UBC or SFU for UG?

[science1000]

I will be entering university next year and I am wondering if going to SFU instead of UBC for undergrad will hurt my chances of for getting accepted into med school.

[hking03]

I think quite a but has been posted about this topic before, but it's not a simple yes or no answer...

 

You should look at a few of the variables and make your decidion based on what is right for you.

 

If you go to sfu are you closer to home?

Less time in transit?

Do you have a scholarship to one or the other?

Are your friends going to one school and not the other?

 

Ultimately, more people from Ubc get into Ubc medicine. But they also have a larger number of applicants and a large portion of the science students at Ubc want to get into med/dent/pharm and that's why they go there.

 

If you are smart and work hard and get good grades it doesn't matter what school you go to. Having said that... Based solely on numbers Ubc is a safer bet in my opinion.

[technicity]

All the points hking brought up are things you should think about.

 

I have to add to this:

 

Ultimately, more people from Ubc get into Ubc medicine. But they also have a larger number of applicants and a large portion of the science students at Ubc want to get into med/dent/pharm and that's why they go there.

 

Last cycle UBC switched up the grade conversion scale for non %-age universities, and anecdotally this seems to have benefited SFU students - we'll see when full statistics come out in the fall. Depending on the curve of your faculty of choice, it might even put you at an advantage compared to a UBC student. As an SFU engineering student, I felt like I was given a bit of an edge with the conversion...

 

Keep in mind though that the conversion is subject to change; as a UBC student you'd know exactly how your grades convert.

[repede]

UBC for sure. SFU's grading system is a moving target - professors can set whatever %'s they want for an A. An A might be 95%+ for one class, or 90%+ and above for another class. I don't think you'll want to be dealing with that come grade conversion time.

[murphy303]

med 2016 here, and i have degrees from both universities (only a couple classes away from gradding at UBC for my BA). personally i liked SFU's UG a bit more, but I found SFU harder in terms of grading and professors. the changes to the grading system made it more fair for SFU students than it used to be, for sure.. not an advantage, more like "even playing field". ultimately, picking either school will not significantly affect your success at getting into med, imo.

[murphy303]

You'll get higher GPA at SFU than UBC but for the opportunities and motivation to pursue medical school I would choose UBC if I were you.

 

total crap...!

 

my grades were WAY higher at UBC than SFU

[oops_letstryagain]

All the points hking brought up are things you should think about.

 

I have to add to this:

 

 

 

Last cycle UBC switched up the grade conversion scale for non %-age universities, and anecdotally this seems to have benefited SFU students - we'll see when full statistics come out in the fall. Depending on the curve of your faculty of choice, it might even put you at an advantage compared to a UBC student. As an SFU engineering student, I felt like I was given a bit of an edge with the conversion...

 

Keep in mind though that the conversion is subject to change; as a UBC student you'd know exactly how your grades convert.

 

 

You can actually calculate the difference it caused. A 4.33 went up from a 90 to a 95 in the conversion scale, (and all the other GPA values went up accordingly to the mean value of that grade at UBC from the minimum). Overall it depends on what your degree is and your method of study.

 

The key thing here is the method of study: when you look at your grades, do you get very high grades for the given letter grade, or do you get more consistent grades across courses but they vary for a given letter grade. SFU allows you to focus on more courses broadly because you don't need to aim for perfection in a course to get a 4.33. At UBC, the only way you'll get a 100% is by getting 100% in everything. That being said, if you're good at getting every last mark, UBC is the way to go. If you're better at getting A+'s and A's without getting perfect, SFU is probably the way to go.

[murphy303]

you mean your grades at UBC during your SECOND undergrad degree in BA compared to your FIRST undergrad degree in double major of applied sciences at SFU?

 

yea, but i took very difficult courses in my BA as well (eg. 5xx medical science). and, my BA was almost exclusively upper level as you'd expect for a 2nd degree.

 

my answer is based on a holistic assessment of my years of experience at both schools. just saying its absolutely absurd to claim SFU is easier than UBC to get good grades, imo. i wouldnt claim the opposite either though

 

just thinking of SFU chemistry/mbb/computing ... GAHHHHH nightmares!

[murphy303]

You can actually calculate the difference it caused. A 4.33 went up from a 90 to a 95 in the conversion scale, (and all the other GPA values went up accordingly to the mean value of that grade at UBC from the minimum). Overall it depends on what your degree is and your method of study.

