Actuarial Personal Statement

I believe in leading an enriching and challenging life, since one has only one chance to live, and yearn for changes and new experiences in my life. With this undying passion for continual improvement and enrichment, I chose to study abroad. The thought of studying in the UK excites me as I find the rich culture and history captivating, and so, I applied to study in the UK. I do not foresee a problem with language as I receive education with the English language as the medium, and I have passed the GCE O? level English examination.

I choose to study Actuarial Science as I plan and desire to be an actuary. Furthermore, I believe that I can excel in this area of studies as well as in this profession. Mathematics has always been one of my strongest and favourite subjects, and I have attained consistent good results in mathematics. In addition, the mathematics project, which my teammate and I worked on, has been awarded with the Platinum award by our college, a highest attainable and newly included award to complement us for the excellent project and the tremendous effort we had put in.

Other than academic studies, I play sports like soccer, basketball and badminton. I have an interest in cycling as well. I have represented all the schools I have attended in national badminton competitions. The best result my team has achieved is the championship trophy we fought hard for and won in the year 1999 when I was the captain of the C? division badminton team (consists secondary one and two students) in my secondary school. According to Vernon Law, ?Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.? I held leadership positions in my secondary school and junior college, and these opportunities to lead has provided me with invaluable lessons on leadership and communication skills. I have certainly learnt a great deal on effective communication within my team and with the teacher-in-charge. The organisation of several school events that I was involved in my secondary school have taught me the importance of teamwork, the process of decision making and the skills of listening to and the expression of ideas.

According to Allan D. Gilmour, ?We all need to believe in what we are doing. Therefore, I believe that I have made the right decision to study in the UK and to study Actuarial Science. I look forward to experiencing a different lifestyle, culture and environment.

My aptitude towards mathematics aroused because of its simplicity, that as long as you follow the right steps in a systematic order, you will reach the correct answer. At the same time, the challenge which it provides, with its complex yet logical questions, makes it highly addictive for me. My obsession with numbers remained limited to writing pads, until I read about John Nash, the American mathematician, who invented his famous Nash Equilibria, a very integral part of economic and financial systems across the world. It is from this point on I became increasingly fascinated by how numbers can directly or indirectly affect humans, and, for this reason, I wish to pursue a career in Actuarial Sciences.

I gathered quite a lot of knowledge about the insurance sector and how actuaries are linked to this field while I worked as a Trainee in a large insurance company, ALICO, a member of AIG. I worked under the supervision of an Executive Insurance Consultant, where I was introduced to several work aspects of the organization. Reviewing various insurance policies, and being given an insight into how they came into being, not only fascinated me, but made my determination to pursue this career even stronger. I was frequently taken out to meet different clients, observing how questions, queries, and uncertainties were tackled. This taught me a lot about the professional life, work ethics, and most importantly, how committed and consistent