<p>I have the choice of transferring to two different colleges, the University of Oklahoma (OU) or the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). Only UCO has a dedicated actuarial science program, but if I chose to attend OU I could major in economics and minor in applied mathematics and take some computer classes.</p>
<p>My question, for those of you who know about actuarial programs and work, which would be best? I'm not sure how well either of the colleges are known to companies who hire actuaries, but I do know that I can afford either of them, have been accepted at both as a transfer student, and they are within driving distance.</p>
<p>My son was advised to major in applied math and take some computer and business classes. He’s taking an Excel class this fall, because actuaries have told him that’s the main program they can use. He is minoring in statistics.</p>
<p>He just finished his sophomore year. He’s going to study a bunch of math and statistics this summer and take the first actuarial exam in November. That’s something to plan for - it will be much easier to get an internship if you can that first exam under your belt. He almost got a position this summer, but it went to someone who had already passed the test.</p>
<p>I would suggest calling up an insurance company or two and asking to speak to an actuary. We have found people to be quite willing to talk to our son when he calls.</p>
<p>Good luck! Everything I’ve head indicates this is a great field to go into, if you’re really good at math.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply!</p>
<p>Do you know how important a high GPA is in order to get into an actuarial career? I don’t have a terrible GPA, but it’s not great either. I have a 3.0, this is because of my early college classes when I was still in my high school mind set.</p>
<p>krymefigher, look into your colleges program for it. At my school, in order to be an actuarial science major, you need to have and maintain a 3.2 GPA minimum. Also, at most internships and job offers I’ve seen, this seems to be the minimum to apply.</p>
<p>If you want to be an actuary, and you’re sure about it, then go to the school that actually OFFERS an actuarial science major. Have you looked up any information about the exams? They’re very similar to the Bar that every lawyer has to take, except there are a LOT of them. While going to a school and taking some statistics/math/computer classes will get you the general gist of it, you’ll need to be studying for these exams and you’ll essentially be teaching yourself. At my school, the actuarial program has classes designed to teach and help you pass the specific exams. Do not underestimate these: the average recommended study time is about 50-100 hours of studying for every hour on the exam. </p>
<p>As Maine suggested, you basically can’t get an internship/job without these tests. If you want to be an actuary, the BEST way to go is the school with an actual program for it. You should be getting tests done MUCH earlier than Junior year. Sure, it’s possible the other route, and there will be OTHER options available to you, but if you’re sure you want to be an actuary, it’s just going to make it much more difficult and challenging than it has to be–and it’s already not easy!</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me with any questions.</p>