Hi everyone, I am Bella. How are you doing this term?
It is my second year at UBC, but I must stay in China and take online classes due to COVID-19. Even though I only stayed less than a year at UBC, it made a good impression on me.
Learning
Studying at UBC is different from high school, you will need more self-discipline. Compared with the class size we are used to having in high school, university usually has more people, sometimes even hundreds of people, in one lecture hall, but within a larger space. It is hard for professors to notice everyone during lectures, so you need to communicate with teachers more before class and after class. All of the professors and teaching assistants are nice. They often hold office hours to answer students’ questions, so going to office hours is a great opportunity to communicate with them.
When I was in high school, I usually studied with my friends because we had the same courses, but it was completely different after entering university. I prefer studying alone in my dorm rather than studying in the library with others because this is more efficient for me. During the past year of exploration, I found that pre-reading the textbook is super useful. When you briefly know what you are going to learn in a class, you will understand the course materials quicker and come up with more questions regarding the content.
Life
Before I arrived in Vancouver, I worried a lot about the food there and just life in general, but in reality, those worries were unnecessary. I can find almost anything I want to eat or anything I may need around the city. The people here are nice that they are all willing to help you out. Overall, life in Vancouver is pretty similar to life in China.
Recreation
UBC offers various clubs; we can join any of them based on our interests. For example, I joined a charity club for children’s education last year and I had a lot of fun there. Moreover, it is interesting to participate in some of UBC’s traditional activities (such as the Longboat Competition in September, Snowball Fight on Snow Day, and Storm the Wall in March). Sometimes, exploring the campus with friends on the weekend is also a good choice.
The main reasons I chose UBC come down to its campus, geographical location, academic atmosphere, and the multicultural education offered. However, the thing that surprised me the most is the care and help they provide to students: professors and TAs all care about our mental and physical health and UBC provides different ways to help us. I feel so grateful for having chosen of UBC.
This is a part of my university stories, and I hope it can be helpful to you guys. I wish you success in getting offers from your dream universities and getting into your beloved majors.