Search Results matching tag 'accounting'

Re: Liberty University - Accounting

iddryer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:13:21 GMT

I am a current accounting student at LU.

The collaborative project is no big deal. Basically, there are 4 or 5 (or less) people assigned to a group. You pick a topic of interest, make an outline, and each member researches that particular area. One person is responsible for putting all the parts together. The papers are in APA format, so grab a manual if you aren't familiar with that format. The profs I've had typically weight your grade heavily on your contribution to the paper, so you don't get penalized for someone else slacking off.

I've had a great experience at LU and I plan on staring the M.S. of Accountancy this fall.

Starting a new program

Cajun — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:03:00 GMT

So those of you who have been keeping up with my blog know that a while back I enrolled at Louisiana State University’s Certificate in Accounting program. I soon found that I couldn’t keep up my MBA and complete the work for the LSU program at the same time so after the first assignment I was forced to place things on hold until I finished. Well now that I’m finished it’s time to get back into the rhythm. I’ve taken a week off, give or take a few days but now I’m getting back into doing school work, again. This time however I don’t mind so much the pressure doesn’t seem as great. Of course I have to take 3 proctored exams and I have to finish the course before February since I’ve wasted so much time but it should be easier than trying to maintain a 4.0 in an MBA program.

It’ll be strange taking proctored exams because it’s been so long since I’ve actually had to memorize things for a test. Accounting really is a language and system of thinking more than anything else. At first I thought the numbers would be the problem, but instead it has more in common with computer science than it does with sheer mathematics simply because of the rules, language and methodologies used to gain certain outcomes.

I don’t know if my next job will have anything to do with accounting, but I have learned that the higher one moves up in management the more that person needs to understand accounting. Private sector, public sector, volunteer or otherwise at some point somebody is going to involve money and at the point that happens, I’m hoping I’ll be ready.

Geaux Tigers!!!

Accounting Degree - New Online Degree

Elyse — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:33:20 GMT

Hello All,

I am ready to go back to school and earn a Bachelors in Accounting. Mind you I have no prior college experience but have been pushed into the Accounting world but being paid Admin wages. Time for a change. I work full time and can only do this via online study. My goal is to find an online college (the lowest cost possible), with the fastest track to a degree. I only come with a High School Diploma and 20 years in the workforce (42 years old).

I've read some of your blogs and there is SO much information and websites out there that my head is spinning. Please, can someone recommend an online college that emloyers will recognize as a legit degree (accredited) - also, a really important criteria for me is that my degree is recognized internationally. I have found that a lot of countries or employers in other countries won't even look at you unless you have a degree. Any help would be so appreciated. Please do not use abbrieviations for colleges as I am not familiar with them as most. I look forward to some great responses!

Take care,

Fan Mail: How’s LSU Going?

Cajun — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:05:00 GMT

I haven't really said much thus far about how my experience with LSU is going. Primarily because in all truthfulness there's really not much to say at this point. I just started my 3^rd lesson out of 16 today and have not yet taken a proctored exam. The lessons focus on 1 chapter of the textbook each so with 16 textbook chapters there are 16 lessons, logical. The lessons consist of multiple choice and answer matching type questions along with some essay questions pulled from the text and I am willing to bet that there will be a case study or two. Thus far there really hasn't been any math to deal with, strictly rules, definitions, scope and purpose of using cost accounting.

I really need to spend more time doing my work for LSU, so far I have been distracted by the goings on with Ashford to really put forth the time and effort LSU really demands, which just because it's self paced does not mean that it is less work. I submitted a lesson online for the first time yesterday, and before you ask it's not any kind of blackboard, or at least not any kind of blackboard style I have seen. You get a electronic copy of your LSU Independent Study Guide, along with all notes and question sheets if you wish to print them off rather than saving your answers as a .DOC file or simply mailing them in. I think I have the format right on the lesson submission but I'll know for sure when I receive my grade. Until then I'll just complete the work and "bank" my assignments.

As for Leading Organizational Change at Ashford, this course is moving along pretty well. I start week 2 today and will attempt to complete both my discussion questions and start the prep work for the written assignment so that I am able to take this weekend off fully without any guilt. Remember all my blog posts about the importance of planning? Where here is planning in action and hopefully with a benefit. I'm off of work for the next week so it should be a more simple task than it normally would be. I'm stoked about finishing this course because that will mean I am six weeks away from completion. I'll start getting "senior-itus" (a misnomer I know) once I am in the single digits for weeks to go.

A really good thing to report is that another two more of my officers have decided to return to college. That'll make a grand total of 3. I'm actually privately proud of this fact and hope that I can motivate even more people into returning to school. I'm really hoping my youngest brother will at least.

I received my LSU materials today

Cajun — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:50:00 GMT

Today I opened my mailbox and found my LSU (Louisiana State University) independent study materials for my first class for the Certificate in Accounting program. Inside the envelope was a folder which contained a lesson book, several envelopes, bar coded lesson labels, a red academic honesty card, lesson cover sheets, a receipt, a textbook order form and a letter with instructions on how to submit assignments online for those folks who would prefer that to snail mail.

Just glancing at the assignment book it appears that the assignments themselves consist of textbook exercises for the book that you order and a multiple choice, open book quiz contained within the guide itself. You also are shown how to log on to the Web site and provided with a user name and password to submit assignments, check on grades, etc. It is also worth noting that it appears that the closed book, proctored tests will have a pass/fail impact upon your grade for the course, so I'm expecting to have to memorize a thing or two throughout the program. Lastly, there is a welcome letter which claims that LSU has over 18,000 students from over 30 countries and that they have been providing correspondence courses for students since 1924, which obviously makes this a long standing program. Written on the pockets of the folder are phone numbers and emails to contact should a student have trouble with the program.

