totally lost, student from singapore!

[zhiyi]

hello, i am a student from singapore. i've just graduated from my high school and took my A-levels and i m now thinkin of which university i should go for. i m very interested in being an actuary but i have no idea which are the good universities that offer undergrads actuarial science.

could anyone here enlighten me and help answer these few questions? thank you.

1. Is US the best country to study actuarial science, considering future employment and salary? (this is what i heard in Singapore)

2. Which are the good universities in US that offer actuarial science? (good in the sense that most students pass the exams and pls do rank them)

3. Is there any prerequisites or requirements to study actuarial science?

4. Any book recommendations or related material for me to self-study in the mean time before i get into university? (i have at least 8 months to study)




I'm very interested in maths and it's the only subject that i can sit down and spend my whole day solvin questions. basically, i enjoy maths but i totally have no idea of how actuarial science will be like. i m not scared to study very hard but fail the exams, as long as i enjoy it. but i m worried that i m choosing the wrong major, which i have no interest in it at all. wat more, if i come all the way from singapore to the US but in the end i realise actuarial science is not the "thing" i want, i ll regret for life.

can anyone here give me some advices? your kindness is much appreciated.

thank you.

zhiyi.

[graupner]

hello, i am a student from singapore. i've just graduated from my high school and took my A-levels and i m now thinkin of which university i should go for. i m very interested in being an actuary but i have no idea which are the good universities that offer undergrads actuarial science.

could anyone here enlighten me and help answer these few questions? thank you.

1. Is US the best country to study actuarial science, considering future employment and salary? (this is what i heard in Singapore)

2. Which are the good universities in US that offer actuarial science? (good in the sense that most students pass the exams and pls do rank them)

3. Is there any prerequisites or requirements to study actuarial science?

4. Any book recommendations or related material for me to self-study in the mean time before i get into university? (i have at least 8 months to study)




I'm very interested in maths and it's the only subject that i can sit down and spend my whole day solvin questions. basically, i enjoy maths but i totally have no idea of how actuarial science will be like. i m not scared to study very hard but fail the exams, as long as i enjoy it. but i m worried that i m choosing the wrong major, which i have no interest in it at all. wat more, if i come all the way from singapore to the US but in the end i realise actuarial science is not the "thing" i want, i ll regret for life.

can anyone here give me some advices? your kindness is much appreciated.

thank you.

zhiyi.

Hello zhiyi,
You are really in a moment of great decision. If you like maths ( stats, calculus, probability, etc), you will probably enjoy studiying actuarial sciences.

As for the US beeing the best place, it all depends of you.
There are many countries who offer similar opportunities and will be easier to work in, will be less expensive, and will have similar/higher salaries.

For example, if you come study in Canada, your tuitition fees are much less than anything in the US, and the education is very respected and of a very high quality ( University of Toronto, where Mr Broverman is a teacher, U.o.Waterloo, Concordia, etc).

Canada is located on the border of the US and is a pretty similar country in term of economic and politic system( it is arguably more left-wing...)
The canadian job market is also booming these days, considering the economic slowdown in the US, maybe opportunities will shrink over there.
Actuaries are on a very high demand, and salaries are very competitive.

As a starting salary, you can expect salaries in the range of 50000-60000 Canadian Dollars (53000-64000 US $)
Canadian dollars are worth more than US dollars.

On average, canadian students who complete their actuarial degree have a placement rate of around 95%.
I have only completed one year and already received 3 offers!

There are also many opportunities in Europe, like in UK, Swisszerland, France, etc. But I am not familiar with these places.


You should take into consideration the quality of life of where you will live. What are you looking for? A small quiet community? A party city?

I suggest you read these:

http://www.stats.uwaterloo.ca/
http://www.mathstat.concordia.ca/
http://www.actuaries.ca/

List of canadian universities offering actuarial sciences: http://www.actuaries.ca/membership/universities_e.cfm


Wherever you choose to go, an actuarial career is going to be fun!!

[zhiyi]

Thank you for your advice!
I just read some of the links and found them very useful!
Canada seems like a good place to study after all. And the admission requirements are somewhat similar to what i've got--->A levels!

Thank you so much~ But i havent really decided where i should go yet.
Hope you will still be here answerin me when i've got doubts on actuarial-related issues.

Oh, you mentioned salary.
Is actuary's salary really THAT high? And you have already received job offer after your 1st year? How's your salary as a student now?

[graupner]

Thank you for your advice!
I just read some of the links and found them very useful!
Canada seems like a good place to study after all. And the admission requirements are somewhat similar to what i've got--->A levels!

Thank you so much~ But i havent really decided where i should go yet.
Hope you will still be here answerin me when i've got doubts on actuarial-related issues.

Oh, you mentioned salary.
Is actuary's salary really THAT high? And you have already received job offer after your 1st year? How's your salary as a student now?

As a 2nd year student, my annual salary is of 40,000 $ CDN ( almost 45,000$US). I will be starting a full-time internship in a major canadian bank in january 2008 for 4 months.

For someone who has finished his actuarial degree, and completed at least 3-4 exams, yes salaries are between 50-60 000$CDN.

I have passed only one exam and I am passing exam FM tommorow morning. Hope it goes well :coolman:

[zhiyi]

As a 2nd year student...?
Okay.. I suppose you're some brilliant student that companies usually fight for. As for me, I wouldnt have thought of getting such high salary in my 2nd year of university.

That's scary if the currency is changed into my home currency.

Anyway, hope you did well for your exams! And continue earning!!:laugh:

[graupner]

As a 2nd year student...?
Okay.. I suppose you're some brilliant student that companies usually fight for. As for me, I wouldnt have thought of getting such high salary in my 2nd year of university.

That's scary if the currency is changed into my home currency.

Anyway, hope you did well for your exams! And continue earning!!:laugh:

Hello friend,

well no don't be disapointed!! I'm not some crazy brilliant guy with A+ everywhere.
We are around 40 students in 2nd year actuarial sciences in my university, of which about 20 were offered an internship ( half of the student!)

salaries range from 35 000-45 000 ( on very rare occasions, these are the guys the companies fight for!!).

If you have good grades, (above 3.0 GPA), you can definetly consider getting a full internship with excellent salaries. My grades are good but they are not the best. My GPA is 3.3 which is ok I guess and got 3 offers!

Hope to see you in Canada soon where the employment market is really hot!
I have many friends who come from Singapore and mostly Malaysia and studying with me. I know a malaysian who is currently doing an internship for ManuLife in their Montreal office, and she really enjoys it.

[zhiyi]

hello.
so you r nt some crazy brilliant guy with A+ everywhere.

lol. hope to see you in Canada too. but which university r u studyin in?
glad to hear that there are malaysians studyin in there.

anw... sorry to trouble you again.
applying to US is easier here. the application forms, councillor's form etc can be easily found.

do you have any idea where i can find all these "forms" (if any) on the net for application to canada? i don't really have any advisor here on canadian education. thx in advance.

omg. i really feel so excited after knowing the high salary offered. thx!:laugh: