What do Drake actuarial students typically do during the summer?
The most productive summer activity is to work as an intern with an actuarial (or related) employer. Ideally, our four-year students would have their first internship after their sophomore year, and have a second internship after their junior year. It is preferable that these two internships be with different companies (and perhaps even in different locations) so that the student can get a better sense of what fits best for them when applying for full-time jobs. Although 1st-year students do not normally get summer actuarial internships, this does happen occasionally, so don’t be afraid to apply. Other summer activities might include taking classes at Drake; even though no actuarial classes are offered over the summer, many students use this time to help satisfy various distributional requirements (core business classes or AOIs). Finally, now that most preliminary actuarial exams are offered year-round, summer is a great time to study for and/or take these exams.
