First Year (FY) BHSc/BSC 2017 Chat/Enquiry

[Fizzlenizzle]

For a different perspective, personally I love the labs and find I don't do so well in the tests. I'm getting full marks or close to in all of my chem and bio labs, and find them a really enjoyable and social experience that helps to consolidate the theory learning. The tests are a different story, C+ on the first 15% chem test and i certainly made a few mistakes on the bio midterm (probably due to my incredibly high stress levels at the time). Mind you, I've never done chemistry before in my life so my knowledge expansion has had to be exponential! But I am going to just work crazy hard and I think I can pull it back for the finals and maybe scrape an 8 core GPA. Ive done an anatomy and physiology paper before and worked in surgery, So I'm feeling confident for MedSci.

I'm finding the second half of the semester a little easier. Not because the content or workload is easier - for anyone reading this for 2018, be prepared to constantly feel like you're running behind/only just keeping on top of things. It's a constant juggling of priorities.
However I feel like I've finally got into my rhythm - by which I mean less sleep and just studying 9-10 hours a day depending on how quickly my brain gets saturated. I'm a firm believer in studying well, not just studying hard. It's important to know your limits! I've got a couple of other very important commitments in small human form so it's a constant juggle.
I've also just become incredibly determined; the only thing I want to do with my life is become a doctor and doing post grad is a horrendously difficult option for me for various reasons. I certainly won't be acing it, more like flying in on the skin of my teeth (or on a pat of the dreaded butter!), but, again for those next year who are struggling, if you can find that inner drive you can get through the semester!! Eyes on the prize...

This has given me hope to keep going, I have been missing out on so many lectures.

 

[katwoman]

Keep going. It's bloody tough but remember why you started this journey in the first place. Find your passion again, and throw everything you have at this.
Personally I find that there is enough content in the lecture notes and slides for me to write my own notes and mindmaps to study off, and that the lectures are good for emphasising and consolidating it but are not the be all and end all. That's just my learning style though, you may be different.

 

[Kiwiology]

Bio 107 MST is out. The average was only 65% which seems very low and the average in each section was only about 60%. I am not looking at my grade, I know I did significantly better than 65% that's for sure but I don't need the slightest bit of worry clouding my right now while I smash out revision for Chem test tomorrow night.

I've seen a lot of people online and also when I was at Tamaki overcome with grief about 107 like some people were literally in tears.

Our PBL thing today was good; I literally only got left with like 90 seconds at the end so had to rip through the real basics of my content which was disappointing but pfft, easy 15% not from a brutal test so good as.

Had a bad case of losing my mojo this morning and just wanted to give up. Saw a really good job in the health sector I could likely get and it pays $90k a year. I'll keep pushing on.

 

[Blueglacier]

For a different perspective, personally I love the labs and find I don't do so well in the tests. I'm getting full marks or close to in all of my chem and bio labs, and find them a really enjoyable and social experience that helps to consolidate the theory learning. The tests are a different story, C+ on the first 15% chem test and i certainly made a few mistakes on the bio midterm (probably due to my incredibly high stress levels at the time). Mind you, I've never done chemistry before in my life so my knowledge expansion has had to be exponential! But I am going to just work crazy hard and I think I can pull it back for the finals and maybe scrape an 8 core GPA. Ive done an anatomy and physiology paper before and worked in surgery, So I'm feeling confident for MedSci.

I'm finding the second half of the semester a little easier. Not because the content or workload is easier - for anyone reading this for 2018, be prepared to constantly feel like you're running behind/only just keeping on top of things. It's a constant juggling of priorities.
However I feel like I've finally got into my rhythm - by which I mean less sleep and just studying 9-10 hours a day depending on how quickly my brain gets saturated. I'm a firm believer in studying well, not just studying hard. It's important to know your limits! I've got a couple of other very important commitments in small human form so it's a constant juggle.
I've also just become incredibly determined; the only thing I want to do with my life is become a doctor and doing post grad is a horrendously difficult option for me for various reasons. I certainly won't be acing it, more like flying in on the skin of my teeth (or on a pat of the dreaded butter!), but, again for those next year who are struggling, if you can find that inner drive you can get through the semester!! Eyes on the prize...

