<p>3.5+ should be the goal. </p>
<p>3.8+ makes you really stand out.</p>
<p>I agree with much of what MSFH is saying. However, this is just not the case when it comes to Big 4. The recruiting process is MUCH more bureaucratic than the companies mentioned above or any IB job. The place is run on the idea that you hire new grads who have a strong ability to be taught. Taught how to do an audit, taught how to fill out a tax return, taught how to do analyze a SAS 70, etc. What is the best way to make sure you are interviewing students who can be taught? Look at GPAs. From there it is, of course, more important to show you are outgoing and a well-rounded individual. </p>
<p>They will preach to you that you have to be able to network and talk and bring in clients, etc etc ******** ********. They know that most people will be gone in 2-3 years and that is just a fact. In that first 2-3 years your ability to learn quickly and adapt is BY FAR the most important thing to the firm. What’s an indicator of having those abilities (just by looking at resumes)? GPA.</p>
<p>Now…as I stated before. The cutoffs are usually around 3.3-3.5. But I can tell you this. If they see a bunch of As in your business core classes and Bs in Int I and II, Tax, Auditing etc. You’re not getting an offer. That’s that. </p>
<p>We recruit heavily from about 5 schools in our area. 4 of those schools have an application system to apply for our internships that will NOT even allow you to apply without a 3.3 GPA.</p>
<p>The stories of 3.05 GPAs getting a job at the Big 4 are inspiring to people with those kinds of grades, but it is NOT anywhere CLOSE to the norm. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re WRONG. People with ****ty GPAs have been stating for years and years how much more important networking is than GPA. However, in the industry you are talking about (Big 4) it’s not true. GPA gets you the interview, interviewing skills get you the job.</p>
<p>And your ridiculous example of family members is both pathetic and uncommon. I don’t know any sons, daughters, nieces, or nephews in my office. If you have to rely on family members to be your “network” you’re going to fail in business.</p>
<p>[Deloitte</a> Mobile](<a href=“Careers | Deloitte US”>Careers | Deloitte US)</p>
<p>You will find these requirements listed on Deloitte’s Staff Audit Intern job posting.</p>
<p>“Bachelor of Science/Business Administration or Master of Science in Accounting<br>
Must meet minimum requirements to sit for CPA exam before beginning full-time employment<br>
Strong academic credentials (Minimum GPA of 3.0)”</p>
<p>Explain this “workingatbig4”</p>
<p>workingATbig4, </p>
<p>My friend who got an interview with a 3.1 GPA got a D in tax. Only one person brought it up and that was the recruiter. They didn’t seem to care. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I mainly agree with you. The big 4 care a lot about GPA, but if you have a 3.0 GPA during undergrad and go get your masters in accounting and do well, you’ll be fine. This has been done many times, despite the big 4 asking for your undergrad transcripts.</p>
<p>
</p>
<h1>1.
</h1>
<h1>2 All of the website postings will say 3.0, however, most listings on school career services website will list it as 3.3+.</h1>
<p>
</p>
<p>Ok…that’s nice. I find it slightly hard to believe though. And besides, even if you can tell me about this one friend I am telling you that I have been helping with recruiting every second since I started working and I help the firm nationally with their “standards”. We get facts and statistics. I am looking at our most recent class of incoming associates statistics RIGHT NOW - the average GPA is a 3.58. </p>
<p>I really do not get you people? I have no reason to come here and tell people they don’t have good chances because of their GPA when that’s not the case. I WORK AT A BIG 4 FIRM! This is first hand knowledge and because I help with recruiting, it is more knowledge than you will get with most Big 4 associates. Your stories are nice and are exceptions, but what I am telling you is that the fact is WE look for higher GPAs than a 3.1 usually. </p>
<p>You people would argue with a brick wall about what it’s like to hold up a roof. You don’t know, because you’ve never been directly involved. End of story.</p>
<p>Also, here is what our recruiters are told to present as our top 3 qualities. It is literally two slides of a presenatation that explain what we look for.</p>
<p>1 - Communication skills.
2 - Leadership skills
3 - College GPA</p>
<p>You won’t show #1 without having a strong GPA. Yes, it is important to note that leadership skills are above college GPA. However, on the very next slide.</p>
<p>Title: “What are you average interns statistics like?”
