Hi everyone, apparently this is my first thread haha. I am graduating from my A-Levels this June and will be starting my actuarial science degree this September. I have received offers from LSE, City Universit, and Manchester. At the same time, I applied for ActSci degree in Malaysia too (HW Malaysia Campus). So, here is the question, where should I study my degree, UK or Malaysia? Is there any difference between the education in this two country? Hope to receive any sensible reply soon. Thanks for helping!!
Firstly congratulations on having so much choice. I'd do some more investigation. Look into the maximum possible professional exam exemptions you can get from the different degrees. Regarding Malaysia, investigate where their graduates go on to work and likewise the attractiveness of the UK degrees if you hope to go work in Malaysia. Some other things you might want to consider is ease of getting work experience whilst you study for example summer internships. These type of things help you get a first job, longer term where you studied becomes less significant. Good luck in your A levels and choosing your route beyond.
Thank you for your reply! So far my first choice of university in the UK is LSE, and my choice of university in Malaysia is Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Campus. Both actuarial science degree offers 8 exemptions (CT 1-8). Regarding job prospect, I need a scholarship to study in the UK, and the scholarship requires me to work with the provider after I graduate. Hence, this is not a big deal. What I concern for now is the quality of education between this two universities. I heard that LSE is one of the best schools for ActSci degree, is this true? Well the summer internship in the UK is really attractive to me. Apart from this, what really sets this two country apart in terms of the quality of education? I try to search online but I can't get any information in this. Hope you all can share some of your experience. Thanks a lot!
I don't have first hand experience but I can tell you that in the Uk Heriott Watt is highly regarded and was the ground breaker when it came to establishing university actuarial degrees and still does much valuable research. I'm sure Malaysia campus will be drawing on that experience. Sounds to me if you don't get a scholarship, the choice is taken away from you.
Alternatively you could research the other options such as completing a 2 year course in Switzerland. This will make you qualified in Switzerland. Then use the IFoA's mutual recognition agreement to become FIA in the UK without any further exams necessary. Cheaper. Faster. Easier.
I am from SEA as well. If you can afford it, study in the UK. Foreign university graduates are generally more attractive as a candidate, if you ever have to come back after graduation. Ideally you would want to work in the UK, however given recent visa issues it has become extremely difficult to find employers that are willing to sponsor. As for which university, I know people from all three, but by far most of them came from CASS business school (in particular their masters program).
I studied at the LSE about 8 years ago and would say that it is probably a slightly better choice from the three you mentioned in terms of career prospects especially if you later chose to exit the actuarial arena. Obviously this is debatable but at the time i was studying there were a lot of candidates from SE Asia! I would try and think about what else each of the three universities in the UK have to offer such as campus life Vs city living etc You wouldn't have trouble getting exemptions from any of the universities you mention as they all will have an agreement with the institute although the number of exemptions may vary
Both LSE and Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Campus offer strong actuarial science programs with valuable exemptions. LSE is renowned for academic excellence, while Malaysian universities like Heriot-Watt emphasize a practical approach to learning. Consider factors like faculty expertise and industry connections, along with scholarship opportunities like APDM, to make the best decision for your education and career goals.
