DefCon1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Damn that sucks! So seems I got lucky with my year allowing us the option to write them (or not), but not having them be required for UBC admission. Like I said, was an easy scholarship incentive for many. Stupid decision to scrap them outside of the ones required for graduation... It's essentially an audit for the province to make sure the education system is doing its thing. Partly the reason for such inflated grades in high-school - there's simply just no standardization anymore. Back when I was in high school, provincials were mandatory and universities waited for the provincial results before accepting students. It seems like these days the standards of education has decreased. There seems to be no standardized exam to evaluate the student's education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefCon1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Transferring back to Canada/US is highly competitive; you're better off fighting for a spot domestically... Unless you've just got no shot with the competition here. That is the main problem, getting a seat in one of the med schools in North America. It is already really competitive to get to med school but at least if you study overseas, you could probably have a chance to get a job even outside of North America (perhaps being a cruise ship doctor). I still think that the chances of practicing as a doctor would be higher if you go study abroad in an accredited school compared to sending applications year after year to medical schools here and constantly getting rejection letters. The acceptable GPA for getting into most Med schools in North America is probably 3.8-4.0 which means straight A to A+ grades. Although the grades aren't enough either, since you would need an impeccable resume that should list your extracurricular activities, volunteer jobs etc. Great essays, great interviews and a great MCAT result are other factors aside from the high GPA that could determine whether you get into Med school or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silfverberg Snipes Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 You could still pursue your dreams. UBC isn't the only university in this world. Duly noted, but a lot of my friends went to UBC who I'd loved to have shared my undergrad experience with. One bad day and a ridiculously designed English provincial blew any chance I had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefCon1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Duly noted, but a lot of my friends went to UBC who I'd loved to have shared my undergrad experience with. One bad day and a ridiculously designed English provincial blew any chance I had. Maybe you will go to some other school in another province and have a better experience and a better campus life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefCon1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 There's whole world of science outside dental and med school folks, just saying. Yep, there are a lot of fields in science outside of those two occupations. Although some people have their heart set on being a doctor and its their dream goal so if they really want to be a doctor, then they should pursue their dreams. Its about being happy in what you are doing really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horny Manatee Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 There's whole world of science outside dental and med school folks, just saying. What's your plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khushrenada Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hi, I have applied to UBC for general arts as my second choice, since my marks for commerce werent high enough. I have an 84% average for arts and have a strong personal profile to accompany it. Unfortunately I was waitlisted today,I was wondering how the waitlist hierarchy is organized. Is it through marks? or a combination of marks and personal profile. Has anyone here been waitlisted and got accepted later on? or is it basically for certain i'll need to look to my alternative options? Thanks for the input and sorry for all the questions. I was in a very similar situation to you when I was graduating from high school. I ended up not getting into Sauder, not getting in to UBC Arts, and ended up going to UVic as a pre-admitted commerce student. At the end of the day, in my opinion a commerce degree as an undergrad is highly overrated; at least, it is not worth students going to lesser transfer institutions just for the sake of one day having that business school's name on your diploma. I ended up trying to transfer from UVic to Sauder, but 'only' got into the Arts program at UBC as I did not have the right pre-requisites. Fortunately, my lack of planning really paid off, and I wouldn't have done another route. At the end of the day the biggest thing you can get out of university is how you push yourself, and what challenges you put yourself up to. Going to Langara just because it is easier to transfer into a program that has 'prestige' is the absolute wrong path to go. This is not to shit on Langara, I work with people from there, and they are exceptional individuals. They also became leaders within their program though. The beauty of an Arts degree is the flexibility it affords you, and if you can use it to your advantage you will leave with a mind you can be proud of. I didn't always challenge myself; I did take bird courses, but I balanced it with courses that really interested me, and allowed me to really immerse myself in them instead of spreading myself thin. If you truly want a commerce degree though, you should ask youself what it is you want to do exactely. Accounting? With any undergrad degree you can enter the Diploma in Accounting program at Sauder. Finance? By and large, a BComm. won't be enough, you'll be wanting to get your CFA. I don't know the specifics, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to have a commerce undergrad to pursue it. Management? Get an MBA. It is weird, for everything but marketing it seems you need to do something in excess of a business-related undergrad, and guess what -- to do that, you don't necessarily need a commerce undergrad to get the professional qualifications these various industries demand. Anyways my point is don't pigeon hole yourself into thinking commerce is the only way. I think the most important thing you can take out of university is (1) to learn HOW to learn, and (2) building a social group. For the former it does not really matter where you go; for the latter it really does, as residence, in my opinion, is an essential ingredient in building those lasting relationships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanHockeyFan Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 lol @ this guy being mad he didn't get into sauder. Happily doing my double major in Arts thank you very much. You really think Sauder isn't overrated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Happily doing