BAFS, FSAI, FIA
It has been 3 years since I graduated from the Batchelor of Actuarial and Financial Studies (BAFS) course at UCD and I still look back on those 4 years in UCD as the best days of my life. The best thing about studying at UCD is the atmosphere the university has.
Some would think that being the largest university in Ireland means that there is a feeling of anonymity within it.However, by the end of my first year, which I was lucky enough to spend in campus accommodation, I had made countless friends both in my degree and in other areas. This was important to me since all of my friends had gone together to Belfast and I had come to Dublin from Newry on my own.
The BAFS classes at UCD are small classes of around 35 people from all over Ireland. My class was a tight knit group; together we braved the tough exams and helped each other work hard and play hard. These people, who are now colleagues and peers within the profession, are to this day some of my closest friends.
The BAFS degree at UCD is undoubtedly the best Actuarial course Ireland currently has to offer. It is the longest established and most highly regarded course by the profession and the one which requires the highest points to get into. Looking back I can see that were it not for the BAFS course at UCD I would not be where I am today.
The valuable actuarial technical knowledge as well as some other more practical courses and the 6-8 months work placement that is an obligatory part of 3rd year ensured that by the time I had graduated I was in a prime position to take on the role of a Trainee Actuary at my current employer. I qualified recently as an actuary after sitting the professional exams that the UK Institute of Actuaries offers.
My employer, as all Actuarial Trainee employers, provided great support throughout the months where studying and working full time go hand in hand. Throughout the two and a half years it took me to qualify I was able to use the knowledge acquired at UCD and build on it.
My role is within the pricing and risk management areas and this sometimes feeds through into the valuation area. My job has proved to be extremely interesting. I work as part of a small team so I have had a very varied work experience and some extremely challenging periods whereby I was given a lot of responsibility and simultaneously learnt a lot.
Working in a reinsurance company means that something different happens every day and my actuarial colleagues and I are constantly challenged by new and different concepts.
UCD should be proud of the School of Mathematical Sciences and the people the BAFS course produces year after year which are highly sought after by Actuarial employers. On the other hand, I know that I have a lot to thank UCD for and continue to maintain close ties with the college and the BAFS class of 2006.
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