HELP: Simon Fraser University

Hello, I am an international student who is willing to apply at SFU.

I honestly have no idea about Canada, I’ve never been there and I do not have anyone that I know there but I really want to study in Canada especially in SFU because it is my only choice because their admission is still open and their tuition is lower than other colleges.

So what I want to know is:

  • how many units to students need in order to graduate from SFU (or any colleges in Canada if they’re all the same). - can anyone tell me about their experience in SFU, how it’s like, are there enough interactions with professors even though it is a big college, is the college dorm provided all four years? …etc
  • What are the pros and cons on going to a big public college?

I am really passionate on going to Canada and study there. So guys pls help me figure something out!

JUST TELL ME ANYTHING THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT S.F.U

You will need 120 credits to graduate from SFU. Most courses are worth 3 credits each but more intensive courses are worth 4 credits.

It’s a big school with 3 potential campuses you could be taking courses at. It’s a commuter college so the vast majority of students do not live there and commute to and from daily. As a result there isn’t a very big college culture on campus, with the exception of a couple disciplines (engineering, compsci).

If you want to interact with professors you will need to go to their office hours and some hang around after lecture. Usually nobody goes to their office hours so they are very happy when you show up and will remember you.

SFU has some pretty well regarded programs (eg., computing science, business) but doesn’t top any ranking lists. I find degree prestige isn’t really existent in Canada but once you leave most people won’t have heard of SFU.

There is housing available for students (residences) and if you’re wealthy you can also rent one of the new apartments on Burnaby Mountain.

Not sure what discipline you’re looking at but definitely do the co-op program. Paid work terms with jobs in your field will be invaluable once you graduate and look for work. Again, disciplines like engineering and computing science have amazing opportunities with top companies you don’t want to pass up.

I was a commuter so I can’t really relate my experience very well to what you would see as someone living on campus. I’m happy I got my degree there (as opposed to UBC) but it wasn’t a life changing experience.