Why AdmissionPrep Supports UBC Men's Hockey

AdmissionPrep has renewed its support of UBC Men's Hockey for 2026, contributing to the UBC Men's Hockey Power Play Fund. It is a modest contribution next to what the program does every season, and it is one we intend to keep making.

Here is what the fund does, and why we back student-athletes.

What the Power Play Fund is

The Power Play Fund is a priority fund for the UBC Thunderbirds men's ice hockey program, listed by UBC as Fund ID G1077. Contributions go to the program directly, supporting the everyday cost of running a varsity team and the athletes who play for it. It is open to anyone: you can give through UBC's giving page.

One thing worth stating plainly, because it matters: this is a contribution we make to UBC. AdmissionPrep is an independent education consulting service. We are not affiliated with UBC, and UBC does not endorse us. We support the program, and we are glad to say so publicly.

Why student-athletes

Every year we sit with families who are trying to work out how much their child can carry. A full course load, the activities that actually mean something to them, sleep, and some version of a life. It is a real question and it does not have a tidy answer.

Varsity athletes answer it in the hardest way available. They train before class and after it. They travel during term. They compete on weekends and then sit the same exams as everyone else on Monday. Most of that work happens with nobody watching, years before anyone hands out a roster spot.

That is the part we recognise, because it is the same pattern we see in the students who do well in admissions. The advantage is almost never a single dramatic achievement. It is the accumulated weight of ordinary work, done consistently, starting earlier than felt necessary at the time.

What this has to do with admissions

Families often come to us in Grade 11 or Grade 12 looking for something that will change the outcome quickly. We understand the instinct. But the honest answer is that the students with the strongest applications were rarely doing anything dramatic. They were doing something specific, and they had been doing it since as early as Grade 9.

Depth is what reads as real. A student who has stayed with one thing long enough to get genuinely good at it, and can say something honest about what it cost them, is far more compelling than a student with a longer and thinner list. Admissions officers read thousands of applications. They can tell the difference.

Athletes tend to arrive at this naturally, because the sport does not let them fake it. But it is not limited to sport. The same logic applies to a student who has been building software, running a small business, playing an instrument seriously, or showing up at the same volunteer post for four years.

Join the program waitlist if you want help working out what that looks like for your child.

Why we contribute at all

We back organisations where the contribution reaches young people directly. Alongside UBC Men's Hockey, we support the Boys and Girls Club of British Columbia, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, and the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. You can see the full list on our partnerships and contributions page.

The common thread is straightforward. Each of these reduces a barrier for someone who has already decided to do the harder thing. That is a reasonable use of money.

If you are applying to UBC yourself, our full UBC admissions guide covers the Personal Profile, the activity summary, references, and scholarships in detail.

Getting your own plan together

If you are trying to work out where your child actually stands and what would move the needle, two things are free and take very little time.

Our Program Assessment quiz gives you a read on your child's current profile and where the gaps are. And the program waitlist is where to start if you want 1-on-1 advising to help increase their odds at the schools they are aiming for.

Good luck to the Thunderbirds this season.