lordofwar

My advice: I guess you should have some idea about which schools you are planning to apply. Just contact the current PhD students at those schools. Send them a list of math courses along with the curriculum of each course: they should be able to let you know which courses you will need to take. I also advise against pursuing a second bachelor's degree. My recommendation: Get an easy job. Start taking math courses in community college while you are working. That way, you will have both work experience and math background when you apply for the program. After having enough courses as prerequisits, pursue Master's degree in Math or Stat.

I don't have any information about PhD programs in Europe, but I did research on Canadian programs (I gained admission into PhD program in the USA). When I checked out the background of professors at Canadian universities, almost all them received PhD either from the USA or Canada. The same applies to USA: almost all professors have American or Canadian degrees. If you are an international student and your goal is to get into academia in the USA or Canada, definitely choose the Canadian program. The market perception is that the American and Canadian universities produce better researchers than European programs. I know it doesn't answer you question, but it should give you an idea.

I understand your position, but I agree with other responders that choose a field that will excite you. More direct answer to your question: Contact the most recent PhD graduates from a number of schools. You should be able to find info on the websites of PhD programs. They should be able to give you more direct answer since they are the ones who have been through the market most recently.

Nothing is for sure and there is no golden solutino for any question. But in you case, I would still mention name the professor. As far as I know, the admissions committee does not consider the requirements of each professor. They evaluate applicants based on overall credentials. Either case, mentioning your contact with a specific professor will prove that you are a serious applicants who has done his/her homework. I think the most important factor in evaluation is determining how serious the applicant is with regard to pursuing phd and conducting research.

You are welcome. I learned a lot from the posts in this forum, therefore, I know it is useful for other applicants when we share experience. SOP: You need to be as specific as possible. Some schools require 10 pages and others only 2-3 pages. Therefore, you need to adjust your thoughts accordingly. My general advice: Mention in the introductino paragraph why you want to pursue PhD, what motivated you (maybe life experience, or inspiration). DO NOT WRITE that your professors encouraged you as it will demonstrate that you made a decision based on other's opinion. In the body section, write about your background (work experience, studies) and how it all fits with your research interests. For example: I worked in emerging countries where earnings management is a serious problem. I linked my experience with the area of research where I want to specialize. You can also indicate that you've been taking math courses in order to better prepare yourself for the program (if this is true). IMPORTANT: In the essay, why you chose particular school and if applicable, particular research area. This is important as the committee will realise that you did considerable research about the program and the professors. You can definitely write about your area of interest. But be careful: If the school is behavioral research oriented and you want to pursue archival research path will hurt your chance of admission as the committee will not see you "fit" for the program. I would discourage indicating two research interests since it will demonstrate that you are still not decided about the path. But you can adjust your essay depending on school. If the school is managerial research oriented, then tell them about your interest in this field. IMPORTANT: Definitely mentioned the research papers of the current faculty, giving specific examples and how that research paper relates to your path. For example: "Dr. John's "Earnings Management" paper makes a great point about the earnings management issue in emerging markets. As a professional with experience in emerging markets, I would like to conduct research in this area by pointing out problems in the banking sector.....". Always related everything in your essay with the research interest of professors and the program. Give specific examples about your interests, papers you've read and caught your attention (or papers that inspired you). Do not exaggerate and be realistic. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing your experience. I checked out the background of current PhD students at some Ivy League schools and majority of them had Ivy League degrees. I definitely recommend as many math classes as possible before the application. In my case, it was too late and I had to apply without even a Calculus background, which definitely didn't help me get admission into some programs.

Mention that fact in your SOP. As far as I know, most schools just look at overall GPA. Mentioning the fact that you have made substantial improvement will demonstrate that you have what it takes to become a great candidate.

My advice: Go ahead and mention the name of the Professor. It will demonstrate your serious intention and the fact that you've checked out the research that really interests you. If I were in your place, I would even contact that professor and request some research papers (most papers are not available online for free). It will establish goodwill between you and the Professor.

