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Auckland OLY1 (BSc/BHSc) 2013 chat/enquires

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Cralfe

Regular Member
Are we able to start in enrolling in papers now?
Have a look on SSO, IIRC enrolments started opening around this time.

On a side note, not sure if I'm allowed to advertise this here but I've got Campbell Biology 9th ed. and Principles of Anatomy and Physiology 13th ed. books to get rid of in case any of you OLY1ers-to-be want to buy them off me. Otherwise the 2nd hand book pages for SBS/general books on Facebook are pretty good too.
 

OhChant

Member
Timetable clashes with ECON are normal. This happens every single year. Some OLY1 students are lucky to find that they are able to fit ECON into their timetables, whether that be by standard enrolment or via concession request, however I would think that the majority of OLY1 students do not take ECON simply because it clashes (otherwise everyone would since it's supposedly one of the easiest gen eds!). And don't stress out too much over enrolment, everyone does! It took me 2 whole days to enrol in all of my classes.

The important thing with gen eds, I think, is to pick one that strikes the right balance between how much you think you'll enjoy it and how well you think you'll perform in it (i.e. how easy it is). You'll probably want to dedicate most of your studying in the second semester to MEDSCI 142, with your gen ed commitment taking more or less the least time and effort. For that matter, some other popular gen eds are INTBUS (often clashes though), PHIL 105G, PHARM, MAORI, and BUSINESS (I can't remember the exact course numbers, sorry!). And definitely stay away from LAW. Of course there are others (MUSIC, DANCE), but those are the most common ones that people I knew of took.

I ended up taking PHIL 105G (Critical Thinking), which basically teaches you how to structure and break down arguments. Our lecturer was great and they definitely tried to make it as interesting as possible (two lectures per week); I only went to the first few tutorials (once every week) and there's even an optional field trip to Devonport. I'll admit that I did sleep through a lot of the lectures, mainly because I was a tired wee one, and I knew that I could catch up later since they uploaded full lecture slides and class readings that pretty much covered everything you needed to know. That being said, PHIL 105G is a skills-based coursed, meaning that you're more so tested on applying your critical thinking/arguing skills rather than regurgitating knowledge (as evident with two open book tests and one closed book exam). Considering the little time I put into properly studying for it, I still ended up with a pretty decent grade.

As for your POPLHLTH 111 tutorials, I'm not sure exactly what's going on with the numbers, so maybe it's best to flick an email through to the University or to whoever handles enrolments for Biomedical Science/Health Science if you're feeling uneasy with it. But for instance, the tutor I had took my stream in the afternoon and also the stream in the morning on the same day. You cannot switch tutors nor streams once you have been placed since you are assessed in groups, unless you have a very good reason to and have to be accommodated for say a grievance or NZ representation etc.


Thanks for your reply!!!

I just have some more questions:

1. You say that some OLY1 students are lucky enough to fit ECON in their timetable. This year it's the MEDSCI 142 that ECON is clashing with(no other medsci142 classes available except this one). Does this mean that NO OLY1 STUDENTS will be doing ECON this year?

2. What is a concession request? :lol: If I get it, would my classes still clash? If not, does this mean that they will open up a new class for students who want to do ECON?

3. My timetable classhes with ECON BUS and PHIL. The classes these gened courses clash with are all the compulsory ones that can not be changed. Don't know what's happening here T_T. Anything I can do about this?

4. Just looking for other possibilities, are the options listed on here able to be tweaked?::http://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/soph/current/_docs/Timetables/OY1timetableS2.pdf
Do I have to choose form the available options/classes/streams there? Or is it possible to stray away from this plan and enrol in other classes?
(For example, I saw that there is a MEDSCI142 lecture stream at 4pm which doesn't clash with econ/phil/bus gen eds, but apparently this option is not available on the OLY1 timetable link above)


5. Also, the timetable above gives us an option of whether to do the lab 15 mins after lectures or do it in the late afternoon.
Would there be enough time to walk from City to Grafton? 15 minutes doesn't seem to be sufficient for me judging from my virtual journeys on google map @_@. I mean, incidents like diarrhoea CAN happen, and if it does, I'm not sure if 15 minutes is enough -_-''.

And, are the lecturers free to have students' questions answered straight after the lecture? If they are, I guess I would go for the afternoon class so I would have time to ask questions. If they're not, I guess I would like to have my day finished quickly and go with the morning lab instead.

And, in your opinion, should a student do the lab straight after lecture(15min travel time), or wait till afternoon to do it?

