well you obviously didnt went to SFU lol

the most dramatic thing in West Mall was a Chinese student getting a B+ instead of a A-

fuck im graduating at end of this month :/

That list may be true, but it probably applies mostly to US schools as oppose to schools in Vancouver. Although I cannot speak on behalf of all schools in Van, I went to SFU and lived on campus and it was still a shit school. It is a commuter school for most, and the friends you did meet would never stay after school, it was a rush to get off the mountain. There was no school spirit, the clubs were pretty much all shit, and the whole environment was crappy. If there was more of a "city", then maybe SFU could of been better. But with limited choices to eat, and limited choices to do things after school hours (all the shops are pretty much closed) why would anyone stay on campus unless to study?

tl:dr version: SFU was shitty.

Yeah, SFU is pretty lame compared to UBC. And I went to both and have kids who go to SFU right now. My daughter wants to punch me in the face and calls me a typical UBC snob every time I say SFU sucks. Hee hee.

Congrats.

SFU is pretty lame, nothing up on that mountain, and the new Woodwards development, though nice and a step in the right direction, still doesn't make up for the somewhat empty social life up there.

You have to get off the mountain to hang out and do something, unless you think studying somewhere, or overpaying for food is fun.

I'm kind of lucky I got into a club (CAC)as an executive and I'm still in my first year, I made more friends in a week than I did in my first two right after getting into the club. I'm pretty much an exec for the time I'm here, and the experience so far has been awesome.

It's definitely about the experience, and UBC has the upper hand compared to SFU for sure. I want to relish in the university experience because it is more about finding who you are and what direction you want to go in life. Those who just go to school and come back home burnt about 4 years of their life.

Glad i checked this thread. You guys really make a 18 year old think twice about living.

^ agreed xD

I'm only 22 and I wish I'd read this thread when I was your age, you'll change more in the next four years than the rest of your life combined. At least thats the way I feel now.

I'm just a 2nd year student @ UBC and this article made me go "HOLY SHIT YEAH!" and "holy shit... yeah... :("

In hindsight I really wished I had moved away for school but of course when you're 18 and you've lived here your whole life, it's hard to leave everything behind.

lol i've been to both as well. currently in my 3rd year at SFU right now...and i gotta say SFU is seriously lacking in the university atmosphere that people are expecting unlike UBC. The grey walls just makes me feel like I'm in a prison haha... At UBC I actually WANTED to stay behind and study, just because everybody else did. And studying with someone is always better than studying alone lol. However, UBC is much more competitive both academically and also in its extracurricular clubs and activities as well, especially if you're in the business faculty. I guess it's something to get used to since everything is going to be competitive after you graduate. But after transferring to SFU I felt much more relaxed since I didn't have to compete as hard. I joined AIESEC this year and went to a conference where I got to meet people from school in all of western Canada, and also the partying was awesome:D. There's a lot to learn other than the books you read and the lectures that profs give. Bottom line is, if you want to experience even a bit of the university life that people are at UBC have, go join some clubs or go to faculty events. They will definitely help you advance in you line of study and also also change up the boring routine of going to school then going home right after.

SFU is complete bullshit in its academic competition.

My first two years at SFU were a complete bore.
Same shit different day. Every semester, it's the same thing. Shitty atmosphere created by tons of kids who are unmotivated, stupid unproductive clubs that are a dime a dozen, and people carrying laptops (now fucking ipads) to class every day just so they can sit in the back row and surf the internet.

I'm glad I did college transfer credits. Of all things, I would never have expected Douglas College to challenge me more than SFU did. Most (not all, of course) of the kids up at SFU really take it for granted. For the amount of tuition paid, most of these people don't get any significant social experiences, and probably even less gain any valuable academic experiences.
If you want to replay recorded lectures at most colleges, you'd have to go out and buy your own fucking recorder and do it yourself. And even then, it's often against school policy. At SFU (and UBC), you can download and listen to lectures online. For free. Of course, most SFU students take this for granted. And recorded lectures have to be the most dreaded things to listen to in the world. But it really does go to show the academic environment SFU has to offer.
Not to mention it gets one month of awesome weather every year to compensate for the other 11 shitty months you have to put up with.
I grew more in my first semester at college than I did in the preceding year and a half at SFU.