Hello! I would like to share my own admission experience into the PhD in Accounting Program. I won't name the university where I studied or where I got admission, but I will provide enough details for you to evaluate your candidacy. My background: I got bachelor's degree in finance (GPA: 3.95) and MA in Accounting (GPA: 4.00) from a medium-level small town college in Missouri. As an international student, I have international work experience in 2 different countries, which are not my home-country. Plus, I passed all 3 levels of the CFA exam. GMAT: 650 Accounting PhD Program selection: You need to be realistic about your "fit schools", where you might have reasonable chance of admission. This warning is particularly for international students, who think that admission into top programs is easy and have unrealistic expectations. There are about 80 programs that offer PhD in Accounting and not all of them offer admission each academic year. So, there are about 70 programs to which you can apply. Ivy League Programs: Unless you are an Ivy League school graduate or have spectacular background (excellent work experience in top firms, published article as a master's student), do not consider top 10 programs. Where you got your bachelor and master degrees definitely matters. Is Master's degree required: Majority of current PhD students have master's degree and work experience. Although it is not required in most schools, lack of master's degree will make your admission tougher unless the applicant has really good work experience. Always Check Out Program website: If you want to know whether you are a good fit for the program, check out the backgrounds of current PhD students on program websites. That way, it will give you an idea whether that particular program is "right" for you. GMAT: I definitely recommend a score minimum of 700. It matters a lot and it will make you a better candidate. There is a great research done by the AAA which gives you statistics about the PhD programs. Just search AAA accounting program research and admission statistics (or questionnaire), you should be able to find it. It gives you information about each PhD program in summarized format. For example: Average GMAT of admitted students, average length of the program, archival/behavioral research track, completion rate and etc. By comparing your score to the average score, you can pretty much determine whether it is worth applying or not. Definitely use this AAA research as your guide.It is a questionnaire and programs answer standard questions. Math Background: Before admission, I didn't have any calculus background, which hurt my admission chance. Most accounting programs require at least Calculus 1-2 and Linear Algebra background. If you haven't taken these courses at college, don't worry. There are open course websites (like coursera.org) that offer free online lectures with a certificate with the successfuly completition of the program. American students have the advantage of taking Calculus courses in community colleges, but international students don't have this opportunity. Therefore, use the online sources and send the college the completion certificate. It will also demonstrate that you have a serious intention of pursuing PhD in Accounting. Some programs are more math intensive than others. Therefore, contact current PhD students for some hint. My strong recommendation: have Calculus 1, 2, 3 and Linear Algebra background. My mistake was that I didn't take any courses online so that I could include this information in my admission package. It definitely hurt my admission into some programs. I should have enrolled for free online courses like coursera.org and received certificate for at least Calculus 1 and 2 courses. CAUTION: Lack of calculus or linear algebra background won't prevent your admission. I contacted a current University of Missouri PhD student and he also hadn't had any Calculus background before admission. After gaining admission, he started taking courses at local community college. That being said, having the background definitely helps you. Work Experience: Most schools don't require it, but some do. If you have weaker GMAT score or don't have strong academic credentials (including the calculus background), then work experience might make up for the deficiency. The University of Missouri student that I mentioned a paragraph earlier had substantial work experience. I also had 3-year work experience. But this is not a make or break criteria. Contact Current Students and Even Professors: I recommend contacting students. They will give you more information and will be more sincere about the structure of programs. Professors might not respond or will give you standards responses. I haven't contacted professors, just the students. My Experience: I haven't applied into the Ivy League program. My top choice was the University of Missouri, where I couldn't get admission. I checked out the AAA questionnaire and applied into programs where I might have an admissino chance with my background and GMAT. GMAT matters a lot. The schools to which I applied had historical GMAT scores that are close to mine. Some of my schools: University of Missouri University of Kentucky Florida Atlantic University Florida International University Southern Illinois Univ University of British Columbia (Canada) University of Waterloo (Canada) My "safe school" was the Southern Illinois Univ, but surprisingly I didn't get admission into that school either :) But I received admission from a couple of schools mentioned above. Recommendation Apply into at least 5-6 programs because the admission is very competitive. Do not underestimate your competitors as there are great applicants out there. University of Missouri admitted a student with double Accounting/Mathematics masters. Thus, I had little chance with that applicant. Just Google phd in accounting program articles and read some of them. It will give you an idea whether this is seriously what you want to do. CAUTION: Not a single accounting PhD program has 100% completion rate. Most has 80%, which means there are students who drop out. Therefore, carefully research whether the Accounting PhD is right for you. Also, do not overestimate your skills: Pick a fit school for yourself. Although you won't gain admission into the program unless you are seen as "fit" by the accounting faculty, you might still get lucky. Therefore, be carefuly in your selection. Conclusion: I think this information should be enough. Always contact current PhD students if you have any non-standard question. They can tell you a lot from personal experience. Pick 5-6 programs: 2 programs with really good track record, 2-3 average programs and 2-3 safe choices. I didn't get admission into my top choice and the safe choice. I am still happy about my choice as I have done substantial research about the program into which I received admission. I also contacted current PhD students, which helped me a lot in terms of providing information. I wish anybody the best of luck! I hope all applicants that received admission will also successfully complete their respective programs. If you need more info, just contact the current PhD studens. You can easily find their e-mail on program website or request it from the department.

