It has come to the attention of many students at UBC that a new college called the UBC “Vantage College” is being built for more than $127 million. Highlighted in this article, the Vantage College is international student exclusive, barring Canadian citizens from applying. At a cost of approximately $50 thousand a year, successful applicants to the college will enter a special first-year program designed specifically for those with weaker English language ability. Finishing the program will then enable the students to enter the regular second year at UBC.

According to the article, response to this move has been mostly negative. Students claim that this will create students who will not be fully integrated into UBC and divide the student body. Others, including myself, feel that the college is a deliberate cash grab and will exist purely to generate revenue. Rather than spending that huge sum of money on attracting potential international students, it should be spent on improving the experience for existing students. By making UBC a desirable school, it will attract more students by virtue of its reputation. Catering specifically to the students with the deepest pockets smears its academic image and alienates the brightest students who don’t want to attend schools that seem hungry for tuition revenue.

Image: https://twitter.com/UBCVantage

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-s-vantage-college-canadians-need-not-apply-1.2826142