1. International Student Meeting
09/05/2018
Penn State Actuarial Science Club

2. Agenda Big Picture General Resources How to Enrich Resume
Education/Exams
Activities/Leadership
Related Work Experience
Skills
Graduate School
Visa Issues

3. Name
Company/Program
Location
Max Guo
AIG
New York, NY
Tong Guo
PwC
Jiaxin Liang
Falls Lake Insurance
Raleigh, NC
Ying Shi
Phoenix
Hartford, CT
Eyan Su
Wakely Consulting
Clearwater, FL
Cathy Wang
Willis Towers Watson
Washington, DC
Mckayla Yang
BC/BS of Western NY
Buffalo, NY
Zekun Zhang
Excellus BC/BS
Syracuse, NY
Mavis Zhao
Neptune, NJ
Byung Kyu Choi
Masters in Applied Statistics (MAS)
State College, PA

4. Big Picture U.S. Pros : #1 job & STEM (RM students change CIP code)
Cons : Sponsorship & Supply > Demand
China
Pros : Increasing Opportunity
Cons : Higher Degree Preferred
Canada / Singapore / Hong Kong / UK

5. General Resources PSU Resources Outside Resources Smeal Resource
BA297A (Recommended for Sophomores)
Eberly Resource
Bank of America career center
Outside Resources
LinkedIn, Glassdoor…

6. Education GPA (cumulative & major) Major / Minor Actuarial Exams
How to prepare?
Timeline
Important to pass Exam P & FM in Sophomore year
3/4 exams to get Full-Time Job (preferably with internship experiences)

7. Transition

8. RM 214 and Math/Stat 414 P exam ( Jan./March/May/July/Sept./Nov.)
COURSES / EXAMS / VEES
RM 214 and Math/Stat P exam ( Jan./March/May/July/Sept./Nov.)
RM FM exam ( Feb./April/June/Aug./Oct./Dec.)
RM IFM exam ( March/July/Nov.)
RM 411 & LTAM (Exam: Friday, October 26, 2018; Deadline: Monday, September 24, 2018)
RM STAM exam (Feb./June/Oct.)
STAT 462 & SRM exam (Sept.) Registration deadline: 7/31
STAT PA exam ( Exam: Dec.13; Deadline: Nov.20)
VEE Economics: ECON 102/104 (at least B-)
VEE Mathematical Statistics : STAT 415 (also helps RM 412)
VEE Accounting and Finance : ACCT 211 and FIN 301
Registration closes at midnight U.S. Central Time

9. Activities/Leadership
Never too late to start
PSU resources:
Be confident and find you passion
Develop leadership roles
Clubs
Volunteer

10. Related Work Experience
One is better than nothing
What recruiters are looking for:
Communication
Teamwork
Ability to learn

11. Skills Communication skills Interviews, emails, daily conservations
Software
Excel
VBA
SAS
R Connor Grabowsk or Nathan Putt
Python
SQL
Learning Platforms: Lynda/Datacamp/Coursera/University Online Courses

12. Graduate School Why is it a good option?
How to prepare for the application?
(GPA/Activities/Experience/Recommendation letter)
Penn State Masters in Applied Statistics Program (M.A.S.)

13. Visa Issues For interns —CPT(Curricular Practical Training)
Eligibility (a full-time basis for one academic year)
Need to take RM395/SC294/STAT496
For Full Time jobs
—OPT(Optional Practical Training)
usually 12 months, STEM 24 months more
An additional year of OPT at each higher degree level (i.e. Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD.)
No job offer needed
—H1B Visa

14. Professor’s Advice Zhongyi Yuan, PhD & ASA
Teaches RM 410 (Financial Math) in Fall
Teaches RM 420 (SRM Exam = P&C and Health) in Spring

15. Points System Need to maintain student involvement and accountability
Any academic/professional event counts as 1 point
Must receive 2 points before career fair
Must receive 5 total points throughout year
Consequences: Inclusion in resume book (starting in October)
Rewards:
Special recognition in resume book for 10+ points
Additional networking benefits in Fall 2019 for 15+ points
Sign in at all events!

