Would you recommend someone who is definitely planning on majoring in accounting to apply to UVA? The average accepted GPA for McIntire in 2014 was 3.71 (the rate at which it has gone up over the past couple of years is just…). I like everything about the school except for the fact that you apply to McIntire as a sophomore and the chances of getting in are not high.
I’m looking to shorten my college list so any input would be nice!
Edit: Before anyone jumps in and says that I might change my major and what not when I go to college, I won’t. I’ve gone through my dad’s college intro and intermediate accounting related textbooks. It’s something I can see myself doing and I know what I’m getting myself into.
Should have mentioned that if I do get into UVA next year, decide to attend and end up getting rejected from McIntire, I will hate majoring in economics (I can’t stand some aspects of it like international and microeconomics).
If you want a 100% guarantee that you will be able to major in accounting, then UVa may not be the right place for you. However, keep in mind that many students develop varying interests after they start college.
However, you would have a second chance. McIntire offers a one year Masters degree in accounting. Unlike Darden, I believe you can get into the program straight from undergrad.
@Charliesch I have looked into getting a masters in accounting but my dad has already told me that it won’t be financially feasible and that he won’t be able to help pay. And since I definitely don’t want to go into debt, I’m sticking to getting a bachelors degree in accounting.
I do have a ton of other interests -> maths (LOVE it), philosophy, foreign languages (Spanish & Arabic), psychology, biology, visual art, business and chemistry (pretty much every subject group except for English language & literature). I’ve looked into the type of things I can go into if I major in all the things I’m interested in with my guidance counselor. Most don’t appeal to me with the exception of maths, but since I’m not amazing at it, I won’t major in it as i know it’ll be too difficult for me. So I’ve decided to major in accounting and take a ton of electives in the subject areas that I’m interested in (perhaps minor in Spanish, Arabic or psychology)
Hmm this is a difficult decision! I’ve wanted to apply to UVA since like 8th grade, no joke. I’m just finding it hard to let go but since it’s very risky I don’t think it’s worth it.
*My guidance counselor puts a cap on the number of colleges we can apply to so I seriously do need to shorten my list.
Any more input would be great especially from current or prospective McIntire students.
Are you planning to pursue a career in auditing with your accounting degree? If so, I’m not sure McIntire would offer you any distinct advantage. In my opinion (and I’m a McIntire alum and father of a recent McIntire grad), McIntire is better known for it’s Finance graduates. If you are OOS, I definitely would think twice about spending the extra tuition on a McIntire accounting degree (and keep in mind that there is a premium tuition charge to attend McIntire). If you are IS, I would consider Virginia Tech as an outstanding alternative for an accounting degree.
@robertr Yah, probably but that’s something I’ll decide one I get some work experience (internships) in college. I agree, my dad is a chartered accountant and has told me the prestige of the college you attend doesn’t matter. He just said to ensure that the colleges I’m interested in are heavily recruited by the Big 4 accounting firms.
I’m not sure? Well I live abroad but prior to accepting a job offer abroad my dad resided in Virginia - I highly doubt I’ll get IS tuition, though. If I don’t get IS tuition, OOS is affordable if I receive a financial package that is similar to the one the NPC showed (but I probably will be going into around $30K debt). I won’t consider VT as a) It’s expensive OOS and doesn’t meet 100% of need b) it’s in a rural town, I only want to attend a college in a large town/city and c) my parents wouldn’t let me attend as it’s too far from relatives.
Thanks for the help! I probably will be crossing UVA off my college list now. Do you by any chance live in Virginia (specifically NoVA)? My dad is strongly pushing me to attend GMU but I don’t think the Big 4 firms recruit there much and I don’t think the business school is the best.
Business is all about risk. You should know that. If you want to strive in the business world, you have to assess your opportunity costs, and see where they place you. Ultimately, the decision is up to you - are you willing to transfer junior year, if you can’t get into McIntire, because it is your only option?
