<p>I got accepted to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for Accounting. I believe they are in the Top 10 for accounting and am debating whether or not to transfer there. I'll be a junior next year and if I go to Illinois, it'll be out of state tuition. </p>
<p>My current school is no where near Top 50 for business. All but E&Y recruit at my school, so getting interviews is not too big of an issue. I have a 3.7 GPA and am friends with a bunch of professors so I'm sure they can put in a good word for me. </p>
<p>If I go to Illinois, I think my GPA will be lower, maybe a 3.4 or 3.5 because their program is a lot harder. However, it is Illinois and a lot of accounting firms hire on-campus, plus I'll get a great undergraduate education there. But it is very competitive for Big 4 since everyone will be fighting for it.
I heard that at Illinois or any top business school, you just need a 3.5 to get a Big 4, is that true? Whereas, if I go to a lesser school, I need a 3.8.</p>
<p>My current school:
(Good)
-maintain a higher GPA than at Illinois (3.7)
-be top in class (maybe top 20), so not that competitive for me.
-befriended lots of professors
(Bad)
-not the best accounting program
-won't get as a good education as with Illinois
-not as much recruiting as with Illinois</p>
<p>Going to Illinois
(Good)
-great education
-lots of accounting firms recruit there
(Bad)
-$40k/year tuition
-very competitive since everyone will be fighting for Big 4
-won't be Top 50 probably since everyone is very bright.
-get a lower GPA (3.4)</p>
<p>Will going to a top business school significantly help my chances to Big 4? Even with a lower GPA there.
Or should I stay at my current school and be 'top of my class'?</p>
<p>Let's say I go to Illinois and I don't get a Big 4 Internship during junior year. I can apply again during senior year right?</p>
<p>Thank you.
PS I love CC</p>
<p>don’t assume that its harder to get good grades at illinois because its better ranked. i am a freshman here, undeclared atm but looking into accounting. i have talked to all of the big 4 head campus recruiters, they tend to say that 3.6 is really where you should be at (not that some with lower are able to get jobs). grades are only part of the recruiting process, and again, not every accy class is hard to get a good grade in.</p>
<p>id say your biggest pro with coming here would be that if you want a job at big 4 you will get one. very few qualified people who want a job at one of them will not get one. its a competitive atmosphere, but in the end everyone is employed, even if at grant thornton or a firm just below the big 4.</p>
<p>another factor to consider is that by coming here you will probably be working in chicago after grad. i dont know where your current school is located and where their recruiters are from but most of the recruiters that come here are filling positions in chicago offices.</p>
<p>Wow, you got some great connections! Is it common for most accounting students at Illinois to be friends with the Big4 recruiting? I get the feeling from you that Illinois has lots of recruiting program, career fairs, job fairs and you can really get to know the Big4 recruiters well. Is that right?</p>
<p>What do you think of the business teachers there? Are they friendly, helpful in office hours, and doing their best to help the students? I’m a big fan of office hours.
How are the class size? I heard Illinois is known for smaller size lectures.</p>
<p>Can you elaborate a bit more on how everyone gets a job at the Big4 or Grant Thornton(which isn’t a bad firm at all)? Would simply going to Illinois, getting a 3.5, have some interviewing skills be enough for a Big4 job?</p>
<p>Is there a limit to how many students firms hire during a year? Like 100 students for E&Y.</p>
<p>yes there are tons of opportunities to meet recruiters. i dont even know them half as well as some of my friends who are freshman and know they want to do accy.</p>
<p>unfortunately since im only a freshman i can only speak on behalf of the teachers ive had that teach the lower level classes, which wouldnt help you very much. all professors are required to have office hours, as are TA’s. they are usually willing to schedule appointments outside of that, too, if you can’t make it to their hours. it will be upon you to make these connections with your professors if you choose to. most students do not, but not because they can’t. this may be less true, though, of students at the higher levels where classes are indeed smaller.</p>
<p>and yes it is becoming my perception that those are the basic necessary skills to get employed as an accy major here. networking starting from as early as possible helps a ton too.</p>
<p>and yes i am sure that firms have a cap on how many they hire. however, it will be a relatively big number as turnover is really high for entry level accountancy jobs, especially in the big 4.</p>
<p>The big4 + other national and large regional accounting firms need an annual influx of bright new accounting staff. If the top 3 recruit at your current university I think you will be fine where you are now. If you have a high GPA then the recruiters will think you are a viable candidate.</p>
<p>@jax90291 Thank you, you are very informed as a freshmen! If I go to Illinois, hopefully we get to meet up haha</p>
<p>@ChrisTKD I’m still in a huge debate if I should transfer or not…it is just the cost that is killing me.
My perspective is that even if I don’t get a Big4 as a junior from Illinois, it is okay because I am sure I can apply again senior year and there will be tons of opportunities (Illinois being #2 for accounting should offer a lot more opportunities than my current school)</p>
<p>Q: If I don’t land a Big4 internship the summer before senior year, can I apply again for an internship the summer after I graduate? Or should I be looking at a job as to an internship when I graduate?</p>
<p>ggfang</p>
<p>going to illinois or another school could benefit you if your school doesnt have the opportunities. Look at it this way, even if the big 4 hire 50% of the top students ( which is alot) then what will happen to the other 50%? </p>
<p>Make sure, wether its your school or illinois, that the school you go to has enough companies recruiting there to pick up all the good students.</p>
<p>@Whatdidyou My current school is in Washington DC and there are lots of recruiting from firms. All of the Big4 but E&Y recruits at our school, so in terms of recruiting, both schools are decent at it. At my current school, I am in the Top 50 of my class.
However, I feel at Illinois, I’ll get a much deeper and meaningful education than my current school. That and the fact that almost everyone that graduates from Illinois has a great accounting job is what makes me want to go.
Ahh so confused what to do!</p>
<p>An internship is designed for students during their college career not after you have already graduated. You should be looking for entry level jobs during your senior year. </p>
<p>If you have a good GPA and most of the B4 are already recruiting at your school then getting a job is going to depend mostly on how you do in your interviews. If you don’t do well in the interview it won’t matter whether you are at your current school or at Illinois.</p>
<p>Go to illiniois. I ve been to career fair and I know tons of guys got interns with Big 4. Go for it.</p>
<p>Yes you can absolutely get an internship after your senior year assuming you are going to be a student the fall semester after. This is common to meet the 150 - hour requirement. I just graduated with my Bachelor of Accountancy from a very low ranked state school that only gets recruited by one of the Big Four (not the one I’m going to), and I am interning with a B4 firm this summer. I am currently working on my MACC from the same school. I had a 3.94 overall 4.0 Acctg GPA; so that is what got my foot in the door. They actually wanted me to interview for the intern instead of the full-time position because I still have another year of school left and was not close enough to take online filler classes (hopefully get MACC in one year if not will still have 150 hours after year).</p>
<p>Illinois is not worth $40,000 a year for almost the same opportunities you will have at your current school. </p>
<p>If you are at the top of your class at your current school, can interview well, and the B4 recruit your current school, then you will be right in line for a B4 offer. </p>
<p>If you wanted to do investment banking or high level consulting, then this would be a completely different story. But, this is accounting–and the B4 recruit at most reputable schools–so racking up thousands in debt to land the exact same job you could have landed without accumulating debt is just not a good scenario.</p>
<p>So goose, I’m currently debating this topic as well. Is it common for accounting majors at top universities, say USC, to be recruited into consulting, given they’re at the top of their class?</p>
<p>Nvm read the other post. Thanks.</p>
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