Smurfit MAcc Summer Summer Term

hmmm!

Hey

Anyone completed the MAcc in Smurfit able to give me some advice please.

As I understand for the final term there is an option of the Summer School or completing a dissertation.
I am wondering firstly what is the time commitment for both options and secondly what are the pros/cons of the two options.

Any opinion or advice appreciated

Muzi5434

I did the summer school. Our class was roughly about 110 people and only 8 did the thesis.

In summer school, you have 4 modules: Tax, Negotiation skills, corporate goverance and US GAAP. I picked Tax and Negotiation, they both ran lectures for a week each. Taxwas broken down into, learning journal of 20% and 80% assignment. Negotiation was 50% learning journal and 50% exam. I was finished both modules fully by the end of July whereas the people doing thesis were usually doing it till Sept.

Summer School pros:
1. Finish early
2. Learning two new modules
3. Negotiation skills help a lot in practise
4. I went onto do the tax exams therefore the module really helped

Cons:
1. Never be published
2. Usually people doing thesis work on their own pace
3. Sometimes difficult to book holidays because of the lectures

Hope that helps

Legwinski

Muzi5434 wrote: »

I did the summer school. Our class was roughly about 110 people and only 8 did the thesis.

In summer school, you have 4 modules: Tax, Negotiation skills, corporate goverance and US GAAP. I picked Tax and Negotiation, they both ran lectures for a week each. Taxwas broken down into, learning journal of 20% and 80% assignment. Negotiation was 50% learning journal and 50% exam. I was finished both modules fully by the end of July whereas the people doing thesis were usually doing it till Sept.

Summer School pros:
1. Finish early
2. Learning two new modules
3. Negotiation skills help a lot in practise
4. I went onto do the tax exams therefore the module really helped

Cons:
1. Never be published
2. Usually people doing thesis work on their own pace
3. Sometimes difficult to book holidays because of the lectures

Hope that helps

Hey Muzi, I'm in the same boat as hmmm and am wondering when the summer school classes actually end (for accommodation reasons!)?

Thanks!

Muzi5434

Aha Shake wrote: »

Hey Muzi, I'm in the same boat as hmmm and am wondering when the summer school classes actually end (for accommodation reasons!)?

Thanks!

I can't remember the exact date but mine ended early July.That's if you pick the two modules that I did.

SemiMental

I just finished the MAcc there, only one person chose to do the thesis this year I believe. I would say the summer school is a lot less work than the thesis. They will give you a good bit of information on the modules and thesis before you have to choose, and you wont have to choose until around March. Though two people can do the thesis to reduce the workload, it would still require a lot of research. I chose to do Negotiation and Current Issues in Accounting (they must have renamed US GAAP!).

Current Issues in Accounting was good - lecturer is brilliant, you will work hard during the week its on, but the group assignment after it is no problem once you split it up between your group.
Negotiation - it is an enjoyable module, totally different from others due to all the role plays. It sounds like an easy module, but it actually was a lot of work. Had to write a 30 page learning journal after it, and had to do a lot of study for the exam.

I chose the modules as I believed I would learn more from them, than from doing a thesis. If you are going into tax, I would recommend doing the summer school (with tax as one of the modules - due to the exemption).

The earliest anyone was finished this year (doing the two earlier of the summer school modules) was 23rd June.
The last module was on the first week of July, but there was an exam in that towards the end of July.

If you are living on campus, your lease will end at the end of May. You can extend the lease for the summer months, but it is very expensive. I stayed over in a friends place for the week. You will only be up in Smurfit for two weeks in total in the summer (three if you do the tax module), so I don't think it is worth paying an extra three months rent for two weeks accommodation.
If you are living off-campus, you may be unable to get a 9 month lease anyhow so it might not matter to you.

Good Luck with the masters