I am having to make one of the most difficult choices in my life. I got accepted to both UBC and UofA for engineering in both. I know they both have awsome engineering faculties.. i know they both are accredited.
Cost is not really a factor and only slightly more for me to go to UBC then UofA
UBC ranks in the top 40 in the world and UofA really not that far behind in many world rankings.
The weather in Vancouver is much better then edmonton so this is one of my biggest draws. However- alot more engineering type jobs are in alberta and rather then the edmonton area because of the center of oil and gas. Petro is only avaliable in UofA.
I dont know what field of engineering ill want to do.. ill figure out after first year but leaning to civil,mech,mining, or petro from what i know about them.
I am worried that if i go to UBC i will have a hard time because its a 70%+ asian student engineering demography... Not cause they are harder working which they very well might be, just that i want to be included and have a good social experience. I myself am decent looking and very sociable. I should add i have a 90% entrance avg.
Do i go to UBC for the weather and lifestyle/climate and have a tougher time with job prospects, or do i go to edmonton have job opportunities up the ass but suffer miserable weather and climate 7 months of the year for 4 years... I am having a hard time between balancing success/offerings and where i want to live..
If you have experience in either campus, or engineering field in general give me tips and or advice so i can make the best judgement on what i should do. Especaily if you are non asian and went to UBC. I will greatly appriciate it!
Mikeymoo went to U of A for engine so I would ask him. Although I hear him complain about Edmonton being just a really shitty city overall. I have friends that go to UBC and its just a beautiful campus and city. Also, after grad you could always go to Alberta and look for the jobs there.
I'm at the UofA currently. For your undergrad, it really doesn't matter if you go to UBC or UofA, unless one of them doesn't offer a specific program. The advantage of UBC is definitely the weather. The weather here in Edmonton kinda sucks, so if you can't stand being cold outside, then you're out of luck. The advantage of UofA is that living in Edmonton is cheaper than living in Vancouver.
Didn't go to either campus or hold an engineering degree but I will say that UBC seems to be the better of the two options overall. I don't know about co-op placements or program qualities, but I'm sure both are very good.
As for the social aspect, there are going to be awkward people in any engineering program but that doesn't mean normal people are nowhere to be found. I found that when I went to university, most of my good friends were made in my first year from residence and not all of us were in the same program so don't worry about the Asianess of UBC. You will probably meet a lot of people like yourself at clubs, in residence and even in your Eng program.
Vancouver is also a much nicer city than Edmonton! Though, the Oilers >> Canucks in coolness.
Are you looking to do a masters after you finish your undergraduate? I take it you're looking to get into the oil and gas side of things?
At first glance man, I'd recommend going to UBC. Vancouver is amazing and it won't make much difference later on. Having done an engineering degree at UBC will get you entry level work everywhere (at which point it becomes more about where you've worked and for how long anyway), or into a postgraduate program at UofA (because having a post graduate degree from a different university always looks good.
I'm a Canadian/NZ civil engineering student myself, so if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to answer them.
Do u think ill have the same work opportunties? As a company in alberta would hire a UBC grad the same as a UofA one? Dont people favor local people? Considering alot of the jobs are in alberta...
Im so scared to make the wrong decision I appriciate Masamune your perspective on the social aspect that was very helpful for me.
How are competition at universities? A large proportion of asian keeners has me worried.
I wouldn't worry about the percentages of asains, we have as many asains here in Auckland as Vancouver, and I can honestly say the distinctions are much more minor than everybody makes them out to be. i.e. there are the same proportions of slackers/work-a-holics as everywhere else.
Don't be scared to make the wrong decision man. You've got a choice between two amazing universities, you can't go wrong!
Alethios how did u decide on civil? I like the idea of the masters, but i would like to work a bit before i do that, ill be going into university 2 years late so i have to finish and start earning a living sooner then later.
What school do you go too? Would the level of competition considering a constant level of effort for me be different between the 2 schools? Based on a engineering lifestyle where i deal with people, work on site sometimes and overview, and do some desk draft work too which field do u think fits this description?
I am not racist or anything... but i tend to be able to joke socialize and just have fun better with most non asians, not all mind you! So if im doing group work projects and i have to work with very prideful intolorant and arrogant asians which ive come alot across it might be difficult. But then again u meet people of all races like that.
And i just am not attracted to asian girls, and id like to meet a girl i could marry one day in uni too!
On May 27 2011 09:46 bdictkam wrote: Do u think ill have the same work opportunties? As a company in alberta would hire a UBC grad the same as a UofA one? Dont people favor local people? Considering alot of the jobs are in alberta...
Im so scared to make the wrong decision I appriciate Masamune your perspective on the social aspect that was very helpful for me.
How are competition at universities? A large proportion of asian keeners has me worried.
I wouldn't be worried to much about the "asian keeners". The keeners aren't exclusively found among the asians. This is more of a stereotype you'll eventually grow out of once you get to university.
As for the social aspect, yes there are a lot of asians like you said and yes they also tend to stick together much like how people of different races tend to group together. But do I think this will be detrimental on your social life? Not really. If you're really social, you'll always find opportunities to meet new people and the ones who will become good friends in the future.
I don't know if you've seen the world rankings for the civil engineering schools around the world, but i imagine there is a pretty strong correlation between the ranking and the degree of competition.
Personally, i'm in the same position as yourself with regards to the masters. I'm in my third year at the moment, and the student loan is piling up. I'll be looking to graduate, get a job for a couple years to pay off the bills, then head to UBC to do my masters (i'm a canadian citizen and I absolutely love vancouver!)
If you're looking to work on site, you're pretty much looking at civil engineering. Most of the other specilizations pretty much preclude that.
I really should get to work, but feel free to PM me if you have any more questions and i'll do my best to answer them.
In summary though man, don't be worried about your decision, they're both great choices. Don't let yourself worry about the social aspects, every university in the world provides more social networking oppotunities than you could possibly use in a life time. To put things in some context, there are 30,000 students on campus right now, and even if 80% of them are unwilling to make new friends, thats still 6000 people to interact with on a daily basis (which you will, if you join clubs and put yourself out there). Lastly, civil engineering at the moment is one field that you don't need to fret too much about getting work. If you're at a good university (either of the two you've been accepted to), and get good grades you will find work. We're almost bombarded here at UoA with career's fairs, meet and greets and so forth. So many companies are looking to get their grubby mitts on us it's rediculous.
Don't stress, go where you want and back yourself in your decision.
If you were do engineering again, or do it in the first place, would you do petroleum? Seems like the best highest paying jobs with jobs that travel alot are in this field... [i dont care solely on money i want an active interacting lifestyle]
Like i mentioned my choices are petro / mining / mech / civil
And if i want to go petro i HAVE to go uofa..
edit- Man u guys have been really good to me. I very much appricaite the help it has been very stressful!
