The tacos at Taco Bell don’t taste exactly like the ones back home in the San Francisco Bay Area. But Brendan Pickering isn’t going to quibble when everything else about living in B.C. and studying at UBC’s Okanagan campus is “fantastic.”
“I love Canada, “says Brendan, 21, who is starting fourth-year in the Faculty of Arts, majoring in political science and history. “I especially like Kelowna. Every time I come back, the hustle and bustle recedes, the stress fades away.”
In fact, Brendan’s enthusiasm is mirrored by his younger siblings Kate and James, who are 18 and fraternal twins. They, too, are starting classes at UBC this month.
“It wasn’t a joint decision,” says Kate, “but my parents are thrilled because they love Canada too.”
Accepted at Georgetown University earlier in the year, Kate say she decided to keep her options open. “I visited UBC’s Vancouver campus in the spring and just found it really appealing in its diversity and ambience, especially when there are beautiful spots like the Nitobe Garden.”
With a strong interest in international relations and law, Kate is enrolled in the Coordinated Arts Program (CAP), an innovative curriculum that allows first-year students to focus on themed areas of studies within small learning cohorts.
Although moving to a new city can be a big change, Kate says she feels quite prepared to deal with any differences in culture. “Brendan has invited a lot of Canadian friends home to visit, so I got to know how great their sense of humour is, very dry, and what great people they are.”
For James, spending time with his older brother helped firm up his plans to attend UBC Okanagan. Last July, he checked out life in Kelowna, the campus and environs while staying with Brendan, who was taking summer courses.
“My interests are geography and cartography,” says James, “so academically and personally I think there is a lot for me to explore here. And the campus is the right size for what I want.”
What really impressed him, he says, was the type of student engagement he witnessed while sitting in on a political science class with Brendan.
“I liked the openness and readiness to include others in the discussion.”
Brendan says he first became intrigued by UBC during a long-ago family trip to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). He had signed up for a MOA newsletter that updated him on UBC news. And when it came time for university, Brendan decided to look north as well as well as the East Coast where Columbia University and other institutions numbered among his top choices.
In the end, however, Brendan says the adventure of living in a “foreign yet familiar” culture proved more attractive, especially given the strength of UBC research and teaching.
“Academically, UBC consistently ranks among the top universities. It’s a fantastic institution.”
