Student Profile: Austin McCleary ’23

Before the start of his junior year at Marietta, Austin McCleary ’23 had already passed his first Society of Actuaries Exam and was interning as a data analyst at an insurance company. “My first exam was Exam P, so taking Calculus 3, Statistics, and Probability is crucial to passing the exam. As a bonus, however, Marietta College offers an exam prep class that really helps actuarial science students specifically prepare for Exam P, which helped me refine my math skills and speed in solving problems. This, along with an online program called Coaching Actuaries, helped me pass the incredibly difficult exam.”

His internship was with Branch Insurance, working in the data analytics department. That department worked with all the other departments, including marketing, finance and actuarial science. When Austin passed Exam P while interning with Branch, he was able to take on more actuarial science projects.

“After graduation, I plan on going straight to work. For an actuary, it is important to focus on getting all 10 exams out of the way as opposed to pursuing a graduate degree. My ultimate goal is to be a fully certified actuary by the time that I am 25 working for an insurance company in Ohio.”

Austin chose to major in actuarial science because of his love for mathematics. He initially thought he would pursue engineering, but realized that he didn’t have the mechanical brain or passion for it.

“I started researching jobs for math nerds and Actuaries topped nearly every list, and for good reason. I would strongly recommend looking into actuarial science for any high schooler who has a deep interest in mathematics.”

He chose Marietta because of its small-town environment as well as the personalized learning experiences he would receive. He has a close relationship with his advisor, Professor Matt Menzel, and with Assistant Professor Holly Menzel, who helped prepare him for the first actuarial exam. He compliments the entire Math Department at Marietta for having excellent teachers who are quick to respond to questions and concerns.

“I would recommend high schoolers interested in math do two things. First, research all of your options as a math major. After such, one quickly hears about the actuarial profession and gets a general sense of what they do. Second, take a statistics/probability class at Marietta College. These classes will fulfill educational requirements for other math majors if you decide not to go the actuarial route, but they will also give you a good sense of whether or not you have the love for statistics/risk needed to be an actuary.”