“I knew I wanted a smaller liberal arts school,” Sealy Smith (M.S. in Accounting ’26) remembers. Then, when she got to know Wofford College, she realized that community was particularly important.
That instinct led Smith from her hometown of Eufaula, AL, to enroll at Wofford and eventually to the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where she is now completing the nine-month M.S. in Accounting Program in May. Along the way, the throughline has remained consistent: a preference for close-knit academic communities paired with rigorous, real-world preparation.
A Community-Focused Foundation That Carried Forward
At Wofford, Smith majored in Accounting and intentionally kept her schedule flexible. “I didn’t have a minor because I wanted to take a broader range of electives.”
That breadth proved valuable. Wofford’s undergraduate environment helped her build a strong technical accounting foundation while developing adaptability, a trait she didn’t fully appreciate until she reached graduate school.
When evaluating M.S. in Accounting programs, Smith gravitated toward McIntire for two reasons: size and focus. “I definitely liked that it was a smaller program,” she says. “But I also really liked that it emphasized data analytics, because that’s something I didn’t have a super strong background in.”
Despite the new technical demands, the cultural transition felt surprisingly smooth. “My professors at Wofford were amazing,” Smith says. “And honestly, I’m seeing a lot of similarities here. I’ve never had a professor at Wofford or UVA who didn’t genuinely care about my success.”
Learning by Doing: Leadership, Labs, and Real-World Scenarios
Smith says that her day-to-day experiences at McIntire have been essential, practical, and energizing.
“Our leadership classes have helped a lot,” she says, particularly when it comes to professional communication. “We do a lot of impromptu public speaking, which is challenging in an academic setting, where you’re being graded on it.”
Those leadership courses emphasize real workplace situations. “We do professional simulations all the time,” Smith explains. “For example, we had to rank different tasks and decide how we’d respond to emails. It’s very realistic. [We learn about] things you’d actually deal with in a normal workday.”
Equally impactful has been McIntire’s lab-based instruction. “My Audit class is in a computer lab, and my Data Management class is also in a lab,” Smith says. “I had never taken an Accounting class where we actually worked together using software.”
That hands-on approach helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. “It was very different from my undergrad experience,” she says. “But I felt supported enough to make that leap.”
From Audit Foundations to Advanced Application
Smith chose the Financial Reporting & Assurance Track after discovering a passion for audit during her undergraduate coursework. “I took an audit class before I took tax, and I just ended up falling in love with it,” she says.
While her Wofford Audit professor played a key role providing foundational skills, those foundations are being actively applied at McIntire. “My Advanced Auditing class is basically taking everything I learned in Audit I and actually applying it using Alteryx and other data tools,” she explains.
Smith interned at PwC in Washington, DC, last summer and will return full time after graduation. “Anything we do in leadership is helpful,” she says. “And I didn’t learn a lot of the data management tools before. I had almost no background in Alteryx and very minimal experience with Tableau.”
Now, she can clearly see the payoff. “I can definitely see those being helpful when I start in August,” Smith says.
Advice for Wofford Students Considering McIntire
For current Wofford Accounting majors weighing McIntire’s M.S. in Accounting, Smith emphasizes confidence and perspective.
“This program is a lot like Wofford in that it’s a community,” she says. “You really get to know everyone.” She adds, “From Wofford, you already have all the accounting knowledge you need. This program helps take you to the next level.”
