Since its introduction last January as part of the admissions process to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver Campus, the broad-based application has served the university well in selecting the best prospective students for their direct-entry academic programs. Therefore, UBC’s sister campus UBC Okanagan will be following suit in adopting the use of these broad-based undergraduate admission policies for fall 2013 entry.
With more than 2,000 new first-year students at its Okanagan campus and nearly 6,000 new first-year students at its Vancouver campus last year, UBC is the largest Canadian university to utilize non-academic criteria on this scale for its application process. By looking beyond academic achievements to other areas of accomplishment, UBC is aiming to attract the best and brightest students based on their life experiences, participation outside the classroom and personal goals as well. The testament to the success of the broad-based application’s “Personal Profile” comes from UBC faculty members who believe that the broad range of student characteristics and myriad of personal involvements enhance classroom discussion and add value to the educational mix that drives academic learning.
In 2011, twenty-five percent of all first-year students at the Vancouver campus were already being admitted with the broad-based approach. UBC states that “responses to personal profile questions will also be used as eligibility criteria for Major Entrance Scholarships, International Major Entrance Scholarships and the Outstanding International Student Award”.
The online “Personal Profile” that applicants complete contains four to six questions about the students’ extra-curricular activities, leadership and community service experiences, hobbies and other attributes that would contribute to their success at university. UBC believes that the broad-based approach allows students to express their personal voice about their life experiences and goals apart from their academic grades or GPA.
For more detailed information on UBC’s broad-based admission policy, go to: https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2012/08/20/getting-into-ubc-means-more-than-making-the-grade/
