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Reply With QuoteHi,
Good to see a long-timer lurker post. You need to take that GMAT, how are you doing on the practice tests?
:-),
-me
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Hello Everyone,
I'm planning to apply for fall 2014 admission (have a work committment i want to see through to the end). Below is my profile and I would like feedback on whehter I'd be eligible for top 20 and what I can do to strengthen my profile. Many Thanks!
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Double major actuarial math and econ from northeast business school
Undergrad GPA: 3.57
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: planning to take them in the fall
Math Courses: Calc 1-3 (A), Actuarial Stats 1-3 (A), Advanced Probability (A-), Actuarial Models 1-2 (A-), Interest Theory (A), Linear Algebra (C+); Software Applications in Math (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A-), Money and Banking (B+), Econometrics (A), Labor Econ (A), Industrial Organization 1-2 (A-), Economic Development (A-)
Other Courses: Investments (B+), Pension Fundamentals (A), Operations Management (B+), Org Behavior (B+), Marketing (B), Business Policy (A), Business Legal (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: Economics professor from school and two math professors. All three have a strong knowledge of my capabilities
Research Experience: Only undergraduate research required for coursework
Teaching Experience: Very limited. Tutoring and training in work setting.
Research Interests: Financial Economics, Financial Engineering, Macro, Capital Markets, Portfolio Management
SOP: Standard
Other: I am a fellow of the society of actuaries. I passed all exams in 3 years. In the process I’ve become very strong at self study. My studies were focused on financial economics and portfolio theory (later exams are specialized).
Work Experience: I’ve worked in the actuarial field for 6 years.
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Hi,
Good to see a long-timer lurker post. You need to take that GMAT, how are you doing on the practice tests?
:-),
-me
Last edited by rsaylors; 07-29-2012 at 11:41 PM.
You can find a list of accredited programs:here Do NOT choose a "program" or "format" as these features are quite buggy. 24% don't list GMATOriginally Posted by Indus
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Thanks for the response. I had been planning on taking the GRE's since I was originally intending on applying to Econ PhD programs... I haven't started taking any practice exams. I'm really just trying to gauge where I can land and what I can do to make myself a stronger candidate.
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You may want to go through real analysis with the math; also, gaining some research experience may be a plus for both showing you know what you're getting into and gaining some LORs from people actually in the field of finance.
Your GPA is OK; but there's no way to peg a range for you without your math-percentile. It might serve you to take a practice exam and report back. That said, since your applying for fall 2014; why would you take your GRE in fall 2012, seems like something you would wan to study for up until august 2013.
You can find a list of accredited programs:here Do NOT choose a "program" or "format" as these features are quite buggy. 24% don't list GMAT
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Mr Ansom,
Why do you no longer want to work in the actuarial field? Has it become boring? I'm just curious. I, too, studied actuarial science as an undergrad and am getting an MS in industrial engineering. Nonetheless, I have still toyed with the idea of passing the first two exams this year and looking for an entry-level actuarial position, if I end up not getting a PhD in business.
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The actuarial field is still very exciting. I'm currently working in the hedging department of a life insurance company. In the last year of undergrad I flirted with the idea of getting a PhD in Econ. Actuarial exams fulfilled my desire to learn new things and be academically challenged (I'm well aware that it is a different challenge than a PhD program). I'm now at a cross roads and I must decide if I want to continue a career as an actuary or doctoral degree. Significant opportunity cost of both options...
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So for you it's mainly a tradeoff between income and academic challenge? I realize this is likely an oversimplification.
Really, I'm kind of in the same boat, although several years behind you. I plan to get married by the end of this school year (i.e. some time in May or June of 2013), so the thought of spending the first 5 years of marriage living on a PhD stipend is kind of daunting. Then again, I don't really care to be an engineer, but I would love to do research in the IE/OM/SCM field. Also, I think being an actuary would be a lot of fun/exciting/challenging, but it seems the job market is kind of dry in my area, especially for entry-levels, even more so if you don't have at least P and FM under your belt. I'm sure I could pass those pretty easily this year as I finish my MS; I took P my senior year as a graduating requirement for my program but really put no time into it, since I wasn't planning to pursue an actuarial career at that point. The material isn't all that bad (especially for FM), and I had coursework covering content up through the MLC exam.
Just curious, did you get your ASA or CERA?
Sorry, I don't mean to derail the original intention of your thread, and if you prefer, we could communicate about this through PM instead.
Thanks!
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I've actually got my FSA. I've completed all the exams required by the SOA.
Does anyone know if having my FSA will add anything to my appilcation, from an admissions stand point?
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Yes, I saw that you have your FSA, but I was curious what track you took--or was it different when you were taking the exams?
From what I've read, any industry-oriented credentials don't hold much weight for PhD admissions. Ultimately, it's not about how smart a person is, although intelligence obviously matters; rather, it's about how well-prepared and motivated a person is to do research in a particular field.
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