When students apply to IU, they must declare a major.
“That’s not really fair because we’re asking students to make a choice about something that they’re pretty much totally uninformed about,” says Bridget Stomberg, Professor of Accounting and Undergraduate Program Faculty Chair.
In February 2023, the Accounting Department kicked off A Seat at the Table, the first of a series of events designed to help undergraduate students get a better understanding of the diverse career opportunities that exist in accounting.
“The goal was to gather students who are considering majoring in accounting and give them information about different career paths in accounting,” says Stomberg. “We try to emphasize the cool parts of being an accounting major and break the myth that it’s just about filling out forms all day or only thinking about debits and credits.”
The Accounting Department hosted roughly 40 students for the event, which included 11 round tables. At each table sat an accounting faculty member to facilitate conversation, a professional from an accounting firm who answered questions, and four to five students. Professionals then rotated among tables, giving students the opportunity to interact with different professionals.
“It was almost like speed dating type of feel,” says Stomberg. “The professionals spent 10 to 15 minutes at a table, covering a specific topic or question.”
Future events may be a different format—perhaps a panel—but the purpose will remain the same: to give students an opportunity to have conversations with professionals and faculty to provide a more accurate depiction of what careers in accounting look like.
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