Does UBC get the same bombardment of fairs? UofA seems like my ideal school, i just wish there was an ocean beside it haha! :D Everything seems to hing on if petroleum is worth going into over the other fields... otherwise i think im gonna go to UBC
Good question. I guess the degree structure is a little different here at UoA, but the way it works is that the first year is immensely general, and you do a bit of everything. After the first year, you look back over what you liked and what you didn't, and choose your general field. The process continues as you progress through your degree, getting more and more specialised as you go.
In any case, I think you'll find that regardless of the particular courses you do, you'll learn most of what you need for your job, working on the job. In a sense, it doesn't matter too much which courses you end up doing. Your degree really just gives you an understanding of the general principles and a framework to aquire further knowledge (and employers are very aware of this).
My advice is to go to the university you'll think that you'll enjoy more, and leave the decisions about how you want to progress your career for when you've got a better idea of the options.
Nah, you can always do a postgraduate diploma, or get a masters in it... or simply look for work with those companies. In my experience employers specifications for recent graduates are pretty broad.
At the careers fair most companies were just looking for 'Civil engineers' or 'Software engineers' or whatever. They know if you're intelligent and diligent that you'll pick things up.
If you have your heart set on petro though, absolutely go to UofA.
5th year UofA math major here, did my first 2 years as an engineering physics student. The weather in edmonton is fucking awful during the school year. The school itself is a great engineering school (think limitless funding from oil companies), and you'll likely get some scholarships too.
With that said, undergrad really, really doesn't matter that much in terms of where you do it. Both ubc and uofa have good programs, the weather is shitty in both places, and both have asian-centric campuses (although less so at uofa). The only real "pro" for uofa is that if you do a co-op program, you can usually get fairly lucrative coop terms with companies here for real cash dollars.
Odd to see only UofA students respond, i definetly appricaite it, does anyone whos at UBC or had been at UBC have a point of view especaily if you were an eng?
You're way exaggerating the amount of asians in engineering. There are plenty of caucasians, especially in the engineerings fields you're planning on going into.
On May 27 2011 12:34 Jtn wrote: I'm in engineering at UBC.
You're way exaggerating the amount of asians in engineering. There are plenty of caucasians, especially in the engineerings fields you're planning on going into.
I am only going off of what ive heard 2nd hand.. this is why im trying to get a better understanding
What field are you in Jtn?
Is the rain also exadurated?
Does UBC have good opportunities to work in oil and gas if i eventualy want to do that? What are your coop prospects for your field and other fields you might know about?
I'm in software engineering, the rain probably isn't exaggerated lol, it rains like 80% of the time between like November to February.
I'm not sure about oil/gas opportunities. I'm in the coop program but each field of engineering is separated into its own coop so I can't give you much info for the other fields.. Many coop jobs are in other provinces though, so it's not like you'll be excluded from promising jobs in say, Alberta.
Really.. so for my coop term id potentialy fly out to alberta? Haha thats weird.. Is that common? Why not jsut become famliar with the companies and surroundings in alberta from the get go.. i know im nit picking!
yikes 80% rain haha... how does the soil not wash away! I visited van in june 2 years ago and it was sunshine and beaches haha..
How is your social experience at UBC so far? Do you enjoy the school spirit and events?
Flip a coin then. I went to UA for engineering and can't tell you anything about UBC. Vice versa for UBC students. your university experience will be more what you make of it rather than where you go. Good luck!
I am at UBC Mech Eng, doing my first coop term right now. UBC is a great engineering school and the campus is nice - it rains a lot during the school year, but the sunny days are very nice. I'm sure UofA degree is great too though.
If you go into coop, you won't be limited just to the area your school is in. UBC coop has many postings for the oil industry in Alberta, as well as many positions for different fields all over the world. Also, I'd guess that at least 50% of postings for coop jobs appear in both UBC and UofA coop job boards.At my coop position right now, I'm working with two students from UofA. I think a lot of people who graduate from CHBE at UBC work in oil as well, but I'm not too sure.
Let me ask you this though bdictkam, where do you live right now? From your posts I'm guessing you don't live in an area with many asian people. I'm asian, and some of your thoughts just aren't true. From what I've experienced, asian students (while generally they better in my high school) don't do better than other demographics in engineering. The top students in my department are very ethnically diverse, as are the bottom end students who drop out. UBC does have a large asian population though, and you seem pretty uncomfortable with that. I'd say that you get the same amount of jocks, nerds, etc in every race but I don't know if you'd trust an asian person saying that.
tl;dr: Both degrees are basically the same from an education standpoint, and asians aren't that different
Vancouver weather is generally mild; it rains a lot during the school year, though. There will always be at least a couple days where the streets of UBC will resemble a river due to the crappy drainage system. As you know, the reward for putting up with this is awesome weather the rest of the time - nearly limitless recreational options.
Engineers at UBC are a diverse bunch - I haven't seen any racial imbalance. Also, they seem to have the most fun out of anyone on campus.
Another incentive to come to UBC - we've got a pretty good Starcraft community out here. CSL champions!
I have an engineering degree from the U of A (same degree as Mikeymoo, represent~) so I can only speak to my experiences at this particular university and why I chose it.
I attended U of A because of the world-class facilities pertaining to my degree, which was engineering physics. The National Institute of Nanotechnology is at the U of A, along with top-drawer laboratory facilities, lecture halls, and so on. There is a lot of money available to the U of A when it comes to engineering and it seems that every time it snaps its fingers, it gets another 60 million dollars for a new engineering building. It's a nice perk.
And I wouldn't worry about the quality of students, the competition, or the 'Asian factor'. My electrical engineering classes were typically 90% Asian and everything else was packed with grad students and honors physics students. Plus the program itself accepted only the top 30 or so applicants out of first year based on grades so it was pretty lame for a lazy-ass like me. My point is that no matter which way you turn, you are going to be riding the curve with some very smart people and it shouldn't factor into your overall decision.
I would also put less emphasis on the specifics of the engineering degree you choose. My experience from the working world is that many engineering degrees are treated as shades of the same color. The petroleum industry, for example, is just as likely to hire a mechanical or electrical engineer as a petroleum engineer. Hell, they might be even more likely to do so as it's a more of a classical program and degree that people understand. The point is that for the most part, an engineering degree is an engineering degree is an engineering degree. Most employers understand that real-world work will have little or nothing to do with what you learned in school but the degree itself implies that you will be able to pick it up and do it well. And simply put, engineers like to hire other engineers.
