What the program offers and who can attend
The official page at RSM’s Pathways address now describes Explore. It lists currently enrolled students in an accredited accounting-, business- or IT-related degree or diploma. Its completion wording is “within the next two or more years”; that does not supply a precise graduation-date cutoff.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Format | Dedicated page: one-day virtual Explore. General student page also describes half-day Pathways; confirm the actual session. |
| Audience | Enrolled accredited accounting-, business- or IT-related degree/diploma students; confirm completion wording against your timetable. |
| Next date | No next event date or registration cutoff published in the checked dedicated page. |
| Employment route | RSM internships are a separate office/service-line application. |
| First action | Choose the actual session and ask which graduation timing applies; use exact job requisitions for employment. |
At the October 1, 2026 check, the dedicated page describes a one-day virtual introduction with client stories and professionals from assurance, tax and consulting. It gives no next event date or registration deadline. A date-unconfirmed event should not become a dated internship deadline in your calendar.
Is RSM Pathways the same route as Explore? The current program page uses Explore at the old Pathways URL. RSM’s broader student page still has a half-day Pathways description alongside one-day Explore cards. Use the dedicated page and the instructions for the actual session when arranging your schedule.
Choose one question the event can answer
A useful question is “Which work would I enjoy doing repeatedly?” Choose a familiar task, then ask how it appears in a professional setting. These are possible discussion starters, not complete definitions of each practice.
| You have enjoyed… | Ask a speaker… |
|---|---|
| Finding an unexplained difference in records | What would a junior assurance team member check first when two records disagree? |
| Researching a rule and explaining it clearly | How does a tax team establish the facts before researching which rule applies? |
| Improving a slow or confusing process | What does a junior consultant produce when a client wants to change a process? |
Choose one comparison before joining: checking evidence, researching a rule, or improving a process. Write down what you currently think the work involves and one detail that could change your preference. During the conversation, ask about an ordinary junior assignment rather than only an exceptional client story. You can then compare practices using the same question.
A matching deposit does not settle every accounting question
Practice example, not an RSM assessment: a club reports $4,860 of event revenue. Its ticket platform shows $5,100 of sales, $180 of refunds and $60 of fees. The deposit is $4,860. Do the records agree?
$5,100 − $180 − $60 = $4,860. The settlement arithmetic agrees. That does not tell you whether the club’s “revenue” label means gross sales, net proceeds or cash received, or whether everything belongs to the same period.
A useful note would say: “The net deposit reconciles. I would check the settlement statement and how the club records refunds and fees before accepting $4,860 as its reported revenue.” You have answered the arithmetic question and identified the remaining evidence, without making an unsupported accounting judgment.
Now ask a different question: “Could the club reduce processing costs without creating more manual work?” The same transaction can lead to a different kind of assignment. Ask speakers which version resembles their work.
Get an example of the work, not just a description of the firm
Ask a professional to walk through a shareable assignment: what information arrived, what the junior person produced, and what the reviewer changed. A concrete example makes it easier to distinguish the work than a broad statement about having varied clients.
Afterward, write one decision: “I want to investigate assurance roles because I liked the evidence-checking task,” or “I need another conversation about consulting because I still do not know what the first deliverable looks like.” Use what you actually learned. You do not need a long event summary.
Use a three-column note: the task a junior person did, the evidence or tools they used, and what you still need to learn. If two speakers describe similar spreadsheet work, ask what decision the spreadsheet supported. A file format alone does not distinguish assurance from consulting.
On a résumé, describe attendance as career exploration if it is relevant. Do not turn an event conversation into a claim that you performed client work. If you tried the independent reconciliation above, label it as your own practice example; the Explore page does not identify it as an RSM exercise.
Check your graduation stage, then choose the right application route
A campus recruiting contact can answer this narrow question: “I expect to finish my [degree] in [month/year]. Is that within Explore’s intended audience, and where will the next event registration be published?” Include your actual timetable rather than guessing a class-year label.
| What you learned | What to check before applying |
|---|---|
| You prefer evidence-checking work | Read an assurance posting; match its degree and graduation requirements to your plan. |
| You want tax or consulting work | Compare the actual assignments and prerequisites in that service line rather than applying by firm name alone. |
| A particular office interests you | Check the location, attendance expectations and internship term in that office’s requisition. |
| You need a stronger example of your skills | Choose one real project or work task you can explain; separate it from event attendance. |
For an internship, follow RSM’s separate internships page to its official career search. The firm describes client experience, training and a performance adviser for interns. Explore attendance does not replace the application to a specific job. Use the office, service line and internship term you can actually attend.
If the student careers page groups you under a class-year label that does not match your degree plan, keep your actual completion month and year. A transfer, combined degree or part-time schedule can make “sophomore” a poor substitute for the graduation window in a posting. Ask the recruiting contact about the exact event or requisition.
Before applying, save the requisition title and number, confirm its expected graduation window and office, and list each requested document. The checklist below is a preparation method, not a claim that every RSM role requests the same materials. A posting or application instruction supplies the requirement.
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