College of Science

Grace Barry
UCD College of Science

BSc (Financial Mathematics) Stage 3 Scholarship 2020

Before I came to UCD, I…
completed my leaving certificate in Loreto Wexford. During my time in second level education, I had a great
interest in all things science and maths, and I was always very academically focused. Beyond my studies, I grew
up playing Gaelic football, and this became a major part of my life, both inside and outside of school. I never
took up the opportunity to play Gaelic football with UCD, perhaps one of my only regrets from my time here!

My UCD experience has been…
completely different from what I had originally expected. Having started out in the Biological, Biomedical and
Biomolecular Science stream of science, I quickly realised that life in a lab coat wasn’t for me. Thanks to the
flexible structure of the UCD Science program, I found myself gravitating towards the world of maths. And now
here I am three years on in my final year of financial maths! Although it hasn’t been the smoothest of journeys, I
would not change my UCD experience for anything, having met so many wonderful people and being so lucky as
to have had the chance to explore different educational routes.

At UCD, I learned to…
appreciate the wonderful things that one can do with maths! One aspect of my degree that I find particularly
interesting is being taught about the use of stochastic models in the insurance and banking industries - whether
it be modelling stock market trends, insurance claims, or even just investigating investor behaviour. Sometimes
it can be challenging to get to grips with the underlying theory and foundations for a model, but of course a
more in-depth knowledge takes time to build.

The highlight of my time at UCD has been…
getting the opportunity to spend the summer following my third year of studies putting into practice everything
that I had learned to date whilst on an internship. Although a tough process to get that point, which took a lot of
time and hard work, I spent the summer working with one of the world’s leading actuarial firms in London.
Although this internship was not directly associated with UCD, I feel that having received this scholarship played
a massive role in gaining this experience in that it was indicative of my motivation and drive to succeed during
the recruitment process.

As a result of my scholarship, I have been/will be able to…
As a result of my scholarship, I have grown greatly in confidence. I now have much more trust in my knowledge,
and I have realized that I am capable of achieving great things, both academically and in my future career. As I
struggled a lot with remote learning during the pandemic, hearing the news that I was to be awarded this
scholarship came just at the perfect time for me and it really gave me the boost that I needed.

My postgraduate and occupational plans include…
Over the course of my degree, although thoroughly enjoying my studies, I was directionless with regards to
career prospects. However, spending the summer working in the London insurance market, I now have my
sights set on working in the actuarial field. Something that’s really important to me is being able to utilize all of
the in-depth knowledge that I have gained whilst studying maths – and working as an actuary will definitely keep
me on my toes in that sense! I am now exploring my options of beginning my career as an actuarial trainee and
hope to pass my actuarial exams in the years to come.