Bryant Grad: Kelly Cocco

Name: Kelly Cocco
Byrant Graduation Year: 2012
Major/Minor: Accounting/Minor
Hometown: Vernon, CT

Kelly graduated as a part of the 2012 class and is currently  studying accounting and finanace at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

HC: You graduated just a couple months ago. What are you doing now Kelly?

Kelly: I currently am a graduate student in the MBA/MSA program in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. I started the program at the end of August and just finished the first quarter of classes. The program will last through May 2014.

HC: Did you know which graduate school you wanted to attend at the beginning of senior year? 

Kelly: Based on my internship experience, I knew that I wanted to be in public accounting when I started my career. Along with that goal comes the CPA exam requirements for 150 credit hours. Since I would be graduating with less than 150 credits, I focused my attention on attending graduate school. I knew I wanted to move to a city and expand my network by attending a new school. Boston College offers a dual degree MBA and Masters of Science in Accounting program, and I felt it would complement my Bryant education very well. I started the program at the end of August and just finished the first quarter of classes. The program will last through May 2014.

HC: How much significance did your major have in deciding your career path?

Kelly: Majoring in accounting has impacted a lot of my recent decision-making, but I think that’s where choosing the right major is important. I really do love accounting, so taking all the classes and gearing my career goals towards positions in public accounting is exciting for me.

HC: Are you busier now as a grad student than you were as an undergrad student at Bryant?

Kelly: Since moving to Boston, I’ve actually had more time than when I was a Bryant student. The education from Bryant has had a great impact on my studies at Boston College, since many of the classes overlap, so I’ve been able to be much more efficient with learning the material. As I’ve been getting more into the program, I’ve started to fill up my schedule to be more similar to Bryant.

HC: Would you say you had senioritis?

Kelly: I wouldn’t really say that I had senioritis. Instead, I would say that I had gained some perspective on what was important to me at Bryant. Working hard for grades is important, but the more lasting impact of Bryant will be relationships. The people at Bryant will be connected to you long after graduation, and taking some time off from studying to get to know them is worthwhile.

HC: As a woman competitive business world how do you make sure your opinion is heard and respected?

Kelly:  The MBA program at Boston College (and most MBA programs in general) is only around 30% women. To me, the best way to make an opinion heard and respected is to be well prepared. Do your research, and know what your opinions are. One thing that I have found to make a difference is knowing what is going on in the world. Subscribe to the Wall Street Journal like so many of our professors suggest (and so many of us ignore). When you’ve done your homework, you’ll find that people have no choice but to listen to what you have to say!