A successful semester in a financial accounting class and a conversation with his professor made Adam Salazer ’20, M’21 realize the opportunities in LVC’s Accounting/MBA (3+1) program were too good to refuse.

“When I spoke to Professor [Andrew] Hildebrand about changing my major to accounting, he mentioned the 3+1 program, and I knew I would not have a problem with the extra workload. What appealed to me the most about this program was having the ability to earn two degrees in four years. I also liked the fact that I would save some money by finishing a year early.”

Salazer graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting in May 2020 after just three years. He’s now working toward his MBA with an anticipated completion date of May 2021. With this accelerated track, Salazer learned the ropes of accounting, while also developing crucial professional skills in that fourth year to set him up for a successful career well before others in his field.

“Professor Hildebrand gave me an idea of how many different career paths you can have with an accounting degree, which helped me decide to switch to accounting so early in my college career,” he said. “Accounting Club was also helpful in giving me an idea about what it would be like to have a career in accounting.”

Salazer gained additional real-world experience through two internships. At Empire Education Group, he worked as an accounts payable processor for two summers and throughout two semesters. When asked how he was able to manage his time with this heavy workload, Salazer emphasized organization as the key to his success.

“The first two years, I worked at least 20 hours a week during the semester and 55+ hours a week in the summer, so staying organized and prioritizing my time helped me the most with managing the workload definitely,” he said.

Salazer’s second internship, a job preparing income tax returns at RKL LLP, came about through Handshake—LVC’s platform for connecting students with jobs and internships—and word of mouth from another student who had experience with the firm. At RKL, Salazer prepared partnership and trust income tax returns and worked on other projects as assigned. He made a strong impression that resulted in a full-time job offer as a tax associate that he accepted and will begin after finishing his MBA. He also hopes to complete all four of the CPA exams before starting his new job.

“It is crazy to look back over the three years and see how much I have changed because of my experiences at LVC,” he said. “Three years seems like a short amount of time, but this program helps you do a lot with that amount of time.

“Students that are looking at this program should not get discouraged by the workload. The professors care about your success and will help you throughout the program, so don’t tell yourself it will be too much before you give it a shot.”

— Darby Seymour, Marketing & Communications Student Assistant