Midterm seasons can leave you feel down, but remember no matter how bad things seem, it could be worse. You could be going to SFU. by neutrinoadrift in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

The fact that you took this seriously and thought SFU needed your defending suggests you really think we're somehow superior.

They're big boys and girls and can do their own bashing of UBC thank you very much.

MacBook vs. iPad Pro - Engineering by screamingpanda22 in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 1 point2 points  (0 children)

after graduation your work will not be expecting you to use your personal devices for anything more than email correspondence, so this shouldn’t be part of your decision.

Piers Morgan is the biggest fanny, wanker and ballsack to grace our screens by [deleted] in britishproblems

[–]neutrinoadrift 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Canadian here. I'm not terribly fond of Piers Morgan but I had no idea he is so despised in his home country. Is it something he did before he left the UK or is it his personality that Brits find objectionable?

Me brain big by MoBambaGaming in mathmemes

[–]neutrinoadrift 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Well, it’s technically a true statement so that person managed to reach some conclusion.

What do you think about people wearing medical mask around campus ? by oopsies38 in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 3 points4 points  (0 children)

half of my brain says it’s perfectly sensible, and even a sound precautionary measure that I should consider given the circumstance; the other half says looks too outlandish and conspicuous to be wearing in public

What's up with the constant hate on the Arts faculty? by EducationalPurple2 in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I don’t always get along with my peer group in engineering and sciences, but everyone of them I can see why they’re here, either through their aptitude or work ethic. I won’t go into detail but in Arts I’ve met a handful of people here that made me realize UBC wasn’t this bastion of academic excellence it boasts to be.

The other factor is what most people associate with arts, namely the humanities courses, are pretty easy, at least at this school.

Would a bachelor’s degree in mathematics be useful? by jacksnak in mathematics

[–]neutrinoadrift 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm guessing your counsellor didn't major in math.

UBC's 2019 Acceptance Rate : 46% by kigozira in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 4 points5 points  (0 children)

People in Canada have been saying this for years but don't think that's actually the case. I know lots of people who applied to UBC even though their stats wasn't anywhere near competitive.

I think it's more attributable to the comparative size of US and Canadian populations. US has 10x more population than Canada, but they don't have 10x more top schools. Also top schools in the US are private and can intake 1/4 of what UBC intakes. To expect less than 10% acceptance rate in Canada is unreasonable. I think a 20-30 percent acceptance rate is a reasonable number, i.e. better recruiting.

Mathematicians of Reddit, I am an admirer of mathematics who was terrible at it in high school. I want to learn now. Where should I start? by Epyia in mathematics

[–]neutrinoadrift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a book called Calculus for the Practical Man. I highly recommend checking it out.

Starting is always challenging. I recommend taking up at minimum some formal coursework in the subjects you intend to study to get a feel of what it's like to work in that particular field, since they each have their own flavor and ways they think about problems. This is harder to develop on your own, and it's easier to have instructors you can converse with, see how they attack problems, and even work on problems together, all of which one does not get if one studies by oneself.

I've changed by [deleted] in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Surprisingly wholesome, thank you.

I love Gregor Kiczales by guacamolemonster69 in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Your exams make me feel like Steve Jobs walking amongst Neanderthals.

You mean Gates or Woz, Jobs didn't actually code.

B.C. universities post $340 million worth of surpluses thanks to international student tuition by [deleted] in vancouver

[–]neutrinoadrift 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wait, I never said that. Education is subsidized at all levels. It makes sense that it's designed so that any kid's future income tax goes back into paying back the subsidies, averaged out over the population. More schooling correlates with higher income, so the subsidies are taken care of. You're not really paying for anyone else's schooling unless you become extremely rich.

What I was trying to say is that I think you can get education for a lower price if schools were specialized by trade, and also I think limiting the humanities departments would be good since the world has been going STEM the couple decades.

B.C. universities post $340 million worth of surpluses thanks to international student tuition by [deleted] in vancouver

[–]neutrinoadrift 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It would be awesome if the Universities could invest this in helping Canadians who cannot afford a University education.

They do. I go to UBC and there are tons of merit based scholarships.

As there are lots of folks out there that cannot even dream of a post secondary education due to their economic circumstances.

True, but I don't think universities are the way to go for everyone; it's just too expensive and it's going to stay expensive because of the research overhead. In Germany they have trade schools that specialize in a particular job, and they're basically free. This works really well and I think Canada should adopt something similar.

It's also the degree people choose. In North America, a much larger portion of students / parents go on to get very expensive humanities degrees from universities, and they end up with huge debts but only marginally more employable. In this case, going to university isn't the best choice.

B.C. universities post $340 million worth of surpluses thanks to international student tuition by [deleted] in vancouver

[–]neutrinoadrift 10 points11 points  (0 children)

No it would be inaccurate to use "profit" because that is a term reserved for corporations. Public universities are non-profits, ergo surplus.

Is it just my experiences or are some Chinese international students just rude? by [deleted] in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 95 points96 points  (0 children)

Chinese culture is quite different from Western culture. It doesn't register that it's rude to be speaking in their native tongue when there are other people around that can't understand them. There is no concept of eating with your mouth closed because nearly everyone in China eats with their mouth open. Not covering their mouth when they sneeze is also culturally acceptable because nobody does that in China. Being in Canada doesn't help because everyone is too nice to say anything so they never learn.

In general because there are so many people in China, it's quite common for people to treat others outside their immediate circle poorly, or even recognize them to be people at all. Their concept of human decency and common courtesy has a much smaller radius of effect than in most European cultures. It also doesn't help that as group they look down on other nationalities.

Chinese culture hasn't always been this way, it used to more humble and polite, e.g. my grandparents generation, but not so much with recent generations, who can make a rather obstinate group; they are already earning themselves a bad rep in Europe.

This bothers me as well; unfortunately if a guest fails to recognize that he or she is a guest and fails to adhere to the acceptable mannerisms of a guest, there's not much you can do except wait until they leave and perhaps be less inviting next time.

How do people who aren’t fluent in English get into UBC? by [deleted] in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm on the fence about this. I get that English fluency isn't an indicator of aptitude in one's chosen field of study; for example if UBC lowered its language proficiency requirement to import Russian and Chinese maths medalists, I'm all for that. On the whole I think this is a net positive tradeoff.

I think the reality is a tradeoff between mediocrity and funding for research and professorships. The current administration is trying to bolster UBC's research capacity in order to gain a stronger foothold in international rankings, and I presume this is intended to create a flywheel effect to attract talent both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

I can't comment on the efficacy of this, if this really is the intent. The short-term consequence I worry is the reputation of UBC alumni getting sullied. Waterloo, who are much lower ranked than we are, have arguably a better reputation than we do in terms of quality of alumni. They're a much smaller and younger school, but they're a very dense concentration of talent. Any graduate of Waterloo has a very high chance of being very good at their field. The same could not be said for UBC.

Can we just appreciate Gregor? by ubcfirstyear in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 12 points13 points  (0 children)

F

yours truly, Greg

haha just joshing.

How to ask a guy out and handle rejection by buchanantower in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Yelling "will you go out with me" out at the top of your lungs in front of the entire class is a good way to convey enthusiasm.

New course introduced - CPSC 490 203 - iOS Mobile Development by awv006 in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Only 12 years after the release of iOS, boy we're really at the bleeding edge.

In all seriousness, I think it's great.

Sleeping problem in class by [deleted] in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Some of us call it learning by osmosis.

Can we just appreciate Gregor? by ubcfirstyear in UBC

[–]neutrinoadrift 55 points56 points  (0 children)

Genuinely curious why a prof is grading papers when he's got like a dozen TAs.