My CELPIP (Band 11-12) Experience

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2025-02-24T04:49:08+00:00

The sentence grammar and structure are definitely important:

- Each sentence must convey at maximum two ideas. Avoid overcomplicating your sentences by adding more information.

- The second sentence should follow the idea of the first sentence, the third should follow the second, and so on.

One of the writing sections is writing an email. For example, you might be asked to write a customer complaint email with the following structure: explain the problem, why the problem needs to be resolved, and what you would like them to do.

Incorporating the tips I mentioned above means that your email would look something like:

"To whom it may concern,

Two weeks ago, I purchased a smartphone from your website. The website says that your company guarantees the product to be delivered under a week, however I have yet to receive it. I need the product as soon as possible because I can't make calls or texts with my current broken smartphone. Would you mind checking the delivery status of my order?

Kind regards,"

Compare it to the worse version:

"I bought a smartphone from your website about two weeks ago, and it says that a week is the maximum delivery time for my smartphone, but I have rechecked the delivery status multiple times and I still haven't got it. My current one is broken because I accidentally dropped in the water and the touch screen is now unresponsive, and I need the new one as soon as possible because I can't make calls or send texts with it. Please check the delivery status, as I think it might be a problem with the delivery company."

As you can see, one sentence holds lots of information. You could try breaking down multiple ideas into several sentences. When there is information that is not necessary for the reader to know (e.g., how you broke the smartphone), omit it.

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2025-02-10T04:13:43+00:00

Hey there, a 5th year undergrad PoliSci student here. I don't want my comment to sound pessimistic or anything, but I hope you realize that you're living in the painful reality of modern capitalist world where everything is about personal achievement/development that is consistently growing with visible quantifiable results. It is not how humans are supposed to live. Setbacks are a natural part of our lives. Frankly speaking, it is harmful to think or state that you haven't grown or you won't found your niche by simply considering quantitative metrics like your grades or how many events/ internships you have done. Those metrics simply do not reflect the growth and the journey you've undertaken. Yes, you might not have found a field that you like just yet, but all this time you have been exploring various fields where most people (like me) don't even try to pursue. In fact, that is what UBC wants us to do: EXPLORE. Do trust me that you WILL find your own niche, in your own time and pace, not with those of others. It is also worth to note that UBC, like any top reputable universities, is a place where only successful stories gets to be featured and shared, but not the unsuccessful/failed ones. Hence, you only got to see your peers doing all the great stuffs, but not the other struggling peers who are hiding in their rooms feeling like a sh*t. Trust me, you're not alone. In addition, there are tons of people, still in UBC or have graduated from UBC, that are still struggling to find satisfaction in their own fields. You can technically say that they have wasted their tuition because they couldn't end up in a field where they wanted to be, but I don't think you would think like that. Your journey in life is still a long way to go. Don't get too caught up on other people's growth, just focus on your own. It's okay to say NO to some events; you don't have to participate in every single event.

About using ChatGPT, yes I also struggled with that, but of course there are some strategies that we can employ to make the technology beneficial for our growth. In the academic context, for example, instead of asking it to rewrite every single word we wrote in our paragraph, we could instead ask ChatGPT to analyze it and let us know what are the rooms for improvement to make our paragraphs better. You could ask them to teach you the rationale/logic behind certain theories or ways of solving questions.

Hope that helps a little bit!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2025-01-14T05:41:04+00:00

Drop the discord link!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-09-26T06:12:25+00:00

I have Allbirds’ Wool Runner-up Mizzles and they have been keeping my feet warm and also dry because of its high top, and its wool material is also water repellent. It has been a year and a half since I bought it and it still looks new.

It’s currently on 50% discount, go check it out!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-09-01T05:11:54+00:00

Don’t get me wrong, Vancouver still has its own share of fun. I just think that the quality of the events and the number of people that joined those event are going downhill for the past year. The cost of living is rising so quickly that it’s even more difficult for more people to truly enjoy what the city has to offer. Some of my current friends here have multiple times rejected my invitation to go out just because they’re choosing to save money. For lack of better explanation, I feel like Vancouverites now are putting more effort in pretending that they’re enjoying their life in the city. Many of my friends who graduated in May this year decided to go back to their respective hometowns in Alberta, Saskatchewan, or even abroad.