If you are that unhappy with your life, maybe you should look for something else. Besides from being tough, PhD is not for everyone, even if you are smart. Think of doing PhD just like any other job. Unless you are really interested in doing research or teaching, you shouldn't pursue it. You always have the option of going back to the industry. You should also consider that the first 2-3 years are really hard, so maybe your feelings are just temporary. Once you finish your phd, if you don't want the pressure of research universities, then go to a teaching school. Whatever you choose to do, choose something that you are going to enjoy. I can understand your situation because I'm also very undecided about what I want to do. Although I am considering starting phd, I'm not that sure of that either. Listen to everybody's advice, but make your own decision.

Majority of Accounting programs require GMAT. But if you have certain schools in mind, just e-mail the program coordinator and find out.

It depends on your GMAT score. If you score more than 750, you could be competitive in top 10 programs. If not, I would recommend applying anyway, but your chances won't be high. I'm also considering phd and from my research I can tell that it is very, very competitive, especially for top 10 programs. If I were in your shoes I would consider 2 options: 1) Getting into top 10: Get work experience (1-2 years), during that time take 2-3 more advanced level math classes because top 10 LOVE that. Take GMAT in order to score around 770-780. 2) Get into a top 50 or 100 PhD program with my current profile.

I'll be honest. Your profile doesn`t really stand out. It depends on which school you want to go. If you are shooting for top phd programs, your chances are low. But you can also apply other phd programs that are not really competitive. But at the end of the day, it depends on your ambition and expectations. I would say go ahead and apply.

Hello, everybody. Have been following this forum a long time, but just enrolled. I need your opinion about my career path. I am originally from a former Soviet country, went to the USA to study. Studied both bachelor and master programs (finance/accounting) and finished with perfect GPA. After unsuccessful attempts to find job in the USA, got a job offer from PwC Turkey and started working there as an auditor. Hated the job, long hours, unneccsary workload, too much overtime and boring job, it wasn`t for me. Quit the job after 7 months and came Russia to work as a management accountant in a small meat production company. First, want to improve Russian (have some Russian background) and also become familiar with a BRIC country. Took the Level III exam in June and expecting results. Although I`ve always wanted to get into finance job(AM/analyst/trader), so far have been unsuccessful. Started preparing for CFA hoping that I would end up with a nice career in finance, but so far no luck. I`m thinking about going back to school for PhD, maybe get into academia and become a finance or accounting professor. What do you think? Am I following a wrong career path? Why do I keep making choices that end up not satisfying me? Should I go back to academia? If yes, would accounting or finance would be right choice, considering that I have weak math background (not even calculus). Please, give me advice.