2013 Admissions Thread - Calling All Applicants!

Major: Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance
GPA: 3.89 (Major GPA: ~3.91)
GMAT: 610

I have no real work experience, but I have kept busy with volunteer work (including an AmeriCorps term) and part-time jobs. I did a busy-season internship with a small CPA office my junior year. I am graduating in May from my undergrad. I have been accepted to Wake Forest's MSA program for Fall 2013 (25% scholarship), and I am waiting to hear back from UT Austin. I like both schools and I am not sure which program to choose if I am accepted to both. If Texas gives me any amount of scholarship money it will be tremendously cheaper to go there, but I would love to hear any suggestions on how to choose between the two!

Hands down, if you are accepted at UT, you should accept. However, given your GMAT score and work experience, that may prove to be a real challenge. If you can, I would highly recommend that you retake the GMAT. What are your career goals? Do you really want to stay in public accounting?

I completed both of those applications in the first week of December, so I am not sure that retaking the GMAT at this point would assist me in getting into UT. From the information on their admissions blog, I assume I should hear back from them this week. If I don't get in there, I will retake it in an effort to get a better scholarship from Wake Forest. I only briefly studied, for about a week, before I took it the first time. I start classes on Wednesday, so there is no chance I will have time to actually study for it soon. If I do decide to retake it, I expect it will be this Summer.

catthanby, have you heard back from UT yet? I alsosubmitted in early december and it looks like they are supposed to make decisions any day now...

I applied to wake forest also. how long did it take to heard back from them after your application was "complete" on their website? was there an interview? i'm just wondering what their timeline is. I submitted at the end of december and it was just marked "complete" on their website yesterday.

thanks!

Sorry, I forgot to answer the second part of that. As of right now, my intentions are to stay in public accounting. I am open to other opportunities though, so that MAY change during grad school. Also, I have no preference on where I end up geographically.

I have not heard back from UT yet! My application was "complete" as of December 3rd. It was actually done before the 1st, but due to my desire to have a third recommendation submitted, it wasn't officially complete until the 3rd.

I submitted my application for Wake Forest on Thanksgiving day. I don't remember exactly when they marked it complete, but I got an email saying they had my GMAT score on November 26th. I got an email inviting me to schedule an interview on November 27th. I interviewed December 19th, and I heard back from them January 11th. They said I should get a Welcome Pack this week. The timeline, at this point in the process, should be a little shorter than that because they aren't out of the office for holidays.

I can understand that you may have limited time while you are in school to study for the GMAT. However, it could be the deciding factor in admissions at UT. GPA is subjective, so schools look to the GMAT as a comparative data point. While you can wait to take the GMAT until summer, I would strongly discourage it if you really want to increase your scholarship offer at Wake.

Both schools have interesting options. The Wake MSA gives you the option to pursue an MBA within one year. The MSA/MBA combination is certainly a unique selling point of the program. The placement and CPA pass rates are also strong points of the program. However, the program does not have the career mobility of UT. At UT, you will be able to actively recruit in accounting and finance across the country. While you can recruit with Big 4, you could also land a nice gig with Morgan Stanley, Intel, Bank of America, etc. I would recommend that you look at employment reports to gain perspective on the types of employers that hire from each program. I can tell you from personal experience that employers will bend over backwards to recruit at UT. Several of my classmates had offers from every Big 4 firm and then some. Also, you can call the shots about location preference.

You should also consider the curriculum. The Wake MSA is heavily focused on CPA exam content. However, the UT program offers a great amount of flexibility to take interesting MBA electives. I don’t know if you have decided whether you would prefer tax or audit (not the only choices, but the most popular), but UT has more in-depth courses than Wake. For example, I was able to take courses in international tax and mergers and acquisitions that were cross-listed with the UT law school. There is also a separate class for partnerships and S corporations.

Given these differences, I think you should definitely consider more than just cost of attendance. Furthermore, if you are waitlisted at UT, you should strongly consider retaking the GMAT if UT appeals to you. I know you may be busy, but the grad school that you choose will make a significant difference over your career.

just scheduled my interview with wake forest for the MSA. i didn't realize they had a 2 year MSA/MBA program until i saw that on here. if i get accepted with some SSS and am able to do that program, it'd be hard to turn down.

i plan on asking them about that in the interview but do ya'll know much about how the program works? do you have to complete the MSA first and then apply? or is this something you have planned out from the get-go?

i'm not too hopeful about UT-austin (went there for undergrad)

any opinions on wake vs USC? looks like it might come down to those 2.

i'll most likely try to work in TX but would be interested in seeing if there are any good opportunities to get some experience in some big cities like NY, chicago, DC, etc.

From Wake Forest's website for MSA/MBA (joint degrees section):

"Candidates who are interested in the MSA/MBA program but who are either currently enrolled at another institution or have already earned their undergraduate degree from another institution need to apply to the MSA program. The length of time they would need to complete the MSA may vary (depending upon prerequisites). They will apply and enroll in the MSA program first, then apply to the MSA/MBA program after completion of the MSA program."

If you want more information, make sure to express your interest in the interview (Q&A).

If you are considering USC, you should seriously consider the cost of living differential between Winston-Salem and LA (night and day). I would think that USC will give you more options in terms of post-graduation location preference. At both schools, you should consider how well the curriculum pairs with your career aspirations. For example, the MBT program at USC is remarkable for tax preference. The Wake curriculum is structured to teach the major components of the CPA exam. Consequently, you may not get the breadth or depth of courses that you want. Ultimately, you have to decide which program is the best fit for you.

If I am wait-listed for UT, I will certainly consider retaking the GMAT in regards to their program. However, at this point, there is simply not time to get them new scores before they make an admissions decision about me.

I genuinely like both programs, and I have read through both of their curriculum. I do like the depth of classes UT offers as well as some other aspects such as the study abroad potential. I spoke with Keri Ledezma this past Summer and, after reviewing my transcript, she said I should be able to waive some courses beyond the prerequisites because I have so many hours in accounting. This would open up at least a couple extra classes to take other electives like you have mentioned. At Wake Forest, according to the admissions rep there, this would simply mean I could do more than one track.

I like Wake Forest for the fact that it does focus so much on CPA exam content. I have met with admissions at both schools, and I have toured UT. I will be going to preview day at Wake Forest next Friday. I am currently going to school less than two hours away from Winston-Salem, and a large amount of my family lives in this region so being recruited to this area does not bother me as I suppose it may concern students from California or Texas. However, I do like Austin, I do have a parent in Texas, and I would love a change of scenery. Mobility of recruitment is really no issue for me at this time.

I agree, I do think UT is the better choice, but there is nothing I dislike about the Wake Forest program and I will not be devastated if I am turned down at UT. Hopefully their preview day will give some insight about the culture there that I was already able to pick up somewhat by visiting UT.

Thanks for your tips, by the way.

denied at UT

I have been accepted at UT!

Posted from my mobile device

Tough break, man. You still have USC in the bag, so kudos. I can't wait to hear about your Wake offer. Good luck.

Nice! Congratulations!

Just got my acceptance to UT!

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I applied to Master in Accounting program in OSU (Fisher school of business), IU (Kelley) and TAMU (Mays). Is there anybody who has applied to these Universities? These featured in PAR top 10 and have low tuition or offer assistantships. I am worried if I have made the right choice as no one seems to talk about these.
Havent heard from anyone of them yet! I am an international student

Gmat 690
Gpa 3.5
3 years internship with EY India and 2 yrs work ex in PwC India

I wouldn't worry, all those schools have great programs. You may not see as many people talking about them because they have more prerequisites than schools like UT, UNC, USC etc.