CAREER AND LIFE HELP PAGE

a. Why you need to get a grad degree

i. MSPA, MST, or Other

• MSPA (click for details)
  • Suggested Course Routes
• MST (click for details)
• Other - MBA, Masters in MIS, etc...

ii. Taking desired CPA Exam-oriented Grad classes without being a degreed candidate

In general, you know that I STRONGLY BELIEVE you need a graduate degree.  However, there are some individual circumstances where that doesn't make sense or doesn't work out.  If you are not going on with your education, there are three courses I believe you must take before sitting for the CPA exam that are included in our grad programs.  They are Advanced Auditing (844), Advanced Business Law (753), and Governmental Accounting (842).  You also need Income Tax II if you did not complete it as an undergrad.  If you are not getting an MSPA or MST, the best way to take these classes is to sign up as a non-degree candidate.  All you need is a 2.75 GPA and $10.  If you are not a UWM student, you will also need transcripts. 

In order to register for graduate level School of Business courses without being admitted into a degree program, you must complete a UWM GRADUATE SCHOOL Application Form For Graduate Non-Degree Admissions.   Applications can be obtained at the UWM Graduate Student Services Office  in Mitchell Hall, Room 261 (or downloaded from here.)

Non-Degree Candidacy allows a student who is not admitted into a MBA/MS degree program to take up to 12 credits of graduate level coursework. (Grades of B or better must be earned in order for NDC coursework to  eventually be transferred to a UWM degree program).

b. Requirements for Grad School Admission

You need a 2.75 GPA and an acceptable GMAT score to apply.  The average GPA of admitted students is 3.26 and the average GMAT score is a 540.  They also pay particular attention to the quantitative score on the GMAT.

c. GMAT - Taking the exam

The exam is offered on a continual basis.  You need to study for the GMAT (even if you have good grades).  There are many good review manuals at any bookstore.  Much of the math is material the you may not have seen since high school and your quantitative score will suffer if you do not prepare properly. 

GMAT offers review material that is available via download or by mail.  If you have dial up Internet, you may want to have the disk sent to you by mail.  If you do not get the CD in time, I have an extra copy of it in my office that you can borrow. 

GMAT testing information is available from Graduate Program Services at (414) 229-5403 or GMAT, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6103, Princeton, NJ08541-6103, Phone: (609) 771-7330. Web: http://www.gmat.com/. GMAT test information materials are also available in the Graduate School, Mitchell Hall, Room 261.  Our school code is 1473.

i. 3.5 GPA Waiver

UWM Business students with a cumulative overall Grade Point Average of 3.5 (including transfer credits) or greater plus a 3.5 or greater average in all Business and Economics courses are waived from having to take the GMAT exam. They will not honor the 3.5 waiver until you are within 15 credits of graduation.

d. SBA Grad School web site application

i. Do I need to take the GMAT before I apply?

The answer is no. Your Grad School application, the fees, your transcripts (UWM transcripts are automatically obtained) and reasons why you want to go to grad school all get submitted to the Graduate School. Once all four items are at the Grad School, it takes a few weeks for the application to get processed through the Grad School and then all the info goes to the Business School. If your GMAT scores get to the B-school first, they hold them until the application arrives from the Grad School and then the application gets evaluated. If the application gets to the B-school first, they hold it until the GMAT scores come and then the application gets evaluated. It never hurts to get your application in early--for example, right now it is October and students are already applying for next fall. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS students who are counting on using the 3.5 GPA waiver to avoid the GMAT. If that is you, they will not honor the 3.5 waiver until you are within 15 credits of graduating. They are not flexible on this - if you have 17 credits in your graduation semester they won't allow the waiver. If you are graduating in the spring with 17 credits you are still OK because you can apply in summer for that fall. It won't hurt to do a late application since your high GPA virtually guarantees you a spot.

ii. What if I bombed the GMAT?

If you bombed the GMAT because you didn't study enough or some other reason that causes you to believe you can score significantly higher, you should retake it.  The GMAT tells you that both scores are reported to the schools you selected which is true.  But they also say that the schools average the two scores. According to the head of our Graduate admissions, that is not true.  They will heavily weigh the second score if it is significantly better than the first.  You can apply while waiting, but be sure to indicate on your application that you are retaking the GMAT and they should wait for the new scores before evaluating your application.

iii. Do I need a recommendation letter?

