[mmcgrad1]

I’m a CPA candidate (passed summer 2012) and a 2009 graduate but my GPA is only a 3.3 and my accounting GPA is not good due to personal reasons which I addressed and learned from. I have about a year and a half of corporate accounting experience.

I’ve been offered a job at my former employer for good pay. However, I really want to get into public accounting yet nobody has responded to my applications.

I might be able to get my MAcc at my alma mater which has recruiting at public accounting firms. Maybe the degree and a high GPA plus learning to network better may lead to getting into the industry.

Do you think going back to school might help my situation or am I better off just working in corporate and networking and hoping something eventually comes up?

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

NIU CPA Review Correspondence is awesome!

I passed all four sections on the first attempt

[Jeremy]

I think it is possible. My situation was similar. I went to a small community college and graduated with an overall GPA of 3.46 and an accounting GPA of 3.8 because I didn't really want to be in college my first year. After I graduated, I had a hard time finding a job. So, I went to graduate school for my MAcc and now I have several office interviews over the next few weeks and one offer, but I have had to work a lot harder than my peers to get those interviews/offer and they have not been with as prestigious firms as my peers who also had their undergrad at the same university. So you will definitely be at a disadvantage but if you work hard I think you can get there.

B- 8/13/2012- 92
A- 7/19/2012- 83
R- 5/30/2012-82
F- 7/3/2012- 90

[Jeremy]

I should also mention that I went to a much larger university for my MAcc

B- 8/13/2012- 92
A- 7/19/2012- 83
R- 5/30/2012-82
F- 7/3/2012- 90

[mmcgrad1]

I spoke with my school about the situation. Since I passed the CPA exam my accounting GPA does not need to meet requirements. Additionally, since my GPA was so high for my second degree at this school I have an excellent change as a GA, especially since I know a specific professor who I know would like to have me.

My only concern is that are employers going to wonder why I keep going back to school?

The problem is I just don't see how Financial Reporting will ever give me the experience to transition to external audit.

NIU CPA Review Correspondence is awesome!

I passed all four sections on the first attempt

[Anonymous]

mmcgrad1, while everyone's situation is different, I just finished my MAcc degree in May and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was an econ major in undergrad, but discovered I liked accounting so I stayed on for a 2-year MAcc program.

I truly believe a quality MAcc program is well worth the time. I probably learned more in those 2 years of grad school than I did in 4 years of undergrad. The accounting classes provided a ton of deep accounting knowledge, which has been invaluable on the CPA exam and for work.

My advice would be to find a program that gives you a chance to teach, if you can do a full-time program. I taught both accounting and economics- which not only provided a steady paycheck to help finance the degree, but really helped me prep for both work and for this exam. I learned a ton while teaching and it really was a highlight of my MAcc experience. Also, if you don't have a finance background from undergrad (which I didn't), I'd supplement your accounting classes with some basic finance. Best of luck to you!

[Author]

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