Are you in the 18-19 age range, or are you a mature student, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[katwoman]

Are you in the 18-19 age range, or are you a mature student, if you don't mind me asking?

Haha! Let's just say that 30 is approaching rapidly.

 

[Blueglacier]

Haha! Let's just say that 30 is approaching rapidly.

Thanks for answering so coolly. Appreciate that. What did you do before you started OLY1, again if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Fizzlenizzle]

How is everyone going for chem?

 

[Kiwiology]

How is everyone going for chem?

The hate burns deep for Chem. I just hate it so much. Sure, it's mildly interesting (perhaps more mild than PCC) but being forced to learn it with the intense pressure to get super high grades takes all the fun out of it. And those chem labs have really been horrible.

I accidentally saw my result for Bio MST and I'm really pissed off. There was lots of foul language.

For me to get a "safe" A grade in Bio I now need about 90% in the exam, for Chem it's more like 90+% and probably the same for Pop111, as we haven't gotten our test results back yet and that's provided (a) I get 90% in the test tomorrow and (b) no less than 40/50 in the Pop test, hmmm, probably not ...

I've completely lost all my motivation and am going to apply for that job I saw. Haven't decided if I am going to the test tomorrow night.

 

[Blueglacier]

The hate burns deep for Chem. I just hate it so much. Sure, it's mildly interesting (perhaps more mild than PCC) but being forced to learn it with the intense pressure to get super high grades takes all the fun out of it. And those chem labs have really been horrible.

I accidentally saw my result for Bio MST and I'm really pissed off. There was lots of foul language.

For me to get a "safe" A grade in Bio I now need about 90% in the exam, for Chem it's more like 90+% and probably the same for Pop111, as we haven't gotten our test results back yet and that's provided (a) I get 90% in the test tomorrow and (b) no less than 40/50 in the Pop test, hmmm, probably not ...

I've completely lost all my motivation and am going to apply for that job I saw. Haven't decided if I am going to the test tomorrow night.

You can make up for it! Don't lose hope now. Go to the test!

 

[frootloop]

The hate burns deep for Chem. I just hate it so much. Sure, it's mildly interesting (perhaps more mild than PCC) but being forced to learn it with the intense pressure to get super high grades takes all the fun out of it. And those chem labs have really been horrible.

I accidentally saw my result for Bio MST and I'm really pissed off. There was lots of foul language.

For me to get a "safe" A grade in Bio I now need about 90% in the exam, for Chem it's more like 90+% and probably the same for Pop111, as we haven't gotten our test results back yet and that's provided (a) I get 90% in the test tomorrow and (b) no less than 40/50 in the Pop test, hmmm, probably not ...

I've completely lost all my motivation and am going to apply for that job I saw. Haven't decided if I am going to the test tomorrow night.

Sit the test. Worst case scenario, it doesn't go very well, but you've still got final exams and next semester to turn it around. If you don't sit it, you're guaranteed to be out of the running (I assume your mid-terms are compulsory?).

First year can be pretty hard to stay motivated in, particularly when it comes to stuff like chemistry which is pretty far removed from what you're actually aiming for. But by the sounds of things you've been wanting to do med for a long time, and in a few weeks time you'd probably regret having thrown in the towel at this stage.

My advice would be to re-evaluate at the end of the semester. For now, just push through. Like I said, even marks slightly lower than what you're hoping for won't necessarily rule you out - but not going to your exams certainly would.

 

[Rob]

The hate burns deep for Chem. I just hate it so much. Sure, it's mildly interesting (perhaps more mild than PCC) but being forced to learn it with the intense pressure to get super high grades takes all the fun out of it. And those chem labs have really been horrible.

I accidentally saw my result for Bio MST and I'm really pissed off. There was lots of foul language.

