Tangelos Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Hey so I'm currently in my 3rd year at SFU and it's really started to hit me that there's really nothing going on on campus. I mean besides the student pub and Timmy hoes to cheer me up, the place just seems like such a debbie downer. In fact, I started feeling depressed after my first year. I don't want to blame SFU because maybe I just don't like school in general and am only going because it's what society expects of us: go to school and get a job; however, I wonder if UBC would have been I guess a more pleasant experience in terms of the on campus activities going on. I mean UBC gets a friggen block party and we get pub night... Don't get me wrong, I went into SFU with an enthusiastic attitude, expecting the whole "University experience" that I grew up believing in high school but now, 3 years in, I've had none of that. I'll be 21 in september, and feel like I haven't fully experienced college for what it could be and lets face it, time is running out before I have to throw away the hoodie and jeans and strap on a tie and suit if you know what I mean. And to be clear, I was accepted to UBC out of high school but chose SFU for the slightly better commute. Also, I'm starting to wonder if "University prestige" is actually important. Not that I think UBC students are smarter, not at all, but there seems to be this lingering belief that UBC students have better chances at getting jobs outside of Vancouver since no other province has heard of SFU. Not sure if this is true, but I do hear a lot of people saying this. And as we all know, Vancouver is a very expensive place to live so I would much rather live in a province such as Quebec for example where I would have a much higher standard of living. Anyway, I'm sort of regretting my decision to go to SFU for those reasons (but mostly the 1st paragraph) and just want to know if anyone else going to SFU feels the same way and/or if UBC students can give their 2 cents on their college experience. Any advice is appreciated. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkSniper Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 It's all overrated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I feel your pain The campus at SFU is so dark and dingy, and the student atmosphere up there is pretty much the same as high school was. Nothing going on up there appeals to me in the slightest. I really wish I had applied to a different faculty so I could have gotten into UBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect From Now On Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 UBC has a pretty good campus atmosphere with lots going on, and a number of frats if you're into that thing. As for "prestige" I wouldn't really worry, because it really varies by department and any employer will probably know which school as the better program for each discipline, not that it really matters because they all want experience anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watermelons Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I guess one of the problems with SFU is that most people live further away so it takes longer to travel to and from school...this means that less people want to stay after class to organize/participate in activities... At the moment, I'm actually deciding between universities: UBC, SFU and McGill (still waiting for UofT and HKU)..I'm probably leaning towards UBC even if the UofT and HKU accept me because I live 10 ish mins away from UBC. Did you have a scholarship at SFU? Or did you solely choose it due to the better commute?? And would it be a good idea to move out of home for university? Any advice would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denguin Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 If you went to UBC, you'd find that they're full of s**t. I despise so many things that go on here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 I guess one of the problems with SFU is that most people live further away so it takes longer to travel to and from school...this means that less people want to stay after class to organize/participate in activities... At the moment, I'm actually deciding between universities: UBC, SFU and McGill (still waiting for UofT and HKU)..I'm probably leaning towards UBC even if the UofT and HKU accept me because I live 10 ish mins away from UBC. Did you have a scholarship at SFU? Or did you solely choose it due to the better commute?? And would it be a good idea to move out of home for university? Any advice would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanHockeyFan Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I'm a UBC student and I've made a bunch of friends...from SFU Join some clubs, talk to people in tutorials. Seriously, that's all you can do if you want to make friends and have a good time in university. I haven't done any of this, and I regret it, but at the same time, I've gotten closer to my high school friends somehow (despite the fact that half of them go to SFU) and it's all turned out for the better...somehow, I guess I got a little lucky. Aside from the great views you get at UBC (especially when it's sunny) it's not that special to be honest. I've made a handful of non-high school friends here and we're not even that close. All the people I know here still hang out with their high school buddies and so do I. Again, your best chance at UBC or SFU for that matter, is just to join some clubs and open up to people. Honestly, at times, I wish I went to SFU because it's much closer and I don't have to walk in the damn rain when I'm going to class. The fact that I've made more friends at SFU kind of shows how there is no "better university." In terms of academics, I don't see a huge difference either, each school has its strengths. The fact that UBC has its own Law and Medical school is a huge advantage, but I've heard how SFU's Business and Kinesology programs are much better than UBC's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apple Juice Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I guess one of the problems with SFU is that most people live further away so it takes longer to travel to and from school...this means that less people want to stay after class to organize/participate in activities... At the moment, I'm actually deciding between universities: UBC, SFU and McGill (still waiting for UofT and HKU)..I'm probably leaning towards UBC even if the UofT and HKU accept me because I live 10 ish mins away from UBC. Did you have a scholarship at SFU? Or did you solely