MAC Journey

Upcoming Graduation

May 4, 2013 By Griffin

It is hard to believe that a year has already come and gone in UNC’s Master of Accounting Program. My year in this program has been one of the most challenging and rewarding of my life. In the classroom, we covered such a wide range of material, that I now feel confident and prepared for a successful career in business. I must say that the wide variety of courses that were offered by the program was one of the many pleasant surprises this year. While there were quite a few of core requirement classes, they were spaced out enough to where each student could choose their own unique electives and tailor their focus on topics that interested them. For example, Read More

Overall MAC Experience

April 25, 2013 By Kelsey

More than anything else, the MAC Program has prepared me for a wonderful career—and not one constrained solely to accounting.  I feel prepared to enter the professional world in many capacities; to succeed in a wide range of fields.  While I have gained significant technical skills, our classes this year have broadened my horizon and have allowed me to develop skills in general business, group work, and leadership.  I now feel competent enough and confident enough to engage with senior management and partners (which you do a lot of in recruiting!).  I also have a better understanding of today’s business and economic issues.  After all, I now know what a derivative is, what the key differences are between GAAP and Read More

Spring Break and Mod IV

March 25, 2013 By Ryan

For spring break, I stayed in Chapel Hill to catch up on some much needed rest. I also decided to start studying for the CPA exam by taking a look at the flashcards that the test prep company sent. Although my spring break might be considered boring, I had fun hanging out with my family, and visiting friends that I had not seen in a long time. Spring break was also an opportunity for my friend and I to take advantage of this free time by going to gym. The bottom line is, I am really out of shape, but hopefully with more frequent trips to the gym that situation will change. For me, it is really important to get Read More

Spring Break

March 19, 2013 By Griffin

If you look at it one way, I had a very uneventful spring break. Some of my classmates went on a cruise, and some of the others took advantage of the MAC Program’s Global Immersion Elective – a class trip to Dubai. I, on the other hand, stayed here in Chapel Hill and started studying for my CPA exams. There are four parts to the exam and you sit for each section separately. The four parts include Auditing, Financial Accounting Reporting (FAR), Regulations, and Business Environment and Concepts (BEC). I am taking the Audit section first, near the end of April, and prior to the end of the MAC Program. I was able to start studying early because we just Read More

Off to the land of glitz and glam–of colorful lights and green palm trees

March 14, 2013 By Kelsey

For Spring Break I went with a group of MAC students to the United Arab Emirates for the Global Immersion Elective.  It’s a pretty magical place, almost a mixture between Disney World and Las Vegas.  But our program allowed us to peek under the veil of mystery and enchantment and learn about the country from an inside perspective.  We dug under all of the fancy images of Dubai and discovered the many issues it has and the strategies it is undertaking to mitigate those problems.  We learned that profit is not necessarily the country’s main objective and that it has been sustaining losses in order to increase tourism.  That oil only makes up only 4% of Dubai’s GDP.  That 95% Read More

Community Service

January 22, 2013 By Ryan

One of the great things about the MAC program is that there are countless opportunities to become involved in the community. Currently, the MAC Community Service Committee is working on a Golf Campaign to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. This project will hopefully be the MAC program’s largest fundraiser. Many members of the Committee are working diligently to find sponsors to try and beat last year’s fundraising goal. Personally, it has been a great experience being part of this Committee because it fun to see unique ideas come to fruition knowing that all of our efforts will be working towards a good cause. Speaking of good causes, another community service opportunity available to MAC students is Voluntary Income Tax Read More

Giving Back

January 22, 2013 By Griffin

As part of the MAC Program here at Kenan-Flagler, students are provided with several opportunities to get involved and simultaneously, give back to our community here in Chapel Hill. The MAC Program has a strong tradition of community service, and I want to share some of the projects that we have been working on this academic year. I currently serve on both the Social and Community Service Committees, and this year these two groups teamed up for a Toys for Tots drive prior to our Winter Break. We held our Holiday Party at a local restaurant here in town called The Standard, and asked on the invitation that each guest bring an unwrapped toy for underprivileged kids here in Orange Read More

Back in the groove of things

January 21, 2013 By Kelsey

We just got back from winter break a few weeks ago and already things are back in full swing.  We had an amazing guest speaker last Friday who spoke to us about fraud and white-collar crime.  The movie The Informant was actually based on this man’s life—so it was pretty neat to watch it and then receive the full background story from the man, Mark Whitacre, himself (plus an opportunity to ask him virtually anything).   Besides the busy academic start, a lot of students have just started to study for the CPA exam in order to get a few parts done before summer.  Personally, I started the audit section last week.  Although it’s strenuous, it has been a great Read More

Office Visit Experience

November 9, 2012 By Ryan

Office visits are, in my opinion, one of the most fun parts of the recruitment process. There is no better feeling then when one of the firms that you have interviewed for accepts you for an office visit. In some respects, receiving an office visit provides some clarity because it means that you get a behind the scenes look at what it is like to be working at an audit firm. During the interview process you get an idea of what it is like at the office, but the office visit solidifies your perspective of how the firm actually works. Depending on where your respective office is located, the firm will fly you up to the office for a pre-night Read More

The Last Step in Recruiting – The Office Visit

November 9, 2012 By Griffin

Beginning in the summer, the MAC Program holds “question and answer” panels with the majority of the firms that will be recruiting on campus, with time for networking with associates afterwards. The main purpose of these panels is to help you with some of the tougher decisions you’ll make in the MAC Program, including: Do I want to focus on Audit or Tax? Do I want to pursue a career in Public Accounting or a Corporate Position? What types of industries and clients does each firm focus on? Which firm has the culture that is the best fit for me? This year, after the panels, the MAC Program’s Recruiting Coordinators set up several “Meet the Firms” events in the brand Read More