I’m a U2 PT student at USciences. Since a lot of my required classes are out of the way thanks to AP credit, I decided to take Accounting Theory for the fall semester (labeled as a 300 level course). The course description reads:
“Financial data is utilized as a decision-making tool in the management of a business or a professional practice. Detailed analysis of the structure and systems of accounting followed by the use of accounting information through financial statements, working capital, cash flow analysis, and the complete accounting cycle.”
Will accounting be a difficult class? Will I have to spend a large amount of time outside of class going over the material? What strategies can I use to do well in the course? Thanks in advance
Is this the first level accounting class they offer? Usually the first class is Principles of Accounting or Financial Accounting. I looked at the course catalog and it is difficult to tell, given the science focused nature of your school. There doesn’t seem to be a business major, so the academic advisor is probably your best bet for guidance on this class.
– Agree with the above. If you take accounting be absolutely certain that your start with a basic introductory level course. Accounting is sequential so you must start at the beginning. Usually 300 level classes are not introductory level, but of course I don’t know the college’s system for labeling courses.
– Accounting is a course that requires diligence. You need to do your homework (and there will be homework) and keep on top of things or the course can get away from your quickly. Be sure you have the time with your PT schedule to commit to the course.
– Of course nobody can predict how difficult anyone will find a particular course. As with everything it will depend to at least some extent on your professor and your ability to grasp the material.
@TQfromtheU this is the only accounting course offered (most likely because the business major is geared for pharmaceutical marketing)
@happy1 I took a business seminar class, since that’s recommended for any student who wants to take more advanced business courses as a non-business major
Does it have a pre-requisite?
I would email/talk to the professor during the drop/add period and see if they think you would be successful.
General tips for doing well:
GO TO CLASS, BUY THE BOOK, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!
Go to Professor’s office hours early in the semester and Ask this question: “I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?”
If you have problems with the homework, go to Prof’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or “recitations” or any thing extra, go to them.
Form a study group with other kids in your dorm/class.
Don’t do the minimum…for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for calculus or physics or whatever. Watch videos on line about the topic you are studying.
Go to the writing center if you need help with papers/math center for math problems (if they have them)
If things still are not going well, get a tutor.
Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.
If you feel you need to withdraw from a class, talk to your advisor as to which one might be the best …you may do better when you have less classes to focus on. But some classes may be pre-reqs and will mess your sequence of classes up.
For tests that you didn’t do well on, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study…there may be a study skill center at your college.
How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? It is generally expected that for each hour in class, you spend 2-3 outside doing homework. Treat this like a full time job.
At first, don’t spend too much time other things rather than school work. (sports, partying, rushing fraternities/sororities, video gaming etc etc)
If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etcetc) then immediately go to the counseling center and talk to them. Talk to the dean of students about coordinating your classes…e.g. sometimes you can take a medical withdrawal. Or you could withdraw from a particular class to free up tim for the others. Sometimes you can take an incomplete if you are doing well and mostly finished the semester and suddenly get pneumonia/in a car accident (happened to me)…you can heal and take the final first thing the next semester. But talk to your adviser about that too.
At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The professor may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.
Make sure you understand how to use your online class system…Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the prof wants).
If you get an assignment…make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.
If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the professors office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.
Hi – I do accounting for a living, and I’m good at it. That being said, I thought accounting classes were pretty hard. I had no trouble with advanced calculus, statistics, finance, etc, but accounting? Until I actually did it for my job, it just wasn’t easy.
I did fine in the classes, but they were the classes where I spent the most time studying. So go into it with your eyes open. I love my job, though.
Managerial Accounting IS Cost Accounting! This is an area of accounting that very few accounting professionals master or even elect as a practice area. IHMO, Cost Accounting is a major deficit at most companies, since it get to the heart of cost allocations or being able to determine the true cost of a product (or service).
I do agree that financial accounting should be the first accounting class, followed by managerial accounting.
@Jamrock411 – HAHAH! Thanks! What the heck did I take? It was eons ago and I wanted to concentrate in finance. I think I took four accounting courses and refused the 5th that would have allowed me to sit for the CPA, under the rules at the time. I hated dealing with WIP. Maybe I’m thinking of financial statement analysis.
@TQfromtheU Possibly! I’m in the middle of a huge financial statement analysis project RIGHT NOW and it’s not the most fun I’ve ever had. It is absolutely useful, though. I feel as if people hang on every cell of my spreadsheet.
