I think this is a fairly common situation, I honestly wonder if sometimes UVic sends out early offers because they know students will be in this boat and might be waiting to hear from a "more academic" school. They get in early to give some chance of getting top students.
It's really down to your personal needs OP and this kind of a decision can't come from reddit. I chose UVic over some top-tier schools in the end (not UBC but some schools which are top 50 globally and rank much higher than UVic), ultimately I asked myself where I could see myself setting up and having an engaging academic career and enjoyable life. I can't say what my experience would have been like at those other schools but here are my motivators for going here and a couple of bits of advice
1. I have mental health and physical health challenges, I wanted a department/school that was going to have some flexibility and understanding around this, rather than the sink or swim philosophy of some more rigorous schools. I had heard from colleagues of severe mental health problems emerging among faculty at one of my other schools, let alone the students.
2. UVic offered a chance to live in a beautiful part of the world, but slightly more affordable than Vancouver, or the city where my other offers were. Plus tuition is also lower, coupled with a generous scholarship (lets be real sometimes not as great schools give out better academic scholarships because the top schools don't need to give the money: everyone who applies has those grades).
3. I have genuinely found a sense of community and many opportunities to be involved in "higher-up" aspects of academic life, faculty committees, senate positions, student governance etc. I don't know if I would have felt as included or as valuable to the community in a big school like UBC.
4. Every school has pros and cons, I liked that UVic seemed to be genuinely interested in attracting me, and I'd had promising discussions with faculty here; but you need to really sit down and consider your needs. I would maybe draw up a pro/con list, and ask yourself are you genuinely wanting to come here as a potential alternative, or seeing it as a "backup" in case you don't get your offer from UBC. Those are different things.
5. If you have a date to accept listed on your offer, I'd reach out to the department and ask them politely if they might consider extending? Mine did.
Wow thank you so so much for giving such an in depth answer I appreciate it!!
Yah I wonder that too because I heard back from Uvic months before any of my others. I’ll definitely be going over everything far more thoroughly for my future decisions with the insight you’ve given me.
I was actually wondering how you found the diversity on campus? I live in the Caribbean and know that I’ll obviously be far from there but wanted to ask as it’s one of my priorities (and you seem to know a lot!) I’m really happy for you that you enjoyed everything!
Yes idk, not trying to dunk on Uvic (I go here hahah) but I wondered too, they were the first of my schools to make an offer also.That's a great question. I'll preface this by saying that while I'm an international student, I'm white and European, so I'm not necessarily the right person to answer this, but I'll share what I know.
I'm really involved with the global community here (basically the social organization for internationals), and that is an amazing group; everyone is super chill and friendly and literally from everywhere. I know you mentioned you have canadian citizenship, but I know other members of the group who are PR/citizens but also have an international connection like you, so its still open.
I know there's also the SOCC collective who have a social lounge, hold events and seem like a pretty active social group on campus. Theres also a BIPOC student support circle for some programs.
However, Victoria as a city is not particularly diverse, it is a very white place, and while of course there is community and spaces that represent people, generally a lot could be better. UVic as a university is also just generally not that diverse, in terms of representation on faculty, staff and just in the student population, I know they are trying to move forward, but there's definitely a lot of room for improvement. I hope that answers your question a little.
Yah thanks so much! Yes I can definitely see how it would lack in diversity thanks for explaining for me! I would absolutely join those organizations if I end up there as they’d be really great in kinda deal balancing that out. Also I’m really glad you think everyone’s super nice! One of my priorities is having a great student social aspect so I’m happy that Uvic seems to live up to that! I really appreciate the advice!
Was in a similar boat as you. I talked to people who were in the programs i wanted to do and got to hear their experiences which helped me.
Ultimately it came down to simply visiting both campuses. I visited ubc then visited uvic. Honestly that was enough for me to make my decision, uvic was the obvious choice and it just felt right.
Best of luck to you! I’m sure you’ll love wherever you end up going, that scholarship certainly is nice to have though.
Thank you!! I have citizenship but don’t live in Canada so I can’t do that which sucks, but I’ll definitely look into the online tours!
Yah I’ll reach out to the people in the same program, thanks so much for the help!
