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Big 4 Target Universities.

Reply 40

There is a massive drive by the big 4 to recruit graduates at the moment so you dont need to be an Oxbridge candidate

There are some tips about other firms to consider on some of the above threads too.

Reply 41

...mo...

14

Original post

by Tednol

Of my 30-strong intake, the universities that spring to mind are:

Manchester x 4
Imperial
Oxford x 4
Warwick x 2
Bristol
Durham
Nottingham
Loughborough
Cardiff
Birmingham
Reading
Strathclyde
UCL
Leeds
Royal Holloway
Aston

This isn't a complete list, but it's a decent indication based on my experiences.

Why manchester. They are ranked so low?

Reply 42

Kemik

14

Original post

by Redeyejedi

Whilst they aren't elitest top 40/50 is pushing it! Maybe top 30 for Assurance only. With other LoS, CorpFin, Transaction Services, Strategy you'd almost certainly have to come from a top 5-10 university.

The Big Four don't select you based on University, in all departments. They may go to career shows and do special drinks events, but it won't make your application any sweeter if you're a bit of a tool.

Original post

by Redeyejedi

In fact, having spoken to numerous people in the know at PwC, it would seem that sometimes AccFin people are at a distinct disadvantage because (i.) They think they no it all - which is far from the truth and (ii.) Excemptions from advanced stage exams make their foundations weaker for professional stage examinations...but of course a solid background in accounting would be helpful as long as you continue to work.

I find the opposite. A degree in Accounting & Finance gives a much broader base to do the job and qualifications. Doa bit of pre-exam reading and revision and you're at the same stage as everyone else.

Reply 43

partoftheweekend

12

I dont think it really matters as long as you have the pre-required UCAS points. Maybe for CorpFin or strat at most. I go to a "top 40" uni and have a big 4 offer, I know another on my course with a similar offer and someone else with a TS offer, there are probably also more that I dont know about.

Reply 44

...mo...

14

Original post

by partoftheweekend

I dont think it really matters as long as you have the pre-required UCAS points. Maybe for CorpFin or strat at most. I go to a "top 40" uni and have a big 4 offer, I know another on my course with a similar offer and someone else with a TS offer, there are probably also more that I dont know about.

Hi,

just wondering when did you graduate and where is your new job!

Thanks

Reply 45

partoftheweekend

12

Original post

by ...mo...

Hi,

just wondering when did you graduate and where is your new job!

Thanks

I havent graduated yet and new job is at a big 4 firm...

Reply 46

...mo...

14

just wondering what degrees do the top 4 want. Am I right to think this order?

Engineering
Economics
Maths
Finance
Accounting
Chemistry

Reply 47

Vodking

Original post

by ...mo...

just wondering what degrees do the top 4 want. Am I right to think this order?

Engineering
Economics
Maths
Finance
Accounting
Chemistry

There isn't really an "order" - for almost all service lines in the Big 4 you would be considered regardless of your degree, but those who study entirely qualitative subjects such as History, English, Philosophy etc may need to be a bit more convincing in the interviews than, say, an Accounting & Finance student.

Most of the successful Big 4 grads come from Finance/Management/Mathematics/Economics backgrounds though.

Reply 48

...mo...

14

Original post

by Vodking

There isn't really an "order" - for almost all service lines in the Big 4 you would be considered regardless of your degree, but those who study entirely qualitative subjects such as History, English, Philosophy etc may need to be a bit more convincing in the interviews than, say, an Accounting & Finance student.

Most of the successful Big 4 grads come from Finance/Management/Mathematics/Economics backgrounds though.

Thanks. Is it true than accounting employers dont want accounting graduates. That they would prefer Economics/Maths/Business

Also does doing a BA rather than a BSc matter alot?

Thanks

Reply 49

Vodking

Original post

by ...mo...

Thanks. Is it true than accounting employers dont want accounting graduates. That they would prefer Economics/Maths/Business

Also does doing a BA rather than a BSc matter alot?

Thanks

Difficult to say really. Some will argue that Big 4 prefer semi-related degrees such as those you mentioned over Accounting & Finance degrees because:

a) A&F grads aren't as much of a 'blank canvas' as other grads. A&F grads may have learnt methods and techniques in university that the company doesn't like to use.

b) A&F grads would likely be able to gain exemptions from certain ACA/CA exams. This can mean their accountancy knowledge would then be surpassed by those grads who did not get exemptions and did all of the exams.

c) Those from semi-related disciplines have a broader knowledge base after gaining their professional qualification than an A&F grad would.

Having said that, I know plenty of A&F grads that got Big 4 positions, so I wouldn't imagine it makes that much of a difference.

I don't think BA vs BSc matters too much either - if the degree is from a better-than-average uni and 2.1 or higher then you should be fine.

Reply 50

miiiiil

9

I imagine it is significantly more difficult to get a job in London than elsewhere. I go to Imperial doing maths, and myself and various others have received straight rejections despite good ECs, results, work experience... And of course it is even harder for things like consulting. In fact at the assessment centres i attended, one of them was exclusively oxbridge apart from me (deloitte, mixed applications), and the other was 18 oxbridge, 1 imperial (me) and 1 ucl (this was pwc strategy)

Reply 51

MancStudent098

13

Original post

by ...mo...

