Erin Moffitt graduated from Ohio State Undergrad in 2025. She graduated with a major in Actuarial Science and completed minors in French and Classical Humanities. She currently works for New York Life as an Actuarial Assistant. Previously, she has interned at Milliman and Erie Insurance. Feel free to contact her at 813-777-9140. 

How did you first become interested in actuarial science?

I became interested in actuarial science after taking AP Statistics and AP Macro/Microeconomics in high school. My dad works in insurance and told me about the actuarial career, and the major combines a lot of fields of study that I am interested in.

How did Ohio State's program stand out to you?

Ohio State's program prepares students very well for the exams and the real-life work. I appreciate that Ohio State has courses dedicated to teaching us the content for the exams, and the other requirements of the major have all been beneficial in my actuarial work.

What do you love most about Ohio State?

I love the culture of Ohio State. I was raised as a Buckeye, and I wanted to go to a school where people truly love their university and feel a connection to it after graduation. Even though my grandparents and family members graduated decades ago, they still speak highly of their time in university and are Buckeyes for life, and I am honored to join them as a Buckeye alum.

What did you think about the faculty in the program?

The faculty are nothing short of amazing. They were exceedingly helpful and kind, and I was always able to ask questions. They truly care about the education of the students.

How were your interactions with other students in the program?

I am so grateful for my friends in actuarial science. The major is very small, so I took the same courses as my fellow actuarial science majors for almost all of college. It was so nice to have a community of students with me as we navigated taking the actuarial exams, searching for internships and jobs, and studying for our major courses.

What role did OSU's program play in tackling the SOA or CAS exams?

OSU's program was very helpful. The faculty have done a great job staying up to date with the changes in exams, and the courses all had very relevant information for the SOA exams.

Is there anything about actuarial science that might surprise someone new to the field?

I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about actuarial science. Firstly, actuaries have a reputation for being introverted and nerdy. We are definitely nerdy, but most people I have met are very kind and sociable. Also, while there is a lot of math involved, all of the math has very real applications. It makes it a lot easier to learn and understand because you constantly see examples and know that your coursework directly correlates to your job. I was surprised when I learned how much coding is involved as well. Coding is very useful to the work of an actuary, so if you're interested in math and computer science, this could be the career for you.

What advice do you have for current and future students?

My number one piece of advice is to go to office hours and utilize your resources. It is so helpful to be able to ask questions with your professors instead of struggling on your own. Also, try to stay calm when seeing difficult content. I always felt overwhelmed at the start of the semester looking at new material, but it will eventually click. Everyone that has taken an actuarial exam will tell you that they are tricky and require lots of studying, and with that comes a lot of mistakes. Making errors is inevitable, but the key is learning to keep going and trust that you will learn from your mistakes.