Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Graduate School

Why did other students choose UBC?

Olivia's research photo

Olivia Dreisinger

"I grew up an hour outside of Vancouver and completed my undergraduate degree at UBC. It was a wonderful experience and I am thankful to return to this university and to remain close to my family. The English faculty is also one of the few departments to have…"

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Anna Santo

"I decided to study at UBC for several professional and personal reasons. The Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at UBC is a highly interdisciplinary environment with a commitment to applied and problem-oriented research, and it is important…"

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Tanzoom Ahmed

"UBC’s Asian Studies Department is one of the largest and most diverse Asian studies programs in the entire world. The diversity of languages, courses and topics offered at the department can provide one of the strongest academic foundations in Asian studies. I was…"

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Sydney Lines

"I had been to Vancouver once before and loved the weather (I'm allergic to the sun). I was impressed by the UBC Arts PhD Co-op Program. My department often ranks among the top 20 in the world. But the truth is I did not believe I’d get into UBC, and I only applied…"

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Keisha Maloney

"I chose to study at the University of British Columbia, in part, because of the university’s commitment to its wider community, most importantly, the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations who have been the caretakers of these lands for millennia. While…"

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Laura Brass

"I decided to study at UBC because of its locally and internationally top rankings in terms of its contribution to teaching, learning, and research. Significantly, the scholarships, fellowships, research opportunities, and wide range of courses available, along…"

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Neha Suvindran

"I was drawn to the unique Engineers in Scrubs (EiS) Program offered at UBC. It is a one-of-a-kind program in which graduate students get to work alongside clinicians and stakeholders to solve real-world healthcare problems. Moreover, my supervisor Prof. Peyman…"

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Jo Fitzgibbons

"It’s no secret that grad school can be a stressful experience and, although I loved my community in Toronto, I found myself increasingly agitated in the concrete jungle. Between personal challenges and the general emotional rollercoaster of grad school, I was…"

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Steven Bristow

"I had a few ideal criteria when trying to decide where to do my PhD and UBC met all of them. I wanted to try working with new types of crops/styles of production, work in a new climate, and I had hoped to be able to do a PhD outside the United States. The climate…"

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Fabiola Bazo

"I decided to study at UBC because it provides the exact combination of knowledge and expertise that I need for my dissertation research: from gender, to music, to Latin American studies. And I am lucky enough to live in this beautiful campus located on the…"

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Romina Tantalean-Castaneda

"I came to UBC as a master's student and am now a doctoral student because I consider the Social Justice Institute's (Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice) interdisciplinary doctoral program the most suitable environment for re-imagining and advancing my…"

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Lisa Ritland

"It was a clear choice for me to apply to UBC. The School of Population and Public Health and the Human Early Learning Partnership at UBC offer an ideal training environment for me to pursue population health research in collaboration with local communities that…"

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Cheyanne Connell

"My research project lends to UBC's core values of and commitment to Indigenous reconciliation. Indigenous folks in Canada and elsewhere are looking for more expansive representation and greater inclusion in school and public, and UBC feels like a place where this…"

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Winy Vasquez

"When I was in elementary school, my family relocated to Vancouver so that my dad could pursue his own doctoral degree and so I grew up in and around the UBC campus. Throughout my elementary and secondary education in Vancouver, I was able to see UBC grew and…"

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Khadija Anjum

"I chose UBC because of the wide diversity of Schools and Departments at the UBC was highly attractive for a student of community and regional planning like myself, since planning is essentially a multi-disciplinary field benefiting greatly from specialized…"

Zitao Chen

"UBC is a vibrant research community and provides numerous support to ensure the students can succeed in their pursuit of knowledge. At UBC, I also have the opportunity to work with a group of excellent researchers and gain tremendous mentorship from my advisor (…"

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Pardis Kazemian

"During my undergraduate courses at UBC, I often stumbled upon concepts that were discovered, or technologies that were developed by scientists and geneticists at UBC. During my last undergraduate year, I met my current supervisor in a Medical Genetics course and…"

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Khair Mufti

"UBC is one of the top universities for research and teaching in Canada and around world. As I wanted to unite my background in pharmacology with my research passion and experience in Genetics to pursue my doctoral research in Pharmacogenomics, I found that UBC…"

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Megan Thomas

"UBC is one of Canada’s leading research universities, consistently ranking in the top 40 universities in the world. In addition to it's stellar reputation, it also has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. The ocean and mountain views are unmatched!"

