Profile on Nathaniel Beers

Majoring in math was the natural choice for me because throughout my public school education, math was the one thing I was really good at.

Going to college wasn’t going to just be about getting better at a single subject, it was going to be about learning certain skills.

So far, I have had two co-op experiences. My first co-op was working with the Physics Department at Drexel. I was a scientific programmer. My second co-op was working as a junior accountant at Monell Chemical Census Center. My third co-op will begin this month and will be at Penn in the internal audit department.

Co-op was the biggest reason I chose to come to Drexel. I was hoping to try out an actuarial co-op. I wanted to find out if I was headed in the wrong direction before spending 4 years in school. Even though that didn’t work out for me, co-op has allowed me to expand my resume. The work experience I gained through the co-op program lets future employers know that I know how to behave in an office environment. Most students don’t have this sort of experience coming out of college. Applying for co-op jobs has also given me tons of interviewing experience. I will have interview experience beyond the typical college student upon graduation. In total, I have probably been on about 35 interviews which taught how to present myself professionally on an interview. This will definitely give me an edge over the competition when applying for a full-time job when I graduate.

There are plenty of other good reasons besides the co-op program to choose Drexel. In the Math department, I was given the freedom to design my schedule however I wanted. I have been able to take the time to try new things and be able to just hang out with friends and make more friends than I had in high school. The math department is a pretty relaxed environment. Most of the time, the professors are helpful, and when they cannot assist you, they direct you to someone who will be able to help you out. The tutors in the Math Resource Center are almost always accessible and they never seem to be talking down to you or surprised when you don’t know something. The resources here always make me feel welcome.

After I graduate next year, I am looking into the possibility of entering an actuarial student program. Even if I don’t pass one of the next two exams, I still think I want to look into doing it. Trying the work while studying for the exams will give me an idea of if that is the direction I want to head. I am confident that I will be hired into an actuarial position.