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UoO: Alternative ('Other') Category Chat/Enquiries

Kiwiology

MSO Lawyer
It should be CHEM110.

Yes I will need to do biosci101 and physics160 at UOA. Im thinking of doing both in semester one and working full time in semester two before I become poor again for the next 5 years.

If you want to work as much as you can, see if you can do the Massey University extramural chem papers in summer semester? That way you can have more free time by having to do CHEM 110.

The link to their chemistry paper is here (disregard the page title): Search for a course - Massey University

As a hack who has never done any chemistry before, but just did a bit of reading up over summer, CHEM 110 is not difficult theoretically; I found the algebraic rearrangement during kinetics/acids and bases very difficult, so you need to be ofay with that, and I found labs horrendous almost reduced me to tears ... your experience may differ!
 

PinkLady

Member
Hey, sorry for totally killing the flow of the chat here about kids... I'm not allowed one until I can keep my succulent alive...

I've been accepted into med starting next year so I just wanted to say a BIG thanks to those on here who helped me out and offered advice :D
I'd also like to give back by jotting down a few thoughts about my own experience which (hopefully) will be of some use to someone later, so here goes:

Background (and CV)
I applied under allied health profession path after 5 years of working as a clinical pharmacist/government role (including my intern year).

Overall, I tried to demonstrate that I had a range of experiences. In each, I wrote a bit about what my roles involved - keeping in mind how it relates to medicine/health, as well as the interview topics provided on the uni website (ie, communication skills, academic/other achievements, knowledge of health system etc). I also tried to show I haven't just done business as usual study/work (ie, I included volunteering, research, ballet, piano, and being bilingual in there). Also having good/relevant referees - someone clinical if possible, your current employer, and someone who knows you really well that you work with!

Cover letter/Statement of interest
I took a more artistic flare to it and used quotes and examples. My thoughts are, they're likely to be reading 100s of these so it needs to stand out. Stating how much you've always wanted this or how you want to help people probably isn't enough. Think: why you want it; what you know of the role; and what you can bring.

Interview
I was offered an interview around 26 May and referees were contacted via email for written references about two weeks later. Actual interview (around 45mins) took place last week of June.

Tips: really think about why you want to do medicine; really know your own statement and CV (probably not applicable: I was asked about my favourite composer and Jane Austen book); think of relevant work/study examples; familiarise yourself with the health system and ethics (I wasn't asked too in-depth questions on these); and be ready to think on your feet on scenario based questions. They also want to take the time to know you - including your interests and hobbies.


Hope that was somewhat useful! Happy to help out if anyone wants to ask me anything later.
 
Hi Kasia. I wonder if you got the interview in 2016. Can you please tell us how your application finished?
I wonder as my situation is a bit similar, in that case that I am an engineer and neither my education nor career have been related to health sciences and health system.

Sounds like our situations may be similar in background - let me know if I can help you any
 
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If you want to work as much as you can, see if you can do the Massey University extramural chem papers in summer semester? That way you can have more free time by having to do CHEM 110.

The link to their chemistry paper is here (disregard the page title): Search for a course - Massey University

As a hack who has never done any chemistry before, but just did a bit of reading up over summer, CHEM 110 is not difficult theoretically; I found the algebraic rearrangement during kinetics/acids and bases very difficult, so you need to be ofay with that, and I found labs horrendous almost reduced me to tears ... your experience may differ!

Thanks for the advice. I think it was 4rensic that needed the CHEM as well.

I only have to do biosci101 and physics160 as I've never done either. To my knowledge none of these papers are offered at summer school anywhere? Or am I mistaken?
 
Hi guys,

Just wanted to ask you guys a question for my friend who is not a MSO member. She graduated with BDS 7 years ago and has been working as a dental house surgeon at a DHB for 2 years. She had average grades whilst in Dental School, and having worked in hospital setting she is looking to pursue a career in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. She is hoping to get into Medicine with the alternative pathway, can you guys please tell me how her chances are in being accepted in Medical School? She is very nervous and would really appreciate all of your answers.

Thanks!
 

Clav

Otago MB ChB PGY2
the professional background seems good. But that's a small part of the alternate pathway so it's a little hard to give an opinion without knowing more about her to be honest..
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
It's my understanding that there's a totally separate 'lateral' entry pathway for maxfac hopefuls. They start medicine at 4th year.

Wouldn't have the foggiest how one applies for lateral entry sorry, but if she contacts the med school for more info then I'd say that'd be a much better bet.
 

Clav

Otago MB ChB PGY2
it's really a bunch of stuff. life experience, maturity, unique experiences, adversity, etc. It's a lot different from the graduate category where they just look at your grades and cut you off. You have to write a personal statement talking about yourself, what you've done and why medicine is right for you and then possibly go on to an interview where it's more of that sort of stuff. Hell we've got an accepted candidate here who didn't even come from a health professional background but obviously her other qualities/experiences are what got her accepted into the program
 

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Clav

Otago MB ChB PGY2
It's my understanding that there's a totally separate 'lateral' entry pathway for maxfac hopefuls. They start medicine at 4th year.

Wouldn't have the foggiest how one applies for lateral entry sorry, but if she contacts the med school for more info then I'd say that'd be a much better bet.