I'm really stoked, I can't wait to get my textbook and I really admire LSU for having an AACSB and regionally accredited business school, with a big, big, household name offering such useful courses and programs for such inexpensive prices. Maybe LSU should run the oil companies? Talk about value.

Edited to add:

I just found my textbook used for $5.00 online! I've never paid so little for a textbook. I just had to tell someone…

A New Student Portal at Ashford and Getting Ready for LSU

Cajun — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:12:00 GMT

I had to register tonight on a new student portal at Ashford University. The old one was pretty cool but nothing to really write home about. It was kind of like something that Southwestern College had, basically it had my grades, my schedule, finances, GPA, next scheduled course, etc. The new Ashford portal has pretty much all of the same stuff, even the little graphic display bar graph which shows the student how far they have gone; only here everything is a lot slicker. The outlay is better, it’s colorful and everything is pretty easy to find, all in all I’m pretty impressed.

I also have received my grades for week 2, so far so good as I’ve still got an “A” for the course but I’m still adjusting a little bit to the instructor’s preferences though. I was gigged for not providing a reference page for a case study, even though I really didn’t use outside sources and answered the questions from the text but strictly speaking I guess I should have referenced the textbook. The course is going well and I’ve already received the registration date for my next course which is typical as this is week 3 already. Wow, halfway done already and it feels like I just started. And for those keeping score, the GPA is still on track for a 4.0 barring any unforeseen ugliness, so cross your fingers.

I need to register and enroll for my first LSU class tomorrow so I guess I’m about to find out how easy it is to have transcripts forwarded from Ashford University to somewhere else. Hopefully that goes well, as of now even though my application has been approved I still need to have the prerequisite courses transferred/recognized, otherwise it’ll tack on two more courses on a 5 class certificate program, that’s over ½ of a masters degree…if these were masters level courses. They may as well be though; after all they are in my weakest area of business so it’s guaranteed to be an uphill climb.

To brush up on my accounting though I purchased Teach Yourself Accounting in 24 Hours, this is a very simplified basic accounting book that’s actually not half bad. Also I purchased the Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand. I know what you’re thinking, these are very, very basic books, but really there’s more to them then you may guess. Even though I made an “A” in Managerial Accounting and Managerial Finance, it was like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant, possible but quick and messy. This material should refresh my memory a little and get me back into a number systems type of thinking in reading and preparing various financial reports, etc. I’ll let you all know how it goes with a book review or two. Hey if nothing else, I’ve still got my Portable MBA in Accounting and Finance, already a book that I highly, highly recommend.

2nd Bachelor's Degree VS Master's Degree

hunnydew143 — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:05:06 GMT

Hello,

I'm thinking of going back to school for an accounting degree but, I'm not sure which path to take.

I receive a bachelor's degree in general business administration so I already have majority of the

business class requirement for both degree. If I were to get a second bachelor's degree, I would be taking

almost as much classes that I would need to take for a Master's degree in Accounting except I would be

paying less than half the amount I would pay for a Master's Degree. Would it be more beneficial for me to go

for a Master's Degree or should I just get the 2nd Bachelor's Degree and take the CPA? Please Advice

Online Group Work experience

hunnydew143 — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:55:38 GMT

Hi,

Could you please give me your opinion regarding your online group work or group project experience?

I've been looking at the Course Syllabus for Liberty University's MBA-Accounting and Master's Degreee in Accounting

and I noticed that majority of the classes REQUIRES a group project. Since the classes are held online, I'm concern as

to the obstacles that others have faced regarding group projects and how it was resolved? I received my bachelor's degree

at a "brick and mortar" college and even with the face to face interactions with my classmates I've come across some difficulties (ex. someone not turning in their work on-time or not providing "quality" work etc.)

PLease Advice!

Tonight I have applied to LSU

Cajun — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:36:00 GMT

I’ve been talking about it for a while now and tonight I finally put my money where my mouth is. I paid the $50 application fee and applied to the LSU post graduate Certificate of Accounting program offered through the distance learning portion of the Ourso College of Business in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. I will be working on this as I complete these last 3 classes of my MBA program. The thing that makes this possible is the fact that these courses are completely self paced. One downer is that I will have to take the mids and finals at a proctored testing center, the kind that you have to pay between $25 and $50 per test at but other than that it looks almost perfect for me.

The certificate requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college…check. It also requires at least 6 intermediate accounting classes…um…check…sort of. I took Managerial Finance and Managerial Accounting in my MBA program so I’m hoping that this will do. Otherwise I may have to remediate by taking 3 to 6 hours of intermediate accounting which would really stink, but at least I wouldn’t be getting in over my head.

I really haven’t decided to go into finance or accounting as a profession, but I do have a significant hole in my managerial skill set and I think this will fix that and give me something to show for my efforts. That plus the certificate program is dirt cheap and gets me half way to a CPA in Texas if I ever decide to go that route.

Lastly there is the nostalgia. As a kid I was a hard core, dyed in the wool Tiger fan, still am. I was raised in and near Baton Rogue, a town that bleeds purple and gold. Every kid from that area wants to grow up to go to LSU and my grandmother always wanted that for me and my brothers so this kind of fulfills that desire. Every member of my family on my dad’s side with the exception of the few who attended Tulane, attended LSU. So there you have it, how could I ask for anything else right?

Geaux Tigers!!!

Thinking about an online accounting degree...

teckmax — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:54:06 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'm debating on going back to school or not to get my Bachelor's of Science in Accounting. If found a great article about taking an Online Accounting Class, but I'm wondering if any of you have some personal experience with taking online accounting courses?

What scares me is having to take tons of math online... I mean how do you even do the equations and turn in the assignments. Do you have to fax them in to the professor or?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and help in advance!

David