Okay, so for any of you interested in UBC, here are important things to do for your course selection:
- Know what your degree requires for admission: https://you.ubc.ca/applying-ubc Examples: High school biology is actually useless for applying into Sciences, but you may want to consider taking one year of biology so you have to take fewer for your degree. You don't need precalculus for Arts, although you should take it if you intend to major in Economics, Mathematics, or Computer Science, or your degree requires it.
- Know what IB/AP/A-Levels transfers to: https://you.ubc.ca/applying-ubc/applied/first-year-credit XXXX 1st-year-level means it just gives x number of credits but does NOT apply to any course, while XXXX 101+102 means it can be used in place of a course. XXXX (course number) means that you don't have to take the course (unless otherwise specified for the degree requirements), but XXXX 1st-year-level means that you still have to take the courses if they are required for the degree (all it does is saves you electives, which can save time and money). Examples: IB ECON HL is unhelpful if need ECON 101 + 102 for your degree (e.g. Natural Resources Conservation in Forestry, Commerce, Econ majors). A-Level Psychology is unhelpful if you intend to major in Psychology or need courses that require PSYC 101 + 102. AP Computer Science A is unhelpful for those who need CPSC 110 (e.g. Computer science majors, math majors).
- Refer to UBC Reddit: This seems to have a lot more activity, so you may get more helpful responses early.