EXAMPLE OF SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY FOR ACCOUNTING

Accounting is a career that requires personal accountability, integrity, and precision. True
professionalism requires always doing what is ethically correct. The pervasive relativism which
contemporary society willingly accepts suggests that truth is relative and should be left to
individual interpretation. I cannot accept that premise. In contrast, I wholeheartedly believe that
there are absolute truths; especially concerning what is morally right and ethically correct. The
accounting professions ethical standards must be maintained if we are to sustain the integrity of
the profession. With this mind-set, I believe I am best suited to become a forensic accountant.
Accountability is handling oneself in an ethical manner at all times, especially when no one is
watching. Integrity is having congruence in who we say we are and what we actually do.
Precision is required so the truth is uncovered and only then can the true facts be presented in a
way most beneficial to advocate for a clients position. These three attributes make me a perfect
candidate to work as a forensic accountant. I enjoy investigating and uncovering the truth, which
reveals the reality of a situation.
Precision, integrity and accountability were required in my two part-time jobs. I worked at
Starbucks and as a hostess at a Mexican Restaurant. I handled and was accountable for the
money at both jobs. If there were errors in the accounting, I had to audit the receipts to determine
where an error was made. I always ended each night with a perfect register. While most often the
register was perfect, having to audit the nights receipts when errors presented required patience
and due diligence on my part. I always enjoyed the challenge of the audit and always resolved
any issue before nights end.
Recently, I worked for my mother in her law office with discovery on a divorce case. She
represented the Wife. I made spreadsheets of credit card statements and business banking records
to ascertain whether her client could identify and prove how the Husband was spending income
from his business and how the accumulation of credit card debt was for his business, not for the
family. We also prepared spreadsheets to disprove his need for alimony. This experience enabled
me to analyze financial records, extract, and summarize voluminous information needed to prove
a very important aspect of the case, debt and alimony. I enjoyed the work and found it was like
solving a puzzle. I have always been interested in detective shows and forensic accounting would
allow me to examine and audit financial records to uncover the truth of a situation. I can also
imagine working in auditing since audits require the same type of detailed analysis.
I am very patient and enjoy meticulously working through any project. I enjoy learning and
accordingly am an avid reader. As a forensic accountant, I look forward to learning about the
business or context in which my analysis takes place. I will need to fully understand my clients
business, or a legal position to accurately complete a forensic audit. Most importantly, my
honesty, integrity and desire to be precise in finding the truth make me well suited to become an
ethical forensic accountant worthy of the esteemed profession.

Accounting has been of great interest to me since I first studied the subject during senior year of
high school. I was enthralled with the subject matter and made matriculation in this field a must.
Once I began college level courses, I was able to understand more complex subject matter and
was able to solve practice problems on my own utilizing principles I had been taught and
assisting classmates who were having difficulties. Additionally, I sought to broaden my
knowledge of accounting through independently studying the subject matter via working ahead
of the class syllabus and internet research.
During my sophomore year of college I was offered a part-time position as a bank teller. I was
excited about the opportunity to work in an environment where some of my accounting skills
would be utilized and gain real world experience in the financial world. I found the position to be
in line with the subject matter and was able to assist colleagues with understanding the reasoning
behind why certain transactions were posted in certain ways and provide insight on how the bank
accounts for certain activities. At a Customer Service level, I was able to further utilize my
accounting skills and knowledge by assisting our customer base with information pertaining to
proper bookkeeping practices, In addition, I was able to assist my colleagues with understanding
the process of general ledger functions, expense reports, debt-to-income ratio, and contra account
proof/reconciliation. When I was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager, I continued to assist
my customer base and had a higher responsibility of ascertaining the branch was in compliance
with rules, policies, procedures, and regulations; but also that our general ledgers were in proof,
and discrepancies were researched and corrected in a timely manner, and ascertain that our
ledgers were brought to a zero balance at the end of our fiscal year. During my time as Assistant
Branch Manager, our branch location received an audit grade where no exceptions were noted. In
my current position as a Branch Service Manager, our last audit grade reported no exceptions
noted.
My Life goal is to obtain CPA licensing and establish a small accounting firm in the community
(and surrounding communities) where I live and work. Additionally, I would like to offer free
informative seminars for newly formed businesses on financial recordkeeping and proper bank
reconciliation. During my time as a bank employee, I have learned that the majority of small
business owners in urban areas are not keeping their financial records in proper order, nor are
they properly reconciling their bank statements for lack of knowledge on how to do so.
Furthering my education will allow me to obtain the skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary
to successfully offer these services and to broaden my professional horizons.
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