Undergrad Advice?

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  • #188260
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hello all.

    I am new to the forum and was looking for some help.

    I am going into my undergrad senior year with a 3.4 overall GPA and 3.5 accounting GPA.

    Unfortunately, I took Tax I last fall and received a C-. My question is, will this C- keep me from landing interviews with the Big 4 or regional firms? I have an empty slot for a course during my senior year, but I am stuck between retaking Tax or getting closer to the 150 credit requirement.

    For what its worth, I would retake the course for the sole reason of getting a better grade. I feel that I retained much of the material despite not being able to show it on the final exam.

    Thank you!

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  • #590332
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Take this with a grain of salt, because i have never interviewed with a big four or a private firm, but I did land a job with my state auditing division right out of college. I have never heard of anyone asking for transcripts for a job. At most, I would think they might ask what your graduating GPA was, but I can't imagine them asking for a transcript.

    Of course, my only professional experience is limited to my state job and 8 years in the military, so maybe its a common practice….

    I did interview for another accounting job before taking my state job, and they did not request transcripts either, but I did include my graduating GPA on my resume. I would say knock out the extra class for the 150 hr requirement, CPA looks a lot better than 3.8 in my opinion…

    Besides, if they do get a copy of your transcripts, they will see that it was a retaken class, and they aren't going to care if you got a B or even an A in a class that you had already taken, that would be like me saying, I scored 10 out of 10 on the CPA practice test the second time I took the same questions

    If it makes you feel any better, I had to take a 1 credit hour volley ball class in order to fullfill my required hours for my GI bill from the military… I got a D, in a volleyball class for crying out loud…. granted it might have helped if I went and participated more than the minimum required days to avoid being dropped… lol

    I absolutely dare a person interviewing me to question my D in volleyball my response would be “I had better stuff to do, like raise my child, study for classes that mattered, and pay bills, etc…. any more questions???”

    #590333
    thechapman
    Member

    Just to throw in another perspective, I was required to provide transcripts for a big 4 job.

    Passed - 2014

    #590334
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    see… grain of salt…

    #590335
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    but again, to the best of my knowledge, i dont think retaking a course will remove the old one from your transcript…

    I know if I saw a transcript, with a 3.8 gpa in accounting classes, but without retaking courses, it would have been a 3.4, I would judge that candidate as though they had a 3.4….

    I mean, hell if i retake every class 3 times and end up with an A in each of them by the third try, should i really be judged as having a 4.0???

    #590336
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    The C- might keep you from getting a big four opportunity but I think you'll be fine for regional firms. Grades/GPA are only one element they look at.

    If I were you, i wouldn't retake Tax. Unless you're really stuck on getting a job at a big four firm. And even then, they would be able to see that you retook it, which doesn't look much better.

    I just landed a job with a top 10 firm and they never asked for transcripts. But I know someone who was hired at Deloitte that had to send over his transcripts after he finished his last semester.

    That being said, different Big 4 offices/regions might do it differently. Doesn't hurt to try and apply anyway.

    #590337
    UM1868
    Member

    It all depends on what else is on your resume. I would even go as far to put that you had a 3.5 gpa in Accounting classes since it is higher than your regular GPA.

    They are going to look at your GPA and extracurriculars first, they don't really care about what you got in a class. To put it in perspective, I had a 3.8 GPA with a C+ in Tax. It never even got brought up. When Big 4 ask for transcripts, it is to 1. Corroborate what you said your GPA was and 2. To see your path towards sitting/getting CPA.

    I wouldn't worry about the C. I would worry more about the GPA and being competitive in an office. But that is all subjective, depending on which office you are applying to. Where I am, without a 3.7 or higher, you aren't getting looks.

    (I talk to our recruiter about these things)

    Bec-76 (7/14)
    Aud-81 (8/14)
    Reg-82 (7/15)
    Far- 82 (10/15)

    Moral of the story, don't do your CPA while working in Big 4 Public Accounting.

    #590338
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I had to provide my transcript for my Big 4 job out of college. Their cut-off was a 3.3, which you are currently above. Just make sure you do well in your Senior year classes and you could be ok.

    I got a C+ in Cost Accounting because it was a compressed schedule class that ran during my winter (aka busy season) audit internship. No one cared. The rest of my grades were high enough to still let me graduate with a great GPA. My firm looked more at GPA than individual course grades.

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