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UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VANCOUVER STUDENT FEEDBACK 16-17 Student Profiles Madeleine Geography with International Study Olivia Geography with International Study Emilie Geography with International Study Flora Chemistry with International Study Sophie Economics Melisa English Language and Screen Studies Randal Music Laurie Social Anthropology DISCLAIMER: Feedback from former participants is made available by the International Programmes Office to assist students preparing for their time abroad. The comments expressed herein are those of individual students who have previously studied or worked abroad and do not represent the views of the International Programmes Office or the University of Manchester. While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and up-to-date it is essential that it is read in conjunction with the Study and Work Abroad Handbook and other official resources provided by the International Programmes Office. Madeleine I stayed in university-controlled accommodation. For the first semester I lived in Walter Gage, this was great because it's really close to everything on campus, however I found the flats quite anti-social and found it hard to adjust to a lifestyle where people don't seem to be friends with the people they live with. Most of my friends were living in Fairview and thankfully I managed to move into a flat there in the second semester. Fairview felt a lot more like a community and more personal. All university residences at UBC have very strict rules - there were quiet hours that began at about 10 pm on weeknights (we once had our RA come round and tell us to quieten down because our three person conversation was too loud!). You also have to get permission for parties - a party is a gathering of over 7 people, with music and with alcohol. Olivia I stayed in halls called Walter Gage which were on campus. I shared a flat with 5 other girls which had really good facilities and wonderful views! Emilie I stayed in university halls, Walter Gage. It was fab. I lived on the 14th floor of the North Tower, in a flat of 6, with the most amazing view. Walter Gage is designed as 3 towers with a communal area in the bottom, it felt a bit like a hotel when I moved in but that quickly vanished. I was very fortunate that my Canadian flatmates let me use their cooking and kitchen things, so I saved a lot of money there. However, other than that, the flat was fully furnished. Flora I lived in university accommodation called Walter Gage accommodation. It was 5 minutes from all of my classes and I was on the 15th floor and had an incredible view of the oceans and the mountains. It came fully furnished and a shared a flat with 5 other people. The majority of exchange students I knew stayed either in Walter Gage or Fairview Crescent accommodation. I do not know anyone who lived off campus in non university accommodation however I have heard that Vancouver is very expensive for houses. Sophie I lived at Ponderosa Cedar House, an on-campus residence located very close to university's main buildings and the beach. It is a new, 18 floor building with a well organised front desk. It provides mostly furnished studios and some shared apartments. Melisa I stayed on campus in Walter Gage - it was in a fabulous location, quite like halls at home. I shared with 5 other people, and had an amazing view of the sea and mountains from my window on the 17th floor. It only took 5 minutes to walk to class in the morning and there were always events going on which made it feel very safe. I definitely recommend staying on campus at UBC - you can find all the information you need about it on the UBC housing website. Madeleine At UBC there was more contact hours than at Manchester with around 12 hours per week. Continual assessment which is quite varied: we had mid-terms, participation marks, class activities, essays etc. It was hard to adjust at first to having such continual assessment (at least one thing due each week normally) but the assessment was of a much lower standard than at Manchester. Olivia Academic culture is more interactive in Canada, my lecturers always wanted to get the class to participate and people were keen to get help from the staff out of hours. Emilie I felt that the courses I took at UBC were on par with UoM or easier. I initially struggled with the quantity of work, yet quickly adapted to it. I feel that the fundamental difference between UBC and UoM is a question of quantity or quality. The style of assessment at UBC feels a bit full on, having midterms, essays, finals etc., yet it actually takes the pressure off in the long run. I went into most of my finals knowing that I had already passed the course. Have a look at the modules before you go so you have an idea of what you want to take, but don't stress about them. Enrolling can feel a bit stressful at times, trying to make your timetable work etc., but because of this I ended up taking some different, really enjoyable, modules that I probably wouldn't have if there hadn't been a timetabling issue/the class was full. It is also really easy to change modules and try them inn the first few weeks. Flora The testing system is very different at UBC from UoM. You are continually tested with midterm exams and hand in assignments throughout the semester all of which count towards your final grade. The workload is fairly intense and I definitely struggled with the adjustment. However having continual assessments does relieve the pressure of final exams as they don't count for 100% of your grades. Also all of the professors are extremely approachable and each course has at least one teaching assistant. I have found that there is a lot more communication between students and members of staff who all have set office hours. There is also a lot more interaction in class and students seem to be a lot more comfortable asking questions and starting discussions with the professors. Before arriving I put down a list of preferred modules and a member of staff at UBC then enrolled me in a selection of them. The difficulty in this was that he couldn't enrol me in certain ones as they were restricted and I didn't get a choice as to whether I got to do the modules in first or second semester. This meant that I ended up doing 4 extremely difficult modules in first semester and it would be good to have split them up between first and second semester. Melisa I was quite apprehensive about the classes before coming here, as I had heard all about vigorous and intense schedules with consistent tests and homework. This is true to an extent, but it has proved far less scary than I had thought. I have found the class schedules to be not as rigid as in Manchester, with my professors willing to tailor assessment methods to what the students would prefer. The assessments are also continuous here, which is a huge difference to Manchester. So for example, in one class I have two tests, each worth 25%, one group project worth 20% and an essay worth 25%; rather than just one or two summative exams or essays worth the whole module, which is what I am more used back home. In Manchester I usually have one lecture per module a week with a fortnightly tutorial, but here I have 2 classes 3 times a week and the other 2 classes twice a week, with no tutorials; so it is far to say that in this sense it is probably more intense with regards the amount of content we are learning, and it does push me to keep up. In Manchester I have found it easy to just leave work until the very end as the assessment is usually either an essay or an exam, but here more continuous assessment has definitely helped me be more consistent with my work. I have learned how to just do a little at a time as I go along, rather than trying to cram it all in the end, and I have also found that doing smaller assessments as we go along really help to give a sense of how I'm doing in the class, which I don't usually get in Manchester. Overall I would say if you are a little worried or nervous about the academic side of studying abroad (as I was) definitely don't be. I can't speak for other subjects but definitely for the arts department I have found the professors to be really approachable, helpful and friendly, and the modules engaging and enjoyable. Of course there are moments of stress and panic, but nothing we aren't used to. I've found the biggest difference (which is continuous assessment) to actually work and fit in better with my time abroad, as if I didn't have to continually keep up with the work I probably would have definitely fallen behind as there is just so much to do here! I was able to select all my modules in advance, and luckily did not have any problems with them. I would recommend you do this so to avoid stress once you arrive. Overall I really enjoyed my modules, try to pick ones that you think sound genuinely interesting.

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