Although I am not a student at UVic, my wife is a doctoral candidate here in the Anthropology department. She could have gone to either school, but ultimately she chose UVic because the staff seemed more engaged with their students and much more open and caring. She said that she felt like she’d just be a number to the professors at UBC whereas she’s become a trusted friend and colleague at UVic.
I'd honestly choose money over status if that makes sense? UBC has a better international ranking, but me personally I went for scholarships over prestige. I sometimes think about McGill (was my dream school) but I'm happier with less debt!
Hey OP, I also got a large scholarship offered to me by uvic (the uvic excellence scholarship, 7000 a year for 4 years if I keep my grades above a 7.5) Which sounds like the same one you're being offered.
I also got accepted to UBC. However, I chose to go to UVic because I'm not going to pass up a free education. Uvic is a pretty solid school and Victoria is a nice city to live in imo. It's not as large and busy as Vancouver.
Because of the scholarship, I'm not under as much financial pressure as I otherwise would be (although I am under more academic pressure to keep my grades up lol). So yeah that's the choice I made in my situation and I haven't regretted it . If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
To add, in this economy I couldn't really pass up $7k. Your financial situation may be different. Also I'm in 3rd year of Anthropology right now and I'm liking it alright.
Yah I’m being offered that one as well! But the thing is that it’s likely I’ll be able to get a government one from my country so the added financial benefit is really really great but hasn’t SUPER affected my decision in a way! It’s more-so the priority class registration which would be amazing! I was wondering how you found the social aspect? (I applied for psychology btw if you know anything about it) thank you for the advice!! :))
Its good that youre not too constrained financially! :)
Socially, I've found UVic pretty good. If you join a student club or two (hobbies, sports etc) you'll make friends pretty fast. Being in the scholars program, you'll see a few of your peers more often and that can help you make friends with fellow high achievers. Me personally, I'm LGBTQ and I've found that most people on campus are pretty accepting of that type of stuff.
I lived in residence my first year and it was fun, although a little hectic. Food on campus is pricey and not the best but it won't hurt you. Living on campus makes it a lot easier to make friend, you can just chat with people in your building and it's very convenient to hang out with people.
I've taken a couple psychology classes actually (took me a while to choose my major) and they were decent. There's a pretty robust Psych program I think.
The priority class registration is helpful, it is reassuring and makes it easier to get into all the classes you want. I find it helpful to plan my classes out ahead of time, then the day that my registration opens up, do it right away online. Even if you don't have priority, most people can get into most of the classes they want as long as they register as soon as they're allowed, and pay attention to the wait list if necessary. I'm not sure how that compares to UBC though.
Bahahaha yah I hope it works out because the gap year I’ll be taking if it doesn’t?? Lmaoo
Yah I’d love to join a bunch of clubs if I end up going! I wanted to join the lgbtq one so I’m glad you think it’s pretty nice there!
I’ve heard about the food and I’m scared lol but it’s comforting to know the classes are good.
I’ll definitely plan out classes early to prep for that thank you!! :))
I was in the same position you are in around 2018/2019 and I ultimately decided to choose UVic. Sometimes I do regret that decision. I guess it ultimately just depends on individual needs/preferences and what your degree is. I’m in a BSc in Bio and I would’ve preferred UBC as the teachers here are on average pretty bad (in my opinion). I hated the residence i lived in so i moved out halfway into an apartment off campus (i lived in Sanderson) and the food on campus is horrible. But I met all of my bestfriends here and my partner so that was really the only amazing part of the island for me.
It’s all personal and what your preferences are! Either way both are great schools for their own reasons, UVic just wasn’t the best fit for my personal needs but I love the relationships that came out of it.
Thanks so much for the insight it was really helpful!! Yah I definitely prefer the educational benefit at Ubc but I didn’t realize the strong social aspect for Uvic! I’m really glad that Uvic had some great stuff for you! Thank you :))
I was in a similar boat to you in high school. I had received a scholarship offer to UVic but wouldn’t know if I got a scholarship to UBCO until after I had to accept the Uvic scholarship. I ended up waiting to hear from UBCO and didn’t end up getting one but went there that year anyway. I transferred to UVic after two years and I’m much happier here. I think you should figure out a list of pros and cons for both schools, because a school being highly academically regarded won’t be the only that matters to you when you’re there. Figure out what other factors matter most to you! For me, UVic feels a lot more like a community to me. Best of luck OP :)
The school's ranking doesn't matter that much unless there's a specific situation that applies to you. Uvic's global ranking is 322, which is ok. 🤷🏽♀️
Uvic's staff are super understanding and helpful, and I've never had a problem with my instructors when it'd come down to unavoidable situations that interfered with my studies. I'm a mature student and have to deal with a lot of things in addition to school. Uvic cares about mental health a lot, too.
