The starting point for all students, according to Collins, is the college’s Career and Corporate Connections Office, where students can receive resume reviews and practice their interview skills. In addition, recruiters seeking accounting students—particularly Big Four firms Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers—hold frequent events on campus.
Brooks Linkoski, who earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky, started the internship search process as soon as he got to campus by taking his resume to the Career and Corporate Connections office.
“I already had a resume developed from my time at the University of Kentucky, but I took it into the career services office here to get their feedback and make a few tweaks,” he said.
He then attended a number of recruiting events, including major career fairs in the Business Building as well as company-hosted information sessions and events. Linkoski will spend his spring semester with EY in Pittsburgh, and he says that attending recruitment events helped him land an internship at the firm.
Sam Bergey, a Smeal undergraduate alumnus, connected with recruiters for his upcoming internship with KPMG through the connections he made working as the THON chair for Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor organization for accounting students.
“I had relationships with recruiters at several of the Big Four firms due to my work with THON, so I leveraged those to differentiate myself for an internship,” Bergey said.
According to Collins, Smeal is well known among accounting firms for its successful students, and Bloomberg Businessweek ranks the college No. 2 in the nation among recruiters.
“Firms have good experiences with our students and come back year after year to recruit,” said Collins. “We have a reputation among recruiters for our focus on quality over quantity.”
The One-Year MAcc Program is in its second full year. The program’s first year saw a 100 percent placement rate for students into internships and in full-time careers after their August 2013 graduations.
About the Smeal College of Business One-Year MAcc ProgramThe Smeal College of Business One-Year MAcc Program provides high-potential college graduates with the additional coursework required to be eligible for CPA certification. The three-semester program spans fall, spring, and summer and culminates with the granting of a Master of Accounting degree in August. Learn more at www.smeal.psu.edu/macc/one-year.