Good Universities for Actuarial S. degree

[nyczno0dlez]

Hey all. I'm currently still a high school student, maybe it's too early to ask questions in this forum. But since I'm really interested in Actuarial Science fields, can anyone tell me any top-ranking universities in US for Actuarial Science? Thanks. =)

[krzysio]

You can look up the list of schools offering actuarial programs at:
http://www.soa.org/ccm/content/?categoryID=1260076
Of course, in my humble opinion, Illinois State University is the best. But that would be out of state for you, and until you become a resident of the state of Illinois, quite expensive. But once you are a resident of Illinois, we are embarassingly cheap. I am constantly lobbying for tuition icreases, though, so hurry up ... :)

Yours,
Krzys' Ostaszewski

[nyczno0dlez]

is Connecticut State University anygood?

[krzysio]

I am sorry, I do not make direct comments about other universities ("other" because I work for one, Illinois State). Since I am their competition, my critique may not be perceived as genuine. I would strongly suggest how they rank in the listing at the SOA web site, check how many exams they cover in their classes, how many students pass exams, etc. But first and foremost of those is coverage of exams: it is really very useful to you if a university where you plan to go covers the first four exams and has full VEE certification (i.e., in statistics, finance and economics). Ideal university in addition to that should offer some forms of strong support for exam preparation, such as: intensive reviews, study groups, actuarial club in which people study together, as well as help in finding internships and preparation of students for internships. It also helps if they have faculty who are real actuaries -- they do not have to be experienced practitioners, but should be at least associates, and have published in actuarial science, and have some knowledge of the industry. If the faculty has industry experience in addition to academic credentials, that is very nice, as this way the industry will respect the program more. If you find all of those things, then go to the one that offers you the best financial support.

Yours,
Krzys' Ostaszewski

[brianritchie]

I have to say this since you asked. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor would be my recommendation. Our Actuarial program is one of the best-structured and complete degrees you can find. I am currently a freshman here and I can clearly see the difference between our program structure as compared to the other Uni's where my friends are. I am not going to mention the university's but I think you get the picture. If you need more information regarding our program, I would love to send it to you.

[number1]

Hey all. I'm currently still a high school student, maybe it's too early to ask questions in this forum. But since I'm really interested in Actuarial Science fields, can anyone tell me any top-ranking universities in US for Actuarial Science? Thanks. =)

You can also look at the Directory of Actuarial Schools at www.actuary.com/actuarial-science-schools

[nyczno0dlez]

I have to say this since you asked. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor would be my recommendation. Our Actuarial program is one of the best-structured and complete degrees you can find. I am currently a freshman here and I can clearly see the difference between our program structure as compared to the other Uni's where my friends are. I am not going to mention the university's but I think you get the picture. If you need more information regarding our program, I would love to send it to you.


Yeah, I've been thinking of Ann Arbor too these days. Can I ask whats the requirements/standards in order to get into that program at Ann Arbor? I know it's a very hard university to get in, but may I ask what was your SATS score, or high school average? What other criterias do they need? thanks.

[brianritchie]

This is UofM's latest entry requirements:
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The following statistics on the admitted Freshmen class of 2004 may provide you with some helpful guidelines. Please note: due to the comprehensive review process that each application undergoes there is no guarantee of admission, even if these guidelines are met. Information on High School Grade Point Averages (calculated using unweighted grades on a 4.0 scale, and only academic courses taken in grades 10th and 11th):

* U of M freshmen with a 4.00: 21.7%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.90 or higher: 42.4%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.70 or higher: 57.3%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.50 or higher: 85.8%

Middle 50th percentile of the class

* High School GPA of 3.6-3.9 (determined by recalculation following the above stated guidelines)
* ACT Composite of 26-30
* SAT I Total of 1230-1390

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Incoming Freshmen must meet the requirements subscribed to by the state universities of Michigan:

English - four years

Mathematics - three years (four years is strongly recommended)

Biological/Physical Sciences- three years (four years is strongly recommended)

History and Social Sciences - three years.

Applicants entering the College of Literature, Science and Arts in the Fall of 2005 will be required to have completed two years of a (single) language study.

You can get more information here : http://umich.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/umich.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php

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The Department which you will be applying to will be the Mathematics Dept. in the Literature, Science and Arts School and I have to say that our Math Department ranks one of the most prestigious among the nation, so I would definitelty urge you to join our Actuarial Math program.

Please feel free to ask me anything you need to know about the school or the program and I will be more than happy to help and guide you.

[Ken]

The profs at U Michigan are easy to talk to. Many of the students, although I didn't, get summer internships and many companies come recruit. I like the school and would vouch for it also. If I had gotten into Wharton with a good scholarship, I probably would have chose that though. If you're not tied to the US, Waterloo has an excellent program.

[Trojan_Horse]

Chech out University of Central Florida, www.ucf.edu. It has everything you're looking for AND it's in Florida. http://www.cas.ucf.edu/statistics

[nyczno0dlez]

This is UofM's latest entry requirements:
------------------------------------------------------------
The following statistics on the admitted Freshmen class of 2004 may provide you with some helpful guidelines. Please note: due to the comprehensive review process that each application undergoes there is no guarantee of admission, even if these guidelines are met. Information on High School Grade Point Averages (calculated using unweighted grades on a 4.0 scale, and only academic courses taken in grades 10th and 11th):

* U of M freshmen with a 4.00: 21.7%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.90 or higher: 42.4%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.70 or higher: 57.3%
* U of M freshmen with a 3.50 or higher: 85.8%

Middle 50th percentile of the class

* High School GPA of 3.6-3.9 (determined by recalculation following the above stated guidelines)
* ACT Composite of 26-30
* SAT I Total of 1230-1390

------
Incoming Freshmen must meet the requirements subscribed to by the state universities of Michigan:

English - four years

Mathematics - three years (four years is strongly recommended)

Biological/Physical Sciences- three years (four years is strongly recommended)

History and Social Sciences - three years.

Applicants entering the College of Literature, Science and Arts in the Fall of 2005 will be required to have completed two years of a (single) language study.

You can get more information here : http://umich.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/umich.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php

-----------------------------------

The Department which you will be applying to will be the Mathematics Dept. in the Literature, Science and Arts School and I have to say that our Math Department ranks one of the most prestigious among the nation, so I would definitelty urge you to join our Actuarial Math program.

Please feel free to ask me anything you need to know about the school or the program and I will be more than happy to help and guide you.



The standards are pretty ok.
Right now I'm a sophomore going to junior year in h.s. My GPA was a 3.78, and I recently took a SATI practice test in my prep school with 550 on verbal and 700 (embarrassed) on math. i took the new writing part and got 680 +. and I'm also trying to score higher at this time. Wonder if I can get in?
I really appreciated all your infos, and Thanks! =D

[Ken]

I don't know how to say whether it's easy to get into or not. Most people who get into college will tell you it's not hard to get into. For me, I thought getting into U Michigan was pretty easy. I went to a high school near Ann Arbor, and I know many people with what I would consider substandard qualifications that got into this school. Honestly, I don't think it matters too much where you go for undergrad. If I had to pay out of state tuition, there are many other schools which I would have chose over Michigan.