Welcome, actuaries!
The transition to university life can be challenging A big fish from a small pond, I faced my first classes with boundless confidence only to be met with what felt like insurmountable difficulty... It was, however, in those perilous lecture halls that I first found out about ASSOC A society filled with those who might share my aspirations, my interests, my dread of STAT units…
ASSOC is about more than just tackling the complexities of risk or probabilities - it’s your first handshake with a corporate representative from the Big Four, it’s the friends you make at camp and it is also absolutely the awkward comparison of disparate solutions from past final papers
This year, our ASSOC team will host a wide array of events that will certainly cater to your interests or talents. Whether that may be career-oriented events to learn about your prospects, social or sports events to meet new people and step away from the textbooks, or IT events to further your programming expertise - ASSOC has it all.
This edition of Actuality aims to shed some light on upcoming opportunities for all members, so make certain that you have a read through and get excited for the opportunities ahead!
Daniel Brazier
2024 ASSOC President
Meet Finity Actuarial Graduate
Welcome to the latest edition of our ASSOC Magazine - Actuality! We are delighted to bring you a captivating collection of content that showcases the vibrant tapestry of our community. At this cherished opportunity, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to last years' Media and Marketing Director, Zahra Zabul, who contributed to fostering the creative culture in ASSOC and brought boundless passion and dedication. Our committed team has poured their creativity and talent into curating this magazine, ensuring a rich and diverse reading experience for our esteemed readers to ignite a sense of connection and belonging within the society Thank you for being a part of the ASSOC journey. Enjoy this edition, and we look forward to seeing you at our future events!
Victoria Cheng 2024 Media and Media Director
PRESIDENT FAREWELL
Dear ASSOC,
To the new and the familiar, welcome to the family!
Last year was a fantastic year for ASSOC with outstanding contributions from everyone. Our purpose to provide social, career and academic services to Actuarial students held true and the high calibre of our society saw a record number of events being run It was amazing to see just how much effort and passion our members put into ASSOC.
Looking back, when I was a clueless first year in 2021 I remember being convinced by some second and third years to join ASSOC as it would help me with my career and academic prospects It indeed has greatly helped me achieve my career goals but on top of this I was also able to develop a solid support network who I am privileged to call my good friends. Through the people I got to know I no longer saw ASSOC work as just being a chore I had to complete because I knew it would somehow benefit me in the future. I came to understand that I could not only develop my professional skills but also provide similar developmental experiences to others all whilst being able to have a really great time For this I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my Committee and Cabinet family for helping me and everyone else in the society endeavour through a degree whose difficulty is no joke.
One thing I also urge you all to remember is that ASSOC is not just an ordinary society at Macquarie University We are one big family made up of some of the most passionate actuarial mathematicians (I hope) who support each other during difficult university times. So make sure you are proud of who you are, what you study and what your role is with this community!
I have an immensely strong belief that the 2024 Cabinet this year will have so much to offer and I am incredibly excited for you all to embark on this journey with ASSOC. Please make sure to take all the opportunities up for offer to maximise your personal, professional and social growth at university.
Sincerely,
RoyceZ eng
2023 ASSOC President
T R E A S U R Y R E P O R T
In 2023, the Actuarial Students’ Society at Macquarie University had showcased a strong financial position. From January 2023 to October 2023, ASSOC had made an astonishing profit of $11,269 – an increase of $9,023 from 2022. This is largely credited to the generous support from external sponsors which allowed us to continue running our flagship events including ball and traditional camp as well as other activities.
The generous support of our sponsors continues to be a pillar of ASSOC’s financial health. Our external sponsors in 2022-23 grew to 19, leading us to receive $18,425 from November 2022 - October 2023 This is a 23 24% increase from the previous $14,950 in the 2021-2022 year. The 2022-23 cabinet welcomed two additional sponsors, whilst strengthening all relationships with current sponsors opting for greater funding. We hope our relations continue to grow in 2024 in the same trajectory and would like to express our gratitude to our sponsors.