choose it due to the better commute?? And would it be a good idea to move out of home for university? Any advice would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duodenum Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Yes, UBC's campus is tons more fun and has a lot more going on than SFU's. I wouldn't worry too much about school prestige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I took a German class, and a handful of the students did not even have an adequate grasp of the English language, let alone German. Made for a frustrating class to say the least. And any business course I've taken the percentage has been much higher than 40%. Well over 50%. It applies to every school around here though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Most of the stuff happens on weekends and at night, most likely off of campus. The school itself doesn't really have as much to do with the experience as you think (though of course UBC does have more clubs and stuff); lots of it is just how you spend your time and how committed you want to get. Also, for me I've realized that with the pace that 4 years goes by I'd rather invest in relationships that are more long-term, since the "university experience" (if based on international students and people who live far away) could disappear in a moment, not that it's not worth it but it's not permanent either. Just make the most of it, but try to find what works for you between balancing school and fun. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters Stoch Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I'm in the exact same spot as you. I tried joining some SFU clubs and they were just all so lame and boring. I went along with some of my UBC friends to their clubs and events and they were actually 5x better and their campus is doesn't look like a prison either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 And to OP, what faculty are you in? I'm in SFU myself and I found that in my 1st year, I was already sick of SFU because I just wanted to go home. I live about an hour's commute to SFU and I really had no purpose staying up there. But I've made friends along that time and now I have every reason to stay up at SFU longer than I usually should. Of course it doesn't help that it seems like 30-40% of the school is made up entirely of fobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 SFU can be an amazing school if you experience your journey with the right people I was lucky enough to meet a group of friends in 2nd year and, because we were in a small faculty, we were able to go through years 2, 3, and 4 together. We had the same classes every day of every week of every semester so we got really close and we were a well oiled machine in terms of group projects and study sessions and all that. We all really supported each other and made it fun to be up there. As for the prestige, SFU can fight with the best of them. Society does put a lot of emphasis on education but honestly, when was the last time you went to a doctor or dentist and asked to see his or her diplomas before seeking treatment from them? It's not where you get your education, it's what you do with it. And more importantly, it is the knowledge that you acquire. And by knowledge I don't mean book smarts. I mean, what did you learn about yourself, about life, and about your future? Some people learn about those things at Harvard. And others learn about it laying on a beach. On any given day when it's pouring rain and you have an 8:30am class to attend, does it really matter whether you're at UBC or SFU? Don't get taken in by people glorifying UBC. The motions of obtaining a degree are the same no matter where you go. My advice would be to make some really good friends, and try to discover your passion. If you don't like your faculty and feel that a program at UBC might serve you better, that's a different story and maybe you can consider a transfer. But don't give up on SFU just based on reputation. I love that it's secluded up on the mountain - no distractions! Use it to your advantage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Every couple weeks when an SFU thread comes up, I thoroughly enjoy saying bad things about it with my fellow students who also don't like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucklax Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I go to SFU and while I've never had a problem of finding something to do on campus because I live in Rez, I am transferring. As far as school prestige, I think SFU is more worried about their brand than their product. They hype up being the most "comprehensive" school in Canada, but they only get that because classes relating to majors are always full so people have to take classes from other departments that they often don't care about just to fill up the schedule. This leads to the nickname of Stay Forever University, as graduating in 5 or more years is the rule, not the exception. While another year at 6k tuition usually isn't a big deal for bc residents, for "international" students like myself and others, tuition plus room and board is easily 25k and an extra year at that price is pretty steep for what you get. I came in here as a Biz student as it seems to be well respected, but I've found out in my time here that it really is only hard to get into, once you get in the classes aren't anything special, Sciences seem much harder and get less press. I hope you find the right path for you, OP whether its at SFU, another university, or a different path all together as I've been struggling with the same problem as you have for the 2 years I've been here, and finally decided that I needed to leave before going past the point of no return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mau5trap Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I feel your pain The campus at SFU is so dark and dingy, and the student atmosphere up there is pretty much the same as high school was. Nothing going on up there appeals to me in the slightest. I really wish I had applied to a different faculty so I could have gotten into UBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 And can SFU get a new colour scheme? It seems like they've painted the walls with the blood and tears of students attending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inane Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 It's all irrelevant in the real world. no one cares what you took our where you took it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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