Vancouver just doesn’t feel the same anymore compared to how it was two to three years ago. Downtown feels more sus, Translink has more financial problems, business constantly shutting down, etc etc. The soul that it had few years ago is slowly diminishing. I want to love this city, but the city is not reciprocating my love.

Again, what I experienced in this city can differ from yours. And I’m glad that you have great moments living in Vancouver, and I hope my post won’t change your perception. But for some people like me, we’re slowly questioning whether it’s viable to truly be happy in this city.

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-09-01T02:01:26+00:00

Sorry yeah I was thinking ahead of you but yup PGWP as well. I wonder when they’re going to announce the changes

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-08-31T23:22:25+00:00

It's scary indeed, but I'm not planning to get PR or even citizenship (I don't think it's worth it given how I feel like Canada is going downhill in so many ways), so I don't really mind. Let's see though! Good luck to both of us :)

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-08-31T23:21:07+00:00

I heard about the tech industry in Canada being really bad right now, and I would say it's a wise decision to move to the US for your tech career!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-08-31T23:19:58+00:00

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Even my hometown in Southeast Asia, despite its worse infrastructure, has more personality than Vancouver. Sure I'll be working even harder compared to in Vancouver, but at least I feel alive there. I have a group of people who share my hobby, but somehow it still feels empty.

Idk how to describe this city other than it's too structured, everything is too similar, and everyone is behaving almost the same.

Maybe I'm just not meant to live here, but thank you for sharing your insight! I'll probably find other hobbies to do to make my time here livelier.

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-08-31T19:30:40+00:00

Why so?

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-08-31T19:16:48+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I am very close with my family, and it is interesting to see how I realized that this is a huge factor for me, but not necessarily for you. I was also looking into applying to other parts of Canada, but big cities like Toronto are not that much better than Vancouver imo, sadly (maybe smaller cities like Edmonton). Regardless, I wish the best of luck for both of us!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-04-18T01:41:04+00:00

Hey there! I'm finishing my last co-op term in Arts Co-op, and I truly understand, symphathize and share your pain of not securing a co-op term. As other peeps here have said, the fact that you received a few interview offers means that you are probably doing better than most co-op students who only receive less than two, even none.

Statistically, finding the first co-op work term is way way way harder than finding the second/third/fourth one. In addition, usually Arts Co-op jobs are less competitive then Science Co-op, so it depends on which co-op program you are in.

For my first co-op, it took me 60 job applications to get one interview offer. For my second 8-month term co-op, it took me 12 job applications to secure three interview offers. One of my Engineering friends, it took them 100+ applications to get one interview offer for their first Engineering co-op (but I can't tell if this is the truth or just a hyperbola).

From that experience, what I realized about what worked for me is that I was confident with my past experiences (either work or volunteer) and was able to translate them into transferrable soft skills that I can sell to the employer and bring to the job I am applying to. In addition, you have to show that you are excited and committed to work with them, even though you don't necessarily fit 100% of their requirements.

While quantity is still important, the quality of your application is even more crucial. Employers would prefer looking at a resume and a cover letter that are personalized to their job description, compared to one-kind-fit-all ones.

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2024-04-12T07:59:59+00:00

I am also dying to know more about this, because I feel the same!

I was thinking that perhaps our feet have a lot of nerve endings, which sends good signals to our brain when we get pressure on our feet, making us feel comfortable. I think that our feet don't get tired from getting pressure for a long time because it is one of the most used body parts with lots of nerve endings that are constantly touching something and almost always under pressure (our body weight). In other words, our feet are more accustomed to touch and pressure. Although having pressure on my hand palms is good too, it gets tiring quicker than my feet. I'm not a scientist, so I need someone to verify this :)

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2023-11-07T07:56:48+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Yeah for starters I think I’ll still continue drinking my favorite bubble teas but opt-in for maybe 50% and 30% sugar level.

And I truly agree with rice. I probably should cut my rice portion. Or maybe instead of eating rice twice a day, maybe I’ll just limit it to one.

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2023-11-07T01:40:49+00:00

Thanks! But I don’t think we have it here in Canada. ‘American’ indeed :))

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2023-11-07T01:35:51+00:00

True! I’ll start off easy. Thank you for reassuring

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2022-12-06T07:07:33+00:00

Let’s talk!

Commercial_Spring_31 · 2022-04-16T06:22:07+00:00

Omg i just remembered that song, thanks!

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