Undergraduate University

[listerine]

Does the university where you get your undergrad degree from really matter that much? I can understand hiring someone from say UBC over Kwantlen or Capilano. But does it really matter if your from say SFU and other applicants are from UBC? Im asking because Im in my second year at SFU and im in the business faculty and just getting worried about not finding a job after graduating.

Thanks in advance

[inane]

No.

[Newsflash]

Doesn't matter too much for business.

[GLASSJAW]

either this is that same dude who posts this every two weeks, or SFU has the most insecure campus in the western world

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

EDIT: Just read your post a second time realized your in your second year silly me.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

As long as you get your degree. I don't really think it matters otherwise.

I'm in my first year at UVic and just taking general studies for now but I plan on getting either a bachelors or masters in social work in the near future to work with special needs people. I'm not too worried about finding work after

[Apple Juice]

You're worried SFU Business won't you get anywhere? SFU Business, arguably, is equivalent, if not better, than Sauder School of Business.

[LostViking]

BCIT is a well known and respected school, many put them above everyone else.

UBC, UVIC, SFU, TWU, UFV are all 2nd tier schools and are all about the same. The only exception is in certain programs, like medicine, which are only offered by some and not by all of these schools.

After that, its community colleges and the like, stay away from these if at all possible!

[hockeyville88]

Nope. Just do well and make sure you learn more than just what the books are teaching you. Your street smarts, your motives, your personality, and your work ethic will do more for you than where you got your degree.

Use your time at sfu to develop yourself as a human being, not just as a student

[The Vancouver Connection]

Yes and No.

Some firms will only hire from UBC especially for graduate programs.

[NucksPatsFan]

Network, network, network.

2/2.5 years away from graduation, but have become good friends with someone I met in my first year who was a few years older than me, and now he is in a hiring position with ICBC for clinical rehabilitation offices. After I get my BSc Hkin, I will probably take advantage of that networking.

Especially if you're a business student, networking (or the grapevine as business students call it) is as important as your degree.

[Sanford]

Ok lets cut the crap. You want an honest opinion? If I was an employer hiring a student from UBC or SFU, I would hire the UBC student. Why? Not only is UBC more prestigious it is in the top 50 in University Rankings in the world. People will counter me with "ranking don't matter". Frankly, it might not matter if you decide to stay in Vancouver (considering both Universities are well known here) but it will matter if you decide to pursue your career in the US or even Toronto.

"As long as you get a degree it doesn't matter". Again this argument was made up by un-ambitious person. You look at wall street, and you look at the entry-level graduate jobs there and you will see that schools do matter. You'll be competing with students from prestigious schools with high GPAs, who will have done internships program. I assume since you're taking business your goal is to get into investment banking (or other large corporations) with a long-term goal to start your own business... Well sorry to say but if you want to be the best if you want to get the best you will have to be the best.

Speaking from experience I did graduate from SFU myself. I did not stay in Vancouver for my entry level job but moved to Wall street. Really once you go down wall street you will see the competitive nature there. When I was looking for a job I was competing with individuals who were MIT, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, etc. graduates. I was quite nervous but fortunately I got hired due to my internship experience which I did in the summers during university (Interned at Deloitte and Pricewaterhousecoopers, IBM). As I worked I began to understand what recruiters we're really looking for. For me personally my employer did not even know what SFU was ( ) but he did know UBC, and in the end of the day Intern and Work experience are integral to getting your first job. With that said, where you graduate is heavily looked at.

My best advice right now, if you're still second guessing yourself, make a decision and move to UBC. Also, every summer YOU MUST take an internship program, don't be shy just apply to any prestigious company. I started my intern during my Sophomore year with IBM, Deloitte during Junior, and finally PWC my Senior. One other thing, GPA, it matters for an entry position (won't really matter once you already have working experience).

Again I'm not bashing SFU, I loved it there, and I feel the business program is on par with UBC. With that said, I'm not the person that's going to hire myself. I have to take account where I'm applying my jobs, and if you want the best "business" entry level jobs that's down at wall street (or Toronto). With that said Internship experience is VERY important for a recruiter. Also as a poster mentioned, networking dwarfs everything.

