Overwhelming is right!

The new Accounting Majors gathered yesterday evening for their official Welcome Session. Looked to be approximately 100 of us. Very competitive entry this year, or so they said. It didn't appear to be what they tell ALL the classes, but you can never be sure. Said they had more than the usual requests for Accounting this semester, which is interesting. When requesting admission I had to pick my first, second, and third choice of majors - which was difficult because there was such a steep drop off after the first choice. I'm imagining there are a few - or many - students (and their parents!) faced with deciding whether to stay in their second choice of major or try for accounting again next semester. I don't envy them.

During the session they showed us what our next four semesters are likely to look like and here is a list of the classes:

Acct 310 Cost & Managerial Accounting
Acct 400A Intermediate Financial Accounting I
Acct 400B Intermediate Financial Accounting II
Acct 451 Analysis of Financial Statements
Acct 461 Accounting Information Systems
BNAD 314R Business Communication
Econ 300 Microeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions
Econ 330 Macroeconomic Institutions & Policy
FIN 360 Quantitative Financial Management
Mgmt 310A Organization Behavior & Management
Mgmt 402 Integrating Business Fundamentals with Ethics & Law in Management
MIS 304 Using and Managing Information Systems
MIS 373 Basic Operations Management
Mktg 361 Introduction to Marketing
Plus two more Accounting electives

Yikes! You'll think I'm nuts, but they all look really interesting and I can't wait to get started. Planning to take Acct 310 and MIS 304 this summer. I'm already sure one of my electives will be Acct 420 Introduction to Federal Taxation since I already know some of it.

One thing I like is the emphasis they place on the cohort system. During admission we had to choose a morning or afternoon cohort (mornings, please!) and thereafter they will place us with the same group throughout our academic career. They explained that they want students to feel a sense of community - not just attend class, get our degree, and leave.

It's partly due to the age differential and partly my own fault that I haven't really established a sense of community so far, so I'm looking forward to this forced/coerced version that will do some of the work for me!

About half the room raised their hands when asked if they were interested in becoming a CPA. I wasn't one of them, but I'll keep my options open and see what transpires in the next two years to change my mind. At my age and stage of career, it doesn't seem worth the extra time and effort with respect to its value, but I might decide differently later on.

Eller College is also well known for their Entrepreneurship Program which could be similar to a minor for us Accounting majors. That would unfold during Fall 2010 for me, if I decided to go that route. We aren't required to choose a minor and I hadn't intended on it, but I do want to learn more about the program.

So I have a full calendar for the next couple of years! Let's get started already!

Fear is a great motivator!

Nearly everyone who reads this blog knows I got into Eller College and am officially an Accounting Major. Now the hard classes begin! I'm hoping to get started this summer so I won't have to take five classes in the Fall semester (this old brain can't juggle that many at once!), but first I have to attend the Accounting Orientation session next week. I'm curious how many other Accounting majors there are.

Oh, the fear part? Since I am now a Business junior, I get to enroll in classes that are restricted to students in the business college. Meaning the upper division accounting stuff, of course, but also one called PE 219, aka, GOLF! Yup they have a 1-credit course called Golf, and I'm enrolled for the Summer Presession. There are only 16 spots available so I was lucky to get in. It meets an hour and forty minutes every day for three weeks.

Golf starts on May 18 so I have only 58 days to get into golf shape. I'm afraid I've let my exercise and yoga routines lapse a little the last year or so. Other than walking to class from an outlying parking lot four times a week, and riding bikes some weekends, I haven't done much else in the way of exercise. Now I'm motivated, and then some!

I don't expect to keep up with the young-uns, but I just don't want to hold them back due to being out of shape. So I'm walking and/or doing the treadmill half an hour a day (will gradually increase that), doing yoga to get my muscles and joints stretched, and will probably add some weights for upper body strength as the time gets closer.

From what I've read in a few articles on the internet, the class takes all comers, even those with no prior experience. I've played a little with my hubby over the years, but consider myself a newby since I can't even hit a drive consistently. So hopefully I'll learn how to swing and a few other things about the game. Look out Lorena Ochoa!! ;-)