Our major events, namely Ball and Traditional Camp, experienced significant engagement despite the rise in ticket costs due to strong inflation In terms of memberships, ASSOC achieved a profit of $1,390, a substantial increase from the $710 recorded in 2022. This improvement can be largely attributed to the cabinet's decision to raise the membership fee. Merchandise expenses were noteworthy this year due to the continuation of ASSOC hoodies. While the first release broke even, the second release resulted in a $250 loss Nonetheless, this was deemed acceptable considering the improved profitability result of other ventures. ASSOC would also like to extend gratitude to Macquarie University Business School (MQBS) who funded the entirety of Careers Fair - one of ASSOC’s biggest events. Their new sponsorship helped ASSOC reach record profit.
Our teams did an extraordinary job at staying within budget and I would like to take the opportunity to commend their excellent planning and management. I would also like to thank the 2023 treasurer, Arya Adhikari, whose diligent and attentive approach to managing ASSOC’s use of funds ensured financial prosperity and effective resourcing support for exceptional events Overall, ASSOC is in excellent financial health, and our objective for 2024 will be to utilise funding as best as we can.
Karan Bhasin
Vyom Patel
External Vice-President
My role is to maintain and strengthen our relationships with sponsors so we can collaborate and run engaging events for our members.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? I want to bring on new sponsors to improve student and sponsor engagement.
Fun fact about yourself: I have a blackbelt in taekwondo
@dbrazier1
Daniel Brazier
President
My role is to make sure the talented members of the Cabinet and Committee are on track and working effectively to contribute their best to the society.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? Ensuring that ASSOC serves as a platform for every Actuarial student to have an enjoyable year outside of their coursework, I aim to maintain established traditions while placing a high priority on engaging incoming students.
Fun fact about yourself: I love running! Always on the lookout for fellow runners.
Amish Bhindi
Internal Vice President
My responsibilities are overseeing our relationship with the university, handling administrative tasks, and actively cultivating a warm and inclusive community within the association.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? To increase our total lifetime membership to 3000 members!
Fun fact about yourself: I’m Tiktok famousone video got 213.4k views
@amish_bhindi
Chairperson
As Chairperson, officially I act in an advisory capacity to the President and the rest of Cabinet In reality, I show up for the social events and that's about it
Wesley Chan MEET OUR ABINET EXECUTIVES @wesley_chan234
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? Making the Committee as interconnected and as tight-knit as the Cabinet was last year.
Fun fact about yourself: Have the ability to down a soju in 8 seconds flat.
@karan . __.bhasi n
Vanessa
Secretary
Karan Bhasin
Treasurer
My role unsurprisingly is to manage ASSOC’s use of funds and ensure they are put to good use for the society! This primarily involves budgeting, writing income/expenditure reports, and wiring reimbursements.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? My ideal achievement in ASSOC for this year will be to increase our profits for this year but also make sure we spend lots and lots of money for everyone!
Fun fact about yourself: I love to nap!
Ngo
Once you join ASSOC, you’ll receive heaps of emails from me! That’s because I'm responsible for approving and sending out contents and media releases. I also coordinate meetings, manage the shared drive and calendar.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? I hope ASSOC will reach a wider range of people, extending beyond the confines of the actuarial degree.
Fun fact about yourself: I pulled out the same milk tooth twice!
MEET OUR CABINET
DIRECTORS
Anav Prasad
Sport Director
As sports director I am responsible for making the actuarial degree more enjoyable by organising fun sporting events. Also to make sure Macquarie wins against UNSW in the sporting events.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? I want to build community engagement with sporting and ASSOC events in general.
Fun fact about yourself: Can look in two directions at the same time.
Jonathan Chung
IT Director
As the IT director, I’m in charge of organising IT events and to provide technical support when needed
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? Introduce more fun and exciting IT events for our ASSOC members
Fun fact about yourself: I can speak 3 languages and am currently learning a 4th.
Victoria Cheng
Media and Marketing Director
My responsibilities are managing and assisting the team to advertise all ASSOC activities on social media, while ensuring everything looks fancy and fits the topic!
