bquinn10

Objective: PhD in Accounting Current Situation: Older UG will be almost 26 when I graduate next summer b/c of time off spent doing nothing (working menial jobs/saving $$). Currently have a 3.58 @ lower-tier Ivy. Econ major. Won't even take my first college math class until spring semester of sr. yr., but plan on taking Calc II-IV before graduating. Also will have very minimal accounting background. Have done quite well on practice GMats (750+). Plan: Since I'm already pretty old for an UG, I don't want to waste time. That said, I know I need at least a year off b/t UG & starting any potential PhD program to increase math & accounting background. Unfortunately, I'm also poor. I'm thinking I'll take a year or two to do an accounting master's part-time at a local university, say Temple/Drexel/GWU, while probably working an unprestigious economics/accounting type job to support myself & pay for school. Also, I plan on taking some of the higher in this time b/t UG & grad school as well. Questions: Given my limited math background, is there any chance that I can get funding to do a MAcc at some other university either in the U.S. or abroad? If so, where? I'd be happy to TA/RA for econ classes in exchange for tuition remission. Doing so would probably knock off a year's time b/t UG & starting PhD studies since I wouldn't need to worry about supporting myself + paying tuition simultaneously. What else can I do to prepare myself/increase my chances of admission to a good accounting PhD program? I know the obvious answer is take more math, but there's simply not room in my schedule for other math classes if I hope to graduate next summer. I'm looking for other suggestions. Does the prestige of the school one does his MAcc at have significant bearing on PhD admissions? Along these same lines, would I be better served to take my math classes online from UIUC/Stanford or in person from a less regarded school where I might be doing my MAcc? Finally, in terms of PhD prep (and potential CPA exam eligibility) is there a difference in how a MAcc is regarded vs. M. Tax? TY for any help you can offer.

My understanding is that heart attacks are far from painless.

Oh yeah. I'm not too worried about the GRE, mainly because I'm aiming for a respectable school moreso than uberprestige. My question re: the business PhD was more concerning whether a complete lack of classes in the intended field would harm my application chances. Again, I'd be happy with a top-50ish finance program.

One last question: Would this profile make me competitive for a Finance or Accounting PhD as well? If so, what range of schools? I would have literally no classes in either subject before applying, but I would have at least a little econ. background & some math.

Thanks for the info everyone. If anyone else wants to chime in, feel free.

I think my relatively long absence from school may work against me, although I don't know that for a fact. You seem much higher on my chances than I am. So do you think GWU, GMU, Colo, UGA, UFL, UIC would generally offer good shots of admission then? And if so, what sort of job am I looking at coming out of one of those institutions, assuming average performance? If I decided all I cared about was money, would a $100K (in today's $) gig be more or less assured or does one need to be graduating from a higher-ranked school to have those sorts of opportunities open to him/her right out of school? Likewise, if I went the academia route, is there any chance I'm working at a BCS-conference school right off the bat? Thanks again for the info.

I'm mainly interested in either financial economics stuff or doing policy related macro work. I plan to take those classes you mentioned. The problem is that I simply won't have space in my schedule to do so before I'd need to apply in '09. I figured taking the math classes (diff. eq/analysis) next fall would enhance my application moreso than adding other econ. classes. As a result, my entire final spring + summer semesters are going to be devoted to taking econ. classes to fulfill my major. In your opinion, would I be better off holding off a year and applying once I've taken those extra classes or should I just proceed as planned and apply w/o the full array of recommended courses? FWIW, I harbor no real desire to attend a top-10. UT-Austin & Maryland would make me ecstatic and I'd still be pretty damned pleased to attend any of Duke, Vandy, UNC, UVa, G'Town. Edit: In response to the other poster above: There's no way I can afford a master's program. I'd need to receive full funding from any school I eventually wind up attending.

Thanks for the info and yes, that's definitely less $$ than I expected. I thought PhD=more or less guaranteed upper middle class. Instead, it seems from some of those numbers more like solidly middle class. Still not a bad life though, I suppose. If you get a chance, can you comment on my "chances" thread a bit farther down on the main page.

Assuming you're an average student at a program ranked over 100, what do most students end up doing upon graduation? If you were all about $$, what is the most you could end up making right out of school (assume no prior experience/prestigious internships before starting grad school) and whom would you be working for? What would this job entail (hours, type of work, etc.)? If you were all about academia, what is the best school (give an example) where such a student could realistically hope to gain employment and again, what would the salary be?

I'm thinking this is what my profile will look like when I apply next cycle and I'm wondering what schools I should be looking at (either as a range or specific schools). Obviously, I'll be pretty weak in terms of math prep and lack a lot of econ/stats courses. For what it's worth, I'd prefer to stay east of the Mississippi and I can only attend if I get funding. I'm really just trying to get a feel for which schools someone with my qualifications (or, closer to the truth, lack thereof) should be researching. If anything, error on the pessimistic side with your evaluations. Personal: White American male School: Lower Ivy, but transferred in after being out of school for several years GPA: Cumulative: ~3.6, Math: 3.6 Econ: 4.0 (but in only 3 classes) GRE: 770Q/750V Econ: Intro Micro/Macro (As) Intermed. Micro (A). . .that's all my econ. Math: Calc IV (A-) Diff Eq (1st sem. of 2 sem. sequence) (A-) Lin Alg. (A-) Real Analysis (B+) Intro Stats (A) LOR: Probably mediocre at best Research: Might be able to land a summer RA job. No tutoring or anything like that.