Where can a Binghamton accounting degree take you? These lifelong friends from Seattle can’t wait to find out

Meet Finley Tallmadge and Rebecca Serati: two first-year Binghamton University accounting students and best friends since childhood.

Growing up in the Seattle area, they followed each other from elementary to high school, even switching districts at one point so they could stay in the same classes. Now, they click so well they can finish each other's sentences.

So, when it came time to choose a college and begin charting their career paths, is it any surprise they wound up in the same place?

During a sit-down with BingUNews, Tallmadge and Serati shared how they never imagined attending school on the East Coast until they learned about Binghamton at a college fair. That's when the unique opportunities at the University's School of Management proved too good to pass up.

"Binghamton really sold me on job security by placing 100% of their accounting majors," Tallmadge said. "Just having that connection with the Big Four accounting is very encouraging when you're starting out."

After they found out they'd each been accepted into an honors program at Binghamton - PwC Scholars for Tallmadge and EY Student Leaders for Serati - it became even clearer that college would be a transformative experience.

"We had talked to a lot of people who pursued accounting degrees at SOM Career Week who said they went into fields like human resources or marketing and finance," Serati said, "so I think it's important for students to know a degree like accounting can be a future opener, something that could take me places."

First-year accounting students Rebecca Serati, left, and Finley Tallmadge, right, say a Binghamton University School of Management accounting degree "can be a future opener." Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.

What excited them most when they started the fall semester was how first-year students could get a clear look at what their business education would shape into. They're building a foundation of critical skills through courses like Introduction to Decision Making in Management and Business Law - their favorite class so far - while also finding spare time to learn the guitar and "monopolize" the hammocks at Hinman College whenever they're able.

"Being such close friends in the same major, we weren't sure if we'd have trouble making new friends, but Binghamton's made it really easy for us," Serati said. "No matter what you do, college is an adjustment. We learned we study a lot better when we're working outside the residence hall settings, which is also where some of the Starbucks damage happens."

Unfortunately, that is true, Tallmadge added with a laugh. Even though their undergraduate years are just starting, Tallmadge and Serati are already eyeing a plan for graduate degrees through one of SOM's unique program options.

"As a first-year student, you'd think major SOM events like Career Week would be very intimidating. Instead, they take something that could feel like a whirlwind to a new student and make it so much more accessible," Tallmadge said. "There are so many great opportunities here, and because they also make it really easy to set ourselves up for graduate degrees, we're excited to see what comes next!"

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