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?
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!!!!!!!
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!