A Day in the Life of an Applied Accounting and Finance Student at Fordham

Fordham's Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill has tons of opportunities for students of all schools and majors. From internships, to clubs, to case competitions, to networking events, there is something for everyone at the Gabelli School. I have taken advantage of many of the Gabelli School's opportunities over my last few years here, and I am continuing to do so now as a senior. In this blog, I will be discussing my experience as an Applied Accounting and Finance major at Fordham. 

Fordham's Beta Alpha Psi students volunteering with KPMG professionals

Majoring in Applied Accounting and Finance at Fordham has been an amazing experience, and has been filled with so many amazing opportunities! I am a part of Fordham's chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) an honor society for accounting and finance majors. In this society, students have the opportunity to network with professionals from Big Four accounting firms, mid sized accounting firms, banks, and other commercial companies. As a part of our membership, students in Beta Alpha Psi also have the opportunity to participate in fulfilling community service events. My favorite BAP community service event was an event sponsored by KPMG's Family for Literacy last semester. Fordham students went to a public school in Manhattan, and read books to students. The event was a great way for Fordham students to collaborate with accounting professionals while giving back to our community. 

Majoring in Applied Accounting and Finance at 

Fordham has opened the door to so many awesome 

career opportunities! Here's a great picture of me 

at KPMG's National Intern Training in Orlando, FL

Fordham is a great school for accounting majors who want the opportunity to intern and work for large or mid sized accounting firms. Due to Fordham's proximity to Manhattan, many business students can easily intern or work at the firms during the school year or over the summer. Another one of my fantastic experiences while attending the Gabelli School was interning at KPMG for the past two summers. Last May, I also attended one of KPMG's leadership conferences with a select group of students from universities across the country. Next summer, I will return to KPMG to intern in the Audit practice in Manhattan. I am so happy that I chose to attend a school that has allowed me to become involved with so many amazing opportunities related to my major. 

Me at my amazing summer internship 

at KPMG's Montvale, NJ office!

Being an Applied Accounting and Finance student at Fordham has been exciting, challenging, and rewarding. The Gabelli School's extensive academic curriculum combined with amazing opportunities to intern and network with firms has transformed me into a well-rounded, passionate young professional. If you are a prospective student interested in a career in accounting or finance, Fordham will definitely offer you the tools and opportunities to be successful. 

Important Things You Learn As A Fordham Student (Outside The Classroom)

 1. New York City

Whether you come to Fordham as a New York native or having never stepped foot in the city before, every Fordham student graduates a proud New Yorker. You will learn the ins and outs of the Bronx, Manhattan, and even Brooklyn and be able to rattle off your favorite or go-to restaurants off the top of your head. The Subway? After a few missed stops and a couple mess-ups, you will soon be directing foreigners on their underground travelers. The D train will always have a spot in your heart and a favorite funny memory to go along with it. 

2. Great Italian food

 

Being right next to the famous Arthur Avenue, also known as “the real little Italy”, you will learn to appreciate real Italian food. From awarding winning eggplant parmesan at Mike’s Deli to a late night slice of Pugsley’s pizza to a one dollar mini cannoli at Palumbo’s bakery, you’re Italian food needs will be well exceeded. Hate to break it to you, but Olive Garden will never be the same.

3. How to live courteously with others

Dorm living forces you to be more aware of your surroundings (and your messy tendencies). You will learn to take care of your own belongings, in hopes that your friends do the same. Whether it is taking out the trash or simply not throwing your clothes all around the room, you will become more organized and learn to share the responsibility of cleaning.

4. Time management

Amidst your five classes and say for example-four clubs, a volunteer program, and need to exercise, socialize, and sleep- you will learn the importance of time management as a Fordham Student. In order to carve out time to hop onto the train and enjoy a beautiful day in Manhattan, you must plan ahead and in order to ensure your work gets done on time.  Especially in the month of April when class loads get heavier, the weather gets nicer, and Spring Weekend approaches, students learn to prioritize and balance work and fun schedules. 

5. Dressing for the weather

Living in New York you will learn how to dress for the weather. On a walk to class in below freezing weather in January, you will probably want gloves, a scarf, and a hat. And if you did not realize that the first time, the second time around you will be more prepared. On the flip side, as soon as the sun comes out in the spring you will be pulling out the summer clothes. 55 degrees in the spring= dressing for 70 degree weather and sitting on Eddie’s. 

6. Networking

Fordham prepares you for the real world. How to interview, send thank you notes, get internships, prepare a resume, and most importantly hot to network. Your classmates, your professors, and Fordham alumni all want to help each other out. Coming out of Fordham you will have an impressive LinkedIn profile and hundreds of new connections and be confident in job interviews.

7.  To Be Grateful

Perhaps the most important lesson you will learn at Fordham is to be grateful. Everyday as I walk around campus, I think of how lucky I am to be here. I thank my parents, my siblings, and all of my friends for helping me get to this point. This lesson will carry you through your life and make you really appreciate all that you have and all that you have accomplished. 

Networking at a Carnival!

Last week, Beta Alpha Psi held an on-campus networking carnival for Accounting, Finance and Information Systems students to network with different firms in an informal way. The club invited a total of 12 companies to the event. Each company had their own carnival booth with a game, where students had to participate in order to try and win prizes. Simultaneously, students were networking with both recruiters and full time workers from the respective company.

The prize I won at the Deloitte booth.

The first company I networked with was PwC, one of the big four accounting firms. Their carnival game was to knock down bowling pins that were stacked in a pyramid with a beanbag. While I didn’t knock down as many as I wanted, I got a nice PwC reusable bag as well as materials about their leadership programs and summer internships.

PwC reusable bag

The other three big four accounting firms, EY, Deloitte, and KPMG were present. In addition, some midsized accounting firms were there, such as McGladrey and Grant Thornton. However, it was not all accounting! Becker, a CPA Review Course Firm was there as well as a recruiting agency and some finance firms, like JP Morgan. This is one of the great things about Fordham. Its location so close to Manhattan allows so many companies to easily come on campus continuously throughout the year to recruit and hold fun events like this one!

Can't wait to wear my luck CPA shirt!

Career Services: Resources for Life After College

As a student, it is sometimes easy to forget that college life is not indefinite.  Though it may not be a pleasant thing to think about (I really wish that I could remain a member of this beautiful, vibrant, and enriching community forever), there will come a time when my undergraduate education has run its course.  At Fordham, the office of Career Services is one of several organizations that helps prepare students for life after college, specifically by helping us develop ourselves professionally as we prepare to enter the workforce.  One of the many ways they do so is by hosting career fairs - events where employers are invited to campus to interact with students.

Some of the companies that participated in the Career Fair.

Today, the Fall 2014 Career and Internship Fair occupied the second floor of the McGinley Center, one of three career fairs occurring this fall (in addition to the Fall 2014 Accounting & Finance Career and Internship Fair and the Common Good Career and Internship Fair). These events are a great opportunity for students to interact with potential employers.  They offer the face time that is impossible through the traditional method of applying for jobs and internships online and provide a forum for students to network and converse with corporate representatives.  Today's career fair included companies from a diverse range of industries, from Societe Generale's Corporate and Investment Banking division; to Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures, among other holdings; to the Peace Corps.

Employer's tables set up for the fair

Career Services also offers a number of other resources that help students prepare for and find jobs.  They hold educational seminars on a weekly basis that cover topics such as resume writing and editing, professional communication tips, and interview preparation and practice.  Career Services staff are also available for one-on-one meetings with students upon request.  Furthermore, there is an online job search tool, called CareerLink, that allows employers to post jobs and internships exclusively for Fordham students.  

Think Outside the Box: Fordham's Entrepreneurship Program

Are you interested in business but don't think that the traditional fields like accounting or finance are the right thing for you? Are you dreaming of starting your own business? Maybe you should take a look at the entrepreneurship program in the Gabelli School of Business. You can choose entrepreneurship as your concentration with a major in business administration and take a range of classes to learn more about developing your own business. 

In addition to the academic work, Fordham also has the Entrepreneurship Society that offers opportunities to grow your entrepreneurial spirit outside the classroom. As a member of the society you can meet guest speakers, participate in creative hands-on activities, go to networking events, and develop a student-run business.

Another special entrepreneurship aspect at Fordham is the annual entrepreneurship conference, TrepCon. The conference features a range of speakers who speak about their experiences of starting a new business. This year's TrepCon is going on now, so check out the program here to see what events are offered.

Don't think that you can only do accounting, finance, or marketing if you are in the business school. There are a variety of programs available for your individual talents and interests!!

The CSTEP Family

CSTEP (Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program) is a New York state-wide program that helps minority and economically-disadvantaged students who are interested in careers related to the science, technology, engineering, medicine, or licensed professional fields.

I was introduced to CSTEP at Fordham last year as a freshman when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to study. At the time, I was interested in teaching, and CSTEP was holding an informational session with alumni who were in the teaching and social services professions. It was very informative for me to hear stories from alumni who are currently teaching and who have just graduated.

Since last year, I have transferred to the Gabelli School of Business and changed my major to accounting, but CSTEP is still an extremely helpful resource. It introduced me to an organization, INROADS, which places students into internships with well-known companies in corporate America. I am currently in the process of waiting for interviews from companies like the Big 4 accounting firms for a multi-summer, paid internship!

On Saturday, October 26, CSTEP held a Career and Professional Development Summit at the Rose Hill Campus. This event was titled “Dream It, Learn It, Be It,” and the day was filled with three different sessions to help students with their career choices, to hear real life stories of successful people who were in our shoes at one point, and to become motivated to continue our studies.

Keynote Speaker, Dr. Adam Aponte

The highlight of the event for me was the “Learn It” section. This was an opportunity to ask Fordham and CSTEP alumni, who are currently in the field we are studying, questions. I got to attend a session about the accounting field with alumni Carolina Polanco and Victor Santos. They told us about their personal experiences studying accounting at Fordham and how they got the careers they are in now. I am very lucky to be a part of CSTEP, as it has many different opportunities for me as both a student and soon to be professional.

CSTEP students in a "Learn it" Session