For me to get a "safe" A grade in Bio I now need about 90% in the exam, for Chem it's more like 90+% and probably the same for Pop111, as we haven't gotten our test results back yet and that's provided (a) I get 90% in the test tomorrow and (b) no less than 40/50 in the Pop test, hmmm, probably not ...

I've completely lost all my motivation and am going to apply for that job I saw. Haven't decided if I am going to the test tomorrow night.

Not going to that test when you still have a decent shot at an 8.0 in semester 1 is the sort of decision that you will likely still regret decades from now.

The 107 exam tends to be easier than the test - 90 is very achievable if you put the work in and make sure you understand the concepts well. The CHEM exam doesn't have nearly as much time pressure, so most people find it easier to get a high mark. The POPLHLTH exam is also a lot more straightforward - it takes a lot of time to learn all of the definitions and lists in the slides, but if you put the time in it is very achievable to get higher than 90.

It will definitely take a lot of work, but if you can find the motivation getting that 8.25 for the year is still very achievable. Best to push on and do as well as you possibly can - you might end up surprising yourself. Only another month or so to go before you can relax for a few weeks.

 

[Pump]

Also focusing on what % you think you're gonna get or what % you need to get can be a double-edged sword. Good because you have realistic targets that you know that you need to achieve but with that comes the pressure of having to meet those targets, which can be even more intense if the targets are somewhat high.

It's best to just think "I need to do the best that I possibly can" and results should follow.

 

[Kiwiology]

Did the second Chem test tonight. Talked to the Department of Critical Care, they said, for now, my grade should just be admitted to the High Dependancy Unit for close 1:2 monitoring ...

The test was OK; hoping for another 85 ... or at least an 80. There was a 4 mark pH question I know I got the answer wrong because the pH didn't change, was meant to go up ... I didn't have time to look at it again but I wrote all my working out and I know I used the right method (ICE table and the Hasselhoff equation) so dno, odd .... or more likely, not odd, operator error

I'm just really, really disappointed I didn't get as-high-of-a-grade in Bio MST. I worked so hard and didn't think those questions were too bad. Of course, it doesn't matter now, but it's pretty crushing especially when that Pop MST was pretty rough as well (they way they ask the questions really messed with my head) and I knew the content so well and it wasn't even not knowing, it was not being able to understand some of their questions and the pressure was horrible.

I see these 18-year-old kids in tears at Tamaki when Bio came out and I just wanted to throttle them and tell them not to worry because they can live at home with mum and dad and get an entire student loan and enter as a graduate because they're not doing anything else and they're young enough and not having to worry about paying rent or living in the real world or such. One of the other mature students said if they didn't get in they were just going to forget about it and go back to the workforce. I pretty much feel the same way to be honest. I don't have the time or money to do graduate entry - this really doesn't help, especially when you get your ass handed to you in stupid Chemistry labs. Hate Chem labs with such a passion; will literally probably get like 10/15 in them if I am lucky.

Going to literally lock myself in my room tomorrow and do like 12 hours of Bio review and the same on Sunday for Pop 111. If I study my ass off and those dead family members and friend use their magic powers (cos that's totally legit right?) I can get an A in Bio and Chem, and at least an A in Pophlth, if not A+ (if I get like 98% in the exam, which is possible I guess, I like Pophlth and I like studying for it). I know somebody last year who got in via RRAS with 8.0 .....

I quite like Bill Clinton, he said New Hampshire made him the "comeback kid" during the 1992 primary ... maybe I can be comeback Kiwi

 

[Jastek01]

Hi everyone, long time lurker. I'm currently first year biomed with my sights on medicine. We just finished our second chem test as you guys already know, I believe I did fine (except for some of the MCQ's, think they screwed up something, according to piazza as well). Anyways, all my MST's went fine (not really for pophealth tho :/).
Just wondering how you guys found the second half of the semester last year - feels super rushed compared to first half? I currently need a low A minimum for 110 and 107 to scrape an A+ (obv aiming higher, just as a buffer) and probably a bit higher for pophealth! Not sure if you guys heard but they changed the curriculum for Blood and Immune - finding it overwhelming right now (slides don't explain anything lots of assumed knowledge), but so is everyone else according to Piazza spam. I reckon the other modules for 107 are fine, more conceptually based - not really like Mod 1.
But yeah, just asking for opinions on the exams (esp 107 and 111) and how you guys found blood and immune last year!

