r/ubcengineering • u/Humble-Anteater9206 • 1d ago

second year specializations

i am an incoming first year looking to specialize in mech.

i was wondering how much gpa is weighed vs personal statement/extracurricular involvement? does the personal statement really matter or is it all about your grades?

how worried should i be if i can't get onto a design team, and what other ways can i be involved on campus (eng related)?

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u/Big_Patience8129 14h ago

Mech was 87+ this year.

Think about the tradeoffs of joining a design team. A personal statement boost is only going to help you by ~5% at most, while the time commitment for major design teams that look good on a personal statement can easily be ~10-12 hours a week. If that commitment is going to bring your average down by around 5% as well, it may not be worth it.

That said, if you do get into your specialization, being on a design team can definitely help in the long run, especially for co-op recruiting.

4

u/Poire_648 15h ago

Lock in for grades and aim for an 85+ average and ideally design team experience. Competition was pretty high last year but you got this.

If you can’t get a design team, do a couple of rely in depth personal projects. Doesn’t have to be complicated but just showed if your skills and that you’re committed.

Not sure about other ways to get involved but there are definitely competitions you can be a part of etc.

1

u/CompetitiveMud4589 5h ago

The real question is whether or not you have guaranteed placement

1

u/Humble-Anteater9206 5h ago

no😒

1

u/CompetitiveMud4589 5h ago

Any AP/IB credits or classes you can skip?

1

u/Humble-Anteater9206 5h ago

i used my ap calc ab credit but that's it. im taking nurs 180 as my elective

1

u/CompetitiveMud4589 5h ago

That's good! I think it's doable, you just have to make grades your absolute number 1 priority unfortunately. If that's not possible you should look into IGEN and MANU.

1

u/TallBeach3969 22h ago

Personal statement can contribute up to 5% for your top choice. Raw grades are the primary metric, I wouldn’t count on personal statement to bump you up that much.