduate business degree.
I’m a CPA as is my S. The ranking isn’t the be all and end all. What IS important is that the Big 4 and other international firms recruit heavily from the school. Many schools not int he top 5 noted above are major targets for the Big 4. Ask the questions of career placement at each school if becoming a CPA is the end goal (which it doesn’t seem to be).
Yes, I was just noting schools to consider for a masters degree in accounting.
The same holds true for the MS in Accounting. Many of people do stay at their undergrad school for that degree as they typically get an auto-admit with a good undergrad record – although I understand there are options – in fact my S did go to a different college for his Masters. (I am a CPA as is my H and S so this is one area I know a lot about).
In any even the OP isn’t set on accounting or becoming a CPA at this point.