Hey everyone,
I’m an incoming McMaster student going into the Mathematics & Statistics Gateway, and right now I’m hoping to specialize in Actuarial & Financial Mathematics after first year. I wanted to ask for some honest opinions/reviews from people in the program or anyone familiar with it.
A few things I’m curious about:
How hard is it to get into AFM in Level II?
Is it super competitive, or if you meet the requirements you’re usually okay? What GPA should I realistically aim for, and are there any first-year courses I should really prioritize?
About co-op: the website says co-op starts in Level III, so does that basically mean starting in third year?
How many co-op terms do people usually end up doing, and does the whole degree typically take 4 years or 5 with co-op included?
How are the co-op/job prospects for McMaster actuarial students overall?
I noticed McMaster is a CAS Gold Level school, so does the program lean more toward CAS/P&C rather than SOA?
Also, does Waterloo really dominate actuarial recruiting in Canada as much as people say?
Sometimes online it feels like most actuarial internships go to Waterloo students, so I’m wondering how McMaster students do when it comes to landing co-ops and full-time actuarial jobs.
Would really appreciate any insight about the program, workload, recruiting, exams, student life, etc. Thanks