MAcc on Spring Break in D.C.

Hi everyone! As a part of the MAcc program, you can look forward to all sorts of valuable experiences outside of the classroom. By far the most unique experience is the MAcc's trip to Washington D.C. to study the overlap between accounting and public policy. In this post, I'll share some of my favorite memories and takeaways from the trip. Let's get started!

First, I'll provide a little background into why the MAcc goes to our nation's capital. Fisher College of Business has a unique relationship with an institution called "Washington Campus," which provides business students with a glimpse into the happenings of Washington and the different players that impact that institutions like the FASB, the SEC, SASB, etc. have on the work we'll perform everyday as a part of the workforce. For example, one of my favorite speakers was George Botic, a member of the Board of Directors for the PCAOB, who spoke to us about the objectives, challenges, opportunities, and threats that faced the public accounting industry. Speakers like Mr Botic provided us unique insight into their organizations that we would never have received in the classroom. All of the speakers that we interacted with were very excited to speak with MAcc students, and some presentations took the form of conversations where myself and other students simply picked the brains of our presenters. 

Although, not all of our speakers were from government agencies. We interacted with think tanks, specialized groups of researchers and lobbyists who advised politicians about specific issues of concern, who focused on interesting topics like green tax policy and the national debt. These speakers reminded me the most of the professors at Fisher because their presentations utilized the most empirical research to support their conclusions. Alongside think tanks, we also had the privilege to sit down with a former member of Congress who gave us a personal account of the trials and tribulations that come with passing legislature. Whether the presentation was directly related to accounting or more generally about business, myself and the other MAcc students were consistently faced with intellectually stimulating material. 

The impacts from the MAcc's trip to Washington D.C. were not only academic. In previous blog posts, I've highlighted how strong the connection between students in the MAcc cohort is and how beneficial that relationship is to the learning process. I can say with absolute certainty that traveling to D.C. with 20 other MAcc students had pulled us even closer together. Whether we were discussing our thoughts on a speaker, grabbing lunch in between sections, or just having conversations walking from place to place, there was no shortage of opportunities to learn and connect. I believe that this trip has reinforced relationships that I will carry with me long past my graduation. 

I hope that this blog post has opened your eyes to a new possiblity that the MAcc at Ohio State has to offer!