South Florida’s humid July days would seem like a bad time to conduct a strenuous boot camp. Yet the FIU School of Accounting’s Boot Camp, held in air-conditioned comfort, has grown into an increasingly popular option for ambitious students.
The three-day intensive accounting review is designed to give students a running start in gearing up for the School of Accounting entrance exam, which they must pass in order to enroll in the College of Business program. The exam is given in late July.
In its second summer, the program had more than 200 students participate, a 33 percent increase over 2014.
And in spite of the rigor, participants are happy to be there.
“I wanted to make sure I was prepared for the exam,” said Jessica Parker, a 22-year-old transfer student from Broward College. “I’m good in math and enjoy math, so I decided on a career in accounting.”
Topics include accounting basics, as well as key concepts such as fixed assets, investments, fraud and internal controls, and accounting math.
FIU faculty say they are pleased and encouraged by the difference Boot Camp has made in preparing students for the demanding program.
“There has been a higher passing rate on the entrance exam, and the majority of those who passed the exam attended Boot Camp,” said Jimmy Carmenate, an FIU accounting professor who helps design and run Boot Camp, funded by the Florida Board of Governors’ TEAm grant.
The academic workout gets students limbered not only for the exam, but also for the classes that are waiting just around the corner at summer’s end.
Yet Boot Camp is more than hitting the books. There are networking and social opportunities, and an introduction to student organizations ALPFA and Beta Alpha Psi, whose members help out during camp.
“Of all the things we’ve done,” said Ruth Ann McEwen, director of the School of Accounting,
“this is the most successful.”
