r/Accountingstudenthelp

Hii, So I’m switching my major to accounting, I’m going to a community college to get my associates and then after I’m thinking about transferring to WGU for my bachelor’s. I do plan on getting my CPA as well. I see so many ppl say employers don’t prefer this university or once they see it they throw out the application, is that true??

(PS: Drop some computer recommendations as well lol)

Is it worth going to a “bad” uni for accounting such as Greenwich, London Met or Westminster? Can you still become successful afterwards, or is it more worth resitting A levels for another year to try get into a better university?

I’m 21 already and honestly feel behind in life, so I really don’t know whether it’s smarter to just move forward now or spend another year trying to improve my options.

I’m looking for honest advice from people in accounting/Big 4 recruitment because I’m trying to figure out whether this path is still realistic for me or if my A-levels will permanently hold me back.
By the time I graduate in 2029 I’ll be 24. I’ve been working since I was 16 and currently work in sales/events in luxury hospitality in London. It’s very client-facing and fast paced, dealing with corporate clients, events, admin, sales, problem solving etc. So I do have years of professional work experience already.
The issue is my A-levels. Realistically they’re basically fails. During that time my dad had cancer and then suffered 2 heart attacks, and I became one of his carers while trying to study. I completely spiralled academically and mentally during that period.
I know people say “everyone has circumstances” and I understand Big 4 is competitive, but I also genuinely know I’m capable academically when I’m in a stable environment. I think if I got into university I could realistically achieve a First in Accounting & Finance.
I’m looking at universities like London Met / Greenwich through Clearing because I know I probably won’t have many options with my grades.

My questions are:
Firstly, do you think universities like this would realistically still let me in through Clearing with terrible A-levels?
Secondly, would summer internships / placements automatically reject me because of the A-level grades, even if I’m doing very well at university?
Do Big 4 firms still care heavily about A-levels by 2029 or is there more flexibility now?
If Big 4 is unrealistic, are there still good firms that would fund ACA while paying a salary despite poor A-levels?
Once ACA qualified, do employers still care much about A-levels or does experience + ACA eventually outweigh them?
Has anyone here actually gone from bad A-levels → weaker uni → ACA → good career outcome?
I’d appreciate realistic answers rather than motivation. I’m trying to work out whether this is genuinely achievable if I work hard from this point onwards.

I’m 21 and honestly feeling really lost and unfulfilled in life. I don’t really know what direction to take, and I’d appreciate realistic advice from people who have been in a similar position or who work in different careers.

When I was in college I got really poor A-level grades. I know I was always capable, but at the time I made poor decisions, had no structure, didn’t care enough and didn’t take it seriously. When I was younger I was actually very academic and I know I’m definitely intelligent enough, but I completely lacked discipline and direction at the time. Now I’m older, I genuinely believe that if I got into university and had structure, I could work hard and do well, potentially even get a first.

The problem is I’m worried my poor A-levels have closed a lot of doors. Part of me thinks I should retake them to give myself more options, but I’m already 21 and feel behind in life. I don’t know whether it’s worth spending another year trying to fix them, or whether I should just move forward now.

For the past few years I’ve been working in sales and events. I’ve been considering university, possibly Accounting & Finance at somewhere like Greenwich or London Met, because I want a stable career with good earning potential. My long-term goal is to earn around £100k–£150k eventually, but I don’t want a job like investment banking where I have to dedicate my whole life to work. I want a comfortable, stable life with money, but also some balance.

Part of why this feels hard is that I do want a fun, glamorous and interesting life. My interests are things like beauty, travelling, health, fitness, looking good and generally feeling good about life. When I was younger, I always felt like I had broad options because people often told me I should model, and I was scouted by agencies like Storm and Nevs. So I always had this idea that there were different routes I could take if academics didn’t work out. But now I’m 21, I feel much more limited. I don’t know if modelling is realistic for me anymore, I don’t know if I’m photogenic or unique enough for that industry, and I also worry it isn’t stable enough for the kind of future I want.

I’ve also thought about things like real estate, property, or reselling houses because that sounds more exciting and potentially lucrative, but again I worry it isn’t stable enough or realistic without money/connections behind me.

At the same time, I’m worried accounting might not fulfil me. I know I’m more academic and analytical, and I don’t think I’d enjoy marketing or social media type careers because they don’t feel academic enough and the pay doesn’t seem like what I’d want. But I also don’t want to choose accounting just because it feels safe and then end up bored or unfulfilled.

