Engineering Physics in BC or Alberta

[gschjetne]

For quite some time now I've been determined to apply for the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, however a good friend of mine from Alberta has suggested the University of Alberta, Edmonton.

From what I can see, the total costs at U of Alberta are significantly less than at UBC, however it only seems to offer 32 units of course weight, versus UBC's 36.

Admissions requirement would also be a factor in deciding, as an IB student, what grades will I need on my diploma in order to be competitive?

Any other views on the two universities?

 

[singleton]

This is for undergraduate, yes?

Alberta is a fine school. However, the other things you should consider are the surrounding environment and the resources available to students.

UBC has a lot of resources. They have some world-class research going on there. Then again (assuming) you are going for undergraduate studies, so you won't have anything to do with that.

Also look into the environment and surrounding area you would be living in. Read up a little on Edmonton and British Columbia and let that factor into your decision.

Remember, as long as you go to a somewhat decent school for undergraduate studies, saving money and having an enjoyable time are very worthy things to consider with your decision.

How much did you calculate they would cost for four years of study (including housing, food, transportation, etc) ?

 

[gschjetne]

A certain factor is of course that my good friend goes there (she told me it would be cool if we lived in the same city)

Edmonton is a certain option if she opts for that, however since I will have the Private Pilot's License, It's only a 4 hour hop away from Vancouver in a decent rental.

When it comes to costs, it seems like U of Alberta is significantly cheaper to attend to (living included), judged by the approximations on the websites of either university, however they might be using widely different approaches, and the product they offer may be quite different.

Application deadlines won't come up until February, I'll just keep researching and studying for the grades until that time comes.

Any advice offered here is highly valued and appreciated!

 

[singleton]

Aren't most smaller craft like, $100-125/hour wet? Damn. That would a costly "hop" to visit her ;)

Good luck on the Engineering Physics and admissions. I've read up on UBC's program and it sounds very interesting (as I'm sure so is Alberta's program). I'd love to go for that, but I'm living in Toronto so the likelihood is that I'll just do something more local when it comes time for pursuing my interests :)

What background are you coming from? High school student? I'm just curious.

 

[gschjetne]

Aren't most smaller craft like, $100-125/hour wet? Damn. That would a costly "hop" to visit her ;)

Sure, an airline ticket would be far less expensive, but flying is my hobby, and a great excuse!

Gotta watch my budget well, though, not take short "hops" more often than I can afford

Good luck on the Engineering Physics and admissions. I've read up on UBC's program and it sounds very interesting (as I'm sure so is Alberta's program). I'd love to go for that, but I'm living in Toronto so the likelihood is that I'll just do something more local when it comes time for pursuing my interests :)

What background are you coming from? High school student? I'm just curious.

I'm attending the International Baccalaureate at Lillestrøm, which is about 20 minutes by train to the east of Oslo, Norway. I'm taking High Level Physics, Chemistry, English, and Standard Level Maths, History and Norwegian.

 

[imabug]

A certain factor is of course that my good friend goes there (she told me it would be cool if we lived in the same city)

Edmonton is a certain option if she opts for that, however since I will have the Private Pilot's License, It's only a 4 hour hop away from Vancouver in a decent rental.

When it comes to costs, it seems like U of Alberta is significantly cheaper to attend to (living included), judged by the approximations on the websites of either university, however they might be using widely different approaches, and the product they offer may be quite different.

U of A is a great school, and Edmonton is a great city to live in. Cost of living is pretty reasonable (and no provincial sales tax to deal with to boot). However, being from Norway, you would probably be subjected to U of A's differential fee for international students. When I was there, the differential was +50%, although now I've heard that it's gone up quite a bit more. You should make sure you looked up the Tuition for International Students. No idea how it compares to UBC or other Canadian or US universitys, although it's probably still a bargain.

Several of my friends went through the EngPhys program there and from what I heard from them, the program is a bit of a grinder. At the time, the EngPhys program was essentially a BSc (Physics) and BEng (Electrical Eng) all rolled into one program. A http://www.uofaweb.uAlberta.ca/ece/nav03.cfm?nav03=25970&nav02=25968&nav01=24055 suggests it hasn't changed much since I was there.