Campus Club ambassador Iris shares how morning study sessions, consistent routines, and intentional career exploration help aspiring actuaries balance exams, coursework, and internship prep.
One of the biggest challenges as an aspiring actuary is learning how to manage your time intentionally. Between coursework, exam preparation, recruiting events, and personal commitments, structure becomes your greatest advantage.
Build a Study Routine That Sticks
For exam preparation, studying in the morning can be a game changer. Your mind is fresh, distractions are minimal, and it sets a productive tone for the rest of the day.
Even one focused hour before classes adds up significantly over time. Creating a consistent routine, with the same place and the same time each day, reduces procrastination and builds discipline.
Even one focused hour before classes adds up significantly over time.
It’s also helpful to treat exam studying as a non-negotiable commitment. Block it into your calendar like a class. Some students prefer maintaining steady study hours during the semester, while others intentionally use academic breaks to focus more intensely on exams.
If your course load is heavy, studying over winter or summer break can reduce stress and improve retention. The key is planning ahead rather than fitting studying into leftover time.
The key is planning ahead rather than fitting studying into leftover time.
Prepare for Internships Beyond Your Resume
When preparing for internships or interviews, go beyond updating your resume. Attend information sessions and workshops related to your areas of interest.
These events expose you to different sectors, such as insurance, consulting, healthcare, and pensions, and help you better understand where you might thrive.
Conversations are equally important. Speaking with actuaries in different practice areas can clarify what day-to-day work looks like and help narrow your interests. Informational interviews also make you more confident and authentic during formal interviews.
Informational interviews also make you more confident and authentic during formal interviews.
Consistency Leads to Success
The actuarial journey is demanding, but success comes from consistent habits, intentional exploration, and proactive preparation.
About the Author
Iris is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying ACMS and sociology. She gained applied actuarial experience as an actuarial researcher with The Data Mine at Purdue University in partnership with Elevance Health, where she analyzed large-scale healthcare claims data in Python to identify inefficiencies and support cost-saving strategies. She also served as a research intern for the Rare Disease Mapping Project (ACMS SURP), using R to clean and structure datasets, build distance matrices, and visualize disease relationships. As a DataFest participant with the American Statistical Association, she helped analyze a 1,300+ variable dataset and translate the findings into actionable insights. Iris is also involved in the Kellogg Developing Researchers program and conducts anthropology research on global education. In her free time, she enjoys yoga and hiking, and she’s excited to contribute to Campus Club this year.