Yeah, my recommendation to you would be to post it here, if it isn't too personal, since you'll be able to get a wider range of feedback.. I know we have quite a few MBB majors around here, I guess that kinda fits? lol
Getting good grades will depend on a number of things. Regardless of competition or not, and which school you go to, 3.7 + GPA requires a lot of commitment and hard work.
Sure anyone can halfass their way through university with doing papers the night before and studying one day before exams and get a decent grade; but chances are those people don't get 3.7 + GPAs (for those who do, well...you're a rare breed).
I wouldn't know for sciences but I'm an arts student and from my experience with arts @ UBC...UBC was a tad harder but how you learn to study and work through university comes with experience. I started off getting B's @ UBC before leaving and going to SFU and getting A's.
I dont think anyone just comes right in getting A's right off the bat unless they had amazing study habits in high school as well as a general knack for learning.
1)I was wondering how competitive getting good at SFU are(3.7 gpa plus)? I have about a 3.7ish gpa and im third year MBB, will probably drop a little after this semester. But how I maintained this gpa is do really well in your first two years of classes so that you have a strong GPA foundation and in third year it changes minorly. But it takes alot of work to get up there, like eat sleep and breathe textbook. It is fairly competitive but most people here depend way too much on the curve and their successfullness on the curve. Is SFU full of premeds/predents/prepharms like UBC(my friend said that 80% of ppl in his first year physics class wanted to become doctors and he told me that one guy actually tried to sabotage another persons lab) which make it very difficult in getting good grades(I am interested in going into research/ getting into a good graduate school) and you get the feeling of you against others? Or are science students very friendly with each other and help others out? In the first couple years you will encounter the keeners that want to be doctors and dentists and surgeons and stuff but when it comes to third year people usually realize that they don't got what it takes and drop out of mbb if not already kicked out by academic probation. Technically it is a free for all in university, but everyone here is friendly and you get the occasional dick as you mentioned above that is in his own little world. But on the most part everyone helps everyone because its the individuals studying habits and test writing skills that really seperate the big fish from the little fish.
2)Are there a good amount of research opportunities(e.g. NSERC)? Yes there are great research opportunites like NSERC and stuff and also the professors and grad students are always looking for undergrads to help out in their lab for experience wise, you just need to get your name out there that sets you out from the crowd
3)Do you actually get a chance to talk to your profs or do you feel like a number? University is how you make of it. If you don't talk to youre prof because you are shy, then you are just another face in the crowd. The prof are really helpful if you grow the balls and introduce yourself and ask for help and such, thats how you stand out of the crowd and the lab oppertunites come from. Usually, you can talk to the prof before or after class and they usually have a open office time where people are welcomed to talk about stuff
4)Are the profs there for research(therefore they are forced to teach) or do they actually want to teach? Some profs are dicks and are there solely for the research and money but then there are some profs that are both there for the research as well as seeing there students excel in academics.
5)Do you regret going to SFU instead of a big school like McGill/UBC/Uot? No i dont regret it. In the long run, everyone gets the same peice of paper with a different school name on it. What the difference is how well the individual did in there studies. For example, if med schools were looking for people, whats the difference between a person from McGill with a C avg or a person from an average university with a A avg.
6)Do you think choosing as sort of a liberal arts school and then trying to get into Mcgill/UBC/Uot or even top tier american schools for graduate stuff is a good idea? I think it is an idea, but its your life
Other questions for everybody 1)What is student life at SFU? Is it a commuter school and you just go there for classes and get the hell out of there after once your done? Or do you stick around for sports, clubs, pubs, friends etc... ? As I said before, university is how much you put into it both academically wise and recreationally wise. If you just sit around and study all the time then university sucks dosent it? so get some friends out and play.
2)Do you regret going to SFU? No i do not. I was offered the chance to go to UBC as well as UoT but i chose SFU because not only do i have a full scholarship here, it was closer to home and I have many connections up here already. But it is all up to the indivdual.
Good luck on your journey! and remeber that university is hard work but you need to balance your work with play time or you'll go nuts.
1)What is student life at SFU? Is it a commuter school and you just go there for classes and get the hell out of there after once your done? Or do you stick around for sports, clubs, pubs, friends etc... ?
I'm just finishing up my second semester at SFU, and I entered knowing probably about 3-4 people max. Originally, for the most part, I just went for classes and got off the mountain, since I bus ~1:45h to and from school everyday so I wanted to get home ASAP. I joined one club and have been pretty actively involved, and by doing so been able to meet a lot of friends to hang out/study with around campus sometimes, as well as off campus.
