University of British Columbia, Bachelor of Commerce

01/16/2021

Written by Mihika Tarini Vyas

Located at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver Campus, students can earn a Bachelor of Commerce at the Sauder School of Business- UBC's Business School. If you choose Sauder, your first two years of study will help you develop a foundation in business and management. You can then choose from ten primary specializations in your third year- with options ranging from Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior and Human Resources, Operations and Logistics to Real Estate and Business Technology Management. In your four years of undergraduate study, you will also have many opportunities to engage in experiential learning through UBC's Co-op and international exchange programs.

UBC's BCom program also gives students access to career support through the Hari B. Varshney Business Career Centre that provides self-assessment tools, one-on-one career coaching, networking advice and peer advisors. Sauder also has its own jobs and events database (Career Options On-Line) that you can use to apply for positions, sign up for events and access interviews. Provided that you meet the necessary academic requirements, you can apply to UBC's Co-op program either at the beginning of your second or third year and gain a full year of paid work experience that is relevant to your BCom degree and specialization.

If you think Sauder is where you would like to start your Business Career, you are at the right place! Keep reading to learn more about how to apply.

Grade Requirements

In terms of grade requirements, to be considered for admission to Sauder, you'll need to consider the following.

Ontario High Schools

Admission Requirements

Required Courses

Grade 12 English
Grade 12 Pre-Calculus

International Baccalaureate

Minimum requirements

Complete the IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
Students who complete the IB Diploma in English are required to achieve a minimum score of 3 in an IB Group 1 English course at either Standard or Higher Level.
IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL is required (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)

Personal Profile

Applications for any degree at UBC's Vancouver and Okanagan campus (except the Bachelor of Design in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism) requires completion of the personal profile. This section requires you to elaborate on things that are important to you–such as your achievements, what you've learned from your experiences and challenges, etc/. You will need to provide your responses through a combination of short essays and answers. When you are filling this section in, remember that to come across as a strong applicant, you will need to demonstrate great leadership, communication, social outreach, and interpersonal skills. Be sure to prioritize your experiences and draw on your academic and real-life experiences.

The only difference if you are applying to Sauder is that you'll need to record an interview for your BCom application. In this portion of your application, you will have to record video responses to interview questions through the link provided in the Personal Profile section of the online application. Questions asked can be related to your opinions, events, strengths, beliefs, and experiences.

Reflections from a student

To ensure that you get a better understanding of UBC's Personal Profile and Sauder's admission process, Sneha Ramprasad (Sauder '23) shares her reflections on her application experience.

"So applying to the Sauder school of business has a slightly different application procedure as compared to applying to the other faculties in UBC. Sauder students have to go through a video interview as part of their application. The video interview isn't live, it's recorded, so there are multiple pre-recorded video prompts that pop up in a randomized order for different students". Looking back on the application process, Sneha thinks she could have improved in the interview questions. "Now having learned more about how to present myself and about interviews in general- I could have done more research and approached the interviews differently".

In terms of standing out as an applicant, Sneha said "I definitely had many diverse experiences ranging from dance to other extra-curriculars. I also volunteered a lot- so I had a lot of experiences to share. None of my essays were repetitive- most of them focused on a completely different activity". Sneha believes that she was able to show her interest in different extra-curriculars which helped her demonstrate that she was a well-rounded candidate. "I learned that it is not just about marks, it is about what you bring to the university and how you carry yourself. I was interested in trying different things and they (UBC's admissions department) could see that in my essays".

Reflecting on her experience with remote learning, Sneha mentioned that a lot of her professors made efforts to make their courses interesting. One of her accounting professors recorded themselves explaining a concept in a grocery store. "You could see that they wanted you to understand the material. It made us look forward to class". She also said that pre-recorded lectures were beneficial in that you could always revisit a concept or a topic if you needed to. "We did not have this advantage in our first year- it was overall a good experience".

As a member of a competitive dance team, she noted that managing her practices through university was quite challenging- especially since their practices ran thrice a week for three hours. "It was definitely tough to manage such commitments, I got a planner to help stay organized and plan ahead of time. You can't predict when there is going to be a flash mob on campus or whether there will be traffic, you might have an assignment to work on or three due the next day. So many things are happening at once. Keep ticking those things off your list, it is very satisfying to know that you have your life in order as university can get overwhelming".

Sneha added that if you are ever conflicted with how to manage your work and extra-curriculars, you should never quit the activities that interest you. "Follow your passion because that is what keeps you going. You need to have a good social circle and a support system- this can be in the form of a student club or activity because you need that motivation. Even if takes the time, plan your week out. Make time as it will help you".

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