my double major in Arts thank you very much. You really think Sauder isn't overrated? All Business schools are overrated nowadays, and general all Universities are overrated in Canada. One doesn't need a business degree to practice business. There are many examples of people who have non-business degrees and have become successful entrepreneurs. I also find it weird that most business schools only teach two years worth of material. Like at UVic they require taking breadth courses which are basically nonbusiness courses before even entering the program and then they only teach 16 months of material.. IMO a econ or accounting degree is better because you are learning relevant information throughout the 4 years. Also for graduate programs like MBA or even accounting, a business degree (Commerce) is not required. I think the prestige of school really matters in places like the US because of the competition between other cohorts, but here in Canada any decent school will do. I really the like the fact most professional programs here in Canada don't really care where you obtain the degree from as long you have the proper credentials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikiShiz Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I had a 90% average out of high school and got rejected from Sauder...and this was in 2007. It was definitely a blessing in disguise for me though. Good luck with the rest of your applications! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamHomer Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 All Business schools are overrated nowadays, and general all Universities are overrated in Canada. One doesn't need a business degree to practice business. There are many examples of people who have non-business degrees and have become successful entrepreneurs. I also find it weird that most business schools only teach two years worth of material. Like at UVic they require taking breadth courses which are basically nonbusiness courses before even entering the program and then they only teach 16 months of material.. IMO a econ or accounting degree is better because you are learning relevant information throughout the 4 years. Also for graduate programs like MBA or even accounting, a business degree (Commerce) is not required. I think the prestige of school really matters in places like the US because of the competition between other cohorts, but here in Canada any decent school will do. I really the like the fact most professional programs here in Canada don't really care where you obtain the degree from as long you have the proper credentials.doesn't prestige matter if one were trying to get into a big firm to be an ibanker or etc, or is that only true in the states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 doesn't prestige matter if one were trying to get into a big firm to be an ibanker or etc, or is that only true in the states. IMO it shouldn't matter as much here in Canada provided the Institution is accredited, having said that the states care about the school you attend because of the competition. I can see business related fields or Law comparing schools if they are dealt with similar credentials from prospective applicants, but its still rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 You guys do realize that prestige isn't some vague something that isn't directly related to the quality of your education? Most of the time it's not just the name on the paper but resources available to you through the duration of your degree and how it prepares you for grad school. I know for a fact had I chosen SFU over UBC even if I'm taking the similar courses and paying similar tuition, I would not have access to the labs and professors I do here. Of course, you need to examine that on a department by department basis when comparing options. Thats true as well, but for most programs there are no labs and professors don't particularly matter. I personally don't like to use the excuse that this professor is worse or better than the other, at the end of the day imo its up to you to understand the material. You could have Einstein for a professor in physics, but you're screwed if you can't do basic algebra. And trust me I have had my fair share of bad profs/TA's. I remember my very first chem lab in first year the TA didnt know what a bunsen burner was... nor did she have any clue of what to do. At the end of lab she literally flooded the place because she accidentally left the Distilled water tank running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Thats true as well, but for most programs there are no labs and professors don't particularly matter. I personally don't like to use the excuse that this professor is worse or better than the other, at the end of the day imo its up to you to understand the material. You could have Einstein for a professor in physics, but you're screwed if you can't do basic algebra. A lot of people go to office hours to suck up to the prof rather than for actual help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 A lot of people go to office hours to suck up to the prof rather than for actual help. Thats true as well or grade grabbing for extra marks.. While theres a line out the door of people wanting help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianLoonie Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 If you want to be an entrepreneur and start your own business instead of being a corporate drone, take a look at exosphere ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vancouver Connection Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 All Business schools are overrated nowadays, and general all Universities are overrated in Canada. One doesn't need a business degree to practice business. There are many examples of people who have non-business degrees and have become successful entrepreneurs. I also find it weird that most business schools only teach two years worth of material. Like at UVic they require taking breadth courses which are basically nonbusiness courses before even entering the program and then they only teach 16 months of material.. IMO a econ or accounting degree is better because you are learning relevant information throughout the 4 years. Also for graduate programs like MBA or even accounting, a business degree (Commerce) is not required. I think the prestige of school really matters in places like the US because of the competition between other cohorts, but here in Canada any decent school will do. I really the like the fact most professional programs here in Canada don't really care where you obtain the degree from as long you have the proper credentials.Actually all undergrads are overrated. Prestige matters. I've been involved with recruiting applicants as I work for a tier 1 CPG. Typically, we only recruit out of a few business school's from our university pool. However, after you gain experience and apply with us, schooling becomes irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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