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General Discussion: Unsuccessful HSFY, What Next?

plzhelp

Member
Hello Everyone,
Just finished first semester of HSFY in Otago, unfortunately for one of my papers I got C+, falling short of the B- (65%) threshold for Dentistry and B (70%) for Medicine (A's in the other papers), thus I am not allowed to apply/wont get accepted into Medicine or Dentistry this year. I'm now thinking entry to Med/Dent through the graduate entry pathway but I don't know what to do next apart from working smarter and harder for Semester 2 exams.
[(entry requirements: Study Dentistry at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand Study Medicine at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand)]

These are some questions I have:
- Should I take the 8th paper, and if so, does the 8th paper remove the lowest mark out of the 7 prescribed HSFY papers. So that when they take a average of my GPA from my undergraduate course they would use the 8th paper instead of the 7th paper in HSFY? https://www.otago.ac.nz/healthsciences/otago089542.pdf
- Also after finishing my undergraduate course, am I allowed to apply for Dent and med at the same time so I could possibly choose between the two?
- What are some tips to getting into Med and Dent through the graduate pathway and what undergraduate course should I take? (currently thinking of doing Biomedical Sciences)

Please help me out, I really aspire to become a doctor in the future.
Thank you

(Edited by mod to fix use of graduate/undergraduate/postgraduate terminology.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Gemma

Member
Hello Everyone,
Just finished first semester of HSFY in Otago, unfortunately for one of my papers I got C+, falling short of the B- (65%) threshold for Dentistry and B (70%) for Medicine (A's in the other papers), thus I am not allowed to apply/wont get accepted into Medicine or Dentistry this year. I'm now thinking entry to Med/Dent through the graduate entry pathway but I don't know what to do next apart from working smarter and harder for Semester 2 exams.
[(entry requirements: Study Dentistry at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand Study Medicine at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand)]

These are some questions I have:
- Should I take the 8th paper, and if so, does the 8th paper remove the lowest mark out of the 7 prescribed HSFY papers. So that when they take a average of my GPA from my undergraduate course they would use the 8th paper instead of the 7th paper in HSFY? https://www.otago.ac.nz/healthsciences/otago089542.pdf
- Also after finishing my undergraduate course, am I allowed to apply for Dent and med at the same time so I could possibly choose between the two?
- What are some tips to getting into Med and Dent through the graduate pathway and what undergraduate course should I take? (currently thinking of doing Biomedical Sciences)

Please help me out, I really aspire to become a doctor in the future.
Thank you

(Edited by mod to fix use of graduate/undergraduate/postgraduate terminology.)

1. Only take an 8th paper if you think you can increase your workload and still do well in the other papers.
2. Have a look at the new scoring here Changes to scoring for admission categories
3. Yes, you can apply to both med and dent
4. Be strategic - take a good look at the scoring and work out what level papers etc. you need to do to get the best score. This may mean taking summer school papers etc. I personally did double major in Neuro and Psyc but definitely chose a major you are interested in and know you an excel in. There would be nothing worse than spending 2 years doing a degree you hate, and then if you don't get into med/dent realising you don't want to use your degree for a job... definitely consider worse case scenario and have a look at the jobs each degree can lead to (this was something I wish I had done). I personally wish I knew about oral health when I was in Health Sci ~ I could have finished a degree that has good job prospects (and a job I would likely enjoy) but still could have applied to med/dent if I wished to study further.

Hope this helps :)
 
1. Only take an 8th paper if you think you can increase your workload and still do well in the other papers.
2. Have a look at the new scoring here Changes to scoring for admission categories
3. Yes, you can apply to both med and dent
4. Be strategic - take a good look at the scoring and work out what level papers etc. you need to do to get the best score. This may mean taking summer school papers etc. I personally did double major in Neuro and Psyc but definitely chose a major you are interested in and know you an excel in. There would be nothing worse than spending 2 years doing a degree you hate, and then if you don't get into med/dent realising you don't want to use your degree for a job... definitely consider worse case scenario and have a look at the jobs each degree can lead to (this was something I wish I had done). I personally wish I knew about oral health when I was in Health Sci ~ I could have finished a degree that has good job prospects (and a job I would likely enjoy) but still could have applied to med/dent if I wished to study further.

Hope this helps

Hi man!
I heard from a friend of mine doing oral health saying that clinics are damned difficult and thus BOH is not a good prospectus for graduate entry. Lmao idk anymore.
I'm deciding between biomed graduate entry and BOH for potentially med/dent too. I've got no idea on the requirements into oral health though. Would you possibly have any idea? Thanks!!

