Pursuing success in accounting

For Chicago-area native Gabriel Virdaru (BBA '18, MS '19), the Accelerated BBA/MS program in Accountancy at Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business offered a convenient and comprehensive pathway to success. With one of the highest CPA pass rates in Illinois, Quinlan provided Gabriel with the tools he needed to obtain his license and excel in his accounting career.

Kicking off a career change

Virdaru’s path to Loyola was somewhat unconventional. He initially postponed a college career after high school for an opportunity to play professional soccer in Europe, but eventually decided to return home to earn a degree after five years away. Loyola had always been on his radar, and he was drawn in by the flexibility and practicality of Quinlan’s business programs. “I started working with my dad at his trucking business, so it was important for me to stay local,” said Virdaru. “I was in a transitional period of my life, and Loyola had everything that I was looking for.”

Virdaru knew he wanted to earn a business degree, but originally had his sights set on Loyola’s Sports Management program because of his background as a professional soccer player. That all changed after an introductory accounting class piqued his interest and ultimately led him to change course. “From the beginning I was interested in business—and accounting is the language of business—so it felt like a natural fit,” he said. “I declared it as my major in my second year.”

Earning a master’s degree

Although Virdaru was on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in just three years, he decided to continue on to earn an MS through Loyola’s Accelerated BBA/MS Accountancy program to ensure he would meet the 150-credit hour requirement needed to take the CPA exam at the time. “I theoretically could have gone to community college to take the remaining credits, but I thought it would be more beneficial to actually take classes that would be useful to me,” he said. “It felt like a natural progression that would transition really well into the CPA exam.”

As a graduate student, Virdaru found that the coursework in Loyola’s MS program complimented and expanded the knowledge he had acquired as an undergraduate. “There was a lot of practical application of what I had learned in undergrad,” he said, noting the program’s emphasis on group work and collaborative learning over traditional testing. “It was a great transition to go from undergrad to the master’s, and then enter the real-world accounting industry.”

Loyola’s central location in Chicago and proximity to some of the world’s largest accounting firms proved to be a major asset as well. Virdaru took advantage of numerous networking opportunities and was even able to complete an accounting internship while still in school. “All the Big Four accounting firms are in Chicago. Chicago is one of the three biggest cities in the country. It's a great place to be for networking in terms of a business career.”

Loyola’s lasting impact

After graduating from Loyola and passing the CPA, Virdaru went on to work for PwC before eventually transitioning into a consulting role at Hall CPA, a real estate accounting firm. He credits Loyola for setting him up for success and opening his eyes to the sheer number of opportunities and career paths available to accountants. “Loyola really helped me solidify what I wanted to do. It has a really robust program. You just have to get out of your comfort zone and take advantage of all the resources out there.”

Learn more about Loyola’s Accountancy MS Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree program. Contact Brian Stanko, professor and MSA graduate program director, with questions.