I have never posted on this site before, but I am going into my senior year of high school and I am really interested in UBC Science. I live in Utah so I would be considered an international applicant, and it would be a dream come true to go to school here. However, I’m trying not to get my hopes up because I won’t be able to afford UBC unless I get some sort of scholarship. I’m having a hard time finding information on the scholarships UBC offers to international students. I have heard about the OIS scholarships and major entrance scholarships, but I have no clue how competitive these are or if I have a chance of getting either one. I was told that you need to be nominated for the international major entrance awards. Who nominates you? And could anyone give me an estimate for how many people receive OIS or major entrance awards each year? What kinds of stats are required for these scholarships and are they based at all on need or just merit? My parents have a high income so I doubt I’ll demonstrate any need. I have about a 3.92 UW gpa and that has been improving since freshman year. My junior year gpa was a 4.0 UW. I hope to continue this trend next year as I know UBC really focuses on junior and senior year grades. I got a 32 on the ACT and I am debating whether or not to retake one last time. I have taken 6 APs and I will be taking 4 more next year. My extracurriculars aren’t that great. I’ve been a dancer for most of my life and have dedicated a lot of time to dance outside school. I also love volunteering and I do so twice a week at my library. I will have done that for a year and a half by the time I graduate. I’m in NHS and the usual stuff. Sorry if this is long and unnecessary. I’m not even sure what my chances are of actually getting into UBC Science, so if anyone could inform me on that as well as anything you know about the scholarships available to US students it would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, UBC is my dream school, but I won’t apply if scholarship chances are dismal, because I don’t want to be heartbroken if I get in and can’t go. Thank you everyone!!
Why UBC and not University of Washington where you would be a domestic student?
I can’t afford the University of Washington and it is notoriously difficult to maintain a high gpa there because of low grading curves, at least from what I’ve heard. UW seems like a wonderful school though, and it was on my list for a long time. I was drawn to UBC because it is one of the top universities in the world and costs less than many out of state options in the US. Even though I’m not sure I can afford it, it seems like a bargain compared to American universities of it’s caliber.
UBC and other top Canadian schools have “grade deflation” too. If your parents have a high income as you say why won’t they pay for your college?
They paid for my older sister’s college even though my mom didn’t want to. My parents almost got divorced over it so they’ve decided that they’ll pay 9000 dollars a year and I’m on my own beyond that.
Canadian schools tend to be more affordable, but are less likely to give scholarships to any but the truly brilliant or disadvantaged, especially in the case of internationals. As stated above UBC is known for it’s tough grading. Don’t think it’s easier than U W…probably tougher.
The best known universities in Canada are a bit more expensive for international students compared to some other very good Canadian universities. If you can’t afford UBC, then you might want to look at U.Victoria and Simon Fraser as less expensive alternatives.
However, $9,000 a year is going to be tough. The least expensive university that I know of is Memorial University of Newfoundland, but it is somewhere around about twice that much for an international student, and is a long way away from Utah.
@twotangerines The full scholarships for international students are very competitive. There are smaller merit based awards (entrance awards and the Trek scholarship) that are about $5000 per year, which probably won’t make a big enough dent on international tuition to make UBC affordable for you. Trek is also really hard to get/keep because you need to rank in the top 5% of your class (separated by faculty, ie. Arts, Science, Applied Science) which effectively means you need a 90%+ GPA (at UBC, 90% = A, this is a 4.0 GPA).
I’m curious what specifically makes UBC your dream school. I went there for my BS degree and I thought it was solid experience. But it’s pretty much the large public school experience with huge classes. I think you’d get a similar experience & education at Utah or any other flagship state school. I certainly wouldn’t pay full international tuition for it (though I understand OOS tuition can be just as high).
If you’re really crushed by not being able to go to UBC, I can dish all the negatives about the school to make you feel better too if you want. For one, the international ranking of UBC has been dropping recently… though it hasn’t stopped them from still listing it on all the alumni fundraising emails.