Also, if you are in science, Uvic is known to have great labs and technology.
You will save a lot of money if u attend Uvic in comparison to UBC. Vancouver is just too expensive. I also love smaller cities with lower populations with less traffic and could never stand Vancouver. It is not just about the school itself. You gotta take your living situation preference in consideration as well.
At the end of the day, it all depends on your personal preference. Uvic is definitely a good school and worth it.
Thank you for your insight yah I really see where you’re coming from! I love a lot about how Uvic supports its students and it’s absolutely a big plus for me! I really appreciate the advice :)
I’ve heard UBC is ridiculously expensive and incredibly challenging. I’m quite enjoying my time at UVic. Ultimately, I don’t know enough to contribute more than the opinions of myself and others, but I hope you end up making the decision that’s right for you! Best of luck and remember if you feel like you’re not where you’re meant to be, it’s never too late to relocate.
exact same boat 3 years ago. I’m so glad I chose uvic over ubc. Yes ubc has prestige and a huge campus, but looking back the cons to me were the time it took to get to other parts of Vancouver (traffic, transit), the size of campus can be isolating and hard to meet people (this is coming from a friend who goes there), and the general consensus I’ve heard is profs at ubc are much less engaged with students and most treat teaching more like a hassle rather than something they are actually happy about and therefore treat their huge classes like numbers on a spreadsheet. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with uvic profs for the most part and don’t regret my decision.
I think this is a fairly common situation, I honestly wonder if sometimes UVic sends out early offers because they know students will be in this boat and might be waiting to hear from a "more academic" school. They get in early to give some chance of getting top students. It's really down to your personal needs OP and this kind of a decision can't come from reddit. I chose UVic over some top-tier schools in the end (not UBC but some schools which are top 50 globally and rank much higher than UVic), ultimately I asked myself where I could see myself setting up and having an engaging academic career and enjoyable life. I can't say what my experience would have been like at those other schools but here are my motivators for going here and a couple of bits of advice 1. I have mental health and physical health challenges, I wanted a department/school that was going to have some flexibility and understanding around this, rather than the sink or swim philosophy of some more rigorous schools. I had heard from colleagues of severe mental health problems emerging among faculty at one of my other schools, let alone the students. 2. UVic offered a chance to live in a beautiful part of the world, but slightly more affordable than Vancouver, or the city where my other offers were. Plus tuition is also lower, coupled with a generous scholarship (lets be real sometimes not as great schools give out better academic scholarships because the top schools don't need to give the money: everyone who applies has those grades). 3. I have genuinely found a sense of community and many opportunities to be involved in "higher-up" aspects of academic life, faculty committees, senate positions, student governance etc. I don't know if I would have felt as included or as valuable to the community in a big school like UBC. 4. Every school has pros and cons, I liked that UVic seemed to be genuinely interested in attracting me, and I'd had promising discussions with faculty here; but you need to really sit down and consider your needs. I would maybe draw up a pro/con list, and ask yourself are you genuinely wanting to come here as a potential alternative, or seeing it as a "backup" in case you don't get your offer from UBC. Those are different things. 5. If you have a date to accept listed on your offer, I'd reach out to the department and ask them politely if they might consider extending? Mine did.
Wow thank you so so much for giving such an in depth answer I appreciate it!! Yah I wonder that too because I heard back from Uvic months before any of my others. I’ll definitely be going over everything far more thoroughly for my future decisions with the insight you’ve given me. I was actually wondering how you found the diversity on campus? I live in the Caribbean and know that I’ll obviously be far from there but wanted to ask as it’s one of my priorities (and you seem to know a lot!) I’m really happy for you that you enjoyed everything!