~depressed man in his first year of college
 

Fili

Dentist 🦷
Moderator
Hello Everyone,
Just finished first semester of HSFY in Otago, unfortunately for one of my papers I got C+, falling short of the B- (65%) threshold for Dentistry and B (70%) for Medicine (A's in the other papers), thus I am not allowed to apply/wont get accepted into Medicine or Dentistry this year. I'm now thinking entry to Med/Dent through the graduate entry pathway but I don't know what to do next apart from working smarter and harder for Semester 2 exams.
[(entry requirements: Study Dentistry at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand Study Medicine at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand)]

These are some questions I have:
- Should I take the 8th paper, and if so, does the 8th paper remove the lowest mark out of the 7 prescribed HSFY papers. So that when they take a average of my GPA from my undergraduate course they would use the 8th paper instead of the 7th paper in HSFY? https://www.otago.ac.nz/healthsciences/otago089542.pdf
- Also after finishing my undergraduate course, am I allowed to apply for Dent and med at the same time so I could possibly choose between the two?
- What are some tips to getting into Med and Dent through the graduate pathway and what undergraduate course should I take? (currently thinking of doing Biomedical Sciences)

Please help me out, I really aspire to become a doctor in the future.
Thank you

(Edited by mod to fix use of graduate/undergraduate/postgraduate terminology.)

Idk what the tips and tricks are for current first and 2nd years since the graduate scheme will be updated for them. However, do note that Auckland Uni only looks at your last 2 years of a 3 year degree when applying for med so it's not the end of it all.

Likewise, I hear if you do more papers in 2nd and 3rd year for Otago, you should be able to replace these papers you didn't score so well in.
 

Fili

Dentist 🦷
Moderator
Hi man!
I heard from a friend of mine doing oral health saying that clinics are damned difficult and thus BOH is not a good prospectus for graduate entry. Lmao idk anymore.
I'm deciding between biomed graduate entry and BOH for potentially med/dent too. I've got no idea on the requirements into oral health though. Would you possibly have any idea? Thanks!!

~depressed man in his first year of college

I applied for both BOH and BBiomedSc and am currently a third year doing biomed. Imho, if you want to get into med or dent, take a degree you would enjoy incase all else fails.

However, if you really want to increase your chances imho a BSc or BBiomedSc is the way to go as you are able to have better control of the papers that you do instead of having all your papers compulsory ones. Likewise, you can do summer school etc which I don't think you are able to do with BOH.
 

Gemma

Member
Hi man!
I heard from a friend of mine doing oral health saying that clinics are damned difficult and thus BOH is not a good prospectus for graduate entry. Lmao idk anymore.
I'm deciding between biomed graduate entry and BOH for potentially med/dent too. I've got no idea on the requirements into oral health though. Would you possibly have any idea? Thanks!!

~depressed man in his first year of college
Adding onto what Filifalcon said, I think BOH would mean you apply to med/dent through alternative category which is different to graduate category ~ there are plenty of forums about this category on MSO.

You can do BOH straight out of high school so I assume most people who apply after health sci would have no trouble being accepted :)

If you are certain about wanting to do med/dent then there are ways to be strategic and shape your degree to increase your chances, but if you aren't certain than definitely consider doing a degree you can see yourself getting a job in.
 

Verdigris

baby doctor
Silliest Member 2019
don't do a prof course with the intention of getting into another prof course
 

Fencess

lil doggo
don't do a prof course with the intention of getting into another prof course

I would agree with that. I definetly agree that you should work towards something you geneuinely want a degree in (with carrers considered).

In my experience, there are a few BOH/DTech who go through into Dentistry as a graduate. I haven't heard of any physio/pharm that go on to do another programme like Med/Dent however.
Generally people get to the end of their degree (esp health profs) and realise they have a really good life ahead of them with what they've got, which wouldn't necessarily be any better from doing another five years of study.

I think a lot of people post-HSFY realise the hours, conditions etc that doctors work and decide that it's not better then the many other oppurtunities ahead (Don't let that discourage you though)

Kind of a meme, but cannabis is going to be huge business in NZ pretty soon. Botany aint bad imo 😝

Possibly generic help, but I would think about what aspects of HSFY you did well in/feel like you can do well in and enjoyed. This is what you should be thinking about doing.
 
