My University Days
By Alisande Chan
My University days came as soon as I graduated in the year of 1989 from Burnaby South High school. I jumped right into post secondary education. I’d applied at both Simon Fraser University and The University of British Columbia (UBC), the two big universities in Vancouver, British Columbia. I decided to go to UBC. At 18, and not quite knowing what I wanted to do, I loaded up on a bunch of general Art studies: English 100, Psychology 100, Math 100, History 100, Economics 100
High School students soon found the format of university was different … in high school, you had lots of assignments which applied to your total grade plus your big exams. But in university, you were expected to be disciplined and study the textbooks and practice assignments, which weren’t necessarily graded, and no one looked over your shoulder throughout the term. The day of reckoning came when you had your Mid-Term exam and Final-Exam. If you weren’t studying along the way, you wouldn’t be doing too well in your courses if you had not studied your notes and textbooks, your whole term grade would graded on 2 exams and maybe one big assignment.
I finished my studies up in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Family Science. I also took an equivalent amount of courses in English that might be considered a “Minor” in Universities that have “Minors.”
I have to thank the fact that in High School I was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma program. The program was offered at my high school for students aged 16 to 19 in a two-year curriculum that educates the student with broader cultural and international materials than a regular high school curriculum and prepares the student to have qualifications which would be accepted by leading universities around the world. Being in this program during high school definitely helped me transition into studying at UBC.
I would definitely recommend finding if your nearby school(s) offer any IB program in the Elementary Years (3-12), Middle Years (11-16), or Diploma (16-19) and enroll in it. It really gives the student a broader world perspective. In this day and age of the internet, where a country across the world is as close as the button on your computer keyboard, having a bigger perspective on the world will help you better communicate with your peers.