…
GPA: 3.58 GPA. Range of 3.2 (this was the lowest intern hire we had this summer NATIONALLY - we hired 1200 interns this summer) to 4.0.</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see what the arguments are now.</p>
<p>"GPA: 3.58 GPA. Range of 3.2 (this was the lowest intern hire we had this summer NATIONALLY - we hired 1200 interns this summer) to 4.0.</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see what the arguments are now."</p>
<p>These may be the statistics for your specific firm, but that does not mean that the other firms are not flexible. </p>
<p>My friend with the 3.1 GPA is doing a WINTER internship, and they basically told him they want him to come on full-time after he takes summer classes. I’ve seen his transcript (he’s my best friend), so I KNOW this is the case. He also had zero connections, but they LOVED the fact that he’s a division 1 athlete.</p>
<p>Getting a low grade in one class is not the end of the world…as long as your overall GPA remains high. Plenty of ppl get low grades in one class or another and then get big4 jobs. </p>
<p>econ2acctg your friend is the exception not the rule. Most people are not division 1 athletes. </p>
<p>workingatbig4, I think your hiearchy of qualities that you look for make more sense when interviewing candidates already chosen for their GPAs. In that case communication skills & leadership skills are king. However, like your statistics show, someone with a low GPA but amazing leadership skills is gonna have a very tough time.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><strong>sigh</strong>. I cannot believe that someone who knows ONE person who has INTERNED at a Big 4 firm is so persistent to argue.</p>
<p>We get the other 3 firms statistics as well.</p>
<p>Big 4 1: 3.61 GPA avg
Big 4 2: 3.54 GPA avg
Big 4 3: 3.563 GPA avg</p>
<p>Once again ( as Whatdidyou said) your friend is a very strange circumstance and not common.</p>
<p>There’s no doubt that the big 4 have GPA requirements that they typically follow. That being said, if a person has a GPA around a 3.0 and they want a big4 gig, then getting a masters (and doing well - above a 3.5) from a good (top 25) accounting program will likely lead to big4 interviews.</p>
<p>The argument of do well in your masters doesn’t make sense when 95% of Big 4 hires come from internships that are obtained during UNDERGRAD.</p>
<p>So, what makes you so knowledgable on this subject econ?</p>
<p>I know multiple people who have been in that situation and landed big4 jobs. </p>
<p>practically EVERYONE from top masters programs (ND, Umich, Texas, ect) are given interviews and they are HIGHLY recruited by ALL of the big4 firms. Furthermore, you have to be a pretty pathetic candidate from schools like MSU, VT, and other top 25 schools to not land a big4 interview if you have above a 3.5 GPA in the masters program.</p>
<p>Edit: I am done arguing with you. You have absolutley no authority to speak on the hiring practices of the big 4 and that’s it. You’re incredibly stubborn. Cling to your hopes that your bad UG gpa will not be looked at and you’ll be hired at Big 4, it’s not me that will be disappointed.</p>
<p>I’ve interviewed with investment banks and management consulting firms… a big4 job would be quite the downgrade for me. It is something that I’ve briefly considered, since it is one of the better jobs that can be obtained in a very specific region that I am looking at, but I’ve literally only taken two accounting classes in my life.</p>
<p>Repost times a billion.</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 ~3.7-4.0 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>Do you really think the Big4 is going to turn down someone from Wharton if they didn’t have a 3.3 GPA? Doubtful. </p>
<p>They would probably just be happy to say that have someone who went there.</p>
<p>econ…I really cannot believe you are still going on about this. For someone in a position to be able to interview with consulting firms and IBs, you seem to lack basic logic and reasoning abilities. Big 4 tend to hire around 8-10k new associates every year between the 4 of them. A few dozen may be D1 athletes. We may get a couple from t10 schools for advisory/consulting. However, the THOUSANDS of other students don’t have these things.</p>
<p>You can keep throwing out these outliers like they mean something, but they DON’T. Most of us aren’t D-1 athletes and most of us aren’t from Wharton. MOST OF US have 3.5+ GPAs. So when someone comes on here and begins throwing out incredible schools they went to, where they were the QB of the football team…I will tell them that they will have no problem getting in with a 3.0 GPA. Until then, I will give the advice in a uniform way of what we look for in the average run-of-the-mill college student. 3.3+ GPA, Beta Alpha Psi, good interviewing skills.</p>
<p>EDIT: Also, I am a bit confused. Why would someone who only took the core accounting classes and is interviewing for these prestigious jobs create a forum name of “econ2accounting”?</p>
<p>A 3.3+ GPA and BAP didn’t even land me interviews with any of the Big 4. </p>
<p>Maybe it was my average state school and the heavy competition with the accounting majors here, but I will continue to blame myself.</p>
<p>Econ2accounting, what Wharton grad would look for a job at a Big4 firm anyway?</p>
<p>sp…how many students are in your school’s acct’g program? This usually happens when school’s have a large program and we tend to add additional filters.</p>
<p>I would say about 150-200 and growing every year (It’s an SEC school). Also at my school, internships are offered to seniors after graduation. It’s not common to find people interning after junior year. Most intern after senior year and if they don’t have enough credits to get to 150, they do the Masters in Accounting program. </p>
<p>Also smaller firms require even higher GPAs than the Big4 because they hire less people.</p>