6. In case you can answer, I'd just like to ask if the MEDSCI142 lecture which pairs up with the afternoon lab ends 5 minutes early like the MEDSCI142 lecture that pairs up with the morning lab.

EDIT:::

7. When exam time comes, do they have a separate exam timetable? Or do they stick with the timetable we have?
Also, do labs have tests within the lessons? And what kind of test is it?(I'm asking this because if they do have tests in the normal blocks, the afternoon lab would seem to be better as there would be time to study before the test)


THANKS!!!!!!!:lol:
 

Bon

Member
Thanks for your reply!!!

I just have some more questions:

1. You say that some OLY1 students are lucky enough to fit ECON in their timetable. This year it's the MEDSCI 142 that ECON is clashing with(no other medsci142 classes available except this one). Does this mean that NO OLY1 STUDENTS will be doing ECON this year?

2. What is a concession request? :lol: If I get it, would my classes still clash? If not, does this mean that they will open up a new class for students who want to do ECON?

3. My timetable classhes with ECON BUS and PHIL. The classes these gened courses clash with are all the compulsory ones that can not be changed. Don't know what's happening here T_T. Anything I can do about this?

4. Just looking for other possibilities, are the options listed on here able to be tweaked?::http://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/soph/current/_docs/Timetables/OY1timetableS2.pdf
Do I have to choose form the available options/classes/streams there? Or is it possible to stray away from this plan and enrol in other classes?
(For example, I saw that there is a MEDSCI142 lecture stream at 4pm which doesn't clash with econ/phil/bus gen eds, but apparently this option is not available on the OLY1 timetable link above)


5. Also, the timetable above gives us an option of whether to do the lab 15 mins after lectures or do it in the late afternoon.
Would there be enough time to walk from City to Grafton? 15 minutes doesn't seem to be sufficient for me judging from my virtual journeys on google map @_@. I mean, incidents like diarrhoea CAN happen, and if it does, I'm not sure if 15 minutes is enough -_-''.

And, are the lecturers free to have students' questions answered straight after the lecture? If they are, I guess I would go for the afternoon class so I would have time to ask questions. If they're not, I guess I would like to have my day finished quickly and go with the morning lab instead.

And, in your opinion, should a student do the lab straight after lecture(15min travel time), or wait till afternoon to do it?

6. In case you can answer, I'd just like to ask if the MEDSCI142 lecture which pairs up with the afternoon lab ends 5 minutes early like the MEDSCI142 lecture that pairs up with the morning lab.

EDIT:::

7. When exam time comes, do they have a separate exam timetable? Or do they stick with the timetable we have?
Also, do labs have tests within the lessons? And what kind of test is it?(I'm asking this because if they do have tests in the normal blocks, the afternoon lab would seem to be better as there would be time to study before the test)


THANKS!!!!!!!:lol:

That's a lot of questions! I'll try to answer them as best as I can :)

1. By that I meant that lots of OLY1 students look for a fairly easy gen ed so that they can spend more time on their other papers in the second semester (especially MEDSCI), so the ones that can fit ECON, which is a fairly easy gen ed, into their timetable are kind of 'lucky'. It doesn't necessarily mean that no OLY1 students will be doing ECON, it's all a matter of finding a way of fitting it in, or otherwise finding another gen ed. I personally didn't know anybody who took ECON this year, but OLY1 students have been able to do so in prior years. Don't forget that there are lots of other gen eds out there that you could possibly do (and enjoy)!

2. A concession request is like a mini-application you submit to the admissions office who review it and decide whether or not they'll let you enrol in a course despite there being a timetable clash or something like that. In this, you usually make a case for you having great organization and time management so that you'll still be able to perform ably, even if you have to miss lectures. They review these in a more-or-less case by case basis, but I remember submitting a concession request for INTBUS last year and was subsequently denied because they weren't allowing concession requests for timetable clashes in Biomedical Science (or something like that, can't remember exactly). It is something you could try if you're really keen on ECON.

3. Unfortunately your gen ed has to work around the rest of your timetable. I did Biomed, so am not too familiar with the timetable for Health Science, but there generally isn't too much scope for flexibility in OLY1 courses (unlike Commerce where they have like 5 different streams compared to our 2). Just try your best to remain patient and find a timetable that works, enrolment is already stressful as it is!