@jon__chung
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? I wish to make a visual feast for our social media + letting my teammates connect with me and other teams more!
Fun fact about yourself: I like fillet ’o fish without the sauce.
Jeein Lee
HR Director
My role is to build a sense of belonging for everyone in ASSOC, while also being your personal hype woman for an awesome, eventful year!
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? Become a big happy family, both within the cabinet and the whole ASSOC committee + making real unforgettable memories with life long friends 2024 will be our year!!!
Fun fact about yourself: I went to 5 different primary schools.
Nicholas Katsaros
areer Director
My role is to help future ctuaries find their path to uccess in the professional orld, provide them clarity on hat is beyond uni and help hem to answer all the uestions about their future.
What do you hope to achieve ASSOC this year? I hope to crease the engagement in areers events so that each udent comes away feeling a tle better about their future nd how to prepare for life after university.
Fun fact about yourself: I’m a massive Arsenal fan.
Coco Chen
Soc As alo tha me fro Wh Ens eng atm Fun wh
@tazimaahmed__
Tazima Ahmed
Career Director
My role is to organise careers events with Nic in order to help graduates and young people enhance their career prospects and future professional endeavours
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year? I hope to make it easier for students to connect with career opportunities while having a fun time meeting new people as well!
Fun fact about yourself: I have synesthesia so my senses are connected which means sometimes I taste words and smell colours.
Calvin Truswell
Social Director
The less responsible social director, and we basically manage all social events throughout the year so if they’re bad you can blame us. Social events are a really easy way to make new actuarial friends and I encourage you to go to as many as you can.
What do you hope to achieve in ASSOC this year?
Get more people to come to events than we ever have before in ASSOC
Fun fact about yourself: I can drink more than you
@calvin.truswell
With the dawn of a new year comes a fresh cohort of actuarial students taking their inaugural steps into university life. At ASSOC, we are dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition, and to achieve this, we proudly introduce our Buddy Program!
This program serves as a mentorship initiative led by experienced second-year students. These mentors share invaluable tips and tricks to help the new students excel, and not just academically! Each group of first-year students is paired with 2-3 second-year mentors who guide them through weekly challenges spanning weeks 2-7. The program culminates in a grand picnic with our friends from ASOC (UNSW). Weekly challenges are submitted and showcased in a portal, where judges assess and award points based on various factors, including creativity. The victorious team at the program's conclusion receives a special prize (TBA).
While the competition aspect adds excitement, our primary goal is to create an environment where students feel at ease asking any questions to their mentor leaders about university life We equip our mentor leaders with specific training to anticipate potential queries and guide conversations, recognizing that university brings significant changes to students' lives. Our experience and surveys reveal that students often develop lasting friendships and gain the confidence to seek guidance through this program.
We strongly encourage all first-year actuarial studies students to join the Buddy Program. By doing so, you can enhance your university experience and thrive as an actuarial student!
Amish Bhindi
2024 ASSOC Internal-Vice President
BUDDY BUDDY PROGRAM ' PROGRAM '
PRESENTED BY ASSOC
SPOTS TO GO ��
Central Courtyard
is a great study area if you’re early/lucky enough to find a table. I personally enjoy its convenient access to the food court, ideal central location and vibrant study spaces.
However, it may not be ideal if you are looking for somewhere quiet to concentrate In between classes, I usually hang out around the Central Courtyard, play pool, have lunch in The Hub, or hang out with friends in the outdoor staircase overlooking the entire Courtyard (level 1 and level 2 of 1CC).
ASSOC Secretary
#1CC
This area is my go-to choice as it is much quieter and more private than 1CC, but is still conveniently located next to Central Courtyard. You can also find sleeping pods and microwaves in the lower ground level or access Student Service for any enquiries about enrolment and course information ASSOC and other student societies often hold BBQs and bake sales outside Muse, so keep an eye out!
