<p>Hi,
I’m hoping that someone who either goes to UBC or lived in Vancouver or even visited could answer a few questions for me…</p>
<p>-How integral is Vancouver to UBC? How often do students go into the city? Is it easy/quick to get there by public transportation or biking? I’m looking for a big city…with a diversity of people and neighborhoods, a certain amount of grime…and a good music scene…would I get that in Vancouver/at UBC?</p>
<p>-How diverse is the school itself in terms of race and class? I’m American and I guess Canadian schools don’t have racial stats the same way American ones do. But I don’t want to go somewhere that has a vast majority of upper middle class white students…I am pretty much one of those, but I don’t want to be isolated from all the other backgrounds out there.</p>
<p>Thanks to anyone who answers…and hopefully no one is bother/confused by the second question!</p>
<p>-Charlotte</p>
<p>D spent summer there in music program.
There are buses all over and a monorail type thing. The city is clean by US standards and the people very fiendly. Tons to do in the city and great for outdoors stuff. At least at the music school we saw whites and tons of asians.</p>
<p>ddddougggg–huh?</p>
<p>future holds–thanks. It’s confusing because on one hand it sounds like Vancouver is very accessible, buses as you say, the UPass…but it’s a 20 minute drive away…so I wonder how often students really take initiative to go there. I know UBC is in a pretty naturey area…does the closest neighborhood have shops and things though, with in good walking distance?</p>
<p>I feel like my questions might seem excessive…sorry if they do!</p>
<p>Students go back and forth without thinking about it. Its not far at all. I wouldn’t worry about it. Just off campus is ‘real life’ with tons of shopping, restaurants, pubs…where real people live (I mean you can walk or bike that far!)…but you are asking about downtown per se and the bus ride to downtown is nothing. </p>
<p>The campus, when you walk around appears to be half people who are caucasion, half who look like they are of Asian decent (but that too is a pretty diverse mixture). The city as a whole is extremely diverse, with 48% born outside of Canada, 78% with a parent born outside Canada.</p>