You’ve done all of the hard work and submitted your UBC application. Now what? How do you stay calm (and keep yourself from checking your inbox over and over!) while waiting to hear back from UBC?
Here are some current student tips for how to stay patient, and keep yourself busy, while waiting to hear back on your application.
Tips for staying patient while waiting to hear back on your application
Soak up the last few months with your hometown friends
“It is easier said than done, but living in the present and enjoying where you are now are the biggest pieces of advice I would give to someone dealing with staying patient while waiting to hear back about admissions. It is important to remind yourself that you will soon be living a very different life, no matter what university you decide to go to, so it is important to soak up every last second of where you are currently!
My friends and I also made a purposeful decision to limit the amount of conversations we had around our university admissions. Instead, we focused on creating and checking off things from a hometown bucket list—things we couldn’t complete anymore once we all ultimately chose universities and moved away! We also all stayed busy with our passions to keep ourselves distracted and tried our very hardest to soak up the last few months together before embarking on great new adventures.”
– Elleda S., fifth year Political Science student
Schedule activities to look forward to (that have nothing to do with school!)
“Honestly, it’s hard, but reminding yourself that the outcome doesn’t define your worth helps a bit. Try not to refresh your inbox every hour (we all do it, but still). I made a list of things I wanted to try or do that had nothing to do with school and actually scheduled them in so I had something to look forward to. I also stayed busy with school, which helped time pass faster.”
– Zaina A., fourth year Honours Psychology student
Start learning on topics that you’re thinking of studying
“Something that I did when I was waiting to hear back from my application was to start educating myself on possible topics that I was thinking of studying! Yes, that was super nerdy of me. For example, I was really excited to take an English class, so I took it upon myself to read some classics on my own. Hello, Jane Austen! Also, it is important to still have fun and enjoy your life in the interim. Once your application is submitted, it is fully out of your hands. Hang in there and I wish you all the best!”
– Marleigh M., fifth year Philosophy student
Remind yourself that the admissions process takes time
“I tried not to overthink it too much so I wouldn’t stress myself out. I knew I applied closer to the deadline, so it made sense that my letter might come later than others’. I kept reminding myself that the admissions process takes time; they’re going through so many applications and considering a bunch of different factors. Just because it’s taking a while doesn’t mean it’s a bad sign. That helped me stay a bit more calm and patient.”
– Miwa K., fifth year Media Studies student