The Student CPA » Words to the Wise

Two Global Trends That Generation Y Can’t Afford to Overlook

Narcisse Dansou — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:54:40 +0000

In my opinion, the various effects of most of the global trends unfolding before our eyes will be fully materialized in about 20-25 years. By that time, most members of Generation Y will be in the thick of their professional lives. I thought appropriate to speculate on how some of those global trends will affect the professional lives of the members of Generation Y. In doing so, I am going to focus primarily on two of those global trends: the world’s growing middle class and the increased life expectancy of the world’s population. English has been the preferred language for conducting business around the world for many years now. That had to do primarily with the fact that the United States had been the capital of the world economy for so long thanks in part to its large middle class. However, the U.S. middle class has been steadily shrinking

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A Good GMAT Score Warrants a Rigorous and Focused Review Program

Narcisse Dansou — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:25:07 +0000

If you are planning on enrolling into a Master of Accounting (MAcc) program this coming fall or at any time in the foreseeable future, then you ought to already know that you will most likely have to submit a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score as part of your application for admission to a MAcc program. Depending on the quality, prestige, or rigor of the MAcc program you are considering applying to, you might have to obtain a GMAT score that is above a certain threshold to ensure that your application for admission receives the highest level of consideration from a given admission committee. While your GMAT score is only one of several factors that usually determine the fate of your MAcc application, there are a variety of MAcc programs that award graduate assistantship appointments based solely on a GMAT score but provided that the applicant meets all other

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Rationalizing the Coverage of IFRS on the CPA Exam

Narcisse Dansou — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:14:37 +0000

This past winter break, I found myself perusing several CPA exam candidates personal blogs as well as a number of community forums for CPA exam candidates and I could sense there was quite a bit of apprehension among future examinees vis a vis the incorporation of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) in the candidate’s body of knowledge for the CPA exam (As of January 1st, 2011). Prior to these recent changes, the national average CPA exam pass rate was more or less 48%, it is therefore understandable that many current CPA exam candidates have grown even more anxious because of the additional and considerable amount of study time that is going to be required of them to successfully pass the two sections of the CPA exam that include IFRS related test questions: Financial Accounting Reporting (FAR) and Audit (AUD). I have been studying in preparation to take the CPA

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Where Are Those Entry Level Accountant Jobs?

Narcisse Dansou — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:01:07 +0000

When I published my last post, I never anticipated it would take me more than three months to write another one. I really wish I could write more often than I have been over the past six months. I am hoping to get much better production out of my blogging activities throughout the upcoming year. Now let’s put the niceties aside and let’s talk about current trends in accounting job opportunities requiring zero to three years of experience. While I haven’t been active in the job market, I nonetheless have been paying very close attention to current trends in accounting related job listings. There has been a surge in entry level accountant job listings since about September 2010. In fact, there has been a substantial number of accounting internships and entry level accounting job opportunities being advertised online. Many large and medium sized corporations as well as the majority

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Passing the CPA Exam: A Review Strategy Based on Self Confidence and Frugality!

Narcisse Dansou — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:35:50 +0000

After careful thought, I decided to start the process of laying the necessary groundwork that will enable me to be in the the best position to successfully pass all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination in the year 2011. Therefore, for the next 15 months or so, I am going to be seriously tied up studying to pass the CPA exam all while completing my Masters of Accounting curriculum as a full time student. Because I like to keep under wrap the details of the personal projects I work on, it’s very unlikely that I will be writing any blog post to update you on the ongoing progress of my preparation for the CPA exam. It is a given that reviewing for the CPA Exam requires an unprecedented level of time commitment but what about the financial aspects of this endeavor? Most individuals taking the CPA exam opt

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Glad to Be Back in Business

Narcisse Dansou — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:26:14 +0000

It’s been quite a wile since I filed my last blog post. While I do really enjoy almost any activity that stimulates the intellect, just over three months ago, I determined that my brain cells could seriously benefit from an extended break from most intellectually driven activities before I embarked in my graduate studies in accounting. As a matter of fact, in less than a week I will be starting the completion of my masters degree in accounting at the University of West Georgia. While I pursue my graduate degree in accounting, I will be simultaneously employed as a Graduate Assistant in one of the university’s academic departments. In one of my previous blog posts entitled Graduate Business School Admissions: The Waiting Game, I explained how important it was for me to obtain a graduate assistantship as it enables me to optimally minimize my out of pocket expenses. In a

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Business News Outlets for the Millennial Generation

Narcisse Dansou — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:01:53 +0000

During my years in college, I was very struck by the fact that very few of my peers kept up to date with the then current business news events. I would often find myself sitting in classrooms chucked full of students cluelessly staring at the instructor as she waited for a feedback after bringing up a current or recent business news event. Would one of these instructors have spoken about a reality TV like The Real World from MTV, she would undoubtedly have gotten a more enthusiastic response from the majority of students siting in her lecture. This is typical to our generation: the Millennial Generation or Generation Y. We grew up with computers along with TVs in our bedrooms therefore most of us are more in tune with entertainment related media programming than we are with the news media programming in general. I personally did not have a

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Study Habits for the Average Accounting Student

Narcisse Dansou — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:50:06 +0000

Succeeding in any field of study requires the use of a solid strategy and accounting is no exception. As an undergraduate student in accounting, I many times had classmates in my accounting courses that would complain about their inability to consistently achieve above average exam grades. In response, I would ask them to outline their strategy for tackling accounting courses. In 9 out 10 cases, they had no clearly defined strategy and that’s exactly what I call a recipe for failure. Successful studies in the field of accounting require a structured approach. While I never did exceptionally well in college, I was however able to do better than average in all my accounting classes because I developed and adopted effective learning habits very early on. Before going any further, I would like to mention that the accounting study tips I am about to share with the whole world are

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US GAAP to IFRS Migration: Reframing the Debate

Narcisse Dansou — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:38:53 +0000

For a decade or so, there has been quite a lot of talk in the US about a possible transition from U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to International Reporting Standards (IFRS) with regard to U.S. publicly traded companies. Up to this point, most of the discussions on the subject have been about assessing the merits of such a change. As usual, some people are for it while others aren’t. Because I am still in the process of gathering the facts on the possible ramifications of the adoption or non-adoption of IFRS by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), I find myself incapable of formulating an opinion on this issue. There is however plenty of literature about the subject available online therefore I urge you to conduct your own investigation. From the little I have learned so far, it is no longer a matter of if but when

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Graduate Business School Admissions: The Waiting Game

Narcisse Dansou — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:52:27 +0000

I am currently going through the final stages of the graduate business school admission process. I intend to enroll in a Master of Accounting program coming this fall. I applied to four different graduate business schools besides the one at my Alma mater: the University of New Orleans. I have already been admitted to two Master of Accounting programs, I am expecting a third admission decision within the next two weeks. I was never concerned with having any of the graduate schools deny me an admission because I made sure to apply to Master of Accounting programs for which my applicant profile met or exceeded each of the program’s admission criteria. It was indeed paramount for me to send admission applications only to graduate business schools that were going to seriously want me to enroll in their Master of Accounting program. Although my top university choice already sent me

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