No matter which school you choose, you will end up with a good degree from a reputable institution. But a large portion of the 'university experience' is getting out of your comfort zone, experiencing new people and new things, and you should consider which environment will be most beneficial for this. I faced a similar decision to you when I was choosing between U of A and McGill. Edmonton was an easy fit for me because I was born an Oilers fan and grew up in Alberta. I was closer to my family this way. It seemed like the natural choice. Though in hindsight, I wish that I had taken the opportunity to go live on the other side of the country and experience something 100% new. Instead I went with what was comfortable. It was a good experience, nonetheless, but I can't help but think that I missed out on a one-time opportunity to do something different. Now I'm a working stiff and that chapter of my life is behind me. Wah.
Vancouver is an amazing, world-class city in itself. Amazing food, amazing sites, and the best weather in the country (well, maybe next to Victoria). I have a soft spot in my heart for Edmonton, but if I had to choose a destination, Vancouver would win every time. And as you don't seem to be leaning towards the study of electrical or physics (and then likely won't get to take advantage of the NINT and other research facilities at the U of A), maybe BC is the better choice? Either way, you have to make the choice. The good news is that there isn't really a wrong choice. Maybe a 'less-right' choice, but that's a good spot to be in.
As a fun aside, engineering students consider a civil degree to be what people get when they can't get into any of the other programs. A petroleum degree is what they get when they can't get into civil... After that, well, there's a degree in education. Narcissistic bastards! There's a reason all of my friends were arts students.
Thanks for such an informative write up Flaccid, i am wondering then, are my choices of mech civil mining and petro and pretty washed together in some ways? I think im gonna pick BC, i just want to make sure not having petro wont hold me back. Landing a 150k petro job and getting to travel and be worldly accomplished is kinda of a little bit of my drive :D But i can be happy with a 60k job mining in BC.. I know people say options are good to have but big life ones seem impossible to make when u think about alot of factors..
I had thought EE is the easiest to get into requiring the lowest GPA...
Another question id have is how much of highschool repeat is first year? Some teachers say its alot some say u get the ground running...
It rained here in calgary yesturday and i just listened to the splashing i think id really perfer rain to the snow of edmonton.. I just enter a lower energy state when it snows and falls below -5 i think the temps of van will inspire me
Thanks for all your opinons they are enlightening and reassuring to me.
Why do u guys say that civil is less difficult then the others to get into, and petro is even easier in terms of gpa? The link i posted above would lead me to think civil and petro are more difficult thne your classic EE or Mech/Mat-E?
Thanks for the link - the entrance requirements have definitely changed substantially from when I entered my second year - granted that was quite a few years ago at this point =). My only guess for the change would be supply and demand, with perhaps more people leaning towards the fields you're looking at right now. I remember when I applied for second year, physics was this fancy new program that people thought was just the cat's-ass so the entry cut off was something stupid like 3.7 or 3.8. In the course of a few years though, people realized employers don't know what the hell an Eng Phys degree is (jobs are for losers), demand went down and the entrance requirements dropped. EE used to be next in line, but it seems as though it has lost flavour. Makes sense considering the money and opportunity available for graduates of other disciplines in this part of the world. If I were to do it all again, I'd probably do something more relevant, like MecE - screw that, I'd take arts.
Regarding the disciplines, it's probably best to group them. With things like mechanical and petro, there is overlap so you can arguably do whatever a PetE can with a MecE degree. Same with computers, electrical, and physics. Next, materials and chemical. I work in the natural resource industry (ha, who doesn't around here?) and most people I run into are mechanical engineers. I meet some petroleum engineers too from time to time but most of them work as field operators or something somewhat below their potential (take that with a grain of salt - small sample size). Civil and mining are fairly different beasts if you have a direct indication of what you want to be doing with your life. Every mining engineer I know works near a mine - go figure ;-).
I'm not an expert by any means, but personally I think you can accomplish what you expect to with a petroleum degree by getting a mechanical degree in BC.
As far as repeat goes, I guess it depends on what you did in high school. With pretty much everyone and their dog taking AP classes these days, you can expect a bit. I'm sure Mikeymoo would be able to answer that better, having done his degree more recently. It's weird, first year isn't anything too crazy (they save that 'til third year in my opinion) yet there you are, surrounded by people who were honours students in high school and inexplicably half of them bomb out and many others barely squeak by. I guess that's why the 2nd year requirements are so low as so few people close out the year with anything to be proud of.
Anyways, best of luck with your choice. Any chance you can tour the BC campus before making your decision? Might be worth the trip!
I was thinking of taking the integra and having a drive through the mountains to van during the summer and just pay the deposits for both schools.
I wonder if anyone else can confirm your idea of being able to do mec at BC and having pretty much the same options as a petro? Cause really the only reason im considering A over BC is options.
From an outsider prospective, I would go with UBC (was my fourth choice for Civil, lol mikeymoo btw). Just to reiterate what has already been said, unless there is a specific program you are looking for, they are very comparable academically. I lived in Calgary, and have been to Edmonton a fair amount, trust me when I say there is nothing spectacular about Edmonton. It's boring, and cold and difficult to get around. From what I understand UBC has a very nice campus, but it's really isolated (and rains all the time). I wouldn't worry too much about the social experience, I imagine that at any school it's all what you make of it. Also the Asian point is pretty laughable, Asians are pretty comparable to Caucasians in almost every way. You'll get along fine with them as long as you keep an open approach to the whole experience, and don't worry about the academic aspect either lol. Also, if I recall correctly you should get a $500 travel + a bit more from UBC.
For repeat in courses, it's probably varies by University/Province a bit. I think you will find that material wise, the courses are pretty similar, however the whole approach in University is totally different-- I think I'll just leave it at that.
Thanks emperor where did u end up going? U said it was your 4th choice.. what was your list?
Can u enlighten me how civil and mech differe towards the energy sector?
And yes ua re correct i get 500 for travel from UBC
I know what edmonton is like im from calgary, but i would rarely be hitting the city, id live and stay almost fully on campus. My consern was fort mac which is close to edmonton is UofA coop and jobs goldmine. Something UBC doesnt have
On May 28 2011 11:19 bdictkam wrote: Thanks emperor where did u end up going? U said it was your 4th choice.. what was your list?
Can u enlighten me how civil and mech differe towards the energy sector?
And yes ua re correct i get 500 for travel from UBC
I know what edmonton is like im from calgary, but i would rarely be hitting the city, id live and stay almost fully on campus. My consern was fort mac which is close to edmonton is UofA coop and jobs goldmine. Something UBC doesnt have
You will be fine getting a job at Fort Mac even if you go to UBC, but I would strongly advise against going to University with plans on getting a specific job. I can't stress this enough. Your opinions will change so much during University, that trust me again when I say, go in with an open mind and keep all your options open.
I would suggest picking the school in which you think will be the most full filling academically, and perhaps more importantly, socially.