 

The key thing here is the method of study: when you look at your grades, do you get very high grades for the given letter grade, or do you get more consistent grades across courses but they vary for a given letter grade. SFU allows you to focus on more courses broadly because you don't need to aim for perfection in a course to get a 4.33. At UBC, the only way you'll get a 100% is by getting 100% in everything. That being said, if you're good at getting every last mark, UBC is the way to go. If you're better at getting A+'s and A's without getting perfect, SFU is probably the way to go.

 

the old way of calculating grades was totally unfair to GPA students (uvic/SFU). If you were an SFU student and got a perfect grade in every class (which would have been near impossible, many profs dont even give A+'s)... then you would have a 90% average, whereas UBC students could be getting 99% averages because they are on a % system. We don't need to revisit this issue right? it was discussed on here ad nauseum

[repede]

since the majority of students at sfu take three course per term... (many at ubc take 5~6 per term)

 

Uh, definitely not true based on who I've known that went to SFU...

 

With these debates, it's always grass-is-greener-on-the-other side.

[iwh333]

To be fair 90% average with full courseload is like top 2~3% of students at science. And objectively speaking of the academic strength of the student pool straight A+ at sfu equalling 90% avg @ ubc sounds pretty fair to me especially since the majority of students at sfu take three course per term... (many at ubc take 5~6 per term) Giving 95% for a+ doesnt really seem fair bc some of the core courses in science doesnt even have the highest grade of 95% in many classes.

 

that's a decent point actually... and even if they did get 95, it would only be 1 or 2 people.

 

then again, i guess people who score consistently in the upper ranges of the percent bracket will get bumped down as well so it probably all equals out in the end.

[K-Doc]

especially since the majority of students at sfu take three course per term... (many at ubc take 5~6 per term)

 

This is complete crap! I don't know who feeds you your info, but you need to open your eyes. As an SFU student, I never took three courses per term in fall or spring semesters... usually 5 or 6. Most people I knew also took at minimum 4. I actually don't know anyone who took only 3 per term. Quit making claims against SFU when you clearly don't know what you're talking about; sounds like your information is purely anecdotes from people with beef at SFU.

[murphy303]

the majority of students at sfu take three course per term... (many at ubc take 5~6 per term)

 

this simply isnt true; you are wrong

[Darkpaladin]

This is complete crap! I don't know who feeds you your info, but you need to open your eyes. As an SFU student, I never took three courses per term in fall or spring semesters... usually 5 or 6. Most people I knew also took at minimum 4. I actually don't know anyone who took only 3 per term. Quit making claims against SFU when you clearly don't know what you're talking about; sounds like your information is purely anecdotes from people with beef at SFU.

 

I spent my first two years at SFU before moving to UBC and while I did take 5 courses per term including summer term (I never took a break semester) most of the people I know in science, and I know quite a lot, took at most 4 courses per term and significant number took 3 during their first year. The course load seems more program specific, in engineering and biomedical engineering 5-6 courses is the norm.

I wouldn't generalize which school is easier to get good grades in because their's a lot of individual component to it, but I found getting good grades at UBC with a full course load easier because their teaching style and course structure better matched my learning preferences than SFU's. Plus, I didn't like it when I got more than 85+ on some courses and still got a B on my transcript with no mention of the actual percentage.

[oops_letstryagain]

the old way of calculating grades was totally unfair to GPA students (uvic/SFU). If you were an SFU student and got a perfect grade in every class (which would have been near impossible, many profs dont even give A+'s)... then you would have a 90% average, whereas UBC students could be getting 99% averages because they are on a % system. We don't need to revisit this issue right? it was discussed on here ad nauseum

 

I'm sure it has been discussed ad nauseum, and I don't care to debate it again, but it is an important consideration when you reflect on how you prefer to get graded. It was unfair to SFU/UVIC students in the past, and it's been changed significantly enough that some students will benefit more from this conversion than they would from the direct UBC GPA %.

[murphy303]

I'm sure it has been discussed ad nauseum, and I don't care to debate it again, but it is an important consideration when you reflect on how you prefer to get graded. It was unfair to SFU/UVIC students in the past, and it's been changed significantly enough that some students will benefit more from this conversion than they would from the direct UBC GPA %.

 

 

 

Fair comments

[1337]

Consider sfu's biomedical physiology and kinesiology degree. Probably by far the best degree for preparation for medical school. But a lot of courses you need 96% plus in order to get an a+!!!

 

I would argue that the best degree is the degree that you can achieve the marks required for medical school.

 

I have always heard that nothing can really prepare you for what you learn in medical school. So I don't think people should choose majors or universities based on it being the "best preparation" for medicine.