One of the things that I have learned on exchange is how many things I took for granted and now miss about UBC.
Such as how everything is so beautifully organized — I mean, you get a registration time, you register and know your courses months in advance so you can plan your life. Compared to my exchange school, you choose your top two options, but don't know until a week or so before classes start if you received one of your options or something else altogether!
Another thing is how responsive UBC is to emails. I can email my professor, ESP or undergraduate office, and I'm guaranteed a reply usually within 24 hours compared to the school in France where, while professors reply immediately, not even one of the email questions I sent to the admin office were ever replied to.
On another administrative level, at UBC, you know why you receive the grade you did. However, at the school in France, it's very ambiguous. Two of my friends took a class which was project-based and they worked together on everything. One received an A, the other a C-, and the professor was unable to justify why. They eventually gave up trying to ask for justification. Speaking of grades, I miss how at UBC, you receive your grades a couple weeks after finishing the course. At the French school, I still haven't received my grades for a course I finished two months ago and have no idea when I will get them.
On a different level, I miss how at UBC, most professors try to encourage and create a safe and respectful learning environment. Compared to the school in France, the professor openly mocked Asian accents and mental illness in one of my classes.
Finally, I miss how absolutely gorgeous the UBC campus is. Being in a city campus where the views consist of cars and buses has made me incredibly thankful for UBC, where I am able to see ocean, mountains and trees on the daily!
Don't get me wrong — my exchange experience in Bordeaux has been incredible. I have met incredible professors and students, and have learned a lot. I will cherish these experiences, but it has also reminded me how lucky I am to attend UBC.
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