Edit: Let me post a bit about how I picked where I am. I grew up in Alberta, and both of my older brothers went to UofC. Basically when it came for me to choose where to go, I knew I wanted to make a "fresh start" somewhere, so Alberta was pretty much the last place I wanted to be. I knew that both UofT and Waterloo had excellent reputations for Engineering (McGill has an excellent reputation, but not so much for Eng), but it really doesn't matter that much at the undergrad level anyways. I kind of had a dilemma between UofT and McGill in the end, but I finally decided that McGill, and Montreal, would give me the best experience. So far I haven't been disappointed at all to be honest, in Rez I met some awesome people, and Montreal is such an awesome city. Also, McGill has such an amazing vibe, I really feel like it's an essential part of the city.
Anyways, if you are going to University to get a job please take a hard look at your priorities. I know a lot of people in Engineering who just went into it "because of the money", and lose a whole lot both academically, and experience wise. Good Luck!
On May 28 2011 11:50 bdictkam wrote: What the heck... u telling me to have a specific job in mind.. and then u are right after saying have an open mind people change.. loll..
LOOOOLL
haha my bad, sorry for confusing I meant "strongly against" lol... hope it makes more sense now :p
Aw I was going to contribute something but then looks like you decided already. Just want to say welcome to engineering, I'm about to graduate in a few weeks with infrastructure engineering degree and I think engineering undergrad education is really worth it (compared to other iffy arts/science/literature stuff). Congrats!
Well, I was going to pretty much confirm what most of the people said above... you don't want to choose your university based on what specific job you want to get in 4-5 years. Almost everything changes in university, including what you wanted to be - you learn a course here and there, talk to both friends and influential figures, and eventually you'll really know your direction 2-3 years in. Therefore I think it's best to go where there are more choices in course selection and breadth in each discipline.
I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major. Similar things happened for a lot of my friends, and I'm glad I choose engineering science which gave me a couple years to discover more about each engineering discipline/major.
So anyway... good luck in your studies and don't forget to have a life outside of class! (a lot of engineers tend to forget that)
On May 29 2011 14:07 OpticalShot wrote: Well, I was going to pretty much confirm what most of the people said above... you don't want to choose your university based on what specific job you want to get in 4-5 years. Almost everything changes in university, including what you wanted to be - you learn a course here and there, talk to both friends and influential figures, and eventually you'll really know your direction 2-3 years in. Therefore I think it's best to go where there are more choices in course selection and breadth in each discipline.
I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major. Similar things happened for a lot of my friends, and I'm glad I choose engineering science which gave me a couple years to discover more about each engineering discipline/major.
So anyway... good luck in your studies and don't forget to have a life outside of class! (a lot of engineers tend to forget that)
Since you went to Engineering Science in UofT, can you give some insight to this video?
Im gonna attend UBC, but im not curious some insight on which engineering field i should make consider? I know this will ultimately be my choice based on experiences im gonna have in the next year.. but getting other opinons would be nice!
Which of the sub fields of engineering are your fave/best and why?
I gotta send in my acceptance tomorow, and having major panic attacks on my decision of UBC... Is UBC engineering minded? I just recently read that UBC's engineering program is really not that great just proped up by the schools high science reputation? And that UofA's actualy engineering is much better...
On May 30 2011 06:56 bdictkam wrote: Im gonna attend UBC, but im not curious some insight on which engineering field i should make consider? I know this will ultimately be my choice based on experiences im gonna have in the next year.. but getting other opinons would be nice!
Which of the sub fields of engineering are your fave/best and why?
The first year is a general year at UBC correct? Hopefully you will have a better idea of what you want to do after first year. Personally, I chose Civil because I really like buildings, am interested in Math and Science, and don't like/can't draw (putting Architecture out of the question) so I decided that Engineering would be a better choice. In addition to this, I am really interested at the moment in working with new materials at some time in the future (maybe as a minor or masters, or maybe not at all lol).
Beyond this, "best" is purely subjective, and I can't offer anything except for general advice. I know UBC has a really good Mining Engineering program, where you can do some co-op stuff (someone I know went to Australia for a couple of months). I mean beyond that, if you like stuff that doesn't move go civil, if you like stuff that does go mechanical, if you're interested in computers go electrical, ect. I'm sure they'll have a bunch of stuff or some seminars on careers in Engineering at some point at the University.
On May 30 2011 07:45 bdictkam wrote: I gotta send in my acceptance tomorow, and having major panic attacks on my decision of UBC... Is UBC engineering minded? I just recently read that UBC's engineering program is really not that great just proped up by the schools high science reputation? And that UofA's actualy engineering is much better...
help :X
One, it's undergrad so it doesn't really matter. Two, it really doesn't make a big difference-- it's all about what you make of it. Also, where did you read this? If it was the internet, I wouldn't really take it to heart...
On May 29 2011 14:07 OpticalShot wrote: Well, I was going to pretty much confirm what most of the people said above... you don't want to choose your university based on what specific job you want to get in 4-5 years. Almost everything changes in university, including what you wanted to be - you learn a course here and there, talk to both friends and influential figures, and eventually you'll really know your direction 2-3 years in. Therefore I think it's best to go where there are more choices in course selection and breadth in each discipline.
I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major. Similar things happened for a lot of my friends, and I'm glad I choose engineering science which gave me a couple years to discover more about each engineering discipline/major.
So anyway... good luck in your studies and don't forget to have a life outside of class! (a lot of engineers tend to forget that)
Since you went to Engineering Science in UofT, can you give some insight to this video?
Hahaha, I did Systems at Waterloo, it sounds a lot like the program I did (it is sometimes referred to as Waterloo's EngSci). These "multidisciplinary" programs are such bullshit.
Is there something about UofA engineering that makes it standout compared to UBC? Will i miss out on something significant if i go to the warmer nice campus?
Just feels like UofA makes up for its shitty location with something spectacular that im not aware off, makes me worry. I dunno how the heck you guys made these decisions in you life...
On May 30 2011 08:25 bdictkam wrote: Is there something about UofA engineering that makes it standout compared to UBC? Will i miss out on something significant if i go to the warmer nice campus?
Just feels like UofA makes up for its shitty location with something spectacular that im not aware off, makes me worry. I dunno how the heck you guys made these decisions in you life...
Play more Starcraft to work on your decision making skill lol...
No, I really don't think that UofA has any advantages over UBC. In my opinion they are pretty similar academically.
Anyone know if theres lots of engineering companies in BC? I know there is BC hydro, whats the economic outlook in BC? Anyone in the industry that has hands on experience in seeking engineering jobs in BC?
On May 30 2011 10:54 bdictkam wrote: Anyone know if theres lots of engineering companies in BC? I know there is BC hydro, whats the economic outlook in BC? Anyone in the industry that has hands on experience in seeking engineering jobs in BC?
Do you mind if I ask why you are going in Engineering?
On May 29 2011 14:07 OpticalShot wrote: Well, I was going to pretty much confirm what most of the people said above... you don't want to choose your university based on what specific job you want to get in 4-5 years. Almost everything changes in university, including what you wanted to be - you learn a course here and there, talk to both friends and influential figures, and eventually you'll really know your direction 2-3 years in. Therefore I think it's best to go where there are more choices in course selection and breadth in each discipline.
I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major. Similar things happened for a lot of my friends, and I'm glad I choose engineering science which gave me a couple years to discover more about each engineering discipline/major.
So anyway... good luck in your studies and don't forget to have a life outside of class! (a lot of engineers tend to forget that)
Since you went to Engineering Science in UofT, can you give some insight to this video?
No, I didn't make it (I am not Rishi). However, I do agree with most of the content in the video. I am permanently nocturnal (my usual sleep time is 2-3AM), and I'm pretty bitter about a lot of the things that happened lol.
How do you know about the video? You must be one of us...
*edit: oh and trying to contribute my last bits... almost all undergraduate engineering programs are similar or at least considered similar by most employers, as far as I know. What's more important for getting jobbed is how you make connections during school (through professors and co-op managers). Experience and connections > academic performance (for getting jobs). Of course, if you want to do masters and so on, academic performance would also be important. Still, after everything... everyone ends up with a B.A.Sc.
On May 29 2011 14:07 OpticalShot wrote: Well, I was going to pretty much confirm what most of the people said above... you don't want to choose your university based on what specific job you want to get in 4-5 years. Almost everything changes in university, including what you wanted to be - you learn a course here and there, talk to both friends and influential figures, and eventually you'll really know your direction 2-3 years in. Therefore I think it's best to go where there are more choices in course selection and breadth in each discipline.
I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major. Similar things happened for a lot of my friends, and I'm glad I choose engineering science which gave me a couple years to discover more about each engineering discipline/major.
So anyway... good luck in your studies and don't forget to have a life outside of class! (a lot of engineers tend to forget that)
Since you went to Engineering Science in UofT, can you give some insight to this video?
No, I didn't make it (I am not Rishi). However, I do agree with most of the content in the video. I am permanently nocturnal (my usual sleep time is 2-3AM), and I'm pretty bitter about a lot of the things that happened lol.
How do you know about the video? You must be one of us...
Nah, I'm just graduating from high school. It's been going around our highschool through facebook. I think it started because a lot of the kids from my school applied to Engineering at UofT and didn't get in. 2 people are going to Engineering Science specifically from my school and their facebook page is getting bombarded by references to the video.
I was talking to my calculas tutor today, he did Engineering Science too (he's a PhD candidate in Engineering now and he specced BioMed; I think he's the dude in the brochure). He said 140 out of the 260 kids dropped on the first year for his class (like 10 years ago haha). He doesn't know what Praxis is either and he's going to get his PhD this fall.
This is some hardcore shit. 2 years of civil engineering in 1 course? You engineers are masochists.
Yeh but... i could have better connections and gain better experience in UofA cause of the job opporunities around rather then UBC.. that is what scares me.. going to UBC doing my degree and having nothing to show for it after cause i went to a uni in a province that has less eng opportunities...
Any UBC grads want to share what your job prospects have been like? How difficult was getting into a good coop?
UBC engi's have a hell (i mean literal hell, not 'yay lets of a hell of a time hell') of a time here, prepare yourself before coming if you do end up going to UBC engi.
On May 30 2011 15:59 CanucksJC wrote: UBC engi's have a hell (i mean literal hell, not 'yay lets of a hell of a time hell') of a time here, prepare yourself before coming if you do end up going to UBC engi.
Can you be as descriptive as possible why that is canucks? Inform me the best you can, thank you!
The workload is pretty intense. If you don't like it (the actual subject) then it'll be hard to do well. But if it's really your thing it'll still be long long hours but then it'll be at least somewhat enjoyable.
People take 40 credits a year, and those aren't easy credits. I don't know what engi is like elsewhere, but 7-8 courses per semester is a lot of workload. Go to class at 8 and come back at 6, if that's your thing, sure go for it .
On May 30 2011 18:10 bdictkam wrote: What really? I dont believe that... How can uofa and uofc have a required 6, and ubc 8... and they are all doing an accredited program?
I think you have your information incorrect ;/ I am not even at the schools and i know that much!
My friends is taking engineering at UofA and he is taking 6 courses a semester too. Engineers get owned HARD compared to all other students it seems.
EDIT: Oh and I have lived in Vancouver and Edmonton. Vancouver has nice weather but I HATED the grey rainy weather so I still prefer Edmonton and we have a nice sc2 scene growing here.
On May 30 2011 17:32 bdictkam wrote: What the heck... i thought eng's take 6... why would they willingly take so many???
35 credit for first year in UBC engi, it means u have to take 6 courses one semester, and 5 courses the other, but this is just for "1"st year. 2nd year, worse since you have to take 1 more course each semester than 1st year, and it's Standard Time Table (fuck you STT, we have right to choose our own courses) which means you can add, but can't remove courses from your time table given by UBC. Well, UBC Engi is full of ass-holes (literary ass-holes) so pretty fun and I'm enjoying here UBC engineering; although if I don't get Academic Probation, I would love UBC engineering more.
On May 30 2011 18:10 bdictkam wrote: What really? I dont believe that... How can uofa and uofc have a required 6, and ubc 8... and they are all doing an accredited program?
I think you have your information incorrect ;/ I am not even at the schools and i know that much!
It's depends on major tho, still some majors in engineering takes 8 courses per semester or they just take summer school since UBC has only 2 semester + summer school + long holiday between summer school and winter semester, not like other schools (3 semesters).
On May 28 2011 11:19 bdictkam wrote: I know what edmonton is like im from calgary, but i would rarely be hitting the city, id live and stay almost fully on campus. My consern was fort mac which is close to edmonton is UofA coop and jobs goldmine. Something UBC doesnt have
Just FYI, I'm pretty sure that at least a few people from UBC Mech are working at fort mac right now. The coop pay also good if you are willing to go somewhere remote like fort mac or northern BC. My first coop job out of second year, in a small mining town, I'm making a bit more than 4k per month for 4 months (~50k/yr). I mention this because of your comment about making 60k at a mine in BC, and I'm pretty sure a real engineer makes a whole lot more than I do.
About the workload at UBC, its pretty rough compared to other degrees. UBC has a second year program that alternates project and lecture terms, and by the middle to end of the year you'll be at school for the majority of your time. 8am-5pm class every day with only one hour break, and then you still have homework and weekly tests to study for. I think there were a couple of weeks where I was at school from 8am to 10pm each day. The project terms are great though because you learn a lot, and the professors are awesome. Working full time right now is a breeze compared to that.
