missleung

I'm a Vancouverite and will be attending UBC's MSc program!

Also depends on whether you can easily adapt into a new environment. For my first year undergrad, I went to a better school that is on the other side of the country. That year passed by so slow, and lifestyle there sucked a lot. I ended up being home sick and realized that I could've saved wayyy more if I head back home and attend another school (which really isn't that bad). To be honest, I kind of regretted not sucking it up to complete the program there (seeing how all my ex classmates have better jobs/careers than me), but I didn't think another three years of living there was worth it.

@tesha191 Yes for sure, I agree with @drivingthoughts on throwing everything in your Statement of Purpose. Elaborate on why you believe you deserve a spot on the program as well. Best of luck.

I actually had the same situation as you. Not-so-high cGPA with a higher-than-average upper division GPA in Statistics major. However, I believe there's a couple biggest (and may be obvious) notes that I observed: 1. Depending on your major, are you well acquainted with the professors that might consider funding for you? I believe that depending on the program and school you are applying, the professors may play a major role on student acceptance decisions. 2. I am a Canadian who applied for a Canadian school and fortunately for me, they prioritized on accepting Canadians which only made up 10% of the applicants (I saw the stats and numbers on the school's stat acceptance report that was available publicly). That again depends on different schools, but it could be a significant factor. 3. Highly suggest you to apply to more back up schools just in case. So conclusion is yes, I believe that you can get in a MSc program in Computer Science. Be passionate on your statement of purpose, and definitely be descriptive on the work you've done outside of school. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Oops I should've been more clear. I meant that my old school grades by class averages but the new school grades without using the bell curve criteria (ie. your grades don't change accordingly to the class averages). Do you think the current grad students would actually be that helpful? I've been getting an impression that they would ignore my e-mails simply because their time is dedicated to studying/marking assignments and exams, etc.

Hi guys! I recently got accepted to UBC in Vancouver for MSc Biostats after being waitlisted for a month (a superrrrrrrr long wait). I'm VERY excited to attend this program yet super worried about their minimum grade requirement (75% average) to stay in - one of my biggest stress right now. Hence, I've been studying their current online course notes right after I received the unofficial acceptance e-mail letter. My undergrad GPA wasn't very good to compete, but I got the spot because I happen to be one of the 10% Canadian applicants for the program. Lucky that I got in, but at the same time super stressful...anyone on the same boat with me?

Some times they just want to keep the waitlist short so they don't waste time contacting those who already accepted offers from a different school.

Hi guys, Just speaking my mind out there. I'm quite worried about my studies in my graduate program. I've currently been accepted to the MSc Biostatistics program at UBC, however I have to maintain a 75% minimum grade average in my program. So, even though my program doesn't start til September 2016 (in four months), I'm already studying the lecture notes that I know I'll be taking that's available online. Reason why I'm worried is that I've previously attended SFU which is known to rate their students' grades using a bell-curve grading system. Pretty much our grades are rated by the class average. Because of this, my original grades on average turns out to be higher than my actual grades. UBC grades, well, by a typical grading system. And I'm scared I can't maintain such a high grade because of this. So I'm wondering, is the Master's program much harder than an Undergrad program? Has anyone been through this before? Please share your story with me!!

I really don't think you should worry about the programming at all. Rather, I think you should worry about the statistical theories/concepts behind the Biostat degree...

UBC's portal status will always going to say "Submitted" or "In process"... I e-mailed my admission coordinator asking for my status on the waitlist, and a couple days later she responded me saying that I've been offered a spot. The status still says "in process" in my account even though they sent me an offer of admission. I don't think it will change until all the paperwork is done (including sending in your other official transcripts) and that they send you a final official admittance letter. Note that I applied for a totally different program at UBC though.

Hi guys, Started this thread for those starting at UBC in Fall 2016. Didn't see any other UBC thread out there. So here it is! As for myself, I've just accepted UBC's MSc Biostatistics program and I'm super excited to start this September! I actually did my Bachelor's program at SFU, so I am totally newb in the UBC environment. Hope I can connect with some UBC grad students somewhere in this forum!

I personally think you should go to Waterloo if you'd like a reputable degree. I went to Waterloo for my undergrad first year in Mathematics major, but I couldn't stand the lifestyle AND the weather there (I'm a Vancouverite). I ended up returning to Vancouver getting my Stats Bachelor's at SFU. I was waitlisted for UBC's MSc Statistics until last week when I was offered an extra spot for Biostatistics concentration. So if you decide to join UBC, feel free to connect with me!