 

[Kiwiology]

I get 90 in the exams for 107 and 110 to get an A, and I can get an A+ with 96% ... all crazy high otherwise I'm looking down the face of a 7.5 or 7.75 and well, ain't nobody got time for that!

Still pretty disappointed with Bio MST, it's really hurt my motivation. The questions were all quite straightforward except for a couple (like 2 or 3) and I didn't sit there going "I have no idea" for any of them! Waiting for Pophlth MST is excruciating because I'll probably only get 38-40 and again it really annoys me because I knew the content but many of the Module 1 questions were worded vaguely or confusingly. Maybe exams just aren't are my forte!

And yes, Blood and Immune this year is way different because we have a very different lecturer and almost entirely new content. It's not bad, you just have to read it several times, which is what I am doing now .... so back to it!

 

[Jastek01]

It's just so hard to piece everything together... so many different processes, by the time I understand one I've forgotten how it links to another process.

 

[Rob]

That's a shame about Blood and Immune - it was very straightforward last year. I do imagine that they will be aware of how difficult everyone is finding it, and make the questions on the easier end of the spectrum as a result. I wouldn't recommend counting on that though!

 

[Kiwiology]

I literally perforated out the entire B&I section of my 107 book and recycled it. We get notes from Canvas, but they're a bit all over the place. The lecture slides are pretty alright. I have spent most of the afternoon going over stuff and we're given good information about various parts of the immune system, rather than an "overview" of the entire immune system which is a bit of a shame. We spend literally like two slides on blood and don't get into anything about HIV which I was looking forward to.

John Fraser is a good lecturer in he is very keen about what he lectures but not so good in he almost knows a bit too much and presume he is much more used to lecturing medical or physiology students in the hard-core workings of very specific pathways or pieces of the puzzle rather than the puzzle overall. But, he did say he's not interested in minute details, just the overall information he presents, which is good.

Ugh ... having an entirely new lecturer is not helping my already fragile mojo.

 

[Pump]

I see these 18-year-old kids in tears at Tamaki when Bio came out and I just wanted to throttle them and tell them not to worry because they can live at home with mum and dad and get an entire student loan and enter as a graduate because they're not doing anything else and they're young enough and not having to worry about paying rent or living in the real world or such.

I seriously think you need to grow up (ironic) and have a LOT more empathy. I realize you're having a hard time as a mature student who has had more appealing jobs offered but still going for the "noble" medicine route, this is all a choice but EVERYONE is having a hard time.

You don't know their living situations. You don't know their personal circumstances and you CANNOT make these judgements about them. Just because they haven't been in the same situation as you DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DO NOT WANT IT EQUALLY AS MUCH. Yeah sure, they have another 10+ years before they're at the same stage as you but just because YOU went through certain things does not mean that THEY have to go through the same things to justify their feelings about the situation. This is a seriously flawed piece of logical and emotional judgement and I am astonished.

I could almost say similar things about you - someone who has had a SECOND chance at doing FY (which is unprecedented - how did this even happen?) and is still yet complaining about how hard it is. You get a second chance compared to many of my friends who had to slog it out in a physiology or health science degree for another two years which is much harder than biomed first year could ever be.

Grow up.

 

[frootloop]

I'm inclined to agree with Pump that it's a bit unnecessary to rip into your classmates for being upset about grades which weren't what they were hoping for. Just because they're younger doesn't mean it's any less devastating for them if their career plans have to be put on hold. Not sure what you meant about them not having to pay rent or their living costs etc, either - I certainly had to from the second I left for uni, and I'd imagine most of your classmates are as well.

At the same time, though, let's all stay calm and try not to let things get personal...