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Ritwik Bhattacharjee

"As I was interested in studying settler colonialism, I wanted to study in Canada. I decided to study at UBC due to three reasons: 1. the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program; 2. to be able to work with my supervisor, Glen Coulthard; and 3. to live in…"

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Leah Rettenbacher

"I decided to study at UBC because I wanted to combine my interests in the outdoors and forests with my interest in biology which led me to UBC Forestry's Forest Sciences program for my undergraduate and now graduate degrees."

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Nick Middeldorp

"UBC has become the perfect place for me to develop professionally. My background is in Anthropology and Development Studies, but UBC’s Geography program, which has a very interdisciplinary focus, has offered me entirely novel perspectives on the issues that I…"

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Debbie Pierce

"UBC is well known internationally for its Faculty of Forestry, and I was lucky enough to find a great fit in my adviser, Terry Sunderland. To me, it was also important to have a collaborative research environment, both professionally and personally, and I was able…"

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Natasha Klasios

"UBC is one of the top-rated research universities in the world. This really interested me, because I knew it would open up many doors during my degree and upon my graduation. After connecting with my supervisor, I knew UBC and her lab would not only be a great…"

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Chantelle Cocquyt

"I decided to study at UBC following a visit to the campus where I was stunned by the kindness of the administrators and staff as well as the beauty of the campus itself. The environment at UBC is one of welcome and ambition and I was confident that it was the…"

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Manpreet Thandi

"I have always lived in Vancouver but had never seen or explored the campus of UBC prior to beginning my graduate education. I was blown away with not only the physical beauty of the campus, but also the tremendous support of the faculty at the School of Nursing.…"

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Oliver Jacobs

"I chose to study at UBC because of an immensely supportive supervisor and lab where I could use virtual reality and eye-tracking to pursue my research goals. Furthermore, UBC, and the Department of Psychology, in particular, are internationally recognized as world…"

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Gunwant Matharu

"Location, location, location, right? UBC is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever had the honour of seeing. My love for the mountains and the ocean is overwhelming, and every time I step outside into the fresh air, I am feel happier and happier with the…"

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Thea Brain

"The University of British Columbia was a clear choice for me when I decided to continue my education. I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. completing my B.A. in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Capilano University and my M.A. in Special Education - Autism and…"

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Kennedy Borle

"I completed my MSc at UBC and found a sense of home in the lively genetic counselling research hub that exists here, and the wonderful city of Vancouver. Choosing to attend UBC for my doctoral training was an easy decision, the high caliber of courses and…"

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Mauricio Carvallo Aceves

"My decision to apply to UBC was a combination of several factors. I found the school’s reputation, both academically and in its engagement with sustainability issues to be very interesting. I also wanted to be exposed to a new context and environment that…"

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Natasha Damiano

"I am perhaps one of the few UBCer’s who is from Vancouver, and who also completed all of my degrees at this institution. As an undergraduate this was not a choice. My family couldn’t afford sending me away to school so I didn’t really consider it. I was taking…"

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Sydney Moore

"I chose to pursue my PhD at UBC, as it is an internationally accredited university with a high standard for research. Over the years, I have seen the quality and quantity of research that has come out of the UBC Dairy Facility. Upon visiting and touring UBC and…"

