I can’t quite believe I’m already a quarter of the way through my UBC experience, but I am absolutely loving life in Vancouver! Now that I have fully settled in to the busy UBC lifestyle, I will attempt to put some of the many things I have learnt and experienced whilst being here down on paper.

Main Mall in fall colours!

The Ladner Clock Tower by Main Mall

UBC has a massive campus, full of things to do and see – it’s so big that I still get lost sometimes! One of the must-do UBC experiences is the weird and wonderful Wreck Beach, where suns out bums out is taken very literally. Yes, UBC has its very own nudist beach, and during the start of term it is full of people socialising and relaxing. It is known for having a ridiculous number of steps to walk down to the beach (and unfortunately back up again!!) but wow the sunsets are definitely worth it. Another site on UBC I’d recommend visiting whilst the sun’s still out (sadly it’s not called Raincouver for nothing) is the Botanic Gardens which has a tree canopy walkway and some lovely trails. It also has the Museum of Anthropology located on campus where students get in for free! UBC is located on the territory of the Musqueam Peoples, and the museum has an incredible collection of Indigenous artefacts and totem poles. The main mall, where the majority of buildings are located,  is surrounded by huge trees which all turn bright orange and red in ‘fall’ and it is so beautiful. This will normally be swarming with people because UBC is home to 60,000 students! UBC is also home to one of the campus’ biggest celebrities: the fountain seagull, who is always there to photobomb your pics.

Within the first couple of weeks I felt like a true Canadian watching the UBC ‘Homecoming’ football game in the pouring rain with a giant thunderbird poncho on. I still have absolutely no clue what the rules are and struggled to find the ball half the time, but it was a lot of fun and a chance to get some free merch.

Since being here I have also taken part in UBC’s Day of the Longboat, where you race in dragon boats across a section of Jericho Bay in teams of 10. It is so hilarious trying to canoe and stay afloat when none of you have any experience whatsoever – a definite highlight of my time at UBC so far! I’d also recommend checking out some of the UBC ice hockey matches because they’re really cheap for students and a great alternative to the Vancouver Canuck matches.

Unfortunately you do have to do a bit of work too and as an exchange student it can be hard getting the balance between studying and having fun. For me UBC’s academic system has been one of the hardest things to adjust to because the work load is a lot more continuous than back at Manchester. I would highly recommend to any future UBC students to take full advantage of the first month and travel and see as much as you can in Vancouver and the surrounding areas, because from October onwards the library and Tim Horton’s will become your best friends! Assignments and mid-terms all seem to come at once, and unlike other universities you don’t get a study break in term 1, making it quite hard to juggle deadlines. However, each assignment/exam is worth a lot less so it does reduce the pressure on a single piece of work, and once you start figuring out what each professor or class is looking for it becomes a lot easier to manage. Don’t worry you will still manage to have a lot of fun, but my friends and I have come up with some useful (hopefully!) tips to help find the balance and ease any worries!!

1. If you’re struggling with an assignment or you have a lot of deadlines at once go and talk to your professor! They understand you’re exchange students and don’t want to be holding you back from experiencing as much of Canada as possible, so tend to be flexible and generous with deadlines. I had a midterm that clashed with the exchange trip to the Rockies and my professor arranged a make-up assignment for me to do after the trip.
2. Don’t get too hung up on or stressed about the work load! It can seem overwhelming at first but remember you are only on exchange once and I have found that the standard of work at UBC is easier to that at Manchester. Breka Bakery is nearby and open 24 hours so buy yourself a cheeky donut to help you get through the late study sesh!
3. Try and chat to people in the first couple weeks of classes because it really helps knowing people for when you can’t attend a lecture or if you’re unsure of what the professor expects of you. For example, I am so used to having to so wider independent reading at UoM but here referencing is almost non-existent in the work I’ve done so far. Also it’s a great way to meet locals!
4. Don’t expect the best grades ever – remember you’re there to have fun and explore Canada too!!