What is your motivation to study for a MAcc degree at USC? USC MAcc Graduate Admission Essay

Essay Question: What is your motivation to study for a MAcc/MBT degree at USC? Describe how you believe a MAcc/MBT degree fits with your future career objectives.

During my sophomore year of college, I took my first introductory accounting course. Before that, accounting seemed like a profession about working with numbers to me. My professor, however, inspired me with the essence of accounting, the double entry bookkeeping system which fueled the Italian Renaissance. It was the first time that I realized the importance of accounting in developing business, saving entrepreneurs from bankruptcy and ultimately transforming the global economy. I was fascinated so much by the reflection and exploration of this simple yet sophisticated system of numbers it has brought to me.

Academic learning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has witnessed my growth in the accounting realm, both in theoretical learning and practical application. I took several courses that broadened my scope of knowledge and offered me new approaches when dealing with practical issues in accounting. In the meantime, I an aware that more practical experience in real business environment is important to gain a better understanding of accounting industry. My internship experiences in both public and corporate accounting have been instrumental in equipping me with the knowledge and providing me with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the public accounting profession. Outside my academic life, my involvement in a consulting organization gave me great exposure to working with start-up clients and applying my business knowledge to formulate solutions to fit their business needs. My communication with leaders, colleagues and clients has taught me the importance of interpersonal skills and practical ability which one could only develop by continuously applying knowledge into practice. Therefore, I want to be a practitioner--to be involved in film production through which I can apply my accounting knowledge and develop my practical potential to the fullest extent.

Through these experiences at the university and major corporations, I began to examine accounting as a major, and ultimately as a lifelong career choice. Believing that having passion for what I do will lay a foundation for success, I have always sought ways to connect my professional goals with my personal interest. Growing up as a film lover, I started exploring the field of film production accounting, and found that I could utilize my accounting skills to contribute to the film industry in the same way as a director or an actor does. For me, this is the most exciting job in the world because of the opportunities to deal with multiple facets of actual film production.

University of Southern California, as one of the top accounting schools and one of the most famous film schools, has enjoyed a high reputation worldwide. I am firmly convinced that a Masters in Accounting from USC's Marshalls School of Business will provide a milestone in my career along with invaluable experiences that will allow me to gain the ability necessary to succeed in accounting profession and assist in accomplishing both my short-term and long-term goals.

My short-term goal after finishing my masters is to become a CPA and to work in a prestigious public accounting firm where I have the opportunity to work with high profile clients and gain increased exposure to accounting practices in the film industry. In order to achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a film production accountant, it is imperative that I become involved in the film industry throughout my academic journey. With an outstanding team of professors, students, practitioners and film industry leaders, University of Southern California is the ideal place for me to start working my way up and establishing useful connections with experienced professionals who can set me on the right road to my career goals.

Finally, given my solid academic record and industrial experiences, I believe I am a worthy and well-prepared candidate who will be a valuable asset to your esteemed university and will be proud to be a member of the Trojan Family.

Hi Shiqing.
Very well written. I can hardly find any grammar mistakes. I just want to give you some advice on the content.
The part you describe your academic background is absolutely great, but the part you describe your professional background is too general.


Is that it? Have you witness something that you read about on some books? Did you meet any differences between real life work and textbooks?

Also, you can be more specific when talking about how USC fits you. For example the following sentence:


What lessons exactly? Which professor? You can find more details online.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will definitely incorporate your idea into it.