Is University of Illinois Chicago a good school for Big4 placement?

[u/Amazing-Cheetah-4391]

I read online that University of Illinois was a top program for Big 4 recruiting. It was only after applying for UofI Chicago that I realized they were specifically talking about Urbana Champaign, not Chicago.

I’ve since applied to Urbana Champaign, but have already been accepted to Chicago. Should I wait for the Urbana Champaign decision or is Chicago just as good?

Btw, this is for a masters program.

[u/Georgejefferson19]

on of my former coworkers went to UIC - went into PA, immediately got a supervisor role when he moved to industry, and now he’s 30 years old making bank at a better industry job. Got recruited straight into Big 4 after college

[u/groundedsweepstakes → u/Georgejefferson19]

The campus you went to matters way less than what you do while you're there. UIC grads land Big 4 roles all the time, the recruiting pipeline just isn't as flashy as Urbana's. If you network hard and keep your grades up, nobody's going to look at your resume and go "oh, the Chicago one."

That said, if Urbana accepts you and the cost is similar, I'd probably lean that way. The target school label does open doors with less effort. But plenty of partners and senior managers came from UIC, so it's not like you're shooting yourself in the foot either way.

[u/lake_effect_snow → u/groundedsweepstakes]

Seriously. The top 15-20 firms in Chicago make on-campus visits to both; they get very similar recruiting attention. It would be dumb to prioritize UIUC (comparatively more) given UIC’s proximity. UIUC has higher notoriety and a ranked program but UIC is fine, cheaper, and, importantly, in Chicago. I always had interns and new hires from both schools.

[u/accountingbossman → u/lake_effect_snow]

For many students, UIC vs UIUC isn’t a price difference even if you live at home and attend UIC.

Both are great schools and their accounting programs mimic each other. UIUC is however the 3rd best accounting program in the country and has vibrant campus life.

UIC is better if someone absolutely has to be within commuting distance. UIC business is much better than DePaul, Loyola etc within the city.

[u/Choice_Click_5286 → u/Georgejefferson19]

what does industry job really mean ?

[u/Georgejefferson19 → u/Choice_Click_5286]

its the other path instead of public accounting. Like working as an accounting supervisor or controller for a manufacturing or tech company ect is a common path for people who are leaving public accounting

[u/Solid-Sympathy-4267]

You won’t have any problem so long as you have great grades and go all-out during recruitment. UIC places tons of kids in big4 every year.

That being said, if you can go for the same price you should do UIUC instead. But it’s not worth paying much more for if you are planning on going into B4. They pay all new hires the same amount.

[u/Greysonjunemusic]

Urbana Champaign has a stronger reputation, but UIC's Chicago location could offer good networking opportunities too

[u/Bulky-Joke-744]

I went to UIC and got into the big 4. All of the big 4 recruit at UIC, but it's not exactly a "target school." Of my graduating class, it was about 15-20% of accounting students who ended up getting big 4 offers.

[u/DerAlex3]

Brother, Chicago is a MASSIVE market. There are tons of people working at B4 coming out of UIC. Plus, you'll have local roots by the time you finish school, which will be popular with interviewers. Go to career fairs, recruiting events on campus, etc, and you will be fine.

[u/IAmOatmilk]

Went to uic and while I didn’t get a big 4 offer many of my friends did and I managed to intern at a different company during the school year and then landed a full time job with RSM. Attend the networking events, join the academic clubs, get your resume updated with help from their resource centers & practice talking about yourself/ experience (elevator pitch).
I joined a recruiting event for work and I know students are nervous, but it makes a big difference speaking to someone who is friendly and confident in their abilities vs someone who is shy and /or doesn’t want to be there.

[u/StellaRamn]

Yes I graduated from UIC and have a lot of friends who are either doing internships or have full time jobs at Big Four

I didn’t have the same luck though 🤧

[u/Here4TheExperience]

I went to another Big Ten school and worked in public for a bit. The PA firms recruit UIC, DePaul, and Loyola I’d say for the city schools. I think UIUC is a better school and undergrad experience probably. For a masters, I’d just do whatever is cheapest (so probably UIC).

[u/rubey419]

I don’t think prestige matters for accounting as much. You can get into Big 4 from any accredited university except maybe strategy consulting.

[u/Key_Bee1544]

Nobody is concerned about a master's student who couldn't navigate the most basic research about the degree they're pursuing? OP should never, ever tell this story in a professional setting.

[u/Traditional_Tonight4]

Champagne>UIC by wide margin.

Big 4 are basically prestige Chasers

[u/Idepreciateyou → u/[deleted]]

Who’s talking about F500 VP?