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University of British Columbia


Tranquilizer

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Hello there,

I'm new on IB Survival, so first of all I'd like to say a big Hi to everyone here.

As you already know from the topic, this will be about University of British Columbia - my (hopefully) alma mater to be. Is anyone from UBC in here? D'you guys have any tips as for the admission process? I must admit I had been taking my admission to UBC for granted until it turned out I was not even invited to Cambridge (UK) interview, in spite of having predicted grades of 7 in all subjects, individual teaching at a local university and other perks like these. It was then that I started to think that getting to UBC may be not so easy, although a Cambridge student told me I may owe my fail at her university to not having taken Physics, which is required for all of their Engineering courses. That said, my preferred option is a course on chemistry as a pure science, though I do seriously take Chemical Engineering into consideration, seeing as many tell me it's a better choice as far as future job opportunities are concerned. I checked the requirements for the Chemistry course at UBC and they seem quite easy, yet I noticed another possible culprit: they want a transcript from all three years of high school, and my grades haven't always been bees and flowers all that time. D'you think it can seriously hinder my chances of getting into UBC? Sorry for the somewhat chaotic touch to my post but you know - the time is ticking out and I'm getting slightly anxious, since I DO want to be a UBC student, much more than study at Cambridge.

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I don't know much about UBC, but, like most universities, you grades are not the only thing taken into consideration. I would assume that the UBC cares about ACT/SAT scores, extracurricular activities, ect., and they may look at you CAS log. If you can do anything to up your GPA at this point then, of course, do that. But if you have predicted 7's in all test scores, then even with a dwindling GPA, i would think that you would get in. It certainly would hinder your chances, but it seems like, with your tests and other factors, the hinderence would not be enough so that you could not get in.

Edited by 2401 I Hate Tangents
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Just want to say one thing--I don't think UBC cares about SAT/ACT stuff. that's primarily a US thing. Also, I don't know how important extracurriculars are... while I'm posting, I should say that while I don't have any knowledge of your uni, I kinda came to the same realization for one of the schools I thought I could easily get into. I don't know how hard it is to get that interview you're talking about, but even if you're not in the very top, you can still make it.

The uni should look at your grades within context. From what I understand, Ontario students can get really high grades that other students can't [sorry if I got this wrong], so if you're doing alright in comparison to your peers, it shouldn't be too bad. Now is the time to realize you've done what you did & just look forward for the last stretch of applications and admissions. Can't say any more. Good luck!

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Generally, UBC Sciences will accept you if you have a score of 32 higher, with entrance scholarships starting from around 34 and increasing the further along you go. Like a lot of schools, a minimum grade of 6 in HL Sciences or Math courses will get you credits, although UBC uniquely does give some credits for a score of 6 or higher for Physics SL. Generally, extra-curriculars will not be super important unless you have to fill out a supplemental application, which is not the case for Sciences. In all likelihood, if your grades are as good as you say they are, getting accepted to UBC shouldn't be overly difficult. Good luck!

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  • 1 month later...

Hmm am I too late replying to this?

As a UBC student, I think I have to say... It would be very bizarre if you did not get in. Like you, I had great grades in all my IB classes, club activities, etc. and I got accepted with a scholarship. When I got here, though, I began to think it was kind of overkill. Other IB kids from my graduating class did way worse than I did but still had around 33 to 35 points overall and got in also. (It was frustrating.) UBC does want that transcript, and they don't care about SAT scores as long as you've done the IB... If your grades improved over the years and you end well, then I don't think you'll have a problem getting in. GPA is pretty important, but they basically tear it apart if you didn't study in a Canadian high school. (On some funky 4.5 scale (extra weighting because of IBH courses, apparently), I had a 4.45, and it got hacked down to a 3.84 over here.) It should be fine as long as it's above 3.4, though, especially if you want to go into science - which it seems like you do. Arts is incredibly easy to get into, and you can transfer out second year (but the catch is that you have to take a few first-year courses if you want to transfer into science). In my application though I remember they allow you to apply to two faculties...

Gah. I keep rambling on. I'm assuming you don't live in Canada so that makes us pretty similar. I live in rez (er, residence) at UBC and all that stuff, and know most of the campus like the back of my hand. Ask me anything and I'll be happy to help if I can. :S

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  • 1 month later...

Check out the UBC website. They REALLY like IB students. You olny need like 30 points to get into their science program. The thing is, they don't just look at your grades, but your experience and all. I am pretty sure you dont need SAT, but here we have tests called provincials, I am not sure if they are mandatory or not, but check it out. The deadline to apply to UBC is Feb 24 I think!

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