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Ashley Battaglini

"I decided to study at UBC for its emphasis on research and its rigorous approach to conducting research studies. Also, I decided to attend UBC to work with my supervisor, Dr. Joelle LeMoult, because of her exceptional research background and invaluable training…"

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Sofie McComb

"The UBC Faculty of Forestry is a leading forestry science and research institute that is incredibly interdisciplinary in nature, which I believe is essential for tackling environmental dilemmas. Additionally, Vancouver and the adjacent Salish Sea area are home to…"

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Jessica Koski

"During the time I was connecting the dots of my purpose and slowing down to listen to inner wisdom and signs, one by one things aligned and pointed to the University of British Colombia. ‘Sparkly breadcrumbs’ as one mentor calls it. Now that I’m here, I know it’s…"

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Neha Sharma-Mascarenhas

"There are several reasons for this: Firstly, UBC is among the leading universities in the field of environment and sustainability research. Secondly, my program at UBC offers exactly what I was looking for in a PhD program and provides opportunities for folks…"

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Darryl Gray

"The decision to study at UBC was always my first choice in academic institutions. This is my own personal opinion, I wanted the opportunity to study and learn research from some of the best minds in the research field. At first, I was not entirely sure on my…"

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Saattvic Saattvic

"UBC ticked a lot of my boxes. The university itself, and my program, are both very highly ranked internationally. The faculty includes several established and young researchers with interests closely connected to mine. The financial support (even absent the SSHRC…"

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Sahar Ghadirianniari

"I personally think when one wants to pursue a PhD degree, it is more important to decide which professor to work with than at which university to study. I was lucky that the faculty I was eager to work with (Prof. Scott McDougall and Prof. Erik Eberhardt) were at…"

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Carrie Peters

"My supervisor, Dr. Nicola Hodges, was the main reason I wanted to study at UBC. I was interested in her research on how the motor system is engaged during action observation and prediction. Also, being a bigger university, I was excited about the many…"

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Ewan Wright

"UBC is a world renowned organisation in a fantastic city. Being able to meet students and teachers from Canada and around the world is a great benefit to my research, career and life. Furthermore, my supervisors at UBC are experts in their field and brilliant…"

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Brandon Hillier

"Primarily the type and level of scholarship. I admired the work historically and currently produced by the Department of Geography. I had also heard much about the training provided and was eager to refine my research interests here. "

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Kate Peterson

"I chose to study at UBC because the forestry program is one of the top programs in this industry. The experts and scholars in the forestry field present at UBC were a huge draw for me. Additionally, I had visited Vancouver in the past and fell in love with the…"

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Kim McCullough

"I was fortunate to study at UBC for my Master's degree and instantly fell in love with the program, the people, the university environment, and Vancouver itself. When it came to applying to PhD programs, UBC was at the top of my list, no questions asked."

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Justin Turner

"UBC is a world-renowned leader in research and education, however, I was most drawn to study here because of its position as a centre of excellence within BC. I also previously completed a Master of Occupational Therapy at UBC (2015-2017) and greatly enjoyed my…"

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Sarah Panofsky

"My PhD will be my fourth UBC degree and I am confident that the university will provide me with the comprehensiveness, relevance, and rigour that I seek in my studies. Connection to place is also important. Studying at UBC allows me to maintain relationships with…"

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Lindsey Paskulin

"I was primarily led to UBC through the positive reputation of the Anthropology Department and my interest in working with Dr. Camilla Speller. Given Dr. Speller’s expertise as a biomolecular archaeologist working to incorporate more biomolecular methods in…"

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Gabriel Currier

"I quite like the kind of math that people do here, and enjoy working with my supervisors. The campus is also a beautiful place and the graduate student community is pretty laid back and friendly."

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Matthew Billet

"I was enamoured with the work on the cultural evolution of religion that was being conducted by a large group of UBC researchers. It was clear that UBC was interested in big questions and had the capability to bring together interdisciplinary teams of talented…"

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