Name: Jad Saab
Program: Mechatronics Option without Co-op 
Extra-curricular Activities:
- Engineers without Borders;
- Engineering Tri-Mentoring Program;
- UBC Learning Exchange Trek Leadership Network;
- UBC REC Intramural Soccer, Day of the Longboat, Storm the Wall;
- UBC Film Society Productions Club;
- Playing guitar, reading.
Who I Am
I’m a curious person who loves to learn, both in and out of the classroom. On that note, I tend to be adventurous and very drawn to new experiences, especially if they involve traveling. I’m passionate about music of all sorts, and I enjoy playing (or trying to play) instruments.
A Day in My Life
I get up at around 7:00 am, and get ready for school (I don’t have 8:00 am classes this term, which is unusual). I commute around an hour to campus, and attend my morning classes (I have an average of 6 hours of class daily). Between classes, I often check-out events on campus (there’s always something interesting happening), hang-out with friends, tackle some school work, and attend meetings related to extra-curriculars. As part of a team design project course that I’m taking, I meet almost daily with my teammates. In the evenings, I generally prefer to study in on-campus labs or libraries for a few hours, then head home.
Why I Chose Mech
My interest in engineering came from enjoying math and science, and from a fascination with the creative ideas that engineers have contributed to medicine. I chose Mech because of its flexibility. I wasn’t sure of my post-university plans, but from what I’d observed, mechanical engineers play a role in many engineering projects. I also liked the idea of getting hands-on experience early on in my degree through the Mech 2 program. The Mechatronics option (which, as the name suggests, combines mechanics and electronics) was another draw for me because electronics have become an inseparable part of many mechanical devices.
Life Beyond Classes
On the weekends, I like to spend time outdoors playing sports, hiking, and skiing. Sometimes, I’ll get together with friends to play some music, or we’ll find a live concert to check-out. Being relatively new to the West Coast, I try to explore the area by going on memorable road trips with friends.
Getting Here from High School
Mech involves a lot of math and physics, so I focused on getting a good grasp of those subjects in high school to lay a solid foundation to build upon. I tried to get a feel for what mechanical engineering’s all about by, for example, reading-up on engineering news and chatting with friends/relatives who are engineers.
Mech can be a challenging program in terms of both the curriculum and the time commitment. I think that, through my involvement in a bunch of extra-curricular activities while in high school, I learned to better deal with pressure and multi-task. I also realized that my interests outside of the classroom were a refreshing change from school work, so they helped keep me energized.
The Best Part
In Mech, there are many opportunities to combine the technical side of engineering with creative thinking. I enjoy seeing how the theory that I learn is applied to practical, open-ended design problems.
I’ve made some great friends through Mech. We spend a lot time together studying and enjoying campus life. In general, I’ve found that Mech has a very friendly environment in which students are keen to help one another succeed.
My Advice to Prospective Students
- Carefully consider what you’d like to study…what are you most interested in? Where do your passions lie?
- If you’d like more information about Mech, please ask
- Getting good grades is important, but focus on the learning experience as well because it will pay-off down the road
- Being involved in activities outside of class can help you strengthen skills that are useful in Mech