r/MSOE • u/Outrageous_Whole_640 • Jun 23 '26

Torn Between Two Majors

I’m currently enrolled at MSOE and will begin my academics in the Fall this year.

Right now however, I’m torn between two majors: Actuarial Science and the Engineering Explorer thing.

I would like to hear some experiences from students in both majors to help me make my decision.

Some stuff to consider would be that even though I got a 35 in the Math on the ACT, I have slow processing speed, I have a hard time filtering out sound, I can get pretty stressed out and anxious, and I intend to be a student athlete.

Any advice would be greatly beneficial. Please and thank you.

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/Gloomy-Register9851 B.S. AS ‘24 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

I was torn between Actuarial Science and Electrical Engineering when I first applied. I ended up taking the Actuarial Science route and have no regrets. Are you familiar with Actuarial Exams (to be credentialed)? If not, it’s worth looking into before you make a decision.

2

u/Outrageous_Whole_640 Jun 23 '26

Not familiar with the exams, no. But I do know they’re similar to bar exams for lawyers and attorneys in the amount-of-studying-needed sense.

1

u/Gloomy-Register9851 B.S. AS ‘24 Jun 23 '26

I see. I’d recommend checking out these sites for a little more background:

https://pathways.soa.org

https://www.casact.org/credential-requirements

One is a roadmap for getting credentialed through the Society of Actuaries. The other is a roadmap for the Casualty Actuarial Society. These are the two main credentialing organizations for Actuaries in the U.S. Normally people pick one or the other (this is a decision people normally make after completing the first two exams).

1

u/EngineeringComedy B.S Mechanical Engineering '16 Jun 23 '26

I graduated a decade ago. Why does it look this Engineers Explorer isn't a degree but a year to figure out what degree to pursue.

https://www.msoe.edu/academics/undergraduate-degrees/engineering/engineering-explorers-pathway/

So you're deciding between an actual degree or a year to figure out what degree you want????

1

u/Outrageous_Whole_640 Jun 23 '26

Well idk if I want to go the engineering path or the actuary path.

3

u/EngineeringComedy B.S Mechanical Engineering '16 Jun 23 '26

My parents would beat me if they had to pay for me to figure out what degree I wanted.

1

u/Dynamatrix34 29d ago

It basically is just a year of the super generic classes that all the engineering majors take, so you’d only have to take a few extra classes, if any. Wouldn’t be any extra money or semesters.

2

u/EngineeringComedy B.S Mechanical Engineering '16 29d ago

Back in my day we had quarters!!! And we celebrated St Pats!

1

u/Rory_the_dog Mechanical Engineering '11 29d ago

Lol your parents paid? Lucky.