I'm not too familiar with other department's workloads, but they're probably something similar. Engineering is not something you can just half-ass through. I took 6 AP courses in high school scoring four 5's and two 4's. First year wasn't too bad, but boy did second year hit me hard. Be prepared. You'll have to learn how to work hard, but also have fun at the same time or else you'll go insane
On May 30 2011 17:32 bdictkam wrote: What the heck... i thought eng's take 6... why would they willingly take so many???
35 credit for first year in UBC engi, it means u have to take 6 courses one semester, and 5 courses the other, but this is just for "1"st year. 2nd year, worse since you have to take 1 more course each semester than 1st year, and it's Standard Time Table (fuck you STT, we have right to choose our own courses) which means you can add, but can't remove courses from your time table given by UBC. Well, UBC Engi is full of ass-holes (literary ass-holes) so pretty fun and I'm enjoying here UBC engineering; although if I don't get Academic Probation, I would love UBC engineering more.
On May 30 2011 18:10 bdictkam wrote: What really? I dont believe that... How can uofa and uofc have a required 6, and ubc 8... and they are all doing an accredited program?
I think you have your information incorrect ;/ I am not even at the schools and i know that much!
It's depends on major tho, still some majors in engineering takes 8 courses per semester or they just take summer school since UBC has only 2 semester + summer school + long holiday between summer school and winter semester, not like other schools (3 semesters).
the only majors that take 8 courses per semester are eng phys students, and only if they want to graduate within 5 years (which most of them don't).
I'll tell you this straight up: UBC's engineering program is more well known than UoA's program, except when it comes to petroleum (oilsands) and nanotech (nanotech center). I tell you this based on my extensive co-op experience and seeing what kinds of people get hired - nobody ever mentions UoA and occasionally UBC pops up.
I also lived in Calgary for 7 years and Victoria for 10. Vancouver's weather is way, way, wayyyy better.
Go with UBC. It has better international recognition unless you are doing one of the aforementioned fields and it has absolutely superior weather.
As to workload, engineers everywhere have high workload. Be warned: you get used to it, or you flunk out. You go to university to learn, not to be taught.
Really sikyon, seems like most articles post mcgill uoft waterloo ubc and uofa all in the same boat for engineering especaily for undergraduate... Is your point that people with the same degrees and same honours standing, a UBC'er would be hired over an UofA'er in your eyes?
You seem really bias.. but i can maybe see why u are coming from it. I know you guys are preping me for the workload but im ready for it, really i am. I kinda look forward to it actualy..I have the drive to be dedicated.
Why do u think UofA doesnt get mentioned? The engineering faculty is rated wayy higher world rankings wise then the school overall, its the 2nd biggest school in canada too and get premium funding... i dont get it...
Can u mention your coop experience in more detail? What leads you to think less of UofA? On all the engineering school ranks i saw UofA is almost as high as UBC, and higher then your waterloo, but i know these rankings arent really that good.. i perfer peoples opinons so maybe you can elaborate what makes UBC over shadow UofA so much?
My experience has been heavily tinted by the co-op I've done at waterloo - you get to sort of see how people operate in the actual workforce.
I don't know why but I've never heard an employer mention that they wanted to hire an employee from UoA. UBC is actually mentioned - I believe there is a certain prestige associated with schools. Given that I have worked in companies that primarily had people comming out of eastern (ontario) Canada, I think that it's a less biased sample than a company ranking you would get in Alberta or BC. However, I will say that if you go to UoA you will probably have an eaisier time getting a job in Alberta, and if you go to UBC you will have an eaisier time in BC getting a job. That's just the power of proximity and networking.
I would wager that UoA gets less exposure because possibly many of its graduates end up working in Alberta anyways. These rankings they use... are useless. The only real rankings that should concern an undergrad student are student satisfaction surveys and employer reputation surveys. Surveys based on Research, etc are useless in getting a job out of undergrad because you won't be doing that if you don't want to go to grad school. Universities are ranked this way because the job of a University is not to teach students but to produce research. Teaching students what they do on the side. In this way funding doesn't really matter either - do you think you'll see a dime of it other than in new buildings?
I'll say this for waterloo: We do not have great graduate research. That's why we place so low on world university rankings. However, if you ask employers on their opinions of the actual graduates are, it is extremely high. I'll give you an example. Consider the ARWU rankings. http://www.arwu.org/ARWUFieldMethodology2010.jsp The methodology used is completely based on research. Do you think an employer gives a rat's ass about how good a university's graduate program is if they are looking to hire undergrads? Watelroo engineers are extremely well regarded because of our co-op program. I've worked with engineering students from other schools before, including UBC but not UoA. I can't objectively rate their actual training since I have different career goals (graduate study) but I can say that compared to Waterloo engineers they were less professional, their work was less polished and in the end these are the kinds of things employers look for.
Honestly I don't think that you can make a bad decision either way between UBC or UoA. They are both good schools and this sort of drives at what I was getting at about the workload. How successful you are depends wholly on how much effort you put into learning, applying what you've learned and how much you actually try to do work. Some schools will give you benefits (after going through it, I am a big proponent of co-op programs) and honestly the biggest professional benefit you will get from going to UoA vs UBC is networking with nearby companies. Consider carefully if you would like to work more in companies located in Edmonton, or Vancouver.
Before I go to bed, I'll leave you with this example about the workload:
I have a few friends who say that they havn't really learned anything in Engineering and they don't think they'll ever use it, even in an engineering job. I think they're full of bullshit. I take what I've learned every day on a co-op job and try to apply it. I'm working on designing a new process? Fuck yeah calculus and fluid transport. You have to actually want to use what you've learned when you get out there in the field.
Also, don't take factors such as weather and living conditions lightly. How good you become is not determined by how good your program is, but by how well you perform. It's alot easier to be motivated in Vancouver than in 4 feet of snow.
U guys from UofA, how is getting around during the winter like? Between classes and around campus? What are the residences like and whats the food like there?
On May 29 2011 14:07 OpticalShot wrote: I personally thought I'd be doing nanotechnology, so I applied to UW nanotech engineering and UT engineering science. I chose the latter, discovered that nano isn't exactly what I wanted (and I never truly understood quantum mechanics anyway), so in third year I chose a different major.
Whoa, I had the same opportunity when applying for university except I chose UW Nanotech (UT wouldn't give me scholarship details until I accepted their offer >_>) You missed out, it's a lot of fun (well I guess you didn't because you realized you wouldn't have enjoyed it haha).
