I entered WVU Fall 2014 as a math major with aspirations to become an actuary. I was first introduced to actuarial science by my advisor Dr. David Miller, who connected me to Dr. Yang. Dr. Yang had a past career in the field and was very passionate about seeing her students succeed.
During my sophomore year I signed up for a probability class, taught by Dr. Yang that prepared students for exam P. Deciding to take the step to sign up my first exam was nerve wrecking for me due to the low pass rates. Dr. Yang always said, “If you put in the work to pass, you will pass”, and this has stuck with me since.
The actuarial science program is a good support system for students that aspire to become an actuary. It connects you with other students that are taking exams. I thought of it as a big support system, that wants to see everyone succeed. We were notified of actuarial career fairs and had established actuaries present to the program about “a typical day” working as actuary. Learning about the ASNY (Actuarial Society of Greater NY) career fair connected me to a recruiter where I landed my first internship. I found that having a study buddy, or even getting advice from someone who has already passed is helpful.