Two-time UConn accounting alumnus Matthew Bradford \u201916 (BUS), MSA \u201917, earned one of the best CPA exam scores in the nation, and the top one in Connecticut, during 2017, according to the American Institute of CPAs, which just released the results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradford is one of only 58 CPA candidates, out of 95,800 test takers, who obtained a cumulative score above 95.5 across all four sections of the CPA exam in the national test.<\/p>\n
He also earned the top score among the 1,200 CPA candidates in Connecticut, and received the Institute\u2019s Elijah Watt Sells Award for outstanding performance.<\/p>\n
Bradford, currently an assurance associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hartford, says that when he started to study for the CPA exam, he realized how well UConn had prepared him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe accounting faculty is great. I couldn\u2019t have done it without them,\u201d says Bradford, a native of Tolland, Connecticut who had a perfect GPA during both his undergraduate and graduate years. \u201cEvery class offered something that was on the CPA exam.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Plesko, professor and head of the accounting department, says Bradford\u2019s test scores are \u201can exceptional achievement for Matt. It also makes me proud of our accounting programs and the faculty here at UConn, who are able to provide a strong educational foundation for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricki Livingston, director of online programs in accounting in the School of Business, who taught Bradford in two of her classes, says he was clearly an achiever.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the initial review of Matt\u2019s application to the MSA, it was clear that we had an exceptional student interested in our program,\u201d she says. \u201cThroughout the program, Matt not only exceled academically, but more importantly, he demonstrated upstanding character.\u201d In his application essay, he expressed the importance of people helping one another, Livingston notes, and in his courses, he put this into practice in supporting his fellow classmates.<\/p>\n
Bradford has accepted an invitation from his former professors to return to campus in the fall as a guest speaker. He says he will advise students that the CPA distinction is within reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your classes seriously, and put effort into everything you\u2019re doing,\u201d he says. \u201cMany people find the CPA exams intimidating and have a hard time imagining passing them, but they are based on the material you\u2019ve been learning for years. If you work and study hard, you\u2019re almost always going to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradford says one of the misperceptions people have is that accounting is all about numbers, but it is also about understanding how a business works: \u201cI spend more time writing than I do anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an assurance associate, he audits companies, looking for evidence that their financial statements are accurate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to be friendly and open with everyone I talk to,\u201d he says. \u201cNot everyone is excited to answer questions from auditors, but hopefully it doesn\u2019t ruin their day either.\u201d<\/p>\n
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