4. Generally you can enrol in whichever stream tickles your fancy and fits in with the rest of your timetable. There might be certain conditions that dictate that "Only Biomedical Science students" can enrol in the stream, or "Only Nursing students", so make sure to read those when you're choosing. For MEDSCI 142, there are only two lecture streams -- morning and afternoon. Morning stream tends to be more popular because you eventually finish your day earlier, so there's usually slightly less people in the afternoon lecture. I'm almost certain you can choose between either stream, and the timetable you linked is an example. You're also allowed to 'stream hop', which is when you attend another stream instead of the one you're enrolled in. This happens quite often when students enrolled in the afternoon stream hop to the morning stream, again because you will finish your day earlier (say, 9am - 12pm compared to 2pm - 5pm). You will get different coloured course guides so people will be able to tell you apart. Students honestly don't care (unless the lecture theatre is absolutely chocka full and people end up sitting on the steps) but sometimes the course-coordinators might mention it and threaten to kick people out (I didn't see this happen). I enrolled in the afternoon stream for the second semester so was able to fit PHIL 105G in, which ran at 11am and 1pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

5a. It takes about 20 minutes from City to Grafton with a leisurely to fairly brisk walk, however I'd think that if you're going straight to the your lab after the lecture you'd be walking pretty quickly. My lab tutor assured us though that she could cover it in sub-10 minutes (wut). I wouldn't leave it to chance since you want to avoid arriving after 10:15am, which is when you actually start. So although the timetable says 10am - 1pm, it really goes from 10:15am - 12:45 pm, which leaves just enough time for people to walk from City from lectures, and walk back to City for their next lectures. The same applies with the afternoon labs. And uh, if you do have an upset stomach or something like that, it's probably best to try to get to your lab as quickly (and safely) as you can, sign in, and then tell one of the tutors that you need the toilet. The beauty of MEDSCI labs, apart from the awesomeness of what you do in them, is that unlike CHEM 110 and BIOSCI 107 (and BIOSCI 101) labs, you complete a multichoice test comprising 10 questions on lab-related material. So that means even if you ruin your dissection, or have to go to the bathroom for a little bit, you can still do well, assuming that you either catch up with the dissection or know your stuff. In the last lab I had a really, really upset stomach and thought I'd let it subside by itself, but I eventually had to leave the lab for a while. I came back and was a bit behind in the dissection but caught up and still managed to get full marks, probably since I studied quite tediously in preparation for the lab. In the end, it's up to you! Go with what you think you'd be more comfortable with, but I would probably go with the afternoon lab if I had a morning lecture.

5b. The lecturers are mostly always free for a chat after lectures. Keep in mind though that there might be other students who'd like to ask them something, and that they have to pack up their stuff so that the next lecturer can come in, so they'll probably only be available for around 5 minutes. Some courses will have drop-in sessions arranged specifically for students to come to them at a time of day when they're available. For many lecturers, they are more than happy for you to email them directly, or organize a visit to their office, either of which is probably more convenient. Specifically, MEDSCI is a really well organized course, and they have a dedicated team of tutors for each topic who answer questions and direct you down the right path through an online discussion platform called Piazza. You can also ask your lab tutors questions whilst you're in the lab too!

6. The morning and afternoon labs are exactly the same in terms of what is covered and timing. As I've said, they actually start 15 minutes after the stated time and finish 15 minutes before (i.e. 10:15am - 12:45pm and 2:15pm - 4:45pm).

7a. Yes, exam timetabling is all handled by the Examinations Office, so your exam will either be in the morning or in the afternoon -- so yes, separate timetable.

7b. Yes, you are 'examined' on your labs. So for CHEM 110 and BIOSCI 107 that means completing practical experiments (e.g. making aspirin, photospectrometry) and answering questions on a worksheet that you hand in at the end of the lab for marking; for MEDSCI 142 it's a 10 question MCQ scantron test at the end of the lab.

Hope that all helps!
 

Cralfe

Regular Member
And offers are out! Managed to snag a spot, can't wait for next year! Congrats to everyone else that made it in, and even if you didn't congrats for making it through the year alive and good luck in case you plan to apply again/elsewhere
 

AvatarRoku

Member
And offers are out! Managed to snag a spot, can't wait for next year! Congrats to everyone else that made it in, and even if you didn't congrats for making it through the year alive and good luck in case you plan to apply again/elsewhere

If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA and core GPA? Is it difficult to get really good grades? I'm looking into doing biomed next year and would really like to hear your opinion on the amount of work in the course. Thanks. :)
 

4everAlone

Regular Member
And offers are out! Managed to snag a spot, can't wait for next year! Congrats to everyone else that made it in, and even if you didn't congrats for making it through the year alive and good luck in case you plan to apply again/elsewhere

Congrats mate!
 

