NYU or Columbia v. Rutgers or Montclair for Accounting
Hello everybody on the WSO Forum
I am currently attending a New Jersey community college now studying Accounting. I love Accounting and I am doing extremely well in it (4.0 GPA). My question was if I am going to transfer after I get my A.S. degree to a 4 year university for accounting would it really make that much of a difference which school I attended? My options I was considering were Rutgers Business School, NYU Stern, Columbia, or Montclair State University.
Also is it difficult to get recruited right out of university with an Accounting degree? What are the starting salaries in the NY/NJ area?
Just want some advice on this topic.
Thank You
For accounting? Stern, Columbia, Rutgers, and Montclair, in that order. For general finance/IB I would probably switch Stern and Columbia.
If i went to Rutgers and graduated with a very high GPA would it be just as good as Stern? I know a lot of accounting majors get recruited by the Big 4 right out college. So if that were the case it makes more sense to spend less money on college if I am getting the same job... right?
Here's the big question - how much do you want to pay.
While I agree with notaspammer, you also need to weigh in the fact that you're getting In State Tuition at Rutgers vs. paying significantly more (even with scholarship money if you do get any) at Stern or Columbia. Generally speaking, NYU and Columbia do have a better "reputation" but Rutgers is still a hell of a school and more than a viable option if you have a concern with cost. And Rutgers is still a pretty damned good state school as well with a brand name that carries itself in the region.
Btw does anybody know how much an entry level auditor at a big 4 firm would start off at? I heart that its around $50-$60k.
60K in the city plus a small >5K bonus, I've heard as low as the 40s in the boonies
I know someone gets 65K in philadelphia
Probably assurance or advisory, not audit.
I'd go with Columbia or Rutgers. If you really like accounting, Rutgers is the cheapest option and has something like 130 partners in the big4 world and well recognized for North East accounting. If you think that you'll switch to any other career at some point, go with Columbia, it will open up many more doors for you: you'll also likely have more mobility within accounting. You think you know what you want for your life, but what if that changes a few years down the road? Realize one other thing: if you go to Columbia, employers come to you...if you go to the other schools, you have to go to the employers. Recruiting isn't guaranteed at all, but an Ivy makes it a lot easier, and you'll likely get a higher yield given the same stats and effort. It's pricey though, so factor that in, although you already have a lot of credits, so that will work to your advantage.
Reputation wise, NYU trails behind Columbia and Montclaire trails behind Rutgers, and given that they are rather expensive schools, my way of thinking says the choice is between RU and CU. Personally, if I had it to do over, I'd have gone to Columbia, but that's just me.
Is it possible to make over 100K in Accounting?
Yes, but not as a first year. Within 5 years in a major market at a Big 4 it should be though.
why not just go to Baruch and save a shitload of money in the process. Baruch is great for accounting.
I don't know how much Baruch would save over going to Rutgers. Over Columbia and NYU, maybe, but OP's in-state and would qualify for the reduced tuition.
If you want Big 4 I would stick with Rutgers. Student loans repayments are awful.
If I do get in would it be worth taking on almost 100K to get a degree in Accounting?
No, but if you go to Columbia or NYU Stern you've got a better shot at IB
Second Baruch if you want to do Big 4 work in NYC or Rutgers if you want to go to Newark or something... NYU and Columbia are not worth it unless if your tuition is subsidized by scholarships.
NYU or Columbia for sure if you can get in
Be aware of different tuition costs though if this is a consideration point for you.
Will it really make that much of a difference on getting a job? What other job could I possibly get right out of college besides one of the Big 4?
By buddy was had a accounting internship in NYC with big 4 firm, pay was like $27/hr
I can verify that. Valuations group NY Big4 off was $27 + 1 1/2 for overtime. Seriously though, go to NYU and do IBD. If you're good at acct you'll be good at finance as well. And you'll get paid way more.
Im also considering majoring in Computer/ Eletrical Engineering. If I did that are there still careers in IBD?
I think it's harder unless you double major in business too. A really smart friend of mine was EE and did a bunch of business orgs and stuff but ended up on ops at a BB
dont go to MSU...you're better than that
I realized MSU is pretty much out of the question; now its between Rutgers, Columbia, NYU, or NJIT
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