Would you double your university costs and move across the country if it meant a bigger future?
Matthew Tran did exactly that — leaving Vancouver for Queen’s Smith School of Business in Kingston. In this episode, he breaks down how he made Queen’s affordable (hello, scholarship stacking), why the club ecosystem + alumni network were game-changers, and how internships (including AdmissionPrep, Vancouver Canucks, and PepsiCo) led to a coveted full-time offer.
We also dig into Matthew’s high-school playbook: a 4.0 GPA, leadership-heavy extracurriculars (volleyball, band, student council, a homelessness awareness initiative), and his underrated strategy of contacting academic/career advisors before choosing a school.
If you’re weighing UBC/SFU vs. Queen’s - or just want a practical blueprint for turning university into ROI - this one’s for you.
Need guidance like Matthew had? Get a plan, scholarships, and application support at admissionprep.com.
Topics & Highlights
01:24 Breakfast of champions: more yogurt
02:50 Where Matthew is now - Marketing at PepsiCo (competitive return offer)
03:47 When career thinking started; early pull toward marketing
04:55 High-school activities: volleyball, band (tenor sax!), leadership, Hot Potato Initiative
08:54 GPA & the online-class “hacks” during COVID (4.0)
10:33 Work ethic: modeled by parents; using peers as motivation, not comparison
12:19 Starting uni prep; discovering scholarships; joining AdmissionPrep
13:41 Offers: UBC Sauder, SFU Beedie, Queen’s Commerce - why Queen’s won
16:32 Any regrets? None. Community, exchange (Singapore), and outcomes
17:34 What Queen’s does uniquely well (clubs, smaller classes, college-town density)
19:27 Alumni engine: recurring recruiter visits; open-door mentorship
22:14 Cost talk: scholarships, grants, TA, summer courses; making Smith affordable
26:01 Internship ladder to PepsiCo (including the Thailand interview saga)
33:55 Advice to 15–16-year-old Matthew: slow down and reach out early