Thanks. Is it true than accounting employers dont want accounting graduates. That they would prefer Economics/Maths/Business

Also does doing a BA rather than a BSc matter alot?

Thanks

They don't care much about any of this stuff,- if you can pass the maths tests that they all have on application then your maths is good enough. Since the modules of the professional qualifications vary a lot - some are more mathematical, some are wordy, some are basically a big memory test and some require deep understanding - there's very limited advantage to having done any particular degree.

Much more important are the soft skills you demonstrate on your CV and via interview - can you work in a team, deal with people, work to deadline, push yourself etc.

As for the original (if now very old) question on this thread, I've actually seen my firm's 'target' uni list. In reality it's not a list of 'which unis we think are better' but rather a list of places that we target with advertising because they produce a lot of potential candidates.

Ultimately if you have a 2.1 degree (or will probably achieve one) and have the requisite A-levels then that's all you need to worry about.

Reply 52

Skaterkid

9

Original post

by MancStudent098

They don't care much about any of this stuff,- if you can pass the maths tests that they all have on application then your maths is good enough. Since the modules of the professional qualifications vary a lot - some are more mathematical, some are wordy, some are basically a big memory test and some require deep understanding - there's very limited advantage to having done any particular degree.

Much more important are the soft skills you demonstrate on your CV and via interview - can you work in a team, deal with people, work to deadline, push yourself etc.

As for the original (if now very old) question on this thread, I've actually seen my firm's 'target' uni list. In reality it's not a list of 'which unis we think are better' but rather a list of places that we target with advertising because they produce a lot of potential candidates.

Ultimately if you have a 2.1 degree (or will probably achieve one) and have the requisite A-levels then that's all you need to worry about.

What Uni's were on the list you saw?

Reply 53

MancStudent098

13

Original post

by Skaterkid

What Uni's were on the list you saw?

Why does it matter? As I said it's a strategy list to determine where we'll focus recruitment, not who we want to recruit. If your university takes a significant number of students with our requisite A-level scores it would have been on the list.

Reply 54

Gunned

As someone who currently holds a Big 4 offer for next Spring and having been through the interview process, my two cents (pence?) on the matter is as follows:

I agree with a lot of posters, in that there doesn't seem to be any particular universities that are looked upon more favourably. However, by virtue of the 300 UCAS points requirement, certain universities and courses are immediately excluded due to the lower entry requirements required to get on to these courses. So, potential candidates who achieve an outstanding degree at a less prestigious university/course usually won't stand a chance due to the huge oversupply of grads with AAA/AAB + 2:1/1:1.

Through the recruitment process, I also noticed a large number of people from more international backgrounds - so UK grads will also be competing against some top notch international candidates.

Finally, I also think that when it comes to partner interview stage, a seemingly more prestigious university could be more impressive to some partners. Having said this, I don't think there are any stereotypical degrees that Big 4 firms are actively seeking. For example, I'm an English graduate and so probably couldn't be further from what many might believe to be the stereotypical accountancy graduate.

Reply 55

crustz

7

Basically, when assessing candidates, I think that:

IB: Pre work experience > Competencies/University
Big 4: Competencies > University/Pre work experience.

That's just my experience.

Reply 56

...mo...

14

Original post

by MancStudent098

As for the original (if now very old) question on this thread, I've actually seen my firm's 'target' uni list. In reality it's not a list of 'which unis we think are better' but rather a list of places that we target with advertising because they produce a lot of potential candidates.

Ultimately if you have a 2.1 degree (or will probably achieve one) and have the requisite A-levels then that's all you need to worry about.

Can i please see this list, thanks

Reply 57

...mo...

14

Original post

by Vodking

I don't think BA vs BSc matters too much either - if the degree is from a better-than-average uni and 2.1 or higher then you should be fine.

Should I go to:

Manchester: Good reputation, russel group but lower ranking
or
Leicester: Good overall ranking but lower economics ranking

Any suggestions please.

Reply 58

Kemik

14

Original post

by Vodking

Difficult to say really. Some will argue that Big 4 prefer semi-related degrees such as those you mentioned over Accounting & Finance degrees because:

No recruiter or partner argues that haha.

Reply 59

86501

1

Original post

by ...mo...

just wondering what degrees do the top 4 want. Am I right to think this order?

Engineering
Economics
Maths
Finance
Accounting
Chemistry

I'm shocked this thread is still going. There is no order. Nobody at graduate recruitment has sat down and made a list of favourite degrees that would somehow impact your application. My intake of 8 people into my department (public sector audit) includes a philosopher and a biologist, people fresh from uni and people that had worked in other (unrelated) industries before etc. For what it's worth I did economics at a Russell Group and went straight from uni to work. Everybody is very different and departments benefit from that variety.

I think an overlooked reason why the Big 4 will have target universities is also a simple matter of geography, it's a lot easier for them to target somewhere that they have an office. Most events are in the evening and require sending graduates that have been at work all day, it wouldn't be particularly easy to assemble a team of people to go out to Aberystwyth when there's no offices anywhere near.

If you've got the minimum requirements then it will get you through that section of your application, as simple as that. There are far more important reasons for your choice of university.

Big 4 Target Universities.

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