Work hard and be successful. Don't kid yourself, the working world is a lot different. With so many people getting university degrees now the amount of competition has become insane.

Another note: Capilano and Kwantlen won't get you a great job outside of BC, and if you're looking more internationally, BCIT is only really accepted in Canada.

[kazin!]

BCIT is a well known and respected school, many put them above everyone else.

UBC, UVIC, SFU, TWU, UFV are all 2nd tier schools and are all about the same. The only exception is in certain programs, like medicine, which are only offered by some and not by all of these schools.

After that, its community colleges and the like, stay away from these if at all possible!

Haha..."2nd tier schools"...

[Sanford]

BCIT is a well known and respected school, many put them above everyone else.

UBC, UVIC, SFU, TWU, UFV are all 2nd tier schools and are all about the same. The only exception is in certain programs, like medicine, which are only offered by some and not by all of these schools.

After that, its community colleges and the like, stay away from these if at all possible!

BCIT is not a well known and respected school. It may be in Canada, but internationally it's obscure.

UBC second tier? It's a top 50 University in the world it is not second tier... SFU is around the 200 range and has been getting momentum (moved up more then 50 spots from 2012 to 2013).

[The Vancouver Connection]

if you can transfer to UBC, just do that, better safe than sorry.

[Silfverberg Snipes]

This is going to head in the same direction of all uni threads. UBC Snobs vs. All.

[KoreanHockeyFan]

Job outside of Canada: UBC.

If you're planning to stay in the province, save your money and stay at SFU. Beedie is just as good as Sauder. Sauder is a grossly overrated school at times.

[themcdeal]

Job outside of Canada: UBC.

If you're planning to stay in the province, save your money and stay at SFU. Beedie is just as good as Sauder. Sauder is a grossly overrated school at times.

Does it really matter after a certain point? I can understand coming out of a school with little to no relative work experience but when you're 35 and havr been in the work force for a while, does it really matter if you went to douglas or ubc?

[Sanford]

Does it really matter after a certain point? I can understand coming out of a school with little to no relative work experience but when you're 35 and havr been in the work force for a while, does it really matter if you went to douglas or ubc?

Doesn't matter at all. By that age your employer will only look at your work experience. BUT COMON lets be a little ambitious here! By that age the OP will have his own business, a condo in Manhattan, and a trophy wife!!!

It's all about the Entry level job. With the amount of people getting degrees these days, you will need to "stand out" from the crowd. Remember your first job will be your building block, it's important that you start on the right foot. School don't mean anything once you are a couple years into the job.

[canucks_for_cup27]

I'm looking at things from a research perspective but I would think some of this is translatable to business. Regardless of what you want to call it (better, bigger, renowned, prestigious, stringent, acclaimed ect ect), it can certainly matter where you do your undergrad.

As someone mentioned, a lot of where you go depends on your experience. To get that experience you need the opportunity, this is often found at the better schools. They have more funding, more connections, and more influence in setting you up for those opportunities. You can obviously succeed starting from anywhere, you just have a head start with a more prestigious school. With competition tight, this can mean quite a bit.

Small side story, I did my undergrad at a fairly well ranked school (top 20) and got set up with an amazing summer job as a research assistant one summer. As I was waiting for a bus off the ferry, a lady starts talking with me and asks what I was doing on the island. I then tell her about my work and the project I'm helping on. As I finish, she says to me, "you don't go to school here, do you?". I hadn't thought about it but she was right, if I'd gone to school at an island university, I most likely would not have landed that position.

This goes to my second point, more jobs than you know are filled through in house hirings or suggestions. As someone else mentioned make your connections. The bigger uni's draw bigger names and thus have better connections. Similarly they also tend to attract hyper successful students which can turn into those links down the road.

Really you give yourself a better chance at things by attending the "insert word without offending anyone" school. Though as I said it's just a head start, not a trip across the finish line. You still have to put in the work to go somewhere, there are just typically more somewheres to go if you leave from #25 over #236.