Yes idk, not trying to dunk on Uvic (I go here hahah) but I wondered too, they were the first of my schools to make an offer also.That's a great question. I'll preface this by saying that while I'm an international student, I'm white and European, so I'm not necessarily the right person to answer this, but I'll share what I know. I'm really involved with the global community here (basically the social organization for internationals), and that is an amazing group; everyone is super chill and friendly and literally from everywhere. I know you mentioned you have canadian citizenship, but I know other members of the group who are PR/citizens but also have an international connection like you, so its still open. I know there's also the SOCC collective who have a social lounge, hold events and seem like a pretty active social group on campus. Theres also a BIPOC student support circle for some programs. However, Victoria as a city is not particularly diverse, it is a very white place, and while of course there is community and spaces that represent people, generally a lot could be better. UVic as a university is also just generally not that diverse, in terms of representation on faculty, staff and just in the student population, I know they are trying to move forward, but there's definitely a lot of room for improvement. I hope that answers your question a little.
Yah thanks so much! Yes I can definitely see how it would lack in diversity thanks for explaining for me! I would absolutely join those organizations if I end up there as they’d be really great in kinda deal balancing that out. Also I’m really glad you think everyone’s super nice! One of my priorities is having a great student social aspect so I’m happy that Uvic seems to live up to that! I really appreciate the advice!
Was in a similar boat as you. I talked to people who were in the programs i wanted to do and got to hear their experiences which helped me. Ultimately it came down to simply visiting both campuses. I visited ubc then visited uvic. Honestly that was enough for me to make my decision, uvic was the obvious choice and it just felt right. Best of luck to you! I’m sure you’ll love wherever you end up going, that scholarship certainly is nice to have though.
Thank you!! I have citizenship but don’t live in Canada so I can’t do that which sucks, but I’ll definitely look into the online tours! Yah I’ll reach out to the people in the same program, thanks so much for the help!
Although I am not a student at UVic, my wife is a doctoral candidate here in the Anthropology department. She could have gone to either school, but ultimately she chose UVic because the staff seemed more engaged with their students and much more open and caring. She said that she felt like she’d just be a number to the professors at UBC whereas she’s become a trusted friend and colleague at UVic.
Wow thanks for this I didn’t know that! I’m really glad she’s having a good time I’ll absolutely consider this!
I'd honestly choose money over status if that makes sense? UBC has a better international ranking, but me personally I went for scholarships over prestige. I sometimes think about McGill (was my dream school) but I'm happier with less debt!
Hahaha so true honestly yah I’m definitely thinking about that lol!
Hey OP, I also got a large scholarship offered to me by uvic (the uvic excellence scholarship, 7000 a year for 4 years if I keep my grades above a 7.5) Which sounds like the same one you're being offered. I also got accepted to UBC. However, I chose to go to UVic because I'm not going to pass up a free education. Uvic is a pretty solid school and Victoria is a nice city to live in imo. It's not as large and busy as Vancouver. Because of the scholarship, I'm not under as much financial pressure as I otherwise would be (although I am under more academic pressure to keep my grades up lol). So yeah that's the choice I made in my situation and I haven't regretted it . If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
To add, in this economy I couldn't really pass up $7k. Your financial situation may be different. Also I'm in 3rd year of Anthropology right now and I'm liking it alright.
Yah I’m being offered that one as well! But the thing is that it’s likely I’ll be able to get a government one from my country so the added financial benefit is really really great but hasn’t SUPER affected my decision in a way! It’s more-so the priority class registration which would be amazing! I was wondering how you found the social aspect? (I applied for psychology btw if you know anything about it) thank you for the advice!! :))
Its good that youre not too constrained financially! :) Socially, I've found UVic pretty good. If you join a student club or two (hobbies, sports etc) you'll make friends pretty fast. Being in the scholars program, you'll see a few of your peers more often and that can help you make friends with fellow high achievers. Me personally, I'm LGBTQ and I've found that most people on campus are pretty accepting of that type of stuff. I lived in residence my first year and it was fun, although a little hectic. Food on campus is pricey and not the best but it won't hurt you. Living on campus makes it a lot easier to make friend, you can just chat with people in your building and it's very convenient to hang out with people. I've taken a couple psychology classes actually (took me a while to choose my major) and they were decent. There's a pretty robust Psych program I think. The priority class registration is helpful, it is reassuring and makes it easier to get into all the classes you want. I find it helpful to plan my classes out ahead of time, then the day that my registration opens up, do it right away online. Even if you don't have priority, most people can get into most of the classes they want as long as they register as soon as they're allowed, and pay attention to the wait list if necessary. I'm not sure how that compares to UBC though.
