Lauren Thompson, BS’23, GCA, MSA’24, recently completed the four sections of the CPA exam and is using her new job at accounting firm KSM to fulfill the work experience requirement. Lauren was enrolled in the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) Program at the Kelley School of Business while taking the CPA exam and was able to align her classes with the topics in the test.
“In the MSA, the professors and advisors help you schedule your classes and electives to correlate with the CPA exam subjects,” Lauren said. “Even when the classes didn’t align, I still felt prepared. I took a tax class with Professor James Motter, and it was so helpful, I kept my notes and I used those to study for that part of the CPA exam a year later.”
Scheduling classes effectively was important during Lauren’s time at Kelley. She was a collegiate swimmer at IU Indianapolis, and like many athletes during the pandemic, Lauren was offered a fifth year of eligibility. She decided to use that year to expand her accounting expertise. Lauren earned the Graduate Certificate in Accounting at Kelley as a way to transition her last year of undergraduate studies into graduate school while earning credits toward the 150 needed to sit for the CPA exam.
“The graduate certificate was a no-brainer for me because some of the classes counted toward my undergraduate and master’s degrees. So, I knocked out three birds with one stone while also gaining a deeper understanding of accounting,” Lauren said. “The certificate was a unique opportunity because I don’t know if I would’ve chosen classes like internal audit on my own, but I really enjoyed them. The certificate helps you see opportunities beyond traditional accounting.”
Lauren always knew she wanted to study business, and she narrowed it down to accounting during her undergraduate studies. She likes the straightforwardness and versatility of accounting.
“There are so many ways to apply accounting beyond tax or audit. Accountants are involved in a lot of different areas of business,” Lauren said. “If you understand accounting, you can understand pretty much any area of a business.”
In fact, Lauren ultimately chose a unique career path through accounting. During her studies, she used Kelley Indianapolis Career Services to find an audit internship at KSM. A year later, she completed a second internship in transaction advisory–performing due diligence for mergers and acquisitions–and she loved it.
When Lauren graduated with her bachelor’s degree, KSM offered her an accounting position. Although she loved KSM, she wanted to pursue her fifth year of swimming and earn an MSA. And she was increasingly interested in the field of transaction advisory services.
“I told KSM I would love to work for them, but I’d also love to explore this other opportunity within the company. They were incredibly open minded about letting me choose between the two areas of interest,” Lauren said. “They are very accepting and supportive of student athletes. And they’re big on getting the 150 credits for the CPA, so they had no problem with me starting after I graduated with the MSA.”
Moving from college to career, Lauren says she was able to navigate work-life balance a little easier after being a collegiate athlete for five years. A key to that is communication.
“At school, I navigated these responsibilities by talking with everyone: professors, coaches, advisors. I don’t think I ever missed a deadline, and I didn’t miss out any athletics, either,” she said. “Being able to communicate and manage time effectively are skills that translate into the workforce.”
Today, Lauren says she uses many of the principles she learned in the MSA in her work in transaction advisory services. Aside from the accounting principles, Lauren says some of the greatest and most transferrable skills she gained at Kelley were in real-world learning experiences and hands-on training.
“Kelley is very good about offering real-life projects. Also, the professors share their own experiences in the workforce and how that relates to the concepts they’re teaching. That’s been very applicable to the work that I do,” Lauren said.
“Kelley is also good at teaching soft skills. It can be hard to learn communications, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership on your own. But Kelley sets you up with group projects, leadership opportunities, and questions where there isn’t always a right or wrong answer. It’s so applicable to life. Having a school that prepares you with those skills going into the workforce sets you up for success.”
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