I'm probably a minority here for if there are any grade 11's or 12's that are reading this thread, I suggest you look for schools in Eastern Canada.

I regret not going to UBC sometimes. Most of my close highschool friends went to UBC and it felt like I was missing out on all the fun. But you have to realize, if you just open your mind tiny bit, you can meet fantastic people everywhere.

It's life and people live and work and study anywhere. Sure the weather is terrible and some Torontonians are snobby as hell but I did make some fantastic friends in Ontario.

Don't limit yourself to your home and your family. Living by yourself far away really awakens you and you learn to appreciate the things you had.

Good luck!

I did my undergrad at UBC and my law degree outside of BC and while the list applied to both of my degrees, it definitely hit home with my law school experience which was a lot more like a US college experience because of having to leave the comfort of home and a city I knew.

If anyone I know is planning to do two degrees, I always encourage them to get their second degree away from Vancouver.

It's all about a balance. Work hard and play hard. If you can maintain good grades from 1st year onwards, and you make time to socialize and join different clubs - attend their club events/snowboard trips, join intramural teams, and hit up the Pit Pub on a Wednesday night, you'll have a great experience.

+1

Living away from home and doing everything for yourself is an experience of its own. Definitely agree with the shitty weather..

werd. people complain about vancouver rain. lol try -15 plus windchill of -25. you will be praying for some mild rain. haha

also, to add just a bit more, don't be afraid of being away from your high school friends. you can make friends ANYWHERE. If they are your true friends, you can be away from each other and still keep in touch regularly, and when you come back for holidays, they will still be there.

I still have friends in Vancouver that I don't see for over a year and when I'm back, it's as if I never left.

If you feel that things get awkward because of the gap, then they may not be the best friends you thought you had.

I was skeptical of Ontario. "Torontonians are think they are the centre of the universe" "Ontario people are snobby" "They are all asshole" "Leafs suck" (true) but have an open mind, accept them for who they are.

I've made lots of friends who grew up in Ontario and they are always envious of the fact that I'm from Vancouver. Not all Torontonians are assholes. Haha.

Oh to add to that, the best time at university was going to two different exchanges. One to South Korea and one to HK. The best was that I was on full scholarship for South Korea and for HK I was able to get over $4000 in bursary and grants.

This is bad advice.

Shit happens and you must be prepared: like failed hard drives, random threesomes with the girls down the hall, Canucks playoffs win, power outage, ...

Most times if you wait till last minute you'll be OK, yet it only takes one time to be royally fucked. Considering many classes have cascading prerequisites, fucking up one class cause 2 drunk girls stumbled into your room half-naked can literally fuck you for the next 4 years.

So true!

I miss attending class, I had the best naps during engineering lectures.

great read. one of the best in a little while. mainly because schools been so rough lately. lol

SFU surrey is a completely different story. My GF has been there only a term and she has a group of very close friends already. Their class sizes are a lot smaller and heck they're above a mall...

Sometimes I wish I could attend classes there instead lol, SFU burnaby is pretty depressing lol

Does anyone know the requirements to get into UVIC? and if they have a nursing program?
sorry I just dont think i should make a thread for this question

^Ill thank you when I can :)

even if you weren't really a socialite in college and just went for the "piece of paper",

(a) there's no chance in hell you'd get a decent job without that "piece of paper"
(b) college teaches you to speak and interact with people - presentation and self-marketing skills are as important as anything else you learn
(c) you still make new friends. I didn't take in the experience as much as a lotta people but i still met a lotta close friends who have become bff's
(d) where else would you have a chance to have a free afternoon, or nap in the day, or only have classes 2-3 days a week (in sfu at least) and have a long summer vacation year year?