<p>I am currently a triple major (accounting, finance, Industrial & Operations Management) in Charlotte NC. This is my home city, but I would like to move to Chicago after graduation to work and live. I've been thinking a lot lately as to whether it would be possible to get a job with an accounting firm here in Charlotte (seeing as these are the offices they recruit for) and possibly transfer to the firm's Chicago office afterwards. Is this impossible or highly unlikely? If I could I would simply transfer to a school in Chicago, but since I'm so far into my majors, I would probably have to start all over, and since I probably can't afford out of state tuition, I feel stuck. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Are you planning on getting your MAcc? Could always do that at a place like Illinois or Notre Dame, where Chicago offices recruit heavily. </p>
<p>Other than that, it is possible to transfer. There has to be a need in the office you are looking at, which tends to happen after 2-3 years when people start leaving for industry jobs. </p>
<p>I’ve also seen people intern at the office they were recruited from due to school affiliations, get an offer, and then talk to HR to see if another city had availability. I had 4 friends try this method of getting to Chicago–they all failed. Probably because Chicago has plenty of top schools to recruit out of, and is a very sought-after city. </p>
<p>Lastly, you could always say you are interested in Chicago from the get-go, and see where that gets you. I tried and got the “good luck…” vibe from recruiters/associates I talked to, so I decided against trying to apply for that office. </p>
<p>As background, I went to a university that was a recruiting target, but was often overshadowed by a higher ranked accounting program. If you go to a top school (national target school for firms), the chances are much greater that you will get an interview at whatever office you want.</p>
<p>I was thinking of dropping the triple major and just doing the BS in accounting, and then going to UIC for the Macc. My only issue is that I think that the triple major gives me a broader base to build off of (accounting, operations mgmt, finance). I’m not even sure if UIC offers a Macc at all, but I will possibly be in touch with the admissions office soon. I know that UIUC is heavily recruited, but being out of state, I would like to go to the city of my choice and be able to work while in school as well. I know that Chicago is ultimately where I want to be.</p>
<p>one big factor might be if you expect the company to pay for the move or not … if you’re willing to pay for the move to Chicago yourself it may open up many more opportunities … in my experience (mostly fortune 100 type companies) company paid transfers for very junior employees (a couple years experience) are very rare; there are too many viable candidates locally.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t expect the company to pay for my relocation. I would definitely be covering that myself, which isn’t a problem. being where im happy is more important to me. i just don’t know if it would be less of a hassle to just go to grad school there instead of having to worry about approval from my boss.</p>
<p>
IMO it absolutely would be simplier if you went to grad school in the city in which you want to live. There are two main reasons I say this. First, most jobs are generated by small and mid sized companies and these companies will tend to hire locally. A small to mid-sized firm in Chicago can hire locally for less experienced employess and recruit at Uof Chicage, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Depaul, etc … there is NO need for them to look wide for junior employees. I sort of understood that one when I was 22-25 … however the second one I did not … even big companies (think Fortune 100) are going to hire the vast majority of their younger hires from local colleges while having a few targeted positions where they will look nationwdie for junior positions. Entry level finance, supply chain, operations, manufacuting, customer service, etc are likely to be hired locally. Some jobs … strategy, M%A type finance, brand marketting, internal consulting, etc … might actually rank a nationwide search … I’d guess 80-90% of junior levels jobs at Fortune 100 companies are also hired locally.</p>
<p>Real-life example (before internet recruiting took off). The first time I had had hiring authority I was hiring junior supply chain planners (2-10 years experience). I met with the HR folks and asked the strategy … they only publicized the jobs locally and immediately rejected any incomplete applications (for example, it they asked for references and they were not included they rejected the applicant). This seemed limited and harsh to me but they explained an ad in the Boston Globe for one of my job typically received over 200+ viable applicants … there was no need to look wide. Even our ads in the Globe pulled in folks from other cities … we’d only talk to them if they would pay for all travel. With internet recruiting I would think this is even more extreme now.</p>
<p>UIC does have a masters program. However, Illinois-Urbana and Illinois-Chicago are far from the same. UIC isn’t really known for a strong accounting or business program. I know someone who was a UIC undergrad (acct) who left to attend Notre Dame for grad school because the job opportunities just weren’t as available :</p>
<p>if you’re from a totally different region and want to work in Chicago, I’d say set your goal on a top program (Big Ten Schools, Notre Dame…) this way, you would differentiate yourself from all the locals that went to the likes of UIC.</p>
<p>Yup, all the B10 schools plus ND place very well in Chicago with the most coming from NU, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, ND and Indiana. It makes it really fun at work as most people at the better companies went to one of those schools and during football season you get to give the business to whomever loses that week. You also many B10 college flags flying on football weekends all over the better suburbs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone. So I guess the triple major will only keep me grounded here in Charlotte. Another question: Go for MBA or Macc? And also, any ideas about the graduate admissions requirements at UIUC, UIC, or any business school in or around Chicago?</p>
<p>Actually, UIC has a very good accounting/finance program.