Hello Everyone,
Just finished first semester of HSFY in Otago, unfortunately for one of my papers I got C+, falling short of the B- (65%) threshold for Dentistry and B (70%) for Medicine (A's in the other papers), thus I am not allowed to apply/wont get accepted into Medicine or Dentistry this year. I'm now thinking entry to Med/Dent through the graduate entry pathway but I don't know what to do next apart from working smarter and harder for Semester 2 exams.
[(entry requirements: Study Dentistry at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand Study Medicine at Otago, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand)]

These are some questions I have:
- Should I take the 8th paper, and if so, does the 8th paper remove the lowest mark out of the 7 prescribed HSFY papers. So that when they take a average of my GPA from my undergraduate course they would use the 8th paper instead of the 7th paper in HSFY? https://www.otago.ac.nz/healthsciences/otago089542.pdf
- Also after finishing my undergraduate course, am I allowed to apply for Dent and med at the same time so I could possibly choose between the two?
- What are some tips to getting into Med and Dent through the graduate pathway and what undergraduate course should I take? (currently thinking of doing Biomedical Sciences)

Please help me out, I really aspire to become a doctor in the future.
Thank you

(Edited by mod to fix use of graduate/undergraduate/postgraduate terminology.)
You could always try University of Auckland pathway next year before trying for med through grad. Because by that way, you can apply med without studying two extra years. Also, UoA only considers 4 papers for their gpa calculation. But they have interviews. Just a thought.
 

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feif

Member
You could always try University of Auckland pathway next year before trying for med through grad. Because by that way, you can apply med without studying two extra years. Also, UoA only considers 4 papers for their gpa calculation. But they have interviews. Just a thought.
Hi there
Is this correct that you can do health science at Otago and lets say you were declined then the next year do first year at Auckland to try and get in there??
 

Fili

Dentist 🦷
Moderator
Hi there
Is this correct that you can do health science at Otago and lets say you were declined then the next year do first year at Auckland to try and get in there??

Yes you can do that. I know of some people back when I did HSFY at Otago in 2017 and when they didn't get the course they wanted, they did first year biomed in UoA in 2018.
 

feif

Member
Yes you can do that. I know of some people back when I did HSFY at Otago in 2017 and when they didn't get the course they wanted, they did first year biomed in UoA in 2018.
Thanks Filifalcon- and they applied for 2019 Auckland med entry?? so in effect you could reduce your time by 1 year??
 

Cathay

🚂Train Driver🚆
Emeritus Staff
Thanks Filifalcon- and they applied for 2019 Auckland med entry?? so in effect you could reduce your time by 1 year??
I suppose if one does the first-year programmes at Auckland (after HSFY) and apply via their first-year pathway, yes it would be 1 year sooner than going grad entry. As per Fili, my concern would be that if the Auckland first-year was unsuccessful also, and you were to do grad entry after all, whether having done two lots of first year would render you ineligible for graduate entry under the "minimum academic time" clause.

For grad entry, both universities say that the applicant must have completed, "normally in the minimum academic time", requirements for a first degree. So our concern would be a worst-case scenario, where unsuccessful HSFY -> unsuccessful Auckland first year -> do a degree for grad entry, but the universities turn around and say "it took you 4 years to do this degree, so you didn't complete it in minimum academic time and you can't apply for grad entry medicine."

Before you commit to doing the Auckland first-year course, I would ask both Auckland and Otago whether you would still be eligible for grad entry pathway, if you did HSFY, then Auckland first-year, and then two further years to complete a bachelor degree.
 

Cathay

🚂Train Driver🚆
Emeritus Staff
You would be starting a new degree at different uni. I wouldnt see any problem with minimum academic time.
It is possible that they might argue you should have cross-credited directly into Auckland's second year. It's only a possibility, of it interfering with eligibility for grad entry, but it's a very consequential one, so we'd recommend checking with the universities - just in case. Once one person has checked and can confirm that it won't interfere, we'll know for sure and won't have to recommend this for those that come after.
 
It is possible that they might argue you should have cross-credited directly into Auckland's second year. It's only a possibility, of it interfering with eligibility for grad entry, but it's a very consequential one, so we'd recommend checking with the universities - just in case. Once one person has checked and can confirm that it won't interfere, we'll know for sure and won't have to recommend this for those that come after.
Zero possibility, as I have checked as well before I started my premed year. If the person feel risky go through BHSc because it is a different degree and you are choosing the core papers for med entry as elective papers.
 

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Cathay

🚂Train Driver🚆
Emeritus Staff
Zero possibility, as I have checked as well before I started my premed year. If the person feel risky go through BHSc because it is a different degree and you are choosing the core papers for med entry as elective papers.
Ah, very good. Thanks for that - that’ll put our mind at ease knowing we haven’t led people astray :D
 

feif

Member
It is possible that they might argue you should have cross-credited directly into Auckland's second year. It's only a possibility, of it interfering with eligibility for grad entry, but it's a very consequential one, so we'd recommend checking with the universities - just in case. Once one person has checked and can confirm that it won't interfere, we'll know for sure and won't have to recommend this for those that come after.
This is a great link I found for this topic
 

Cathay

🚂Train Driver🚆
Emeritus Staff
This is a great link I found for this topic
That link just describes what to do for first-year entry (i.e. do NOT transfer credit), it doesn't actually address our concern re minimum academic time if you needed to go grad entry after that. But anyways, we've had another user confirm that it's fine.
 

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