Going for MBA - Need Advice - Accounting

suzanne4, RN · Nov 19, 2005

Where are you going to school and how long is your class for?

Have you ever used a spread sheet in the past?

What areas are you having issues with, or just the entire class?

Ginger35 · Nov 19, 2005

Hi Suzanne4 and thank-you for responding.

I am going to Indiana Wesleyan. The class meets one night a week 4 hours a night. Then, we meet as a group for projects once a week.

Spreadsheets.......... where do I begin..........Okay, my exposure to spread sheets is minimal. When I was trying to decide about entering such a program, I voiced my lack of exposure of excel to the admissions department and was told "Oh, you will be shown all of that stuff in your first class in the cirriculum and in "intro" to accounting - which wasn't very "intro". Basically, these excel courses were online learning related to excel - it showed how to enter formulas, graphing - but otherwise there wasn't much application to anything with numbers such as spread sheets with actual numbers or budgets, cost flows & etc.

The first test I got an A- on and this last test, I got a C on - I think I know where I went wrong, but geez. I have 3 more weeks of this advanced managerial accounting class to go. These are the areas that we are studying now and will need to know for the exam Dec 15th.... Profit planning & Budgeting, Allocation & Joint Costs (using reciprocal method), Flexible budgeting, Decision making(Relevant Costs & Benefits), & Target Costing. I am just throwing these subjects on here just in case if anyone knows where I can find more resources on this or perhaps some powerpoints detailing what goes where and what is added, divided & multiplied with what :uhoh3: The book is not very good at explaininig this stuff. :angryfire

I feel that in many ways I have been misled - however, I do know that there are other students in my class not using Excel to do their work either for tests and homework.

I am thinking about dropping out and taking like an Accounting I and Accounting II Class at an undergrad level to get a better knowledge base before going into Marketing, Finance & Econ. I'm not sure I can do that - but it is atleast an alternative I have come up with in the interim of my dismay.

Do you have any suggestions or words of wisdom? Have you been in a similar situation? Or anyone else out there???

suzanne4, RN · Nov 19, 2005

I got my MBA in one of University of Phoenix's first programs. And this was before computers, we had to do our spreadsheets by hand. And it was an accelerated program, as well.

There are some tutorial books out there now, but at 6am, I can't think of their name, or the website. Try to do a search on either Google or Yahoo for the exact area that you are having problems with and you should be able to come up with something.

Have you had statistics yet?

Ginger35 · Nov 19, 2005

Hi Suzanne,

I have done some searches on Google & etc. I have found a few things, but trying to see if there is anything else out there to direct my attention to.

I have had an intro class for the MBA program, a management class, "intro" to accounting and now - advanced managerial accounting. I haven't had statistics yet - that will come in about a year or so after having marketing, finance & economics.

I will do more looking, but if you can think of some specific tutorials I would greatly appreciate it.

Even though you took these classes before things became computerized, the concepts I believe are still the same. Can you elaborate more on what like Finance and Econ are like? Were they more difficult than accounting? I have taken a couple of statistics classes in my undergrad, but that was before the use of computers also.

zenman · Nov 22, 2005

Even though you took these classes before things became computerized, the concepts I believe are still the same. Can you elaborate more on what like Finance and Econ are like? Were they more difficult than accounting? I have taken a couple of statistics classes in my undergrad, but that was before the use of computers also.

I wouldn't drop out, just keep plugging ahead. The finance courses should be easier and have more interesting "real-life" applications. I didn't think econ was that difficult but my exams grades didn't reflect that! Stats is really not that difficult and I hate any kind of math. Marketing is a blast...maybe you'll learn how "Post-it" started as a mistake, lol!

suzanne4, RN · Nov 22, 2005

Accounting stresses anyone, even if they are in a regular program, but look at it this way, you will be done with the class in just a couple of weeks. The only suggestion is to try and do as many problems each night that you can. I remember doing about three hours per night for those weeks.

heartdrtobe · Nov 22, 2005

I majored in accounting first go around and got my MBA, all before going to med school. Medicine and business do not mix. MBA's are hard and if you don't have accounting experience especially with intermediate accounting and cost analysis accounting you will have a very difficult time. Accounting is it's own language. Good luck but I'd get a MS in teaching if I were you.

zenman · Nov 22, 2005

I majored in accounting first go around and got my MBA, all before going to med school. Medicine and business do not mix. MBA's are hard and if you don't have accounting experience especially with intermediate accounting and cost analysis accounting you will have a very difficult time. Accounting is it's own language.

Medicine is big business in case you haven't noticed!

Good luck but I'd get a MS in teaching if I were you.

How in hades did you come up with this? Due to the current state of medicine, I'd also advise you to get an MS in teaching also.

CRNAsoon · Nov 22, 2005

I've been reading this thread with great interest because I just enrolled in an MBA program with a specialization in Health Care Administration. I have never taken any business classes and am concerned about accounting. I'm going to take my time with this degree and take classes part-time, but I'm wondering if the graduate level accounting 501 that I have to take is just as hard as this advanced managerial accounting that you guys are referring to?

Ginger35 · Nov 22, 2005

Hi Zenman, Suzanne4, heartdrtobe,& CRNAsoon

Thank-you for responding.

Zenman, thank-you for your words of encouragement. It does give someone like me hope. I really do appreciate your insight here. I will just keep plugging away at it - that is all I can do. Marketing is my next course coming up (if I make it).

Suzanne4, - I will keep trying to practice. It is hard when this book only contains answers to some of the questions and other pertinent questions - it doesn't. Kind of hard to check figures. But I'll keep fighting....

heartdrtobe - Well, you do have a legitimate point that medicine and accounting are two different languages. I do know of some people that are very accomplished in healthcare going for their MBA in this class with no background in accounting and this is a challenge for them too. I am not interested in a MS in teaching. Thanks for the suggestion anyways.

CRNAsoon, If I had to do this all over again - I would take a couple classes in accounting at an undergrad level and atleast one class that deals with Excel making spreadsheets and take your time with it. Accounting is really basic math - but knowing what numbers apply where can be frustrating - that is like 80-90% of the battle. I'm not sure if your 501 accounting class is the same - but if it is managerial accounting or something that pertains to "cost accounting" - at an MBA level - I would *think* that it is very comparable to what I am taking currently. BTW - I am also interested in obtaining a CRNA after this (someday).

SweetLadyJ · Jul 9, 2007

I'm not an RN (I am a recent accounting grad who is considering nursing as a career), but I went through Bellarmine University's 4.5 year accounting-MBA program. It was pretty easy...all presentations and projects. All the resources needed to get through this program were there at Bellarmine.