The leading news and information resource for future CPAs from the Virginia Society of CPAs
   
 Volume 5, Issue 2
  
March 2005
Did you know?

From numbers to Nikes: Phil Knight, the founder and chair of Nike, is a CPA!

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Scholarship applications are due April 15! Top

There's a way you can fight rising tuition costs: apply for a scholarship from the VSCPA Educational Foundation. The Foundation is proud to offer four scholarships this year, including a brand new scholarship from Goodman & Company:

Download the scholarship application and make sure you apply by April 15, 2005 to secure scholarships for next fall. (Please note: the Goodman scholarship has a separate application.) There are even more scholarship opportunities available nationwide, including American Institute of CPAs/Accountemps scholarship.

Secure your summer internship early Top

If you're looking for a way to get your foot in the door of a certain firm or company, an internship could be your ticket! According to a survey by Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal, major employers hired 38 percent of their summer interns in full-time positions after graduation. Would you like to be in that 38 percent? Get started early! Learn more about the importance of securing an internship.

If you're looking for a fast, easy way to find local firms and companies that offer internships, check out the VSCPA's online internship directory. This searchable database on the CPAStudentZone Web site lists VSCPA member firms in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. that offer student internships.

Accounting grad supply & demand: Where do you fit in? Top

It's a great time to be an accounting student: more students are getting accounting degrees and public accounting firms are hiring more new grads! The American Institute of CPAs' 2003 accounting supply and demand report, The Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits Report, found the following statistics:

  • In 2002–2003, 37,000 students received bachelor's degrees in accounting. Nearly 13,000 received master's degrees. Compared to 2001–2002, this is a six percent increase in undergraduates and 30 percent increase in graduates.
  • In 2003, public accounting firms hired more accounting graduates with bachelor's degrees (five percent) and master's degrees (8 percent) than in 2002.

Learn more information, including demographics of graduates, from the survey summary.

Accounting firms are top hirers of new grads! Top

If you're looking to start at a major accounting firm or other national financial institution after graduation, you're in luck. New surveys are predicting that 2005 is going to be a great job market for new grads.

According to Michigan State University's Recruiting Trends survey, top employers for the class of 2005, based on the projected number of new graduate hires, include:

  • PricewaterhouseCoopers: 3,170 hires
  • Ernst & Young LLP: 2,900 hires
  • KPMG: 2,240 hires
  • JPMorgan Chase: 810 hires
  • Grant Thornton: 500 hires
  • Bank of America: 413 hires

Source: SmartPros

Hot site: VirginiaMentor.org Top

If you're looking for an online resource that will help you select a Virginia college or university, apply for admission and plan to finance your education, check out VirginiaMentor.org. VirginiaMentor offers access to information and admissions applications for public and private colleges and universities within Virginia.

This comprehensive site includes robust modules for students in all areas of the education spectrum. The Freshman Planner helps high school students plan their high school education to meet college entrance requirements. The Early College Scholars module helps high school students find out more information about the Early College Scholars (ECS) program and allows them to use the special ECS Transfer tool. There are many more tools and modules to help students learn more about Virginia college and university opportunities.

Congrats to Benjamin Murphy: Audio player winner! Top

VSCPA student member Benjamin Murphy won a skip-free Philips Nike 256MB MP3 Player for participating in the VSCPA student survey. Benjamin attends Southeastern University. After graduating in 2007, he plans to take the CPA Exam and work in private industry.

Congratulations to Benjamin, and thank you to all students who participated in the survey. Your response will help us determine what we're doing right and how we can improve the benefits of student membership in the future.

Tell a friend about VSCPA student membership Top

Do you know other college students or have friends who might be interested in VSCPA student membership? Tell them about these great benefits they receive for just $15 per year:

  • VSCPA Educational Foundation student scholarships
  • Student Zone Web site with student and educator resources
  • CPA Connection mentoring program
  • Free access to the VSCPA Career Center, where you can post your résumé, access exclusive internship opportunities and search for future employers
  • Opportunities to network with more than 8,000 experienced Virginia CPAs
  • $300 discount on YaegerLambers CPA Review
  • Up to $200 discount on MicroMash CPA Review© by Pass Matrix
  • Advi$or bimonthly e-newsletter just for students
  • Footnote monthly e-newsletter for all VSCPA members
  • A complimentary copy of New Accountant magazine, which keeps you posted on hot topics and issues that are relevant to accounting students nationwide
  • Discounts on CPE, plus … special deals from UPS, GEICO, MBNA and others
  • And … VSCPA student membership looks great on your' résumé while showing future employers your commitment to the profession

Encourage your friends to join today at https://host.thehostgroup.com/vscpa/Membership/student_apply_frame.htm.

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Virginia Society of CPAs
P.O. Box 4620, Glen Allen, VA 23058-4620
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