<p>To my surprise I noticed that a very very small percentage of Ivy League students go work for Big Four Acct firms after graduation? What could be the reasons?</p>
<p>They don't have an accounting program (or business for that matter). Only Wharton and Cornell have business, and very rarely do they want to go into accounting. If ivy leaguers are recruited for banking and consulting (and considering that most don't have an accounting program anyway), there's no reason to go Big 4/accounting. Ultimately, it just comes down to the fact that they're at the ivy league because they had no interest in accounting to begin with. Otherwise, they would be accounting majors at business schools. Penn and Cornell do have business programs, but like I said, they're there for other careers. Ivy leaguers are often interested in BUSINESS, just not doing audits.</p>
<p>accounting isn't a prestigious major no matter how hard people on this forum try to push it. If you go to an IVY you either go for 1) liberal arts education which leads to grad school or public service 2) to make alot of money. Accounting doesn't pay much, its not prestigious or glamorous and you aren't really helping the world...there's just no motivation or reason for them to go into accounting, even if there was an accounting program at their schools. If you go to an ivy, and want to do somerthing in business, you have no trouble getting into higher paying finance fields.</p>
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If you go to an IVY you either go for 1) liberal arts education which leads to grad school or public service 2) to make alot of money.
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<p>or 3) to get a high dollar education on your rich daddies dime when an education from a public institution would have been a much wiser investment.</p>
<p>Many accounting grads end up in Business as CFO's which often can lead to CEO. It's not just about audits. That just gives you the training and understanding of business numbers which is what business comes down to.</p>
<p>funny that i know a few princeton and yale grads that went on to Macc programs, and further on went to work for deloitte and grant thornton</p>
<p>Both those guys in the articles went to state schools. I didn't know corporate success was possible without an Ivy education.</p>
<p>Neither did Andrew Grove (founder of intel.) He attended the city college of new york.</p>
<p>who cares. these are just a FEW people.
anybody can be highly successful, no matter what kind of educational background you come from.</p>
<p>i think mattistotle was right on the money with his post. i go to penn and i don't know anybody that is interested in accounting or went into it post-grad. all the wharton kids go to banking, consulting, funds, etc., and for the people that are interested in business careers in the arts and sciences and engineering schools will still pursue banking and consulting as well.</p>
<p>they are just a few, but it still refutes his all encompassing comment.</p>
<p>I think it's because students who attend ivy league have better offers available. I attend a state school, where the top students go work for the big 4, because other companies don't really recruit there, where as at ivy leagues you have all the top companies recruiting there and the big 4 don't seem as prestigious. Plus why take a job that pays $60,000 starting year when you can make a lot more if you attend an ivy league. That being said i know someone who attended Cornell and is working for Ernest&Young.</p>