OP: Just from an outsider's perspective, I would choose UBC. I hear about UBC much more than UofA, and undergrad reputation does matter to a point in Canada. Also, BC is a beautiful province and the weather is, for the most part, amazing (compared to the central provinces).
I have come across a major issue!! Having recieved residence offer from UBC it reminded me of UofA residence.
I paid the deposit for both schools and had lately from influences in life changed my idea and decided to go to UofA. However apparently residence services is telling me they have no room left. I am absolutely crushed cause i was set!!
Do any of u know how often residences open up spaces? I was thinking of living with people i know in edmonton until res opened up. Do you think living on res is really that important to enjoy the school atmosphere? What are the downsides of living off campus?
I live in Arizona! and the UofA is great! it just depends if you are willing to suffer through 110'F at 11 am and 91 at 10 pm. i mean if you can bear the heat UofA is a great choice! and from the looks of it you will save money, and ratheyon (sp) is right there as well to start your carrier when you graduate! but congrats on getting accepted and i hope your future is bright! BTW the CSL team for the UofA is alright!
On June 07 2011 17:03 CholmesInk wrote: I live in Arizona! and the UofA is great! it just depends if you are willing to suffer through 110'F at 11 am and 91 at 10 pm. i mean if you can bear the heat UofA is a great choice! and from the looks of it you will save money, and ratheyon (sp) is right there as well to start your carrier when you graduate! but congrats on getting accepted and i hope your future is bright! BTW the CSL team for the UofA is alright!
<3 CholmesInk
In this case, UoA refers to the University of Alberta.
Downsides of living off campus: commuting time. Hours of bus rides/travel will start to wear down on you after a while. Find some ways to keep yourself busy during commuting (iPods, newspapers, studying, sleep, etc.)
Today was my decision day, and although i had often swayed to go to UBC, i have been convinced at the superiority of the UofA engineering program compared to UBC. I think as an overall UBC might be a better school but UofA's engineering program awsome.
Plus im likely going to be going into petroleum engineering for my 2nd year [UofA only school to offer an accredited program in whole of canada], assuming my back doesnt break and im able to get good enough GPA for my choice!
I will be trying to get a room at Lister res asap as currently imo n the waitlist so for the first few months im gonna live off campus. Anyone who wants to help or make a friend plz pm me! Looking forward to spending next couple years in the engineering center of canada!! Wooo :D
I did but i also spoke to a petro engineering at CNRL my mothers work, i will likely be choosing between mech and petro come my 2nd year my father is a geologist so it all fits for me!
Residence life is a lot of fun, and you will meet lots of awesome people. From my experience it was well worth it. Really the only negative points being that it's quite expensive compared to renting/cooking your own stuff, and there are a lot of distractions and partying and such (part of what makes it so awesome, but also bad at times).
What elective do i pick? I have these choices: ANTHR 101, 110, 150 CLASS 102, 103, 104, 110 ECON 101, 102 ENGL 121, 122, 123, 124, 125* HIST 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116 LING 100, 101 PHIL 101, 102, 120, 125 POL S 101 PSYCO 104 SOC 100
I know for every school its different but for some people at the UofA or other canadian uni.. what is an ez class for ez gpa boost?? Rember im in engineering so something light will be nice
What the hell man, you didn't even post what the classes are. Pick something that interests you, otherwise it will just be a terrible, boring, useless experience.
Are those your only choices? I filled up all my electives with language classes. 100% useful in the future no matter what your career. Not easy mode unless you want to learn the language.
Emperor i dont mean to sound snotty but you can easily tell what teh classes are from the abrevb's ;/
Link the english classes have to do with literariture and disecting or something hecki cant even spell literariture lol.. I was actualy between Econ and Classics. Anyone take Econ in first year was it difficult? Id like to GPA buffer a bit!
Econ 101 is really easy and possible to get 100% in...IF YOU KNOW IT. Some people struggle with it but they are really bad at high school math as well generally. Math classes have the advantage of having a right or wrong answer while a lot of other classes require presenting arguments. Philosophy, english, and history classes, for instance, you can't really get above a 90, and the 90% is really only reserved for 1 or 2 people.
Ya I know that English Classes are on literature analysis and all that junk. I wouldn't do philosophy, english, and all that because they're hardcore on the writing. Personally I'd rather not do courses hard on writing unless it's mandatory. Classics is the study of classical literature, not history. If you want to study history of Rome then go check out your history courses.
I'd go with Gnial and go with Econ. Introduction to economics is pretty easy; there's math but you're engineering so obviously your math skills are more than enough for intro to economics.
When I said languages I meant like learning a new language like Chinese, Japanese, German, etc. I'm pretty sure all universities have language classes for electives. I'm doing Chinese (ez credit since I'm Chinese) and Korean.
On June 16 2011 08:00 bdictkam wrote: Emperor i dont mean to sound snotty but you can easily tell what teh classes are from the abrevb's ;/
Link the english classes have to do with literariture and disecting or something hecki cant even spell literariture lol.. I was actualy between Econ and Classics. Anyone take Econ in first year was it difficult? Id like to GPA buffer a bit!
Classics just cause i find rome interesting..
Sorry I can't tell the difference between HIST 115 and 116 or ENGL 124 and 125 :/
I have a friend who took Econ, and she found it easy but very boring. I took Poli Sci, which I found quite interesting and very useful, and to be honest Arts classes are pretty easy as long as you read and attend conferences. As long as you put the effort in any class can be a "GPA buffer". You might want to look around for a good professor, if you know anyone who goes to UofA ask around for a good Arts professor and see if they are lecturing any first year courses.
Poli Sci was like my last choice! How come u found it useful if u dont mind? I mean whats the point of having Classic classes when u are doing engineering.. seems so useless to me ;/
Edit-Gnail so u recommend i do econ 101 cause its more of a right or wrong answer class and easier to get a better mark if u try then an argument kind of written class?
Edit2- Link Yes i want to steer clear from heavy writing classes as much as possible is econ the only one that list that kind of like that? Ignoring the class numbers and knowing whta u know about the brances of the electives.
Ya I'd say that Econ is the least writing intensive thing you got going there. Especially since it's 1st year introduction to economics and you're not in graduate school or anything, you can only really be right or wrong by the book. So whatever writing you end up doing is going to be pretty straight forward without you having to get creative (unless you want to).
UofA only allows you to pick out of these electives? A have a few friends in Engineering at Waterloo and UofT (I go to UofT too, but not engineering) and both UofT and Waterloo lets you choose from whatever department or faculty when it comes to electives. Especially UofT since they're all about the "breadth" of your undergraduate education.
Yep for first year these are the only ones oddly enough for 2nd year you get like 3 times the choices id post but id be spamming i think, things like law etc..