@geraniol: I would like to read about your thoughts & experiences at UBC. Also about the University of Victoria if you have any knowledge about that university. Thank you !
@Publisher I don’t know much about UVic other than that the campus is overrun with rabbits - little domesticated bunny rabbits. My experience of UBC is from almost a decade ago, and from what I see (from the alumni ads) the school has been trying to incorporate more “liberal arts” options.
I think UBC has great campus life. Canadian schools don’t have college sports culture or significant greek life to create school spirit, but for students who live on campus or those who really throw themselves into the college experience, there are tons of ways to get involved, and many types and levels of involvement to choose from. The university runs school-wide undergrad research and leadership workshops, and if you get involved in some of the UBC-run groups, you can go to a lot of great networking events to meet alumni, other students and professors in a more intimate environment. The dorms run some fun events, and every year there are 2 school-wide “team building” events - Day of the Longboat (ocean canoe race) and Storm the Wall (team relay). Most students take part in something, though I think commuter students (those who live at home) miss out because UBC is pretty far from the Vancouver suburbs and the commute can be >1h on the bus. Of course the campus is also beautiful. And features a nude beach.
The quality of education is good for a public school. 100 and 200 level classes are huge (150-300 students), and most classes don’t have tutorial components. Although things are changing towards newer pedagogical methods, in Science, a lot of my classes were graded 30% midterm exam, 70% final. No exceptions, no curve. Sometimes there’s 5% for ‘participation’ through clickers or problem sets graded for completion. There often isn’t checked homework, so you can get away with doing absolutely nothing for most of semester and then just cramming like a mad person before exams (not recommended). Humanities classes are more like 25/25/50 for 2 midterm papers and a final paper. The Canadian model is closer to the British model where majors are pretty rigorous. My chemistry degree only allowed for 18 credits of electives (6 classes). Everything else was Chem, Bio, Biochem, Math, Phys. I feel like I was very well prepared for grad school though. At the 300+ level, classes are smaller, 10-100 people, and the upper level labs are pretty intimate. The professors are 95% very approachable; 5% very busy/famous. There were a few profs I got to know well enough that I would just walk by their office during my free time and sit down for a chat.
As for the bad, Vancouver is gloomy. I’m from a much colder but much sunnier place, and my first year in Vancouver was very depressing. Once it gets sunny, it’s summer and you’re leaving Vancouver. I got super homesick from the constant grey sky and from getting overwhelmed by college. The courses were tough, and there were some midterms where the average was 40%, and I had to learn to be proud of scoring 55%, and also to look through and learn from exam papers that I failed. Most courses don’t curve. Grades are WYSIWYG, which means you can calculate exactly what you need to score on the final to make it out with a particular grade, and allocate effort accordingly. Students can access the raw stats of every course - I’ve found large 200-level courses with 38% averages. The registrar’s rules are pretty brutal - no retaking classes if you passed them, even if you passed with a D. If you fail, you can retake, and your transcript score will be the average of your 2 attempts. If you look at the enrolment stats, there’s a noticeable drop after sophomore year. This is because students get 2 years to pass the 2 required English courses (for all majors) and it’s a struggle for some foreign students. Upper level classes grade more generously. TBH, probably a big part of the “grade deflation” thing is that the exams are tough and fair and the professors teach the material well, but there’s nobody forcing you to actually do the problem sets and practice properly so far too many students go into exams unprepared.
I wish I had gotten out of my shell or grown up faster in freshman year. It was a bit of a struggle to start to get involved in the college community as a sophomore when most people had already joined their clubs and things as freshmen. Luckily I was placed in the international students’ dorm that year, and expanded my social circle a lot, which helped me get excited about the college experience and forget about the horrible cloudy weather.
Succeeding at UBC is really about personal confidence, responsibility and advocacy. Everything is there for you, but no one is going to tell you it exists or that you should take advantage of it. IMO, a lot of people don’t figure this out until it’s a little too late, and end up lost after graduation.
