University of British Columbia

jmason

jmason

Active member
So... I got into UBC the other day, and I want some input.

I'm from Toronto. I ski (obviously) quite a bit, and I'd love to be close to the mountains. However, I want some advice and info on UBC. I have also got into Calgary and a couple of Ontario universities, so what do you think?

What's good about UBC? What's bad? Same goes for Vancouver. Gimme the good, the bad, and the ugly!
 
Hey man im from toronto too and i just got in and I'm going. I went out to visit it in February and it was so sick. Ive got a couple friends out there in first and second year and they all love it. From what ive seen i think its sick. if you have any questions you can message me
 
You probably won't ski very much?

I don't know, most of the faculties have pretty large workloads for postsecondary. It's a pretty ok school. Gets good rankings every year, 2nd in the country. It's not really all that easy to get to the mountains from here though, it takes an hour by car at least.
 
fuck that, i have 7 courses right now and i ski 4-5 days a week. make time for what you love, and you'll be fine. ride locals though, whistler isn't worth it.
 
With regards to the workload, it very much depends which faculty you're in. I haven't seen an undergrand arts/social science program anywhere in Canada that has a really demanding schedule. If your an engineer, things might be different. But as Laura said, set your priorities and you'll have time for what you want to do (whether that be bars/parties or skiing). The locals are 45mins-1 hour away by car from the campus, Whistler just about 2 hours 15 mins-2 and half hours. I think Whistler is worth it. The $430 pass saves you a fuckload of money to buy bus tickets up there/chip in for gas with friends. As a skier, having a car in Vancouver definitely helps. The transit system is ok for UBC/Downtown, but not very good getting to the North Shore (local mountains).

I'm from Vancouver and went to onterrible for University (Western). While it was a lot of fun, part of me always wished I stayed here in Vancouver and went to UBC. I would have skied a whole lot more. And that's important. One of the best things about going to Western was it was a new place, and new friends and all that, which is something you'd already be getting out here. You'll just spend more money than staying at home.

With regards to Calgary, I love that city. But its balls cold in the wintertime and the skiing isn't as good as Vancouver. If you were moving for a job Calgary makes more sense as you'd be there year round and get to enjoy summer there (and stampede) and there are a ton of jobs that pay very well. For school though, I say leave onterrible behind and come all the way out West.
 
I've really enjoyed my time at UBC, but I do feel that the quality of education isn't top rate. It's quite good, but there have been areas which I have been disappointed in. I am in he commerce program; the MBA program is rated 65th in the world. The education has been very enrichening, but I feel the standards are relatively slack and does not prepare students properly for post-grad studies. Good job placement, and quite good if you are going into accounting, but even some of my teachers admit the program is watered down.

That being said, Vancouver is awesome. There are three local hills within a half hour drive that are all super fun in their individual ways (and all are bigger than anything in Ontario). And Whistler is only 2 hours away and is the best resort overall in Canada. And Whistler is definitely worth it, but the locals hills usually get snowed on harder and having local knowledge in Whistler goes a long ways too. But the terrain in Whistler is first class.
 
Go!!! I came up here from utah this past year and this place is awesome. Local hills are sick for pow days or just a quick after class night session to keep you going. Whis and baker are both close enough that someone is almost always driving up and the bus is always an option. As far as classes go either go heavy on the courseload first term when there is little to no snow and then ride all second term or just take ARTs One, only 8 hours of class all week and a dope learning experience. Plus your living in Van, dope people, huge diverse city, and beaches... beaches below mountains!
 
It's fun. I often ski with friends from Toronto and they love shredding out here, in fact they go back home very little. Whistler pass is a steal. If you can keep up with the work depending what you're doing, local mountains are accessible for weekdays, but I haven't been there in 2 years since I have a pass to whistler and it's a shit ton better (~40 days this season, which isn't huge but decent). Once you find a crew of good skiers and someone with a car, you're gonna have the time of your life. It's expensive but manageable ($10 when carpooling to whistler, $28 return bus trip with greyhound), and your pass will be paid off after 6 days...
 
I like it. I'm doing Chemistry, and there's a lot of work, but nothing that prevents me from skiing. Vancouver is fun to live in, and the bus system around here and downtown is good. It is WAY easier to go skiing if you have a car though, or a friend with a car (thanks eliel).
 
no problem man if there is a spot in the car to be filled i say why the fuck not. and there is no way i'm telling the waitress at crystal we're ordering any less than 100 wings so the bigger the crew the better.
 
I wana go so bad! Do any of you guys surf there by any chance..? I know the water is cold but I grew up with the beach n the mountains and UBC sounds like the perfect place. and how far are the local mts? 1 person said an hour and the other said 30 mins..?
 
um I'm no surfer, but I don't think the waves around UBC are big enough to surf. You gotta go to Vancouver island for that stuff, but maybe I'm wrong?

 
Regular surfing, no. Windsurfing, yes. And the locals are at best 40 mins, up and up to 1 hour+ away. Depends on Which mountain (Grouse closest, then Cypress, then Seymour) and traffic (obviously). I live near Cypress, my gf lives 2 mins from UBC and in ZERO traffic it takes 35 mins to get from my place to hers. Traffic can be slow getting through downtown, and the Lions Gate bridge (pretty much the only way to Cypress/Grouse) can be a bitch.
 
No im pretty sure you can do.."real surfing" I some guys last year with boards on their roof racks. And thats not bad at all for the local mountains. But im sure traffic is annoying as hell
 
definitely no surfing around vancouver. there's this little island called Vancouver Island that blocks the waves. skimboarding on flat tidal pools, yes. Windsurfing yes. If you don't have a car, and you live near UBC, you will never ski the locals.

 
ya lack of time and just the monumental mission of trying to get there. If you have a friend who is willing to drive all the time and you are both down to pitch on gas, then it'll work out for you. otherwise, you're not going to want to bus 4+ hours-- with all your gear-- to ski for 2 hours or less at Grouse or Seymour... plus with studying and assignments, 4 hours of busing is not feasible either. And UBC to the locals is definitely 2 hours on the bus each way. I go to UBC and have a truck, so can/will hook up rides when possible. Will organize next season.
 
I'll be in residence next year and I don't think I want to pay upkeep on my current whip.. so I'd definitely be down to pitch in for gas.
 
not saying that... you will ski a lot more than almost any other university. Go to the ski and board club events (but dont join, total waste of money) and meet people with rides, check out the car pooling thread in this forum, take the bus occasionally... you should easily be able to get 30+ days in between the locals, whistler and Baker. the 4X4 pass alone is reason enough to go to UBC. Just don't expect to be riding all the time (like daily, or every second day) at the locals if You don't have a car.
 
priorities. if u wanna ski you will. its not too far away. ubc to seymour takes 1h30min to the bootom on transit once you learn the busses.
 
hey dood

i'm from toronto too i just finished up first year at UBC.

i rode up at whistler every weekend except for one the whole

season...they have a bus that goes straight from res to the mountain

every friday, saturday and sunday morning at 6 am and it picks you up

at the mountain at 5pm and drops you back at res.

shit i guess im a little late replying to this thread. i hope you chose UBC it's so dope. the campus is beautiful...the people are more chill than you could ever imagine...its right on the beach...pretty much the best place ever!
 
hit me up when the season gets rolling and we usually can find an extra spot or three between my car and the rest heading up to ride (riding about 4-6 days a week once first term is over). All you got to do is stroll on over to gage rez... and give us money
 
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