U of T or UBC

[Guest ML]

I'm currently a British Columbia Grade 12 student, and I don't know where I should go for my undergrad....I'm thinking between U of T or UBC.....

 

Can anyone please tell me from their own experiences what those two schools are like in terms of competition, student life, and academics????

 

I would like to get into Med School someday, however, my impression is that going to Ontario for undergrad would be better since there are 5 med schools there, and only 1 in BC. So my chances of getting in would increase.

[Guest ThugJaan]

Don't believe the hype; stay in UBC. UBC favors BC residents. Ontario has no regional peference. Thus, staying in UBC = 6 schools, Ont = 5. You do the math.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Hi there,

 

I posted some comments just a few days ago regarding choosing an undergrad university based on the chances of then getting into med school.

 

pub44.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm0.showMessage?topicID=309.topic

 

I personally think you would be doing a bit of a disservice to yourself to let the possibilities of med school control where you end up studying for university. Rather, like you've hinted in your post, go somewhere that you will enjoy living and studying in. That will help you get the most out of university, and help you get as good grades and other med school application criteria as possible. The reality is that there's a very good chance that in four years you won't be interested in med any more, because you've found something else that fits you even better.

 

As far as UBC goes as a university, I don't know how undergrad is because I didn't attend here. However, the campus and Vancouver itself are beautiful (as you probably aleady know). There is still a tuition freeze on at this point (although it can't last much longer). I was very happy attending UVic for undergrad, and highly recommend it as a good place to study for undergrad.

 

By the way, ThugJaan, would you like to email me at your convenience? I'd just like to discuss a project with you. mdpremie@yahoo.com

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest YongQ]

Thugjaan,

 

Actually, that's false! If you are a BC resident under UBC's terms (e.g. did high school in BC), you can apply to UBC Med as a BC resident regardless of your undergraduate province.

[Guest jase]

First of all, I totally agree with Ian's point of view that you should go where you would like to go.

 

Now, let me point out the other, more practical (in my opinion) way to approach this problem.

 

Go where you can get super high GPA. Canadian schools don't look at where you hacked out your 3.99, only that you did achieve that score. In other words, if you go to U of T and compete with a bunch of keeners, chances are the profs there will try harder to "weed" out the premeds (notorious from courses such as Organic Chem, etc).

 

Now, I'm not saying that if you went to, say, Trent University, that it will be any much easier (Ok, at least I'm not saying DIRECTLY). You know that saying of being a big fish in a small pond than a regular size fish in an ocean, etc? You get my point.

 

Now, FYI, I go to one of the larger, more well-known univs where competition is fierce. Do I enjoy it? Most of the time, yes. Would I still have attended this university if I had the choice again? Yes as well. I still ended up with a decent GPA (competitive for interviews in USA and Canada - and I had to work my butt off), but I think if my only purpose was to achieve a 4.0 GPA as easy as possible, then I would go to a less competitive university.

 

My 2-cents

[Guest jase]

oh, and another thing

 

you can apply back to ubc as "local in resident, etc" even if you went to undergrad elsewhere.

 

so go to dalhousie or something and do your three years there and then apply back to ubc. you can also apply to dalhousie at which point you are also local there (they don't need as high gpa as say, UT, do you get what I mean?)

[Guest BCgirl]

Hey Jase,

 

You probably know this already, but it wasn't clear from your post. If someone did what you were saying (go to school in the maritimes) and then apply to both UBC and Dal, they would have to choose one province as their place of residency and then use that one on all applications.

 

I'll probably be in that situation next year (I'm just applying to UBC after 3 years now since you need a degree to apply to Dal).

[Guest medsera]

I think you should weigh the pros and cons of going to UBC or U of T and decide then. Either school you choose to go to, I'm certain you will be happy. People in general adapt and make the best out of any situation...and things usually turn out for the best.

I think you should definitely ask around and do some research on U of T so that you are able to make informed choices. Ditto for UBC.

I attended both schools so I can give you my opinion on both. In retrospect, I kind of wish I had done my undergrad at either U of T or Mc Gill (for a change)...but I can't regret the years I spent at UBC for sure:

I am from Vancouver, so going to UBC was very convenient. I was able to maintain friendships with my high school friends as well as make new friends, as well as get to see my family all the time. The premed faculties at UBC are quite good and the chances of getting into med at UBC if you're a BC applicant are quite good. I got involved with various school clubs and did a lot of extracurricular activities. The faculties at UBC are smaller than at Uof T and professors quite helpful, so it's not an intimidating place to learn. It's also quite easy to make friends.

 

When I was at U of T, I found that it was extremely competetive for undergrad. ( I was in graduate school there). U of T is a huge campus and can be overwhelming for a small town BC person. The university is spread out through downtown Toronto and there doesn't seem to be much of a common place where students can intermingle with each other. HOWEVER, U of T really grew on me. I found that the opportunities there were endless. U of T is a rich university and has numerous scholarships, fellowships, opportunities that UBC can only dream of. World renowned scientists and doctors regularly give talks at Uof T...

 

I'm personally happy I did my undergrad degree at UBC because it was a warm, friendly environment, but I found that I could have been exposed to more things had I gone to U of T. I did get the best of both worlds though since I ended up going to grad school at UofT.

 

Again, depending on what school you choose to go to, it's not the end right? If you go to UBC for undergrad, who says you won't get into U of T for med school?

You don't really know. One thing about going to school away from home is that you could get lonely and it can take time to meet good friends...that's something you should consider. Academics you can control, but the presence of friends and family you can not.

 

Hope this helps somewhat