First Semester MAC Program Wrap-Up

Author: Forrest

After wrapping up my first semester of the MAC Program in December, I found a sense of relief knowing that I would have several weeks to relax over the holidays. However, like most of my classmates. I opted to begin studying for the BEC section of the CPA exam over my winter break. While it did not make for the most exciting break I’ve ever had, I look back at it now and am thankful that I chose to study while I had the added down time. With classes getting into full swing, it is quite a relief knowing I have the bulk of my prep work for the BEC section behind me, and that in just over a week I will be sitting for the exam.

When asked over the break if I enjoyed my first semester as a graduate accounting student, I admittedly found myself overall satisfied with the courses I had completed. However, looking forward to this coming semester, I found myself ready to return to campus to begin a new course load. While many of the classes I am taking are likely to be more work intensive than the classes I had last semester, the subject material is overall more intriguing.

For example, I will be taking Advanced Financial Accounting with Dr. Branson this semester, and while financial accounting can be laborious, it was my financial accounting course in college that directed me towards this path of working towards achieving my CPA license. Secondly, I am looking forward to my Advanced Commercial Law course with Heidi Bulich. I don’t know if it is my fascination with the USA’s hit TV series Suits, or the fact that the American legal system is a previously unexplored subject for me, or some combination of the two that has sparked my curiosity for this course. Either way, I am ready to see what the semester holds.

However, the class that has kept me up at night just thinking about it (not really, but you get the point), is Advanced Auditing with Scott Showalter. As “legend” has it, this class will be unlike any I have ever taken before. While Professor Showalter dismisses the tales from previous MAC students as mere folklore, I will be interested to see how the semester plays out. Having friends who completed the program in previous years, I have come to learn that no other course will be as challenging yet as rewarding as Advanced Auditing. Almost all of the alumni I have spoken with have had the same response when asked to reflect on their own experiences. They all say that this class really prepares you for your career, and is a good indication of what will be expected of you as you enter the ranks of public accounting. When alumni who have reached the manager and senior manager levels at their respective firms attribute their career readiness to a course they took in graduate school I can’t help but be curious as to what the next four months have in store.

Overall, this semester is sure to be at least as satisfying as last semester. I am honestly looking forward to all five of my classes, and not having the burden of studying for the BEC section of CPA exam. So, for those of you who plan on attending the NC State MAC Program, my advice to you is to study for one section of the CPA exam over winter break. It may not seem that advantageous at the time, but looking back on it later you will be thankful you did!