4 Things UBC Has to Offer You
Post by Bahja Ammari, 2nd year UBC student and Vantage College alumni
Choosing a university can be stressful. I know! I honestly chose UBC because it was a good school and because it was located in what is considered to be a mild and warm climate in Canada. Although those factors definitely did not disappoint, UBC also turned out to be a good school in ways that I hadn’t considered before. Along with a supportive academic experience (and warm weather!), UBC has also offered me the following:
1. Diversity
The idea of diversity and people coming from different cultures all together sounds pretty cool until you really get to experience how incredible it is. Would you believe that I have a friend to visit in every continent and more than 35 friends around the world that I can stay with whenever I’m visiting? Given that I'm not exactly the most social person, this was both an amazing and surprising thing for me.
2. Cultural exchange
UBC’s campus is full of clubs and student initiatives that mediate between different cultures and bring students from different faculties and background together. UBC also provides a number of hubs supporting the cultural exchange happening on campus. My two favourite spaces on campus are the Global Lounge and the Museum of Anthropology. Volunteering with the Global Lounge as a Global Lounge Officer (GLO) allowed me to organize Impact Lab, which is a one day conference where different groups collaborate and present relevant workshops for students.
3. Professional development
University is not just about the accumulated knowledge you would gain being inside the classroom - it's also about the knowledge gained outside the classroom. If that sounds like your style of learning, UBC is the right place for you! It offers a range of opportunities for professional development, such as Work Learn, Co-op, Go Global, and research opportunities. Currently, I hold a Work Learn position as a Digital Media Assistant for Vantage College, and it’s a field that I’ve never even considered before! Through positions like this, I’ve been able to learn skills that I would have never learned in a classroom, while also still being able to apply some of the knowledge that I’ve gained in classes. Learning at UBC is never boring if you keep exploring the opportunities available to you!
4. Arts and culture
The art scene at UBC is amazing. Almost every night, there is something exciting happening on campus. The best way to stay updated on events happening is the UBC Arts and Cultural District event calendar. Located in the city of Vancouver, UBC allows its students easy access to the wider Vancouver community, which is known for its diverse art and food culture. Take it from me, Vancouver is one of the best places to be if you love food!
In a nutshell, while my initial reasons for applying to UBC were right - UBC is a good school and Vancouver is warm - I was naive in thinking that this is all that the school had to offer me. Those four factors made my experience very rewarding, and I don’t think my experience would have unfolded the same way it did if they were missing. In fact, just the thought of them being missing leaves me wondering what would I have done with my time when I’m not studying. We can’t be studying all the time - and I’m lucky to be somewhere that has an abundance of things to do!
Image photo credit: Don Erhardt / UBC Communications & Marketing