How to get into University of British Columbia (UBC) as an American?

You will be just fine. I think you will love it. I know a lot of Americans who go/went to UBC in addition to many that go to the University of Victoria (the one I graduated from).

They all loved UVic/UBC. First off, no one will care if you are American or not. The two campuses, especially UVic are VERY liberal campuses.

Both Universities have many international students from all over the world. That said, you need to keep few things in mind. The mentality in Canada is different than in most countries in the world.

In the United States (and I used to live there), the distinction between a foreigner and an American is clear. In America, the meaning of the world American is clear. In Canada, the meaning of the word 'Canadian' is less clear.

Therefore, the distinction between a Canadian and an outsider is not that clear. Canadians are so used to the notion that everyone in Canada is either a citizen, landed immigrant or a tourist if its tourist season. In fact, I noticed that when ever I explicitly and clearly point to the fact that I am from another country, people get little bit weirded out.

Even when I tell them I am from a different country, they still ask me questions like "were you born in Canada?", "Do you remember your original country?" "What?! You are not a Canadian citizen?" and things of the sort. Because of this mentality, they expect everyone they see to know about Canada as much as a Canadian does (exceptions apply).

If you ask them questions like where is this or that place, thats fine. But if you ask them questions about their culture or about how things are done, they will tend to despise those questions. Additionally, while in Canada, NEVER ask any Canadian what his religion or nationality (ethnic origin) is.

They hate those questions. You will find that people on both campuses (due to the atmosphere) tend to be more reserved than Americans, especially people from California. Because of this, you will really need to ACTIVELY seek friends.

If you are the shy/reserved type, it will be very likely that you won't make friends for years. Other tips: -In Canada, do not say "Native Americans" but instead use the term "Aboriginal" or "First Nations" -If you smoke, don't ask people to use their lighters. They will say "you want me to smoke it for you too?"

It is true that Canadians do despise many things about the US but they tend to keep those things to themselves. They won't bug you about them (as long as you don't mention them). I am assuming that you want to go to the main campus in Vancouver.

If this is correct, I suggest you pay the Kelowna campus a visit sometime. It is really nice and different. Kelowna in general is an awesome place to visit and is very different from Vancouver.

Finally, contact the International Students Association of UBC. Here is the link. http://www.ubcinternational.ca Enjoy your international experience.

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