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 considerably easier to enter than others. Commerce, Science, and Applied Science, for example, are considerably harder to enter than, say, Arts or Forestry. UBC Okanagan is significantly easier to be accepted to 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 a part of the application. Having good leadership and a compelling life story may make up for deficiencies in other parts of the application. It is not just the positions per se, but also your abilities to take on the positions, and the experiences you have learned from them. Instead of talking about how you were the treasurer of the student council and boasting about it, you should talk about how it made you a better person, how it developed you, etc. Note that certain faculties have more emphasis on the personal profile; 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. 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. Unlike SFU and many other universities, you do NOT apply directly into the specialization of your choice before you get in, nor do you apply for your specialization of your choice right after being admitted or before/during your first year; you generally declare your specialization in your second year.
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 1250-1300+ SAT (or 27-28+ ACT) is generally expected. For more competitive faculties, such as Science and Commerce, a 1350-1400+ SAT (30-31+ ACT) is generally expected.
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.
INSTEAD OF: I want to apply to a mathematics program. I have a 1350 on the SAT and a 3.8 GPA.
SAY: I am a 17-year-old Caucasian boy from California who wants to apply to BSc in Vancouver (BA second choice) for mathematics. I went to an American high school, and I scored a 1350 on the SAT (third attempt, 690 Math, 660 Reading+Writing, 6-4-6 Essay)–superscore won’t change it. 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 a treasurer of my school’s student council, I have led a volunteering organization, I have played piano at my school’s talent show, I won my school’s spelling bee, […]
Thanks for starting this, @DartMonkey93. My D has submitted her application for Vancouver, Faculty of Arts. She’s a very strong student (4.0 UW, 11APs, 34 ACT, good ECs and essays); a dual citizen living in the US. She has visited UBC twice, and it is very high on her list.
I have a question. I know that McGill will begin sending out acceptances to their strongest applicants very soon (last year they started coming out in late Nov). Does UBC send out any acceptances before seeing 12th grade semester marks? The earliest acceptances I’ve seen here on CC are from February, I believe.
My best to all of you applying to UBC. It is a fantastic place.
@ShrimpBurrito AFAIK, UBC has early action if you apply before December 1.
Acceptances are sent out in January (and possibly December) should you do early action.
Without early action, acceptances are sent out around March-April. Mine was on April 27 (ELAS waiver accepted on March 29, took January 21st SAT).
Funny timing…
Tonight D got an email from UBC, requesting midterm transcripts for the faculty of science. Her application is officially under review now. Faculty of Arts, her first choice, is not requesting the transcript. I wonder what that means, if anything.
@ShrimpBurrito does her status say “Your application to UBC (including your supporting documentation, academic transcripts, and personal profile) are currently being reviewed and evaluated in comparison with all the other applicants who have applied to your program…” ?
@student333z
My D’s status was updated just tonight to the same message - “Your application to UBC (including your supporting documentation, academic transcripts, and personal profile) are currently being reviewed and evaluated in comparison with all the other applicants who have applied to your program. This process can take some time and we greatly appreciate your patience…” for both her Science and Arts applications (Vancouver).
We visited campus last summer. A couple of US school acceptances have come in and 10 decisions overall still to come, so we’re hoping the Canadian ones don’t take too long. She’s a dual citizen living in the US.
@student333z I’m not sure exactly what the message says, but she still hasn’t received a decision. :-< The waiting is so hard, especially when you don’t know when the decisions will come.
Keep checking the portal. UBC has rolling admissions, so you’ll find out as soon as the AC makes its decision. DD got into Sauder 3 years ago, and loves it. We found out in February – first that she was admitted to Faculty of Arts. A week later, the Sauder acceptance showed up on the portal. BTW, DD got emails of both of those too.
Your kids will love the school – I hope they get in. And as parents, you’ll love the tuition, especially for dual citizens.
D was accepted to the Faculty of Arts (first choice) today. American/Canadian dual citizen, living in America.
4.0 UW
34 ACT
Good ECs, leadership, and personal profile (IMO)
@DadTwoGirls I’m on it! I sent Service Point an email over a week ago, asking for clarification on a couple of points regarding Quebec residency for tuition purposes. No response yet.
Thanks for the congrats. D prefers UBC in many ways, but McGill offers much more flexibility for a cognitive science major.
My D was accepted to the Faculty of Arts (Vancouver) which was her 2nd choice. She was asked if she still wanted to be considered for her first choice (Science), so that is still under review. She is a dual citizen living in the US and was notified by email. She has a couple US acceptances, was accepted at McGill and is still waiting on some other US schools.