How did your parents come up with $9,000?
Are you currently working and saving all the money? Because it means you need a full tuition scholarship AND more since you’re about $7 -10,000 off for room &board. Do your parents expect you to commute to UUtah?
UBC is not going to be an option financially but it’s just a large, public university (high quality class content and peers but getting into Utah Honors or other top programs would have the same effect)… If you want Canada, look at Simon Fraser, UVic, UBC Okanagan (more likely to offer scholarships), Lethbridge, even McGill and Mount Alison.
However, Utah participates in WUE (although it likely wouldn’t be enough except perhaps at UWyoming - and some universities, such as Montana State, will have scholarships for a 32 act (there may be more for a 33). If you like UWash front, look into WWU, which is excellent.
You can try and apply to ASU Barrett as well as the new UArizona Honors college.
If you could consider undergraduate-focused colleges, you could apply for very competitive scholarships such as UPugetSound’s or Whitman’s.
Hi everyone! Thanks to all who responded, and the answers were really helpful! I don’t have the time right now to go back and answer all the questions, but I appreciate all the replies and I’ll try to answer a few here.
$9000 is about the cost of in-state tuition and fees at the University of Utah. My parents chose that number because the U of U is the only school they want me to go to. So if I were to live at home and commute there according to their wishes, I would have no cost on my shoulders. I’m still considering that as an option, but it’s really the last resort for me. I love the school, but I absolutely hate living in Utah. My twin sister is also planning on going there, and we are both tired of being tied to each other. I would really like to establish my own identity, in the eyes of my family and everyone else. It seems like a small thing to factor into a college decision, but I have never had that in my life. I’ve always been an “us” and I’m ready to be a “me”.
It’s really disheartening to hear that UBC is likely not going to be an option, but I guess it’s better to know now than after I apply. I actually love the fact that classes are tough there because of the material and not because of grade deflation, though I understand that is a risk to keep in mind when looking at universities. I also love the rain and gloomy weather. I lived in Indiana for six years, and it is probably sunnier there than Vancouver, but it would rain for days (even weeks) at a time. It didn’t depress me at all. I actually miss the weather there. I also like the general lack of emphasis on sports and partying at Canadian schools compared to American ones. A specific program I was interested in at UBC was Integrated Sciences, but I plan on using my first year or so to explore and narrow down my interest in biology, no matter where I go.
As for other colleges on my list, I am considering a few colleges in Colorado and Arizona State University. I’m also looking at a few public schools in the Midwest, but they are more expensive than UBC to begin with and scholarships seem like a gamble. Besides, they’re really far away. UBC is far away too, but I would at least be on the same side of the continent if I went there. At this point, it seems like I’m going to end up at the University of Utah. 
I wish there was a way to pull more financial support from my parents, but I figure I should just be grateful what what they have offered (at least I’m not paying for college all on my own) and not ask for more.
Again, thank you to everyone who responded. If anyone has any more information on UBC or college advice in general, let me know!
The U is a great college. My D18 chose to go there from OOS and is thrilled to attend. You are incredibly lucky to have such a cost effective in-state option with a really good Honors College that you will get into.
One thing to think about is that you are close to the point at which you would get a good (potentially full tuition) merit scholarship from Utah, especially if you could raise your ACT another point or so (check the NPC). Suggest to your parents that if you do get merit aid for tuition, they allow you to spend the $9000 on living on campus. That would allow you to get away from home and have a very different experience with a new set of friends from outside SLC.
The next best option if you don’t want to go too far would be some of the WUE schools like Reno. But none of them would be as cheap as Utah, unless you are a National Merit Scholar.
Your only solution is to bring that score up. The higher you can go the more likely it is that you’ll be able to afford an OOS school.
Work and save as much as possible.
There are possibilities but they depend on your test scores because that’s what big scholarships depend on (expecting good rigor, GPA, ECs).