Arcadia University welcomed the Philadelphia Actuaries Club for its annual Spring Event on April 14. It proved to be one of the most valuable professional development experiences of the year for the Actuarial Science students who got involved.

The Philadelphia Actuaries Club chose Arcadia as its host this spring, and the faculty made sure students took full advantage, strongly encouraging every Actuarial Science major to attend. Students who needed to work around class conflicts were accommodated so they could participate.

Students arrived at 4 p.m. for a dedicated professionalism session, which included a fascinating look at how the American Academy of Actuaries drafts and publishes Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOPs). The discussion got specific quickly. John Eisenlauer ’28 asked, “When is it better to repeal an ASOP rather than revise it?” The answer illuminated just how deliberate the process is — repeal happens only when an ASOP is no longer applicable in any practicable way. Revision is almost always the preferred path.

The session flowed into a Q&A with local actuaries, who offered candid advice on career preparation. Excel, SQL, Python, and R came up as essential tools. On AI, the message was consistent: use it as a tool, but never let it think for you. The actuaries also painted a broad picture of where the credential can take you — health insurance, life insurance, pension, casualty, corporate finance — and emphasized that long-term career prospects in the profession remain excellent.

The day wrapped up with a reception and dinner where students and professionals continued the conversation in a relaxed setting, the kind of networking that turns a good event into a lasting connection.