In general, you do not need a recommendation letter as long as you are currently a UWM student. However, if you are going to another school for your Master's degree, they generally will require a reference letter for students who did not attend their undergraduate program.

e. Financial Aid

1. UWM Financial Aid Office Website
2. Professor Fischer's Links of UWM Financial Aid Opportunities
3. Outside of UWM Sources of Financial Aid
4. Scholarship Search - A fee-based window to 75,000 providers of over 700,000.

a. Career Services Work Shops

At the beginning of each semester, Career Services (N203) offers great workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills.  GO!  Both Greg Krejci and Diane Kavalauskas have reviewed countless resumes and are available to help you with your resume (go by N203, call x5445 or email Greg (gregkr@uwm.edu) or Diane (kaval@uwm.edu) to set up an appointment).

b. Good Action Words to Use on Your Resume

The following are some examples of good action words to incorporate into your resume:

• Hired and trained new associates
• Coordinated, distributed, and verified . . .
• Resolved discrepancies
• Controlled the inventory turnover rate through profit maximization
• Processed tuition refunds and student offer letters
• Trained new student employees and reviewed performance
• Computed employee's pension benefits
• Developed and administered all office-related systems
• Supervised and monitored personnel
• Performed accounting/bookkeeping duties which entailed accounts payable and receivable
• Implemented collections and assisted with ADP-Automated Data Processing
• Participated in the development of a computerized payroll system
• Handled special accounting projects including . . .
• Organized and managed detailed, record-keeping system for major building expansion program
• Tracked bids, contracts, change orders

c. Examples of Resumes

Below are examples of resumes for a typical traditional student, one for an older, experienced student, and one for an outstanding undergraduate student. For the first two categories, I give you before and after examples so you can see the difference getting help in Career Services makes.

Typical Traditional	Before	After
Older Experienced	Before	After
Outstanding Undergraduate	Great	--

d. Many Related links

• Resume Hints and Sample Cover Letters from Susan Ireland
• Randall Hansen's Quintessential Career and Job-Hunting Resources Guide -The starting point of a job search.
• 200 Letters for Job Hunters -Need a cover letter, go here.
• What about references?

 

a. Sign up for E-recruiting

By far, the easiest and best way to get a job is to go to Career Services (room number N203) and sign up for e-Recruiting as soon as classes start.  There is a one-time $15 charge, but it gives you the ability to sign up for all kinds of campus recruiting. It also automatically refers your resume to companies you may be interested in.  You will also receive periodic emails regarding new positions.  Many companies hiring at UWM only do so through e-recruiting and the vast majority of good/great positions go through e-recruiting.

Click here for more details on e-recruiting.

b. Attend UWM Career Days and Accounting Night

Every October the University has a Career Day and every February the School of Business has one.  Accounting Night is held each fall with great representation of public accounting firms, industry, and governmental employers.  These are OUTSTANDING opportunities to meet prospective employers.  You will be signing up for 30 minute campus interviews with some of these same prospective employers and you will be MUCH more comfortable if you have met the recruiter through Accounting night, Career days, or Beta.  Dress professionally, bring your resumes, and MEET people!!!

e. Um, LIKE, Me and So and So, How are you? Good

It is a really BIG DEAL to break any bad speech habits like these NOW!!! Tie something around your finger, pay your roommate per offense, or find some other way to break yourself of these BAD habits.

• Wrong: me and my boss or me and him
• Correct: Tom and I or we
• Wrong: How are you? Good. Good is an adjective that describes a noun. For example, good book, we had a good time.
• Correct: How are you? Well. Well is the correct adverb that describes how you are. If you can't remember whether it is good or well-say fine or great J.
• Wrong: Um. Sounds very unprofessional.
• Correct: Learn to speak without um.
• Wrong: Like, like, like. Sounds like a teenager. If you have this habit, you probably don't even notice it. Most of my students are really surprised when I point out how often they say it!!!

Think I'm being picky and this doesn't matter? On October 5th, 2004, the Wall Street Journal had a big article entitled "To Win Advancement, You Need to Clean Up any Bad Speech Habits." The article discussed these very examples!!!

 

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