Cralfe

Regular Member
If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA and core GPA? Is it difficult to get really good grades? I'm looking into doing biomed next year and would really like to hear your opinion on the amount of work in the course. Thanks. :)

I got 8.75 overall and 9 core. How hard it is depends on the person but it's definitely doable if you keep up to date with lectures, which I made myself do every day (well... mostly... maybe not so much for some papers *cough*biosci106*cough* :p).

I did CIE in high school so I'll have covered slightly different content from NCEA students. I personally don't think high school bio gave me a significant advantage over my NCEA friends but having done well at high school bio did make it easier, for the first parts at least. Chemistry was a breeze thanks to A-level chemistry, except for NMR because that's a tricky section. If you're doing biomed next year just keep in mind to study for population health. Lots of people do badly in the first test and thus in the course because it's their first university test and they weren't expecting it to be as tricky as it was.

Prepare for some surprise during teh first few days, my friends and I just sort of looked at each other going "seriously, that was one day's work?" after Clive Evans's first lecture :p you'll see what I mean. Ended up being not as bad as it seemed though. So yeah, harder than high school significantly but more than doable if you put work into it, especially since I've heard that actual med school is a lot harder. Good luck for next year!

Congrats mate!
Thanks! I feel a strange connection based on our avatars :p
 

SWONGMOBILE

Member
Population health is pretty hard with the first test being the first test of the year. You really have to think about those questions that Rod Jackson makes.
Congratulations Cralfe, wow that's a high GPA.
 

Cralfe

Regular Member
Population health is pretty hard with the first test being the first test of the year. You really have to think about those questions that Rod Jackson makes.
Congratulations Cralfe, wow that's a high GPA.

:p
Congratulations yourself "swon"
 

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Bon

Member
And offers are out! Managed to snag a spot, can't wait for next year! Congrats to everyone else that made it in, and even if you didn't congrats for making it through the year alive and good luck in case you plan to apply again/elsewhere

Hear hear! Congrats Cralfe and everybody else who made it through, can't wait to meet you guys next year! Commiserations to those who didn't quite get the news they wanted; just remember that where there's a will, there's a way :)

Perhaps it would help others in future if we started an Auckland Scores vs. Offers thread for this year?
 

Boci88

Member
Congrats guys.. Look forward to seeing you guys around. I just did first yr oharmacy so onto second feels awesome once u get accepted in! Congrats in the hardwork paying off! Party hard u earns it!
 

Stitch

Member
I doubt it will change it at all. All you are doing it changing location from one room to another, the content will remain the same.

Hey Jrue, you're actualy really annoying. How would you know if the room affects someone's interview, especially when you haven't even started uni yet. Just calm down and relax, seriously!
 

AvatarRoku

Member
Hey guys, I was wondering if I am allowed to bring a small bar fridge to my room in University Hall next year. Do any of you guys know if they allow this? It would be a really great of someone could answer this. Thanks.
 

Raro

Regular Member
Perhaps it would help others in future if we started an Auckland Scores vs. Offers thread for this year?

Would be interested in seeing this as well. Would help deciding between the two unis for me.

Edit: Found it, nvm.

@person above me, did the hall send you any information about it? I know mine in Otago specifically mentioned that we weren't allowed Bar Fridges.

Edit 2:

Could someone please explain how %s convert to GPA. Trying to work out a system of comparing Auckland and Otago entry scores (disregarding the interview).
 
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greenglacier

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
Could someone please explain how %s convert to GPA. Trying to work out a system of comparing Auckland and Otago entry scores (disregarding the interview).
Meaningless - getting 90% in one paper can be considerably easier than 90% in another paper.
 

Sam

¿umm?
hey jrue, you're actualy really annoying. How would you know if the room affects someone's interview, especially when you haven't even started uni yet. Just calm down and relax, seriously!

can we all just calm down please, things are getting way too heated in up in hur.
 

Havox

Sword and Martini Guy!
Emeritus Staff
Hey Jrue, you're actualy really annoying. How would you know if the room affects someone's interview, especially when you haven't even started uni yet. Just calm down and relax, seriously!

Someone's touchy...Everyone's operating under the same handicap so it changes nothing.

can we all just calm down please

No U.
 

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soda

Member
Does anyone know the number of people that got off the waitlist for last year and the number of people that was on it? I was waitlisted and I have to wait until 6th of Jan to contact the admissions team.
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
Ok, so OLY1 2013 is now long over, and offers are out. If you're on the waitlist (or would like to contribute your scores to the thread), you can post on the rank score/offers thread. If you're in, see (or feel free to start, if your class' page doesn't exist yet) the relevant class pages. If you're not, see the graduate entry forum.
/OLY1 2013. Hope you had fun :p
 
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