Also this
 
it's really a bunch of stuff. life experience, maturity, unique experiences, adversity, etc. It's a lot different from the graduate category where they just look at your grades and cut you off. You have to write a personal statement talking about yourself, what you've done and why medicine is right for you and then possibly go on to an interview where it's more of that sort of stuff. Hell we've got an accepted candidate here who didn't even come from a health professional background but obviously her other qualities/experiences are what got her accepted into the program
Right. Sounds like a complicated category where they look at you more as a person than grades. just curious, what would be the gpa cut off for graduate category these days?

Ah yes she is aware of the lateral entry i think. But from what she tells me its hell of a competitive category haha
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
Ah yes she is aware of the lateral entry i think. But from what she tells me its hell of a competitive category haha
The alternative category is supposedly Otago's most competitive entry pathway, so I don't know if it'd exactly be an 'easier' option. Would mean two more years of study, too.

Also, I'd suggest that if she hasn't built her CV up to the point where she can get into lateral entry, then she might have a hard time getting a maxfac training registrar position. She'll be competing for said positions against the people who get lateral entry, after all...
 
The alternative category is supposedly Otago's most competitive entry pathway, so I don't know if it'd exactly be an 'easier' option. Would mean two more years of study, too.

Also, I'd suggest that if she hasn't built her CV up to the point where she can get into lateral entry, then she might have a hard time getting a maxfac training registrar position. She'll be competing for said positions against the people who get lateral entry, after all...
Sounds tough..im messaging her atm haha, she sounds worried. any ideas how many applicants from the alternative category are accepted..?
 

Clav

Otago MB ChB PGY2
Sounds tough..im messaging her atm haha, she sounds worried. any ideas how many applicants from the alternative category are accepted..?

in my application cycle last year there was 50 interviewed, and based on various bits of info floating about it sounds like they probably took half of that or round about that number
 
in my application cycle last year there was 50 interviewed, and based on various bits of info floating about it sounds like they probably took half of that or round about that number
I see. Im still a 4th year dental student and all of this is seems overwhelming!
Thanks for the advice, me and my friend really appreciate it.

PS love your DP! haha
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
Maxfac is very competitive from what I understand - even getting lateral entry and having both degrees doesn't guarantee you a training reg job. My surgical mentor this year is a maxfac, and it certainly seems like a massive undertaking with few guarantees. There's some insanely expensive 'doctorate' version which somehow apparently does provide more guarantees - there's a guy in my group doing it - but I'm sure your friend is aware of it.

Regarding the competitiveness of the alternative category, it's probably worth remembering that unlike the HSFY or graduate categories, there's a much wider range of potential applicants. So there's a lot more scope for people with essentially no chance of getting in to apply. While there are an awful lot of very highly qualified individuals applying through it, I'd imagine the 'dreamers' inflate the stats a bit.

With a dental degree and a few years of experience she may well be in reasonable position - but I've been on MSO for 7 years and I still can't work out what the other/alternative category is actually looking for! So it's a bit hard to tell.
 

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Maxfac is very competitive from what I understand - even getting lateral entry and having both degrees doesn't guarantee you a training reg job. My surgical 'mentor' this year is a maxfac, and it certainly seems like a massive undertaking with few guarantees. There's some insanely expensive 'doctorate' version which somehow does apparently - there's a guy in my group doing it - but I'm sure your friend is aware of it.

Regarding the competitiveness of the alternative category, it's probably worth remembering that unlike the HSFY or graduate categories, there's a much wider range of potential applicants. So there's a lot more scope for people with essentially no chance of getting in to apply. While there are an awful lot of very highly qualified individuals applying through it, I'd imagine the 'dreamers' inflate the stats a bit.

With a dental degree and a few years of experience she may well be in reasonable position - but I've been on MSO for 7 years and I still can't work out what the other/alternative category is actually looking for! So it's a bit hard to tell.
Yeah its a bit like walking in the darkness for maxfac hopefuls i think. Everyone at the dental school (including myself) tend to look at the maxfacs as the holy grail of dentistry, and we do not fully understand how arduous the road is. What is this doctorate version? I might ask my friend haha

I never knew alternative category was very competitive, i assumed many would go for the graduate pathway. Its very commendable for people who have worked outside school to come back wanting to pick up medicine.
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
[offtopic]
Yeah its a bit like walking in the darkness for maxfac hopefuls i think. Everyone at the dental school (including myself) tend to look at the maxfacs as the holy grail of dentistry, and we do not fully understand how arduous the road is. What is this doctorate version? I might ask my friend haha
This is the Otago page for the DClinDent. I'm not really sure how the DClinDent-MBChB conjoined program works exactly, it all seems a little bit... vague. My friend in my group doing it explained it to me, but even then I barely followed haha.

I too look at maxfac as gods among dentists/doctors (which is why I sought one out on our surgical mentor program), so I definitely understand the appeal for dental students. But unfortunately for me, going the 'wrong way round' (med to dent) seems quite a bit harder.

If you get the opportunity to stand in on a few good maxfac (or ENT) lists I'd very much recommend it. Even if you don't end up going down the pathway, it's quite an experience watching them tear someone's face to shreds and then somehow make it look good as new again. [/offtopic]
 
As for grades. I have very average grades and I got in after graduating in 2012 and working since then. I am living proof that an undergrad of B to B+s can totally get in But I did get a distinction for my PGDIP.
My husband applied for med graduate pathway 7 years ago and he had a GPA of A to A+ with a good UMAT and was waitlisted for Dunedin but got into Auckland.
For me it was more like a job interview then anything else. I don't think they focus on grades at all. I know of 3 pharmacist that applied and the one with the higher GPA and two degrees actually didn't get an interview. So it is a complete mystery. Hope that helps.
 

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