You can find every cuisine to satisfy your cravings in the Central Courtyard. Along Wally’s Walk, I recommend the 1915 Lanzhou Noodles’s chewy hand-pulled beef noodles.
BAP Korean is also a great option for groups of friends. Test your spice tolerance with their spicy Korean fried chicken (it gave our Treasurer a nosebleed and had our Sports Director gasping for air ��).
PLACE IN MACQUARIE UNI
The Art Precinct
A modern study area with abundant study spaces closely located to many of your Maths and Stat lectures might be a place you want to explore. Check out its rooftop terrace (very lovely, I highly recommend) on level 4, and the cafe on the ground floor.
If you’re up for some exploration, check out our very own History Museum in 25C Wally’s Walk (enter through the parking lot side) It is usually very quiet and exudes an intimate ambiance, creating an ideal getaway in the middle of uni for small group hangouts or a charming mini date ��
Michael Kirby Law Building
You’ll often find us actuary students on level 1 of the library, particularly during our exam and assignment grinds. Book a pod to practise your presentation skills for group work and case competitions with whiteboards and a tv screen. You can also rent a laptop for four hours on Level 3 or access computers/charge your laptop on Level 2. Print stations and copiers are available throughout the library. You’ll also find quiet study spaces as you walk further into the library! #25WW
Although this is a purpose-built law school on campus, it is host to many great study areas! Poking into the central atrium space are many great study nooks and academic workspaces. With this only just opening recently, we may not have any personal anecdotes just yet... However, we're certain that this could become a new hotspot on campus!
1ST YEAR SURVIVAL GUIDE
s a first-year in university, it’s an emotional whirlwind It feels like being a small fish in a vast ocean, free from the confines of a rigid timetable. It’s an ultimate sense of freedom, where
self-reliance is key and there's no one else to blame if something goes wrong.
Embarking on Actuarial Studies as a firstyear student is genuinely liberating a fantastic opportunity for freedom and undeniably the right choice
The Adventure to Becoming an Actuary
TogainrecognitionasanactuaryinAustralia andsecureaccreditationfromtheActuaries Institute,studentsarerequiredtocomplete threeparts.Part1,offeredatMacquarie University,consistsof:
with certain units providing exemption from external exams In order to qualify for these exemptions, a credit (65+) must be achieved for the prescribed units Notably, shared exemption module codes have specific criteria, necessitating both a credit average and a minimum final mark of 60 for each unit.
Time Management Techniques!
The information delivery between high school and university will be very different. Unlike high school, university is based on independent learning, without a teacher constantly breathing down your neck if you’re not paying attention to the content being taught You need to be prepared for content to be delivered at a faster pace, so it’s important to ensure you don’t fall behind So how can you manage your time during university? Well, I have some tips for you!
Self-Care Matters
Not really a time management tip, but still, fit in time for yourself. Studying isn’t always everything.
Breaking big tasks into smaller ones Self-Discipline
Sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming, especially during assessment period, so break down large tasks into mini chunks to make them more manageable, and to keep the momentum of engagement.
Planning and scheduling your time
It will be highly encouraged that you create a schedule and to do lists of what needs to be done each week. By setting the habit of a routine, you allow yourself to stay organised and on-top of your studies It will be recommended to utilise planning tools such as a calendar or a digital app to visualise your scheduled activities and deadlines to keep you on track
Furthermore, make sure you start assessments early as some may take longer than they seem!
I think we are all guilty of procrastination, whether it’s from scrolling through social media to texting our friends as a means not to study or do our assessments. However, these are the easiest distractions that steer you away from your routine schedule So, ensure that you set time limits for apps, and learn to say no to distractions It’s important to hold yourself accountable and set realistic goals for yourself
In addition, like high school, prioritisation is a must So, identify your assessments or upcoming exams with the highest impact on your grades and consider due dates in order to allocate your time accordingly.
Actuarial Antics: The Rib-Tickling Rulebook for Risk Management, featuring the Dos, and the Don'ts
THE DOS
Study Eat Sleep Repeat But don't forget to have fun! Amidst the cycle of studying, ensure you take care of yourself. Finding that balance is key make time for both self-care and dedicated study sessions.
