Personal Development: Autumn 2018

I believe that the biggest way in which I have developed myself personally in my first semester at Ohio State is by coming out of my shell to become much more social and involved. In high school, I stayed friends with many of the same people throughout all four years without ever really trying to meet anyone else. Eventually I realized that a key to being successful in the professional world is getting involved in different projects, research, and organizations, and networking to meet more people working as professional Actuaries. Going to school out of state was my way of forcing myself to make new connections and friends with a variety of people that I would have never met if I stayed close to home. Although it may have been tough in the beginning, I have made countless new friends who are not only there for me in my personal life, but can also potentially support me in school and even my career. The most helpful club that I would say I have gotten involved with is the Actuarial Science club. Each week, the club would bring in several different representatives from actuarial firms and insurance companies in the area to present about their company and offer jobs and internships. I am not quite in the position to be applying for jobs and internships just yet, but these presentations have helped give me a much better idea of what I need to do to prepare myself for a career as an Actuary. Going to school at Ohio State has definitely helped me become a more social person, which will help me in both my personal and professional life.

Autumn 2018 OSU Actuarial Reception

On Thursday September 27, 2018, I attended Ohio State’s annual autumn Actuarial Reception. My advisor and an upperclassmen I know both strongly encouraged me to go, and I myself was eager at the chance to speak to many of the leading insurance companies and Actuarial firms in the Columbus area. Although I wasn’t looking to apply for any internships quite yet, as many of the students at the reception were, I was still able to learn a lot from the conversations I had with several company representatives. A few of the major companies that I was able to talk to were Nationwide, Cigna, and State Farm. I plan to attend the Actuarial reception every fall because it was an amazing experience, and in the future I hope to use it to apply for internships. I believe that one of the keys to finding a good job in the Actuarial field is to have a good networking strategy, which means letting companies know that you would be a good candidate for an intern or an actual position. I already started to do this at the reception, which is a good start for my career as an Actuary!

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifact: First Ohio State Football Game

On September 1st, 2018, I got to attend my very first Ohio State University football game. We played against Oregon State and won 77-31. Going into the game, I really had no idea what to expect from a college football game, especially one at as big of a university as Ohio State. As I walked towards the stadium alongside thousands of other students and fans dressed from head to toe in scarlet and gray, I started to feel like I really belonged at this school. Even though I was only watching a game, I felt as if I fit right into the school community. I chanted along with the crowd of over a hundred thousand people for three hours, and by the end of it all, I felt connected to every single person in that stadium. I can already tell it’s going to be a great four years at Ohio State, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me!

About Me

Hello, my name is Alex Waters and I plan to get a major in Actuarial Science from the Ohio State University. I have always loved classes that dealt with math and science in school because I love recognizing how individual pieces all fit together to form one big picture. Problem solving is a natural thing for me, whether the problem is solving a mathematical equation or figuring out what to do in a certain situation in life. As a child, I was extremely fascinated with airplanes, and I was certain that I would grow up to be a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I found out about Actuarial Science. My aunt is an actuary, and one day while I was talking to her at a family reunion, I started to realize that with my love of math and problem solving, being an Actuary would be the perfect profession for me. Flashforward to my senior year of high school, when I had made the decision that Ohio State would be the university in which I would continue my education. I wondered whether or not I should apply to be in the STEM Scholars program. I was concerned that with the rigorous course load required for my major, I would not have the time to be involved in another program. I eventually decided that the STEM scholars program would not only look good on my resume, but it would also provide me with connections and experiences that could potentially benefit me for the rest of my life.