Science One

What is Science One?

Officially, it is a "75-student, innovative first-year undergraduate course [which] presents the traditional disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics in a unified, integrated format that fulfills second-year"

For more official information, visit https://www.scienceone.ubc.ca/home/index.php.

Unofficially, it is considered the "elite" first year program at UBC. Even though tons of extremely smart students choose not to go into Science One because they

• Are worried about their GPA
• Want to use their AP/IB credits
• Want more flexibility in their schedule
• Etc....

Science One tends to attract students who have done well academically in high school and enjoy challenging themselves. Or those who are too lazy to figure out what courses they need to take since Science One gives you the pre-reqs for any second year Science program. 

Course Taken: September 2012 - April 2013 (Timetable 3)

Format: 14 hours of lecture in 3-4 hour sections from Monday - Thursday, 1 hour of tutorial, 3 hours of physics & chemistry lab respectively. There is also a separate 3 hour biology lab (BIOL 140) only during Term 1. 

• Lecture: Specific lecturing schedule will be sent out each week, but normally each section is split up into 1 hour or 1.5 hour chunks with 10 minute break between each. All your lectures will be in the same room at IBLC (library), right beside Ike's Cafe. 

• Tutorial: Tutorials are pretty chill with rarely any homework to hand-in. Most worksheets are simply for participation. Subject for tutorial changes every week, but typically it is used to address the tricky concepts through more hands-on approaches like computer simulations or models. 

• Bamfield Trip: At the end of September, Science One goes to Bamfield Marine Research Centre on Vancouver Island for 4 days, 3 nights. It is a great opportunity to see B.C forests and ocean. It is also a great bonding opportunity. A lot of students brought their textbooks and homework. I only brought my math assignment and BIOL 140 stuff. While I had to catch up a bit on Monday, I thought it was worth it.  

• Physics Lab: There is no prep or homework component to this lab. You just have to arrive to lab prepared to work. A major objective for this lab is to learn statistics, so during the lab you are required to take multiple measurements using different machines and calculate various things (wavelength, resistance, etc). 
• Chemistry Lab: There is a bit of prep involved and you are required to answer a couple questions after the lab. At the beginning of each lab, there is a lab quiz. These quizzes are timed and I found them a bit stressful. They were not overly difficult, but the entire atmosphere is quite tense.
• BIOL 140: There is a lot of work involved with this lab. A lot of Bamfield activities are dedicated to this lab course and you are suppose to take notes during the Bamfield trip (I did not). After the trip, you are expected to perform literature research on an organism, design and conduct a SIMPLE experiment with the organism, and then write a final report. All writing assignments must be extremely thorough. They are quite picky regarding citations. If in doubt, add in the citation.

Profs: There are typically 2 profs for each subject. These profs are extremely approachable and love to teach. Most of the profs will sit at the back of the classroom during all the other lectures, so feel free to ask them questions during the break. 

Textbooks: I got all my textbooks used via Facebook. Often, the older editions are fine. If in doubt, just ask the profs by sending them an email. The only textbook I did not use was the Biology one. I found myself just Googling topics rather than reading the textbook. An easy way to save money is to not buy your textbooks new from the bookstore.  

Class Average: 76% (class size: 68)

Questions I often get asked as a "Science One Survivor": 

Is Science One super hard and only geniuses can do it? Will my GPA be super low?

• Science One is challenging. Basically imagine taking 4 honours classes as one program. While individually the material may not be super difficult, time management is probably the biggest challenge.
• As for lowering GPA, that is a difficult question to answer. Everyone has a different experience transitioning into university. While Science One may seem harder than general science in terms of work load, it also forces you to have good work habits and stay on top of your courses. Good work ethic is the key to good marks not necessarily the program you are in. 

What is the workload like in Science One? Can I do extracurricular activities?

• The workload is definitely more than any other first year program that I know of. It is definitely manageable. Learn to pick and choose what is important. For example, I never did any of my biology pre-readings since biology was my best subject; however, I spent extra time on math. Even if it may seem overwhelming at first, remember that your peers are always willing to help and your profs' door is often open.
• As for extracurriculars, it is possible to engage in some. I wouldn't suggest doing too much in your first term as you are working out how UBC works. As I mentioned before, time management! Some people do orchestra, various Ubc clubs, or volunteering in labs. Also if you are living in Rez, there are lots of ways to get involved as well. 

 What is the benefit of doing Science One?

• Science One helps build up your connections with your peers. It also gives you the opportunity to know your profs extremely well. I have directly benefited from being in Science One with the reference letters for awards. Science One also gives you the chance to do your own research project which helps you build up your troubleshooting skills.
• Other benefits include having two study rooms reserved for Science One students, having Facebook groups where the profs answer questions there, having midterms in-class rather than at 8pm.

Does everyone have AP/IB backgrounds? Am I at a disadvantage if I don't?

• A lot of kids have AP/IB backgrounds, but it may not be that helpful especially in math. While it may be nice going into Science One with some basic knowledge of integral calculus, it is not necessary. The style of exams, lectures, tutorials are quite different so that often levels out the playing field a bit. Don't be afraid, most people are smart but not geniuses. Imagine taking the top 20 students in your high school. You have the really good memorizers, the great writers, and the hard workers, and the one kid who somehow does amazing while going out every night.  

What was my favourite part of Science One?

• My favourite part was getting to know everyone really well especially after the Bamfield trip.  It is even more beneficial in later years when you know so many people that you can ask for help/ advice. It is almost a guarantee that every one of your core classes will have someone from Science One in it.  

What was my least favourite part of doing Science One? 

• Least favourite was not having as much choice in my electives because of the standard timetable.

 Any advice for prospective Science One students?

• Relax. Enjoy the experience, don't stress too much about your grades. Don't get buried in your books all the time. Of course study and do what you need to do to learn the material, but also don't forget to enjoy life as a college student. Get to know your profs/classmates, learn a new skill

Science One tends to be a humbling experience. If you need to be the top student, this probably isn't the program for you. A lot of my friends have stated that they feel like the environment is overly competitive (in a subtle way). So it depends if you excel in this type of environment. Also keep in mind, the dynamic various from year to year.