University of British Columbia (reviews)

I was there as an exchange student from Europe, attending classes at Sauder Business School and the Mechanical Engineering Department. Studying at UBC is definitely a mixed bag in terms of the quality of education.

I did have a few great professors who held wonderfully challenging and well-thought-out classes, making me feel that UBC punches above its weight in terms of educational quality.

However, some other lectures were undoubtedly subpar. Grading seemed quite arbitrary at times (moving goalposts seems to be a recurring theme at UBC), and the lectures were not nearly as good as they should have been, in my opinion. It is quite fair to say that other exchange students and I were often shocked that UBC allows these courses to occur annually without making efforts to improve them.

At UBC as a whole, less is expected from students than at my home university. I’ve seen people never show up to class and hold presentations that would never fly at my home uni. Professors seems to welcome all questions even if they are about things a fourth-year engineering student just months before graduation needs to know. I am not sure if UBC ensures that its graduates are adequately educated, and would definitely think twice if I was a recruiter and had to hire someone who attented there.

From what I have seen, I would tentatively recommend Sauder Business School.

For Mechanical Engineering (and probably also Electrical and Civil Engineering), UBC is simply too small, offering a lack of choices and not many lectures; usually, only introductory courses are offered for most topics. I recommend attending a more engineering/science-focused university, such as Waterloo or others in the US or Europe.

It is quite astonishing how much money people pay to attend these subpar classes.

Enjoyed having a beach on campus.

Although I am only two years in to my program, I have grown really fond of my university. The campus is incredibly beautiful and well-maintained, balancing the natural environment, and the infrastructure. It encourages a sense of community, by having a very clearly laid out campus. It feels like a little town, where everyone is genuinely motivated and interested to learn. I have been lucky enough to have passionate professors, who have all created an environment where I’m comfortable to learn and make mistakes. I feel comfortable in the student body, and feel well represented. Overall, I am proud to study here.

I’d fully recommend this university to anyone who loves spending their day exploring new places. The campus is huge–despite being in my fourth year, I still find myself exploring a new area of campus.

I’m also a big fan of nature. There’s nothing better than taking a stroll around the beach after a long day of studying. We’ve also got tons of parks and reserves to wander around!

But the best part of my university experience has been the people. Vancouver is a melting pot of diverse cultures–and in UBC, you can find almost everyone from around the world in your class. I’ve learned so much from the different people I’ve become friends with. Best of all, everyone is very friendly and warm, as they’re also exploring Canada together with you.

It was difficult coming to UBC for the first time, not knowing anyone, and being thrust into the university experience, but I found that with time, getting use to the profs, and these profs are great, and making friends made my experience a lot easier, this is a great place to study.