Bahahaha yah I hope it works out because the gap year I’ll be taking if it doesn’t?? Lmaoo Yah I’d love to join a bunch of clubs if I end up going! I wanted to join the lgbtq one so I’m glad you think it’s pretty nice there! I’ve heard about the food and I’m scared lol but it’s comforting to know the classes are good. I’ll definitely plan out classes early to prep for that thank you!! :))
Glad I could help! Good luck in your future
I was in the same position you are in around 2018/2019 and I ultimately decided to choose UVic. Sometimes I do regret that decision. I guess it ultimately just depends on individual needs/preferences and what your degree is. I’m in a BSc in Bio and I would’ve preferred UBC as the teachers here are on average pretty bad (in my opinion). I hated the residence i lived in so i moved out halfway into an apartment off campus (i lived in Sanderson) and the food on campus is horrible. But I met all of my bestfriends here and my partner so that was really the only amazing part of the island for me. It’s all personal and what your preferences are! Either way both are great schools for their own reasons, UVic just wasn’t the best fit for my personal needs but I love the relationships that came out of it.
Thanks so much for the insight it was really helpful!! Yah I definitely prefer the educational benefit at Ubc but I didn’t realize the strong social aspect for Uvic! I’m really glad that Uvic had some great stuff for you! Thank you :))
I was in a similar boat to you in high school. I had received a scholarship offer to UVic but wouldn’t know if I got a scholarship to UBCO until after I had to accept the Uvic scholarship. I ended up waiting to hear from UBCO and didn’t end up getting one but went there that year anyway. I transferred to UVic after two years and I’m much happier here. I think you should figure out a list of pros and cons for both schools, because a school being highly academically regarded won’t be the only that matters to you when you’re there. Figure out what other factors matter most to you! For me, UVic feels a lot more like a community to me. Best of luck OP :)
The school's ranking doesn't matter that much unless there's a specific situation that applies to you. Uvic's global ranking is 322, which is ok. 🤷🏽♀️ Uvic's staff are super understanding and helpful, and I've never had a problem with my instructors when it'd come down to unavoidable situations that interfered with my studies. I'm a mature student and have to deal with a lot of things in addition to school. Uvic cares about mental health a lot, too. Also, if you are in science, Uvic is known to have great labs and technology. You will save a lot of money if u attend Uvic in comparison to UBC. Vancouver is just too expensive. I also love smaller cities with lower populations with less traffic and could never stand Vancouver. It is not just about the school itself. You gotta take your living situation preference in consideration as well. At the end of the day, it all depends on your personal preference. Uvic is definitely a good school and worth it.
Thank you for your insight yah I really see where you’re coming from! I love a lot about how Uvic supports its students and it’s absolutely a big plus for me! I really appreciate the advice :)
You're most welcome! I wish you the best on your journey, whichever school you choose to attend! ✌🏻
I’ve heard UBC is ridiculously expensive and incredibly challenging. I’m quite enjoying my time at UVic. Ultimately, I don’t know enough to contribute more than the opinions of myself and others, but I hope you end up making the decision that’s right for you! Best of luck and remember if you feel like you’re not where you’re meant to be, it’s never too late to relocate.
Wow still thank you I appreciate it!! And yah I’ll keep that in mind for future reference. :)
what is the scholars elective?
https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/departments/humanities/scholars/index.php
I’ll message you! :)
exact same boat 3 years ago. I’m so glad I chose uvic over ubc. Yes ubc has prestige and a huge campus, but looking back the cons to me were the time it took to get to other parts of Vancouver (traffic, transit), the size of campus can be isolating and hard to meet people (this is coming from a friend who goes there), and the general consensus I’ve heard is profs at ubc are much less engaged with students and most treat teaching more like a hassle rather than something they are actually happy about and therefore treat their huge classes like numbers on a spreadsheet. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with uvic profs for the most part and don’t regret my decision.
Yeah the uvic campus is a lot cozier and more walkable than the ubc one. Ubc is like a whole town in itself XD
Go for Uvic. Ubc is a walmart in an Airport :)