Freshman Seminar Fall 17 DFD

Majors & Minors Fair

On 11/9 I attended the Baruch Majors & Minors fair. This may seem like an academic enrichment activity, but it is also a career enrichment activity. This is because my intended career (actuary) is very specialized. In order to become an actuary and progress in the field, I will have to take several exams over the course of 6-10 years. Since the actuarial process is complicated, I went to the fair to ask an actuarial science professor about what Baruch offers to students of my major. He said that the required courses for the major will prepare students for 5 of the actuarial exams. There are about 10 exams in total that I will have to take, so I am glad to know that my college will prepare me for half of them. Each exam is on a different mathematical subject e.g. probability, economics, statistics. As one passes more exams, they will take on different responsibilities in their job and will subsequently have a higher pay, more benefits, and move up in the corporate pyramid. These exams are administered by the Society of Actuaries (SOA). On the SOA website, there is a list of colleges that offer an actuarial science program. Baruch is listed as having “advanced curriculum” meaning that the school prepares students very well for their career ahead. As I was talking to the professor, he also notified me of internship opportunities through the Baruch Actuarial Science Society. I will need to pass at least 1 exam before obtaining an internship, so I asked him what year I will pass one and he said around sophomore year. This makes sense because next semester I will be taking economics 1001 and the following semester 1002, and these classes prepare me for the economics exam. I am excited to take more courses related to my major rather than ones I don’t really care about i.e. English and history.