business administration accounting major application essay

Admissions Essay: Business Administration Accounting

Abstract

I am an international student seeking admission to the business administration accounting program. My long-range vision is to have an accounting firm that can help international businesses overcome the challenges associated with doing businesses in different legal, ethical, political, and social environments. Short-term goals include receiving my degree and CPA accreditation, then working for Japanese accounting firm to build relationships and competencies in the areas of strategic planning and strategic management.

Summary of Chosen Major

The Path Ahead

A business administration accounting degree combines coursework from several different areas including finance, strategic planning, business communications, management, and organizational behavior. The goal of a business administration accounting degree initially includes the pursuit of CPA licensure, which can be applied to helping businesses achieve their goals. Some of the roles a business administration accountant may fill include risk assessment and analysis, change management, cost accounting, and coordinating with legal counsel. I understand the challenges of this particular path and look forward to applying myself to this dynamic career path.

Business administration accountants need to understand both macro-level issues like regulatory frameworks and macroeconomic patterns. Depending on the business sector of the client, the accountant also needs to know about other macro-level issues like international trade agreements, historical patterns, and political considerations. Business administration accounting also involves micro-level concerns, including helping firms with cost accounting, financial planning, budgeting, and investments. We may use software to perform internal and external analyses, but need also to understand the underlying statistical principles and algorithms used in the profession. The reason why a business administration accounting degree also includes requisite courses in communication and ethics is because each and every day we need to translate our work into guidelines for best practice, helping businesses to meet or surpass their goals reasonably and ethically.

Personal and Professional Appeal

Most people do not realize the important role accountants play in helping businesses reach their goals and fulfill their missions. I believe this has led to common misconceptions about the job of accounting, and how business administration accountants can be integral to building new businesses or helping established businesses change or grow. Accounting appeals to me because it is the foundation of good business practice. Also, a business administration accountant has a unique set of traits that lend themselves to working as part of a team, including caring deeply about ethics and personal responsibility. An accountant may work alone much of the time, but is ultimately part of a larger team devoted to keeping a company on track. Serving as the voice of reason, or alternatively as the person who tells the senior management team what opportunities they may be missing or what they can achieve that they have not yet tried, an accountant can be a star player when it comes to advising and counseling the major decision makers in a firm. The ultimate reason I am pursuing this major is that I like the idea of supporting visionary, transformative leaders who want to make a difference in the world with their companies but need to keep their feet on the ground at all times. Plus, I naturally gravitated to this field because of my personality traits, strengths, and interests. I am an international student seeking stability from my career, and view this degree as a step towards that personal goal.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Accountants work in different types of settings, and need a wide variety of skills that go beyond the core competencies in their field like mathematics, finance, and analysis. For example, all accountants need solid business and professional communications skills, the ability to plan and forecast taking into account multiple variables, and also need the willingness to work with established ethical frameworks. An accountant needs to competently implement forecasting and financial analysis tools and technologies, then communicate the results of those analyses to senior management. Often, the strategic planning and forecasting roles will require an abundance of creative as well as critical thought. Accountants need to simultaneously think inside the box and outside of the box—something that not all people can necessarily do well, but which I have already shown an aptitude for in my personality and intelligence assessments.

Personality assessments like the MBTI show which of my personality traits or tendencies assure my success in this field. An ISFJ, I am described as being introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging. These are all traits that work to my advantage as a business administration accountant. A natural protector of businesses and their values, I prefer to establish long-term relationships with companies or clients and hope to remain with the same company for a long time.

Because I am empathetic, I also listen carefully to the needs of clients. Accountants are not traditionally considered people who value feelings as much as thoughts, but I have a caring disposition and view all businesses as being collections of people rather than abstract entities. I also see that businesses have a strong impact on their communities and stakeholders, Therefore, I have come to care not just about clients but also all stakeholders as well as corporate social responsibility.

At times, being too caring can seem like a weakness, but I also have good judgment and the ability to remain detached when I need to. Caring about a company requires that I frankly raise questions and concerns, and be willing to dismiss myself from an account if service would require me to compromise my ethics. I am principled, although I am also able to see things from other people’s point of view and genuinely like to learn new things and understand different worldviews. A feeling-oriented but judging person is someone who respects differences of opinion but still remains true to one’s own ethical boundaries.

Accountants do benefit from being sensing individuals, people who value most the information that is empirical and evidence-based. This trait prevents those of us who can be empathic from becoming bogged down by our emotions. Ultimately, we make decisions based on concrete reasons rather than on gut instinct. This makes us valuable counterparts to a passionate, visionary leadership team that needs to be steered in the direction of taking pragmatic steps. I can help entrepreneurs transform their wonderful ideas and visions into reality by being the voice of reason in the firm. Likewise, I can help large and established companies to avoid complacency, to see where they can cut costs or make important changes to their operations, their organizational culture or approach to doing business. I am also going to be perpetually aware of changes to legal and regulatory environments, as they affect companies and how they operate. This is a job that requires vigilance and adaptability.

Being introverted means that I work well independently or when communicating one-on-one, but can easily become overwhelmed in a highly stimulating workplace environment. It also takes a while for me to open up to people. When I work in the United States, I also contend with differences in communication style. These are all easy challenges to overcome, especially when I am able to remain focused on shared goals and objectives and become more confident in my own skills and opinions. I might not be the most outgoing member of a team, but I will always be adept at presenting all findings and professional advice clearly, thoroughly, and appropriately. The way I communicate verbally is also different from the way I present my findings that are based on cost accounting.

A preserver of ethical norms, I want to help companies to remain true to their mission and vision. I believe that each person has a responsibility to promote corporate social responsibility. Accountants are directly responsible for helping managers to understand the importance of ethics, and to change their operations when it would help the firm operate in ways that are good for reputation, for retaining clients and attracting new ones, and inspiring faith among consumers or industry stakeholders. Often it comes down to the accountant to be honest about a firm’s legal and ethical responsibilities and to have the courage to express our concerns. Accountants do not just perform financial calculations but also spearhead the principle of accountability in business. This may be one of the most difficult aspects of the career for me. Therefore, while pursuing my degree, I want to learn more about different philosophies of accounting, and come up with a set of personal values and principles that guide my own professional comportment. If I can guide a firm’s leaders toward more ethical behavior, then I will feel satisfied in my work.

Finally, I am diligent, reliable, and dependable. Businesses need to rely on their accountants for honesty and integrity, as we are entrusted with sensitive data and information. Any firm that needs a trustworthy accountant who can help plan for the future, understand and manage risks, and offer advice and creative solutions to problems will enjoy having me on their team.