Okay, there’s a thread for 2018, but this is for those intending to enter UBC in 2019, or for the UBC class of 2023.
This thread is for general discussion about UBC admissions. You may talk about the following, but are not limited to:
- Determining whether UBC is a good fit for you or not
- Determining your chances of getting into UBC
- Comparing UBC to another school (note that there will likely by pro-UBC bias here)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Certain faculties are easier to enter than others. Commerce, Science, and Applied Science, for example, are considerably harder than Arts or Forestry. UBC Okanagan is significantly easier than UBC Vancouver.
- According to an admissions rep, the personal profile changes every year to avoid manipulation of such.
- The personal profile should not be neglected, for it is an important part of the application. It is not just your achievements, but also the way you present them. Commerce students have a more extensive personal profile that also has a video interview required.
- For Arts, Science, Commerce, and Engineering, you do not enter a specific program right away (it is done at the end of first or second year), unlike places such as SFU. You instead apply for your faculty, and then enter the program. Let’s say you want to major in mathematics, and would prefer to be in Sciences and in Vancouver. You could apply to say, BSc in UBC Vancouver as your first choice and a BSc in UBC Okanagan or a BA in UBC Vancouver as your second choice.
- On the other hand, certain specialization may recommend/require certain courses. If you apply to Arts, you do NOT need 12th grade pre-calculus; nevertheless, you should have it if you want to get into mathematics, computer science, or economics. Otherwise, you would have to take a non-credit course to be able to take calculus.
- Those taking the American curriculum MUST submit SAT or ACT scores, regardless of citizenship or country of schooling. On the other hand, Subject Test scores and AP exam scores are NOT REQUIRED. There is no minimum SAT/ACT score required, but for UBC Vancouver Arts students, a 1300+ SAT (27+ ACT) is generally expected. For more competitive faculties, such as Science and Commerce, a 1380+ SAT (30+ ACT) is generally expected. As far as I know, the SAT and ACT are not superscored. You should confirm with your admissions advisor though.
- Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada are eligible for domestic tuition, which costs considerably less than international tuition. Note that international students are not necessarily more likely to be accepted under the assumption that they pay more tuition.
Being descriptive is much appreciated and it helps give an accurate representation of the person. Note that it is not just about grades. This is an example:
INSTEAD OF: I want to apply to Science first choice and Arts second choice. I have a 1490 on the SAT and a 3.9 GPA.
SAY: I am a 17-year-old Caucasian boy from Florida who wants to apply to BSc in Vancouver (BA second choice) for mathematics. I am not a Canadian citizen. I went to an American high school, and I scored a 1490 on the SAT (800 Math, 690 EBR&W, 7-6-6 Essay). My unweighted GPA is a 3.8, and my weighted GPA is a 4.5.
Here are my courses and the corresponding grades: […]
Here are my AP exam scores: […]
I am an Eagle Scout, I worked a total of 100 hours at an animal shelter, I participated in a hackathon, […]