I’m also confused about whether a first-class degree from a lower-ranked university would actually count for much, or whether employers would still care more about my poor A-levels and university reputation. If I did accounting, I’d want to know whether I could still get internships, ACA/ACCA/CIMA training, and eventually make good money from a university like Greenwich or London Met.

So I guess my questions are:

- Should I retake my A-levels at 21 to keep more doors open, or move forward now?

- Can poor A-levels hold you back long term even if you do well at university?

- Is going to a lower-ranked university worth it if I work hard and get a first?

- Is accounting/commercial finance a realistic route to £100k–£150k eventually without investment banking-level hours?

- Are ACA/ACCA/CIMA routes realistic from a weaker academic background?

- Are there any other careers that might suit someone who wants high pay, stability, but also doesn’t want to feel completely unfulfilled?

- How do you actually choose a direction when you want a good life but don’t feel passionate about anything?

I know this sounds all over the place, but I feel stuck between wanting to maximise my future options and also wanting to finally move forward with my life instead of staying in limbo.

I’m a first year almost second year accounting student, no club, no competition, no knowledge about accounting yet. And throughout 2 semester I kinda figured out that maybe focusing on my gpa alone isn’t working out (approximately 3.0 - 3.5). And I have been contemplating on what to do next to guarantee an internship or employment in the future.

I’m currently struggle choosing between learning a language (Chinese, this one is specific encouraged by my mom, who is also an accountant), getting a certificate (ACCA or CPA), getting a double degree in law, attending business case competition or just competition relating to accounting or business. Or join a competitive academic clubs about finances, accounting and business (I figure this is my last priority, but I think it would be helpful for attending competitions but I’m not really sure)

This is really a lot for me to comprehend, I was fortunate enough to be present this many opportunities, yet I seriously don’t know what path I should take or where to start. I could feel myself draining from just thinking about the topic, that I think my brain becomes paralyzed.

Took my Managerial Accounting final yesterday, have a feeling I bombed it. The exam’s I’ve taken all year individually have been fine and make sense on a more “per-chapter” basis. The finals for managerial and financial accounting are both department wide finals which is where I have problems. For financial accounting I had a 93% in the class until the final, I got a 78% on the final dropping my grade to a 85.

Just wondering if this is a common issue to have in accounting or if this is a me-thing and should look into alternate majors if I have this block preventing me from scoring well on finals.

I’m currently in my 4th semester of Accounting & Finance, and honestly, I feel extremely disconnected from what university is teaching versus what the real world actually values.

Most of my classes are pure theory. For example, this semester we’re studying auditing, but it’s mostly memorizing definitions and classifications for exams. After months of lectures, I genuinely feel like I haven’t built a single practical skill from it.

At the same time, outside university, I’ve been teaching myself:

Financial Modeling

DCF Valuation

Regression Analysis

Power BI & Tableau

Advanced Excel

QuickBooks

Python for financial/data analysis

Recently, I even built a small software project using Python and anomaly detection techniques like Isolation Forest to identify unusual financial patterns in datasets.

That project alone taught me more about analytical thinking and problem-solving than months of theoretical lectures.

I’m not saying theory is useless, but I feel like I’m wasting huge amounts of time just preparing for exams instead of learning how finance and analytics actually work in real companies.

I’ve tried applying for internships, but most never reply, probably because I don’t have experience yet.

What I’m really looking for is guidance from someone experienced in:

Financial Analysis

FP&A

Data Analytics

Corporate Finance

Financial Modeling

Audit/Data Automation

I don’t want shortcuts. I genuinely want someone who can:

review my work

point out mistakes

guide me toward industry-level thinking

help me bridge the gap between university and real-world finance

If anyone here has advice, mentorship suggestions, communities, remote opportunities, or even criticism, I’d seriously appreciate it.

I’m willing to put in the work. I just don’t want my growth to stagnate in endless theory. 📈

I am currently at the end of my first year in college and I have been contemplating on whether or not to purchase an iPad. I have an HP laptop that has been sufficient so far for college in general, but it is ~15 inches and hurts to carry all the time which is why I want an iPad. Although, I have survived with my iPhone and laptop. I don’t know, but I don’t want something outrageously expensive with a bunch of features as I plan to not replace my laptop. Just enough for research on the go, sustains large storage, and of great quality. If it meets my requests I will purchase :)

Should I buy one in general? If so, which one? And which storage capacity?