Specialist Maths for Actuarial Studies

[Ilovemathsmeth]

I have read in a booklet that Specialist Maths is not a prerequisite for Actuarial Studies. I am keen to pursue it but I do not do Specialist Maths. What kind of alternative course pathway is there for me to take and is it even possible to do it without Specialist? Your advice is appreciated!

[lacoste]

I have read in a booklet that Specialist Maths is not a prerequisite for Actuarial Studies.

Yes. Possible if you said its not a prerequiste.

Also, if you enjoy maths then that should be great for you in uni.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

I have read in a booklet that Specialist Maths is not a prerequisite for Actuarial Studies. I am keen to pursue it but I do not do Specialist Maths. What kind of alternative course pathway is there for me to take and is it even possible to do it without Specialist? Your advice is appreciated!

I believe you take some sort of bridging Maths subject if you don't do Specialist Maths, it's definitely possible to do Actuarial Studies without doing Specialist Maths in VCE

[Gloamglozer]

Yes, in the 2009 VTAC Guide, it says that a bridging course will be required if you did not do Spesh in VCE.

I was going to ask about that in the up-coming Open Day. 

[Ilovemathsmeth]

Awesome!! =D

Thanks heaps!

[Voltaire]

do spesh math if your planning on going to melb uni
if you get over 37 (i/e minimum of 38)you can go into accelarted maths, and if you get between 27 and 37 you cant skip calculus 1.
so yea its not a prerequisite but makes things easier

[Ilovemathsmeth]

Ohh but I'm in year 12, I can't change subjects at this point! I think it's the biggest mistake I made with my subjects...but whatever. At least I can do Actuarial without it.

I covered Methods in my summer holidays of year 10, reckon I could cover the Spesh course over a summer?

[zzdfa]

yes, you have around 4 months = 16 weeks > 1 chapter a week

+ you obviously know the basics (methods) well

[AppleXY]

but the thing I don't get is that spec math is more suited to engineers than actuaries :S

I mean statics,dynamics and vectors (ok vectors may be useful lol) are completely useless in business, really.

[zzdfa]

sure spesh it's more suited to engineers, but the other stuff you learn is still useful;dynamics/statics are only a small part of the spesh course
also the reasoning, problem solving abilities blah blah blah that you get by doing spesh are good.

then again everything you learn in high school you will relearn in uni, I guess they just want to make sure you can keep up (i.e. if you can't get >37 in spesh you won't succeed in acc maths 1/2).
You could probably talk to someone at UoM and ask them if you would be able to get into acc maths 1/2 without spesh, I think they would let you with your methods score.

i am just curious, why did you not do spesh if you love maths so much?

[mark_alec]

It would be difficult to get into the accelerated maths stream without specialist maths. You may be able to take an ability test, but if you don't know calculus and vectors from the spec course, I doubt you could do well.

[monokekie]

oh with regard to the >37 spesh score, is it scaled or raw? lol

[danieltennis]

oh with regard to the >37 spesh score, is it scaled or raw? lol

37 raw

[monokekie]

arhok tkx

[Gloamglozer]

Here's a handout I grabbed from Open Day yesterday.  It's double sided: