Asking the right questions

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Eli Margolis learned to appreciate math at a young age. 鈥淭here was always a right and wrong answer, always a correct way of figuring something out if you searched hard enough,鈥 she reflected.

Eli Margolis sitting at a desk in front of a laptop
When she arrived at the Faculty of Mathematics, Margolis encountered more complexity and nuance than she had ever experienced before. 鈥淚n high school, I could go from point A to point B without explaining how I got there,鈥 she recognized. 鈥淚n my math classes at 蓝莓视频, I have to be able to explain my reasoning in a robust manner at every step along the way. It鈥檚 a completely different way of approaching math.鈥

In her 1B term, Margolis took an elective in actuarial science on a whim. By the end of a semester, she had chosen a career path. 鈥淚 have always had a passion for the statistics side of math, so finding a field that applies statistics to business was a perfect fit,鈥 she said.

As a co-op student in actuarial science for companies like Mercer Canada and BMO Financial Group, Margolis began to master a process that was less black and white than many people realize. 鈥淭he answers you get all depend on the assumptions you begin with,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t takes a good amount of experience to get a feel for how to ask the right questions.鈥

After she graduates in 2022, Margolis plans to pursue an actuarial role with a consulting company. 鈥淭hanks to my experience at 蓝莓视频 Math, I鈥檓 prepared to enter a field that I love.鈥澛

Learn more about Eli's experience as an undergraduate student at 蓝莓视频.