Take advantage of your first year to meet new people, not just within your own year group, but also your seniors! Whilst meeting those in other cohorts might be intimidating, you’ll surely find great connections with people whom you otherwise might not have met! Keep an open mind and a friendly smile!
It's crucial to get involved with the Actuarial Students’ Society, aka ASSOC, because it's designed for you! Even as a first-year student, there's so much to gain from the society. It offers a refreshing break from studying during the week, so don’t hesitate to join in There will be opportunities to help organise events for those super keen students too!
THE DON’TS
While the saying goes, "P's get degrees," it's essential not to embrace this mindset blindly. Adhering to such a philosophy may result in difficulties with certain coursework Is facing the possibility of retaking a unit something you want to face? Maintaining a well-structured study schedule is crucial. So, perhaps prioritising study during certain weeks is necessary!
Actuarial students are often known for pulling all-nighters, a skill perhaps honed during the intense period of the HSC However, missing out on sleep is something you definitely want to avoid. Potentially missing your stop on the train, or letting commitments slide is definitely something you want to avoid!
This is just a taste of the excitement in your first year! It's so exhilarating that words fall short in capturing it entirely. Rest assured, you've made the perfect decision. No worries about the potential stresses or questioning of life choices just an amazing journey awaits!
Welcome to Actuarial Studies! Looking forward to seeing you all around!
Traditional Camp
MEET AND GREET
Vividyear andevents arewaiting foryou
WantaninsightonwhatASSOCisallabout?ANDeager tomeetnewfriends?AtMeetandGreet,connectingwith yourfellowfirst-yearstudents,andsomemoresenior actuarialstudentshasneverbeeneasier,withfun activitiesdesignedjustforyou! Bepreparedtomeetnew peopleandencounterthosefriendlyfacesthroughout youruniversityjourney,potentiallyforminglifelong friendships
ASSOC
UPCOMINGEVENTS
ASSOC x ASOC Fustal
WHAT IS AN ACTUARY?
Wanttoknowwhereyourdegreewillleadyou?Haveno ideaonwhatanActuarydoesandhowtobecomeone(just likemanyothers)?Thiseventistheperfectopportunityto answeralloftheseinitialquestionswehavewhenstarting ourprofessionalcareers Duringtheeventyou’llhearfrom professionalswhowillexplaintheinsandoutsofthe professionandalltheadviceyouneed.
WELCOMING BBQ
EXCEL CHALLENGE
Wantachancetomeet professionalsandhearfirst handexperiencesandwhat lifeislikeworkingasan Actuary?Thisistheperfect placetonetworkwithvarious companieslikeEY,Finity, KPMGandmanymore You canalsogetinformation abouttheinternshiporthe graduateroleyouhaveyour eyesonandgetaheadofthe competition!
annualball
BUDDY PICNIC
Cometogetherwithfellow studentsforatranquileveningby ourpicturesquelakeattheannual ASOCXASSOCbuddypicnic This socialeventwelcomesstudents frombothMacquarieUniversity andUNSW,providingtheperfect opportunitytobroadenyourcircle andconnectwithfriendsfrom differentuniversities!
MEET THE PROFESSIONAL NIGHT
Wantachancetomeetprofessionalsandhear firsthandexperiencesandwhatlifeislike workingasanActuary?Thisistheperfectplace tonetworkwithvariouscompanieslikeEY, Finity,KPMGandmanymore.Youcanalsoget informationabouttheinternshiporthe graduateroleyouhaveyoureyesonandget aheadofthecompetition!
Getreadytoshoothoops andscorebucketsatthe ASSOCxASOCBasketball Tournament!!Youwillhave theopportunitytoplayinan excitingtournamentwith fiercecompetitionandalso buildlastingmemoriesand friendships.
careerfair
HELLO, YOUNG ACTUARIES!
Proudly sponsored by
ASSOC - Actuarial Students’ Society at Macquarie University
little memes by Coco Chen