Master of Accounting at William & Mary

I have been admitted to the W&M Master of Accounting program. My goal is to end up in big 4, of course. Can someone help me what are some advantages and disadvantages of studying accounting at William & Mary? What is the reputation of school is like? Is it considered as a strong school nationally?

I have applied to only one more school UT Dallas and have been admitted there as well. I am absolutely sure I won't be applying to any other school besides these two nor I have time because I need to make a decision in three days.

 

You may want to find out where the Accounting program is ranked nationally, but I'm sure a degree from William and Mary will give you a good shot at a Big 4 job on the east coast.

W&M isn't as well-known nationally since it's rather small, but it's got a much better reputation than UT Dallas. UT Austin, though, is a fantastic school.

Would go with W&M and be prepared to hang out in Williamsburg, VA for 12 months...

 
jumper123:
You may want to find out where the Accounting program is ranked nationally, but I'm sure a degree from William and Mary will give you a good shot at a Big 4 job on the east coast.

W&M isn't as well-known nationally since it's rather small, but it's got a much better reputation than UT Dallas. UT Austin, though, is a fantastic school.

Would go with W&M and be prepared to hang out in Williamsburg, VA for 12 months...

Thanks for your answer. Do you think being an international student may hurt a person's chance to find a job with a big 4 firm?

 

It would make it more difficult, but if you're location agnostic (SF, NYC have huge recruitment needs for staff every year) it'll be possible.

No accounting firm will be willing to sponsor other than the big 4 so it's pretty much all or nothing according to a 3.8+ GPA indian student in my accounting program when I was in school.

 

Thanks for answering. I don't know whether I have any location preferences yet, but I have always liked the idea of being in Dallas. Are NY and SF only cities with huge staffing needs?

Also, I don't know about getting a 3.8+ GPA, but I can surely give my best. What are some other things I can do to improve my chances of getting hired by big 4 firms as an international student? Can an international student with an accounting degree from the USA look for jobs in other advanced economies?

Also, do you think that my school being in Virginia can give me access to jobs in SF, NYC and other cities all over the country? I just know that it's a good school in Virginia.

 
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I think as long as you network and have the GPA you'll have options. There's just a LOT of accounting turnover in certain parts of the country (NYC, SF) with limited amount of interest for studying accounting at local universities so those offices are the most open to hiring nationwide compared to Dayton, OH or something. Tyson's Corner/DC has some good opportunities too which is in-state to W&M.

To give some context, I've heard B4 offices offer 10k moving bonuses, the cost of living adjustment and moving expense reimbursement for senior associates to move to San Jose/San Francisco offices because it's so difficult to retain seniors when they can take an exit to tech for 30-40% pay raises and sometimes even small equity amounts.

 

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