This is an institution that provides the best as far as university training is concerned. It offers students competitive courses needed in the 21st century. Students are able to complete their studies within the stipulated time. The teaching staff is great and they do a commendable job. I highly recommend it

I have always been an overeager student. In high school, I would always (and was the first to) raise my hand. This translated to my university participation, where I sit nowhere behind the fourth row and try to have positive, constructive relationships with my fellow students, teaching assistants, and professors. “Okay, we get it, you are a try-hard.” Well… exactly. I feel that in order to accurately assess a university (classes, professors, student life, the campus) you have to hear from a wide range of voices. Well, who better than the girl who wears business casual to all her classes and enjoys writing lengthy papers… because if I have anything not-completely-positive to say, it must be true!

I am so privileged and honored to be enrolled in the ever-so prestigious Sauder School of Business Dual Degree program at the University of British Columbia. This means that I simultaneously complete a Bachelor’s Degree in whatever I want (I chose political science) and a Master’s degree in Management. I didn’t actually know my program existed when first considering UBC. In fact, it was only when I was about to submit my application to the university portal did I see a little itty-bitty checkmark that asked if I wanted to apply to the dual-degree program. I quickly did my research, thought that it sounded like it could be fun, and pressed submit.

If my application story did not reveal this, the B+MM is not advertised for (well). For UBC being such a world-acclaimed international institution (we have a LOT of international students that attend), I was clueless about this opportunity. Now? I am a part of the Bachelor’s + Masters of Management Student’s Association as the Vice President of Events, where I work to get the B+MM name out there, provide learning opportunities for program participants through planning workshops to meet alumni, and explore career routes. I went from not knowing about my program to being the spokesperson for it. UBC, and my program at the school specifically, give many opportunities to work with industry professionals through co-op, conferences, and alumni networking. One thing here is that UBC needs to make it easier for students to pursue these opportunities, there are 4-month lineups for meetings with career and degree advisors, making getting your questions answered very difficult. No wonder 75% of students at the school do not graduate in 4 years.

I like what I study. I participated in debate and public speaking in high school, which led to my passion for advocacy and law. On the legal track, I like that UBC political science gives marks for oral communication and participation in class. Particularly, POLI 100 (introduction to political science) has an assignment worth around 25% of your mark that is a debate about a key political issue discussed in the course. I like when course grades are on the basis of multiple skills (different types of assessment), as I feel that is the best way to truly evaluate knowledge and growth. Some (but not all) arts courses are like this at UBC. Depending on the size of the class, students at UBC have the ability to connect with their professors and teaching assistants on a one-to-one basis. I even went for coffee with one of my profs! COMM 120 is a mandatory course required for the Master’s portion of my degree, it acts as an introduction to the different routes of business: finance, accounting, organizational behavior, Human Resources, marketing, etc. I like the class because it approaches business with breadth, not depth, so students have the ability to explore what passions they have within the business umbrella (I am a marketing girl myself). My biggest issue with this course is the recycling of ideas. Ever been in a conference meeting for work or a group project for school and your coworker/teammate says the idea that you just stated but in different words to sound original? That. All the time. I just hold the belief that the only thing that should be recycled is paper, not ideas. UBC as an institution (and the faculty that work for it) needs to remove some of the training wheels. I think the only way students really learn is through hands-on experiences, making mistakes, and jumping into the deep end – not through reciting and becoming professional thesaurus users.

In high school, on spirit days, I would wear high socks, tutus, colored hair accessories – the works. “Showing spirit” for me was an understatement. In university, though, there is no opportunity for spirit demonstration: people don’t really cheer at games, homecoming has been online for the past 3 years (how fun, right? wearing your colors to watch a prerecorded video from home!) and people don’t quite rep their school spirit on campus. Of course, you are bound to see someone with a UBC sweater here and there, but it is almost always worn because it’s laundry day. UBC has tons of clubs and teams, but unless you hold positions within them, you feel like a floating log in a vast open ocean – you have to start somewhere though! I find the biggest issue with UBC student life to be the drowning out of the minority. In almost every situation, those that are in the majority outweigh, and the squandered minority has to try to climb a moving ladder to garner support from faculty and the student body. You practice what you preach: and if UBC preaches inclusivity, they must demonstrate this tenet on their campus.

I am an ex-sorority girl, I can say with confidence that the Greek System is alive and well at UBC (the biggest Greek system in Canada). I de-lettered (quit) myself because I personally did not feel the commitment was worth the money, people, or responsibilities; but I know a lot of people who have found their best friends through UBC Greek (that is just not me). The party scene is pretty solid, actually. There are 9 fraternities (soon to be 10 I believe) on campus, so if you want to party, there is almost always one available to you. Some frats are safer than others, but as a general rule: always go with friends, don’t leave your drink, and know that there are always people there to help. Don’t let safety stop the party, but do always keep it in mind.

Finally – living. If you are considering coming to, or are already attending UBC, you must know about the cost of living. There is a reason that Vancouver is ranked the most expensive city to live in North America. In my first year, I lived on campus in one of the first-year dorms called “Place Vanier.” My building was built in 1959, there was mold in my entire window frame… simply put, the room was a moldy shack. Compared to other student residents on campus (See Orchard Commons, for example), I pulled the shortest straw in the hand. Orchard Commons residents have views of the ocean and mountains, clean, bright rooms, and private bathrooms. Me? I shared a bathroom with 24 people (4 toilets, 4 showers, 6 sinks – and the sinks were 2 steps away from the toilets) and had a view of pavement and construction. First-year UBC housing is purely lottery-based, so unless you have a disability or allergy that prohibits your ability to live in a specific dorm-style, you are just put into a pot with the rest of us. To live in a first-year residence, you must purchase a meal plan (I call it the meal scam). This money can be spent on residence dining halls or select other stores on campus using a portion of the money called “Flex Dollars.” With there having been a rat in one of the dining halls, and a case of salmonella in another, I spent my copious amount of “Residence Dollars” on bottled water. What I do like is that at the end of your first-year housing contract, all your Residence Dollars are transferred to Flex Dollars, where you can spend your remaining money on Starbucks, Tims, and other places that accept it on campus (or Dominoes pizza anywhere in Vancouver)!

Once you move out of residence… what happens? UBC ends housing contracts every year on April 28th (every lease starts on the 1st, so this puts students in a very difficult position for where they can put their belongings before moving into their new place). I moved into Wesbrook Village, a close-to-campus village-like community with shops, Save-On-Foods, and a lot of buildings for UBC-associated individuals to reside. It is about a 20-25 minute walk to campus through a rather beautiful area. But be warned: for a village that caters to STUDENTS, the price of living, as per Vancouver’s style, is extremely high (seriously though, a bunch of bananas costs 4.99 at least). I am unbelievably fortunate to have the ability to live in this semi-off campus space, but living on campus is always a closer, more affordable option if you don’t want to commute.

Overall, I like my school (hence my very good rating), and my program is extremely unique to the institution. In 4 and a half years, I can get a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree, meet students and faculty from around the world and immerse myself in campus life. That being said, this is the testament of one student. Everyone’s experiences are different, but this is just the one of the overeager try-hard.