Ok ill take econ thanks for the help
!!!Question!!! On my class schedual that ive made i have a bunch of classes stacked, meaning one after another. There is only a 10 min difference between the end of one and the start of another. Ive looked at campus maps etc and sometimes it is not exactly right next to each other in terms of buildings. Sooo is this normal? Do people actualy make it to classes fast enough around campus, the example scheduals they had, also had stacked classes... 10 mins seems like a very short time when its winter
Hahaha, oh god it's like every engineering stereotype is unfolding before my eyes, can you hold your alcohol?
On June 16 2011 14:01 bdictkam wrote: Poli Sci was like my last choice! How come u found it useful if u dont mind? I mean whats the point of having Classic classes when u are doing engineering.. seems so useless to me ;/
Go read a political thread on TL, then tell me you think a Poli Sci class is useless lol. But seriously, I fucking hate it when people consider classes "useless"-- since when is it a bad thing to learn stuff? Word to the wise, Arts students are particularly sore over this point.
!!!Question!!! On my class schedual that ive made i have a bunch of classes stacked, meaning one after another. There is only a 10 min difference between the end of one and the start of another. Ive looked at campus maps etc and sometimes it is not exactly right next to each other in terms of buildings. Sooo is this normal? Do people actualy make it to classes fast enough around campus, the example scheduals they had, also had stacked classes... 10 mins seems like a very short time when its winter
Hey bdictkam.....your posting has intrigued me =P it has been a while since I've actually read every post in a thread that spans multiple pages....
I'm in grade 12 right now and am moving up to Edmonton to attend the UoA in the fall. I'm living with family up there and am also taking engineering (hope to go into software or chemical after first year).
I just had to read it all because it struck me that I had a similar plight to yours! I was torn between Calgary and Edmonton for university, but convenience plus the fact that I am a huge Oilers fan drove me to Edmonton.
I chose to take Philosophy as my option and to take it as a night class once a week. From the posts in here people are mainly suggesting to pick GPA boosters (which have merit I'll admit) but you also need to pick a class that interests you. Sure my mark in PHIL might not be amazing, but I enjoy writing and engineering has a distinct lack of that in the courses it offers. Plus I immensely enjoy the ideas of the mind and such, making PHIL a seemingly perfect option for me without the benefit of the grade boosting.
I just want to make sure that you look at it from both sides. Taking an easy class is great, but if you are truly in university for the knowledge and experience I would recommend taking something that interests you and that is not a part of the everyday engineering course load.
Oh and about the time between classes and stuff. Talking to my cousins and mom who all attended the UofA, it isn't too big of a deal. As long as your stuff is mostly centered in one "quadrant" of the campus you will have enough time to get from class to class provided you know the general location of the room (might be tough for the first week or so). Engineering is almost entirely dedicated to one corner of the campus which should make it reasonable to travel from class to class (MATH classes tend to be in CAB or there-abouts, but again it isn't too far a distance to travel).
Excuse my long post but I felt that we are pretty similar and I found it funny that I read the whole thread! Just my two cents on your issues and hopefully you find it useful.
My econ class is stacked with a math class so im worried ill be running around and not make it in time :X
Kopo what do u know about the electives? Which of them were advised to you as being less writing more mathy and potentialy easier? Do you think econ will be like that?
I dunno if id like writing essay on reality and abstract human derived ideas... but i dont like doing compound interest either ! I wish there was a floor hockey elective haha...Or maybe a cooking one mmmm Hell id take a geology or something ... crap choice imo
edit- emperor, i get tipsy/buzzed very very quickly, but its not possible for me to get "i dont know what happened drunk". Its either buzzed or i passed out...
Fall semester I don't have a ton of stacked classes but in winter my afternoon is basically just one big block of class after class. Not fun =/
In terms of electives you just need to pick what interests you most off of that list. I personally enjoy the writing so I looked more into the philosophy, sociology and psychology stuff but it really is your decision. More electives open up for second year and beyond so if whatever elective you choose ends up sucking you can switch it up. Alternatively if you ended up loving the elective you take you can choose to take the next level of it as well.
On June 18 2011 03:56 Kopo wrote: Fall semester I don't have a ton of stacked classes but in winter my afternoon is basically just one big block of class after class. Not fun =/
In terms of electives you just need to pick what interests you most off of that list. I personally enjoy the writing so I looked more into the philosophy, sociology and psychology stuff but it really is your decision. More electives open up for second year and beyond so if whatever elective you choose ends up sucking you can switch it up. Alternatively if you ended up loving the elective you take you can choose to take the next level of it as well.
I got classes at 10 and up to as late as 7 with a 3 hour block between 2-5. At school from 10-7 and I'm not even living on campus. That's not fun man. But it's only tuesdays and thursdays.
On June 16 2011 03:34 bdictkam wrote: NEW CRISIS!!!
What elective do i pick? I have these choices: ANTHR 101, 110, 150 CLASS 102, 103, 104, 110 ECON 101, 102 ENGL 121, 122, 123, 124, 125* HIST 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116 LING 100, 101 PHIL 101, 102, 120, 125 POL S 101 PSYCO 104 SOC 100
I know for every school its different but for some people at the UofA or other canadian uni.. what is an ez class for ez gpa boost?? Rember im in engineering so something light will be nice
Personally, I'd recommend grabbing a hold of any economics class you can and avoiding, like the plague, anything that has 'for engineers' in the class description. Arts electives are an awesome opportunity to get around some different types of people (re: non-asian) and it's lame to waste it surrounded by a bunch of boring-ass engineering students. I recommend economics because 1) it's an interesting and practical thing to have an understanding of and 2) your grasp of numerical concepts and how to fudge numbers to make them do what you want will help you do very, very well in the class.
I did a number of economics classes, whatever law classes I could get my hands on, and even took a classics course, a political science course and a sociology course. I love me some electives. Econ was the one I found most useful though. In 3rd and 4th year at UofA you get an opportunity to take some 'management' type engineering classes. I don't know if Dr.Flynn is still teaching there (he was far and away the best prof I've ever had) but having a decent understanding of Econ will help you enjoy and ace his courses.
Kopo u didnt mention which ones uve heard from all your sources to be, more geared towards mathy and MC exam kind of courses, any others other then econ?
Would u take micro econ [101] or macro [102]?
Edit- Thank for the amazing response flaccid!!! :D I will heed alot of your advice. Which econ class between would u choose from the 100's? How do u find econ to be practicly useful, or is it too difficult to explain? I plan to take as few electives i believe i am required to take between 2and3 depending which eng i choose in 2nd year
I don't know if this has been mentioned as I'm far too lazy to read through six pages, but Vancouver has an absolutely ridiculous Starcraft scene with Local tournaments happening almost once a month as well as a lot of good players.
EPT
I appriciate Masamune your perspective on the social aspect that was very helpful for me.
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