16. Actuarial Science Career Fair
Monday 9/17/18 from 5 to 8 PM in Atrium
Over 30 companies
Great place to find Internships
1st yr students can get internships if have exam or very good in Math
To attend:
Be in good standing with the actuarial science club (at least 2 events attended)
Must do Mock Interview & meet with Mentor for course/exam advice
GPA > 3.20, or A’s in Calculus, or Exam Passed
Pay Club Dues
Some firms (like MetLife and AXA) don’t attend Career Fairs
So apply on their websites
Grace McStravock

17. Q & A
Thanks for coming!

18. Faculty Steve Putterman, FSA
SVP at Prudential and VP at Sun Life, Aetna, and Phoenix - Insurance and Annuity Divisions
Teaches RM 412 (Pricing Life Insurance) & RM 214 (Probability) & RM 494H (Honors Course) in Fall
Teaches RM 410 (Financial Math) & RM 214 (Probability) & RM 494H (Honors Course) in Spring
Zhongyi Yuan, PhD & ASA
Teaches RM 410 (Financial Math) in Fall
Teaches RM 420 (STAM Exam: P&C Insurance)in Spring
Nan Zhu, PhD & FSA
Teaches RM 415 (Pricing Derivatives) in Spring
Teaches RM 411 (Pricing Life Insurance) in Spring
Ron Gebhardtsbauer, FSA
Worked in Insurance, Pensions, American Academy of Actuaries, Congress
Teaches RM 415 (Pricing Derivatives) in Fall
Lisa Weaver, LLD
Retirement Consultant, Teaches RM 401 (Pensions) each Spring
Lisa Posey, PhD & Dave Cather, PhD
Teach insurance and Risk Management
Steve

19. DUES ARE $20
Pay Officer in Cash

20. RM Major - Actuarial Option with Stat MinorYr
Fall
Spring
1st
MATH 141§* (Calc II) – take CALC in summer if don’t place out
ECON 102§ (Micro) VEE (B- or better or AP 4/5)
ENGL 015/030§ (English Comp)
PSU 006 First Year Seminar
Foreign Language
MATH 231§* (Calc III)
SCM 200§ or STAT 200§ (Statistics)
ACCTG 211§ (FIN 301 Pre-req) VEE
MGMT 301§* (Management)
2nd
STAT 414* (Probability Theory) P Exam in Jan
RM 214 (Review of Probability Theory) Excel
FIN 301§ (Finance) VEE
MKTG 301§ (Marketing)
Foreign Language & MATH 220 (Matrices) helps in 412/415
RM 410* (Financial Math) Excel; FM Exam in June
HPA 057 (good GHA course)
CAS 100 (Effective Speech)
STAT 415# (Math Stat) VEE helps LTAM VEE
ECON 104 (Macro) VEE
3rd
RM 415 (Derivatives Markets) VBA; IFM in late November
RM 320W (Insurance and Writing)
BA 342 (Business Ethics)
MIS 204 (Business Info Systems) Excel
STAT 440# (Computational Stat) helps on PA Exam and a Gen Ed
RM 411* (Life Contingencies) VBA; helps pass LTAM
STAT 483# (better SAS class) or STAT 480/481/482 sequentially
BLAW 341 (Business Law)
ENGL 202D (Business Writing)
2 Gen Eds
4th
RM 412* (Life Contingencies); LTAM Exam in late October
STAT 462# (Regression Analysis) R for SRM and S exams
RM 430 (Life & Health Insurance)
BA 411 (Analyzing Business and Industry) and 2 Gen Eds
RM 420* (P&C/Health) Stat allows as substitute or RM 401*(Pensions)
Take STAM Exam in June or CAS S Exam in Oct
STAT 463# (Applied Time Series) R for SRM and S exams
3 Gen Eds
*C or better required.
If C’s, consider other degree
# for Stat minor
§ To Enter Major
Mostly skip
SEE SCHEDULING NOTES FOR IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

