University Courses as CFA Prep - Yes or No?

I am a potential CFA L1 candidate with very little finance/accounting background other than introductory accounting and economics courses I took years ago.

I am thinking of taking one or two evening courses at a local university (either Intermediate Accounting, Corporate Finance, Investments, or Financial Statement Analysis). Do you think this would be a good idea if I’m planning on sitting for the June 2013 exam, or would my time be better spent focusing on CFA prep? How closely does the CFA L1 curriculum resemble typical undergraduate level university courses?

The course I’m most interested in is Investments, but I’ve never taken introductory finance. I’ve heard that intermediate accounting is good for CFA prep, but I’m wondering whether it’s worth the money ($1500) since it is theoretically possible for me to learn the material on my own (although I hear it is very, very boring).

Thanks in advance for your advice!

your time will be better spent focusing on CFA prep

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The university classes will do you good, no doubt. But for learning CFA material, there’s nothing like studying CFA material. What you’ll learn in class will be more geared toward AACSB accrediation or passing the CPA exam.

For example, in Intermediate Accounting 1 and 2, you will do a LOT of journal entries. You will spend a lot of time learning journal entries. That’s all accountants do. They do journal entries. (I’m an accountant. I do lots of journal entries.) About half the class will be spent on how to do journal entries.

When you study for the CFA exam, you will do zero journal entries. You can learn how to use and analyze a financial statemnt without doing journal entries.

If you plan on continuing in your university studies to obtain a degree in acctg/finance then there is no harm in taking courses to prep for the exam as long as you can crack open your CFA books alongside your uni books. If you plan on taking these university courses exclusively for exam prep then you are wasting your time and money completely. Spend the money on prep material and the time on studying that prep material.