| Six months ago, Gopi Shah graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
where she earned a dual major in mathematics and actuarial science
and a minor in economics. Attracted by a high worker retention rate,
Shah contacted Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company via the
world-wide-web. Due to UNL’s strong actuarial science program,
consulting firms and insurance companies heavily recruit the university’s
students. The next day, a Northwestern actuary replied to Shah’s
inquiry. After a summer visiting her parents’ native India,
Shah returned to the United States and a new job in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
At Northwestern Mutual, Shah’s immediate responsibilities
involve preparing settlement calculations for policyholders and
attorneys. She also develops mathematical models measuring product
profitability. After a year in this department, the company’s
rotation policy will allow Shah to experience other aspects of the
company’s business. Shah welcomes the various perspectives
the rotation system will provide.
Northwestern Mutual also promised a positive environment for Shah’s
efforts to pass her actuarial exams. In order to be certified as
an actuary, Shah must pass eight exams testing her knowledge of
mathematical and business principles. On some of the exams, the
majority of students fail to answer even half of the questions correctly.
During the examination season, Northwestern Mutual allows Shah to
apply two hours of her workday toward exam preparation. Shah hopes
to finish the testing sequence within the next two years.
Shah has already noticed the need to adjust from an academic to
a corporate climate. As a new employee, Shah acknowledges anxiety
about understanding the business hierarchy and the general expectations
of the company. However, two college internship experiences eased
Shah’s transition. The internships at Allstate and Hewitt
Associates helped her distinguish between the “theoretical
aspects of actuarial science and the practical applications”
which interest businesses.
Given her interest in theoretical exploration, Shah ponders graduate
school, possibly in economics. While writing her honors thesis,
Shah integrated her interest in economics with mathematics and actuarial
work. The thesis related utility theory, an aspect of economics
that attempts to measure human happiness, to retirement options.
Shah used MAPLE, the mathematics computer program, to test the validity
of her theories. Shah also mentioned mathematics, finance, or financial
engineering as possible subjects for future academic study--all
doors opened by her actuarial background.
In addition to providing academic stimuli, UNL gave Shah a community
for personal growth. Shah mentioned her involvement in Pi Mu Epsilon,
the mathematics honorary, and the Actuarial Science Club as developing
her organizational and leadership skills. She also referred to her
four years living in the UNL honors dorm, Neihardt Residence Hall,
as significantly shaping her college experience. |