^^^ Sure it’s all about taking risks but I don’t think taking the risk in my case is worth it. Transferring is probably out of the question as completing a degree in accounting takes a while. So transferring into another college as a junior will put me at a significant disadvantage as most people will have already taken several classes that are required to get an accounting degree and I won’t have if I go to UVA (except for the two prerequisite accounting classes for McIntire). Plus, McIntire offers a ‘‘concentration’’ in accounting and NOT a major so that is why one can get a degree from McIntire in accounting in 2 years rather than 4 years at colleges that have an accounting major.
I would suggest that you ask your dad to check with some of his industry contacts to find out where they recruit. Then use that list to narrow your search. GMU is a decent school…I think it gets ranked pretty well in the “up and coming” category. I think it has a lot of commuter students, so it may not have the type of campus life you are seeking.
You are asking excellent questions…college is ultimately about a career not an “experience”. For some one in your position I would NOT make UVA/McIntire a primary choice. The big 4 actually recruit better from JMU & Tech. There are schools like Villanova (for just one example) who have excellent B-schools and have DIRECT admission - something that McIntire doesn’t want to consider for some reason. Then you know for certain instead of sweating it out and becoming yet another econ major at UVA who never really wanted to be an econ major at UVA. Don’t listen to people that tell you it’s “OK” to major in something else…it is not. Transferring is also not a simple proposition - with many schools you first have to be accepted into the school as a transfer then later (summer) you find out about b-school acceptance (William & Mary for example) But by then it’s too late to back out if you don’t get in th b-school.
Apply to a school where you know what you are going to major in…don’t let anyone talk you out of that.
The fact that GMU is a commuter school is the reason why my dad is pushing me to consider it, he just doesn’t want me to live in dorms and prefers I live w/relatives. And that is the opposite of what I want my college experience to be!! Going to have to find a way to talk my dad out of making me apply there.
@ltjenkins I agree with you to an extent but I obviously want to enjoy my time in college as I’ve grown up in one of the most oppressive countries in the world (especially for a female). Yah, I agree - I’m going to look into colleges in other states where my relatives live now i.e. Washington D.C and Minnesota. Virginian colleges other than UVA and University of Richmond are out of question as they’re not affordable for my family.
Thanks for all the help! I’ve decided to not apply.
I’m a little confused. Virginia has many excellent public universities and I believe they all cost about the same (someone correct me if I am wrong). These include UVa, William & Mary, JMU, GMU, University of Mary Washington, Virginia Tech and others. University of Richmond is private and very pricey.
Yes, but U of Richmond and UVA meet 100% of demonstrated financial aid - this is important for my family as we’re middle class and can’t pay full freight. The max that my dad can pay is 20K/year - non of those with the exception of UVA and University of Richmond (according to their NPCs) cost that much. GMU & W&M (only other Virginian schools I’m interested in) cost 31K (don’t qualify for need based aid) and 32K (with financial aid), respectively. So they’re unaffordable but I know I’ll get some sort of merit aid from GMU so I might apply.
Apply to UVA and McIntire. For accounting, the major is no longer sufficient (hence the “concentration”), you now need a 5th year anyway, which coming from UVA and McIntire you could do at any top university… or at McIntire itself, which has one of the best in the country. https://www.commerce.virginia.edu/ms-accounting
Since you’re in-state for UVA, go for it. What’s the worst that could happen?
MYOS1634 - worst that could happen is that you don’t get into McIntire and thus don’t get to major in accounting. If you want to go into public accounting, there is zero reason to go to McIntire over other safer choices.
McIntire decisions are out today. Many students checking to see if they made it in - it’s extremely competitive. @Pink997, be sure that by looking at schools that meet 100% of need you understand how the schools define “need” (hint: it’s not just what parents think they can afford - it’s probably much more), and how they meet that need. For instance, AccessUVA helps cover the cost of college through loans as well as grants, and even students at 200% of the poverty level (a very low family income) get loans as part of their packages. Good luck to you.
