University of British Columbia
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Pre-pandemic adventures – Spring Break!!
In the midst of the COVID-19 blues and being stuck at home I thought it would be fun to reflect on one of the highlights of my year abroad…Spring Break! For a week in February students across Canada finally get to have a rest from all the hard work at university and the vast majority spend it going away somewhere. I hadn’t really thought much about what I would do with Spring Break until a couple of my friends started excitedly talking about finding really cheap plane tickets to – drum roll please – Hawaii!! Yep, you heard right, we were going to be spending a week on the tiny…
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UBC – a final goodbye
One thing I didn’t envisage when hopping on the plane to Canada last August was having to cut the trip short because of a pandemic – to be honest I would have probably thought a run in with bears or a skiing accident would have been more likely! In all seriousness, coping with the coronavirus outbreak was one of the hardest things I have had to do all year. Within a couple of weeks the place I had started to call home began disappearing: university shut and classes went online, residences became empty, and shops and attractions all around me started to close. It was a lot to take in;…
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Why joining an international society is worth it!
Some of the best experiences I’ve had at UBC have been through joining the Exchange Student Club (ESC) – I met some of my closest friends, travelled across parts of Canada, and most of all, made some incredible memories. Here are some of my highlights from Semester 1: SUNSHINE COAST The first ESC trip was definitely one to remember! We stayed for the weekend at Camp Potlatch on the Sunshine Coast, a boat ride from Vancouver. If you could picture a typical North American-style camp that you often see in movies this was it – wooden cabins with very, very hard bunk beds and no electricity, big communal meals where…
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Day in the Life – UBC
After having completed 1 semester at UBC (wow time flies!!) I thought I’d share what a typical day looks like (the fun and the not-so-fun bits!) 7:30 am Setting off for my 8am lecture – yep you heard me right, 8am!! It’s safe to say I now appreciate UoM’s 10am lectures a lot more. But on the plus side it was pretty cool seeing the sunrise over the mountains! The view never gets dull 8 am – 11 am Time for class! Today I had two 1.5 hour long lectures straight after each other which is quite a lot that early in the morning haha, but you learn to push through (with…
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UBC: tips and tidbits!
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. 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…
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Returning home and thoughts for my final year
It’s taken a few months to readjust to life since returning home, partly due to the time difference but mainly due to the lack of independence since moving back with my parents. Although the grass is always greener on the other side, with home cooked meals and a clean house being two things that are greatly missed as a student, I’ve always greatly enjoyed the freedoms of student life particularly after living 5000 miles from home. London life is so vastly different from Vancouver’s slow-paced and outdoorsy lifestyle which I found suited me well. It’s taken a while to remember the things I love about suburban life in West London…
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My top advice for UBC exchange students…
Accommodation Here’s the pros and cons for living on/off campus: Halls + Application: Quick and simple to apply online + Location: very convenient as near to learning spaces, gym, restaurants, cafés, bars, beaches and forests. + Social life: Easy to meet other exchange students – Location: 1 hour bus journey from downtown – Social life: Most of my friends found their flatmates to be unsociable as they were second/third-year undergraduates who were less keen to hang out due to already having friendship groups established. – Cleaning checks and quiet hours were strictly implemented limiting student’s independence
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How to enjoy a post-study abroad adventure on a budget
By Ruby Smith, University of British Columbia, Canada Prior to my arrival in Canada, I had ambitious plans to travel before returning to the UK. However, due to a series of unfortunate circumstances relating to my visa I was unable to get a job and was therefore was left with a very small budget to travel with. Regardless of the troubles I faced trying to get a job, I eventually found some great options that didn’t leave me broke and ended up having a sweet end to my year abroad.
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Final Reflections
Melisa Karasu, University of British Columbia, Canada Well I can’t believe that my time abroad has finally come to an end. I’ve only been back home for a couple of weeks and it already feels like it was all a dream! Now I have settled back into life in England, I think a post dedicated to reflecting on my experience is in order.
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Before arriving at UBC
Flora Scott, Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada Despite the many similarities when doing your year abroad in another westernised English-speaking country (I wouldn’t say it was exactly a culture shock), there are many differences between Canada and England.
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Oh how time flies when you’re having fun
Melisa Karasu, University of British Columbia, Canada Well it’s safe to say that this semester is absolutely flying by. I can’t believe I am over halfway through already! In the short time I have been here I have already seen and experienced so many amazing things, my only complaint being now that I am running out of time to complete my never-ending list of things to do here!
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Nearing the end of my year abroad
Flora Scott, Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Canada for almost 7 months. My time here is all too quickly coming to end with the semester finishing at the end of April. My last exam falls on the 27th giving me only a day to pack up my whole life and move out of University accommodation the next day.