The average GMAT score for UIC’s MBA program for 2009 was 600.
[PROSPECTIVE</a> STUDENTS](<a href=“http://www.uic.edu/cba/lgsb/prospective_student.html]PROSPECTIVE”>Business | University of Illinois Chicago)</p>
<p>don’t get me wrong. uic is a very decent school in chicago for people that grew up here. for those that aren’t from chicago, however, the competition for a local job would be tougher. that’s why going to a better school would help make up the difference.</p>
<p>Actually, long term, no body cares about what school you went to. It is experience which is all important. After the first job, no one will get all excited about what school you went to.
What does last for a long time is debt.
My sister works as a recruiter. She has told me that a number of managers absolutely tell her to avoid new University of Chicago and Northwestern MBA grads with no real world experience because they don’t like them. Apparently, their program does not prepare them well.</p>
<p>Nova10, do the MBA programs at University of Chicago and Northwestern not require work experience? If they don’t like those MBA grads, then what kind of grads do they like?</p>
<p>Debt is definitely a factor in determining my decision. Unless I am looking at the info wrong, it would be slightly cheaper for me to go to UIUC than to UIC for my master’s of accounting, or MAS or MSA (which seem like the same thing btw, but correct me if im wrong). I guess I should probably finish undergrad first and then worry about that. I know there seems to be a huge rivalry on this site between UIC and UIUC, but this has been on my mind for awhile now. Could somebody give me a rough estimate of my chances at grad school at both of these locations. Here are some of my stats:</p>
<p>-Currently a junior at UNC Charlotte
-Current GPA is 3.273, not the best, but will definitely go up by graduation
-Triple major, ACCT, IOMG, FINN
-One internship as a seasonal internal auditor at a theme park (Cedar Fair Ent. Company anyone???)
-Volunteering with Junior Achievement
-Will be joining Beta Alpha Psi as soon as I meet the requirements
-Work part-time at Banana Republic (I get my career fair suit at a discount!!)
-I don’t want to go Big 4, I want to work for one of the midtier accounting firms, preferably either BDO or Grant Thornton doing audit. I don’t think I want to jump ship to industry like a lot of people do. Instead, I think I would like to remain in public accounting and work my way up through the ranks, build some history with the company. Hopefully make partner or principle some day.
-Will hopefully be participating in BDO’s “Pathway to Success” program this coming summer.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help everyone</p>
<p>My sister’s managers prefer people with experience over people with just MBAs. An MBA is a plus, but if someone applies with a great background but no MBA, the person without the MBA will get the job. From what she said, they just had some bad experiences with unexperienced UofC and Northwestern MBA grads. Wherever you work, each hiring manager will have their own little quirks.</p>
<p>On a side note, you should wait a year to try and establish Illinois residency. The University of Illinois has a reputation of really sticking it to OOSers. Also, you’ll have to take the GMAT. Some schools like UIC, have two MBA programs. They have a full-time program aimed at students with no work experience and a professional MBA program for working professionals.
UIC’s full-time tuition per semester for in-stater’s for the MBA and MSA is about $8500/semester plus fees and for OOSers, which you’ll be, is about $15,000 plus fees. UIUC’s full-time tuition per semester for IL residents is about $5400 plus fees and for OOSers is $12,000.</p>
<p>There’s not much reason to pursue an MBA if you’re trying to get into public accounting. Just be CPA eligible.</p>
<p>the topic of this thread is relocating to a larger city, not what degree i should get. it’d be more difficult to land a job in chicago if the applicant has no experience. at least going to a reputable school that’s known in the area would be beneficial. </p>
<p>check how illinois residency works with the schools. i’d say usually there’s no way around paying out of state tuition, but i could be wrong.</p>
<p>has anyone here actually attended either UIUC or UIC? COMPETITIVE gpa and gmat scores needed? Any ideas on which would be better for grad student working at least part time during school. Housing??? PT jobs?? Even the culture of the school itself. If you’re willing, chance based on my current stats so that I know what I have to work on. I think getting info from people here who have actually been to the schools and gone through this whole process before me is a lot more useful than the BS info they give you on the website.</p>
<p>As far as tuition goes, there doesn’t seem to be too much of a difference. As of right now UIUC seems to be winning out in my mind, but anyone, feel free to try and convince me otherwise…or not.</p>
<p>UIUC is always ranked in the top 5 for accounting, pretty much. Competitive GPA and GMAT scores are necessary. You could work in either place, really. Housing will be significantly more in Chicago. In my opinion, grad school is more about academics than the “culture and feel” of the school. You are there for 2 semesters, it goes by quickly.</p>