<p>I am currently a sophomore at George Mason University, near Washington, DC.
I'm an accounting major, so like every other accountant, their dream is to work for the Big 4. </p>
<p>My stats:
3.53 GPA
President and VP of a few clubs
Worked at a few jobs, nothing big--costco, apple credit union</p>
<p>I'm haven't done a lot of research on those companies yet, but for those that have gotten an internship at the Big 4, can you tell me what your statistics were and how you got it? I'm pretty clueless on how people get to the Big 4. </p>
<p>What should I be doing to prepare myself to get an internship at the Big 4--planning to start applying junior year.</p>
<p>My school isn’t so much as a target for Big 4 recruiters. I think this year, only a few people got internships/jobs at the Big 4.
Is it possible to do it on the Big 4 websites and request an interview because in our job fairs, the Big 4 rarely comes.</p>
<p>You can always try the Big 4 websites. However, your school’s Career Center is also a very good source. In addition to job fairs, you shall also check out the job postings and apply to those that you qualify. Also, make sure you have a well written resume ready. Again the Career Center shall have resources to help you in that regard.</p>
<p>What you can do to be more employable in Accounting in 2 scenarios:</p>
<p>1) If you go to an average business school:
-Obtain a 3.8-4.0 GPA
or
-If you are a female, be attractive
or
-Be a decent Hispanic/Black student and make sure there are only a few in your program
or
-Be best friends with a recruiter</p>
<p>2) If you go to a top ranked business school:
-Obtain a GPA above a 3.3
and
-Appear competent</p>
<p>Guess my only route is to get a high GPA.
Do you know if having another internship will increase my chances at getting one at the big 4? If I were to get a less prestigious internship, like working for the Washington Post, would I seem more ‘experienced’?</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, networking > GPA = Work Experience >>>> ECs >> everything else.</p>
<p>You need a high GPA and work experience, but networking will put you over the edge. Most employers I talk to dgaf about BS “leadership” positions and it’s usually for distinguishing mid-tier candidates or is an excuse for hiring someone with good networking skills. GPA and networking are absolute musts and if you manage good internships, you should be set.</p>
<p>I would rank them in this order…I just went through the process and was never denied a FT offer:</p>
<ol>
<li>GPA</li>
<li>Internships</li>
<li>Leadership Positions/Maturity/Proof you can certain quality traits</li>
</ol>
<p>Networking only matters if the firms don’t recruit your school. (For the B4)</p>
<p>I have a 3.98 in my major and a 3.94 overall. That is what got me into every single interview and was a huge differentiator. I also have some diverse internships, but nothing over-the-top (never had a B4 internship). I have a ton of leadership positions–most important, I accomplished a lot in those positions (probably the key to almost all of my behavioral question: “When is a time have you been proactive?”, etc.); not much community service though. </p>
<p>If you have a 3.5+ then you should be good for most of the B4. However, there were a few people that have 3.6-3.7 that are smart kids and they got turned down by at least one of the B4 for an initial interview. Most of them ended up getting a job with one of them in the end though.</p>
<p>Shoot me a PM if you want to know more specifics.</p>
<p>Just to add on to what goose said - my D is interning with one of the B4 this summer. She has a 4.0 in her major (a 3.93 overall) but had no other accounting experience - no other internships and just a few business clubs. She had 4 internship offers to choose from.</p>
<p>Without exception, her interviewers commented on her GPA. Several asked her to comment on her success in the classroom. She really prepared intensively for each of her interviews, too, and focused on preparing thoughtful questions. </p>
<p>So leadership counts, but good grades probably count for more… and don’t discount interviewing skills.</p>
<p>Experience does not count the most for campus recruiting for Big 4 entry level positions. Considering as a Junior you apply to Big 4 internships, how much experience can you possibly have?</p>
<p>My son is in the middle of his 10 week internship (that is part of his MPA program). He has a 3.6 right now, spring of senior year with one year to go for the program.</p>
<p>His interviews were all set up at the school - </p>
<p>Just read goose’s thread and it is right on. What he has done is exactly what my goal currently is. I have a 3.93 gpa and I just founded and am acting president of an organization. Building something like that completely from scratch and gathering a set of diverse strangers into a cohesive group has been an incredible challenge. Fighting through the paperwork riddled bureaucracy in order to get the organization officially recognized has been very eye opening. And creating the marketing materials, planning events, coordinating different people’s schedules, and balancing all that with a full time job and 13 credit hours has all been a great experience. I’m just hoping it all pays off like it did for goose.</p>