21. Math Major - Actuarial Option with Stat MinorYr
Fall
Spring
1st
MATH 141§* (Calc II) – take MATH 140 in summer if don’t place out
STAT 200 (Statistics)
ENGL 015
ECON 102 (Micro) VEE (B- or better or AP 4/5)
First Year Seminar
MATH 230* (Calc III)
MATH 220 (Matrices) helps 412/415/LTAM
ECON 104 (Macro) VEE
ACCTG 211 (FIN 301 Pre-Req) VEE
CAS 100 (Effective Speech)
2nd
STAT 414* (Probability Theory)
RM 214 Excel; P Exam in Jan
MATH 311W* (Discrete Math)
FIN 301 (Corp Finance) VEE
CMPSC 121 (Structured Computer Programming)
RM 410* (Financial Math) Excel; FM Exam in June
MATH 312* (Real Analysis)
MATH 251 (Ordinary & Partial Differential Equations)
STAT 415# (Mathematical Statistics) helps 412/415/S VEE
HPA 057 (good GHA course)
3rd
RM 415 (Derivatives Markets) VBA; IFM in late November
RM 302 (Risk and Insurance)
MATH 484 (Linear Programming)
STAT 416# (Stochastic processes)
RM 411* (Life Contingencies) VBA
STAT 483# (better SAS class)
MATH 451 (Numerical Computation) or MATH 486 (Game Theory)
ENGL 202C (Business Writing)
4th
RM 412* (Life Contingencies) LTAM Exam in late October
STAT 462# (Regression Analysis) R helps on SRM Exam
IE 425 (Operations Research)
RM 420* (P&C/Health) -take STAM Exam in June or CAS S Exam Oct
STAT 463# (Applied Time Series) R helps on SRM Exam
Also add Gen Ed’s where appropriate
*C or better required.
If C’s consider other degree
# for Stat minor
§ To Enter Major
Mostly skip
SEE SCHEDULING NOTES FOR IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

22. Stat Major - Actuarial OptionYr
Fall
Spring
1st
MATH 141§* (Calc II) – take MATH 140 in summer if don’t place out
STAT 200 (Statistics)
ECON 102 (Micro) VEE (B- or better or AP 4/5)
Stat 184 (Intro to R)
First Year Seminar
MATH 230* (Calc III)
ACCTG 211 (FIN 301 Pre-Req) VEE
ECON 104 (Macro) VEE
CAS 100 (Effective Speech)
2nd
STAT 414* (Probability Theory)
RM 214 Excel; P Exam in Jan
FIN 301 (Corp Finance) VEE
CMPSC 121 (Structured Computer Programming)
RM 410* (Financial Math) Excel; FM Exam in June
MATH 220 (Matrices) helps in 412/415/LTAM
STAT 461 (Analysis of Variance)
ENGL 202C
STAT 380 (Data Science thru Statistical Reasoning & Computation)
3rd
RM 415 (Derivatives Markets) VBA; IFM in late November
RM 302 (Risk and Insurance)
STAT 415 (Math Stat) helps on S/LTAM VEE
STAT 464/466 (Nonparametric Statistics/Survey Sampling)
RM 411* (Life Contingencies) VBA
STAT 440 (Computational Stat) helps on PA Exam
STAT 462 (Regression Analysis) R helps on SRM Exam
HPA 057 (good GHA course)
4th
RM 412* (Life Contingencies) LTAM Exam in late October
STAT 483 (better SAS class)
STAT 463 (Applied Time Series) R helps on SRM Exam
STAT 440 (Computational Statistics) helps on PA Exam
RM 420* (P&C/Health) can sub for 400-level Stat elective
Take STAM Exam in June or CAS S Exam in Oct
STAT 470W (Statistical Problem Solving)
Also add Gen Ed’s where appropriate
*C or better required.
If C’s consider other degree
§ To Enter Major
Mostly skip
SEE SCHEDULING NOTES FOR IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION