New year, new goals! That is definitely the case with our new cohort of motivated Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) students soon starting their MPAcc journey.
This week we held our New MPAcc Student Orientation event, bringing together face-to-face faculty members, current students, and alumni to welcome the newest members of our MSU Denver MPAcc community. Over dinner and icebreakers, we got to truly connect.
“As an instructor, I enjoy having a first meeting with the students in this forum. I enjoyed seeing the students get to know one another with the “bingo” game. It brought them out of their shells and and allowed for a “jump start” with their class relationships.” – Sheri Betzer, Senior Lecturer
Only 20% of these new MPAcc students have an undergraduate degree in accounting and 40% of our new students have earned a prior graduate degree. We’re thrilled to support their pursuit of lifelong learning and transition to an accounting career!
The different career paths within accounting and how to choose which to pursue were popular topics of discussion during the faculty introductions and Q&A portions of the evening. Who better to talk to about a potential career path of interest than someone who has expertise and/or experience in the field?! Our faculty are awesome resources with their vast industry experience, research activities, and array of professional accounting certifications.
The biggest tips of the night from our Current Student and Alumni panelists and faculty were:
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. We are here to support your academic and professional growth. If you are experiencing an issue or something that is preventing you from being successful, we can’t help you unless you reach out.
2. Start getting comfortable with public speaking – never too early to practice!
3. Keep up with the readings. Find a reading schedule and/or method that works best for you. Some of the panelists shared that they listened to audio dictation of pdfs and textbooks while commuting to work or before going to bed.
4. We can all improve our writing – it is a continual process. Take advantage of all the free resources available through the Writing Center.
To make the most of our MSU Denver MPAcc program, we can’t wait for our MPAcc students to take advantage of some opportunities outside the classroom to explore accounting career paths and expand their network. Check out the slate of upcoming Spring ‘24 events we’ve got lined up here!