2)Do you regret going to SFU?
Pretty much same reasons as Jimmy, except, well, SFU was the only school I applied to. They're the only local school with the program that I want to pursue.. originally, had I the money I might have considered applying to Waterloo or something. But I dunno, after spending only two semesters here, I'm really beginning to like the cozy atmosphere. At the same time, it might get a little more sometimes because it's kinda small and isolated, but for me it's alright.
Comments
im in mbb and i didnt ask any of these questions in high school
Sure anyone can halfass their way through university with doing papers the night before and studying one day before exams and get a decent grade; but chances are those people don't get 3.7 + GPAs (for those who do, well...you're a rare breed).
I wouldn't know for sciences but I'm an arts student and from my experience with arts @ UBC...UBC was a tad harder but how you learn to study and work through university comes with experience. I started off getting B's @ UBC before leaving and going to SFU and getting A's.
I dont think anyone just comes right in getting A's right off the bat unless they had amazing study habits in high school as well as a general knack for learning.
Is SFU full of premeds/predents/prepharms like UBC(my friend said that 80% of ppl in his first year physics class wanted to become doctors and he told me that one guy actually tried to sabotage another persons lab) which make it very difficult in getting good grades(I am interested in going into research/ getting into a good graduate school) and you get the feeling of you against others? Or are science students very friendly with each other and help others out?
In the first couple years you will encounter the keeners that want to be doctors and dentists and surgeons and stuff but when it comes to third year people usually realize that they don't got what it takes and drop out of mbb if not already kicked out by academic probation. Technically it is a free for all in university, but everyone here is friendly and you get the occasional dick as you mentioned above that is in his own little world. But on the most part everyone helps everyone because its the individuals studying habits and test writing skills that really seperate the big fish from the little fish.
2)Are there a good amount of research opportunities(e.g. NSERC)?
Yes there are great research opportunites like NSERC and stuff and also the professors and grad students are always looking for undergrads to help out in their lab for experience wise, you just need to get your name out there that sets you out from the crowd
3)Do you actually get a chance to talk to your profs or do you feel like a number?
University is how you make of it. If you don't talk to youre prof because you are shy, then you are just another face in the crowd. The prof are really helpful if you grow the balls and introduce yourself and ask for help and such, thats how you stand out of the crowd and the lab oppertunites come from. Usually, you can talk to the prof before or after class and they usually have a open office time where people are welcomed to talk about stuff
4)Are the profs there for research(therefore they are forced to teach) or do they actually want to teach?
Some profs are dicks and are there solely for the research and money but then there are some profs that are both there for the research as well as seeing there students excel in academics.
5)Do you regret going to SFU instead of a big school like McGill/UBC/Uot?
No i dont regret it. In the long run, everyone gets the same peice of paper with a different school name on it. What the difference is how well the individual did in there studies. For example, if med schools were looking for people, whats the difference between a person from McGill with a C avg or a person from an average university with a A avg.
6)Do you think choosing as sort of a liberal arts school and then trying to get into Mcgill/UBC/Uot or even top tier american schools for graduate stuff is a good idea?
I think it is an idea, but its your life
Other questions for everybody
1)What is student life at SFU? Is it a commuter school and you just go there for classes and get the hell out of there after once your done? Or do you stick around for sports, clubs, pubs, friends etc... ?
As I said before, university is how much you put into it both academically wise and recreationally wise. If you just sit around and study all the time then university sucks dosent it? so get some friends out and play.
2)Do you regret going to SFU?
No i do not. I was offered the chance to go to UBC as well as UoT but i chose SFU because not only do i have a full scholarship here, it was closer to home and I have many connections up here already. But it is all up to the indivdual.
Good luck on your journey! and remeber that university is hard work but you need to balance your work with play time or you'll go nuts.
I'm just finishing up my second semester at SFU, and I entered knowing probably about 3-4 people max. Originally, for the most part, I just went for classes and got off the mountain, since I bus ~1:45h to and from school everyday so I wanted to get home ASAP. I joined one club and have been pretty actively involved, and by doing so been able to meet a lot of friends to hang out/study with around campus sometimes, as well as off campus.
2)Do you regret going to SFU?
Pretty much same reasons as Jimmy, except, well, SFU was the only school I applied to. They're the only local school with the program that I want to pursue.. originally, had I the money I might have considered applying to Waterloo or something. But I dunno, after spending only two semesters here, I'm really beginning to like the cozy atmosphere. At the same time, it might get a little more sometimes because it's kinda small and isolated, but for me it's alright.