Auckland OLY1 chat - archive

[hca12]

This year is awful for many reasons, but I think in the long run (and I hope this doesn't sound too trite), if you make it to the end you will be better off for it, no matter how well you did or didn't do. I've tried to put my finger on what makes it so bad. The stress would be number one I think, then perhaps the transient nature of any friendship formed during the year (I've made about 1000000000 five minute friends, and perhaps two or three real friends I talk to more than once a month) leading to isolation. For me it's the naging feeling that I will wake up at the end of the year, find myself turning 20, and wonder why I spent my final teenage year with my head crammed in a textbook. The saddest thing about this year is that any one of those things can trip you up, nearly every exam (Physics midterm = meh) is make or break, and if you screw up early when still finding your feet, it will change the course of the rest of your life and make it that much harder to get where you want to be.

I completely agree. i think its also the competitiveness that takes the fun out of learning. papers like medsci (easily my favourite paper this year) would be so much more enjoyable if we didn't have to be stressing about being in the top 15% to get an a or a+. there were days esp in 1st semester where i felt like giving up completely but oh well ... only 6 more weeks left, no point turning back now light at the end of the tunnel i guess haha

 

[hca12]

I completely agree; I probably couldn't have handled OLY/HSFY at 17 when I left school.

Even now, as somebody with a degree who knows how to study (sort of) why do you think I am so bloody scared of Chem 110? Because you only get one chance, if you screw it up you are history and for somebody like me who probably barely passed Level 2 chemistry its like ZOMG WTF!

I think high school does a pretty poor job of preparing people for uni TBH

rotors, let us know if you need help/advice with 110. i threw out all my past papers at the end of 1st semester (fit of rage), else i would have given them to you. nothing to be worried about with it, put in the time and youll get a good grade

 

[Hopefully]

I completely agree. i think its also the competitiveness that takes the fun out of learning. papers like medsci (easily my favourite paper this year) would be so much more enjoyable if we didn't have to be stressing about being in the top 15% to get an a or a+. there were days esp in 1st semester where i felt like giving up completely but oh well ... only 6 more weeks left, no point turning back now light at the end of the tunnel i guess haha

YES. MEDSCI is what gets me excited in the mornings

Just hang in there, everyone!!!

 

[AlteredState1]

I feel for you dude I really do; its not easy to go from school where you have a small peer group and are getting spoon fed information in a very structured environment to uni where it's 1000x bigger, you know nobody and (anecdotally) cover in one lecture what you cover in a month at school with the intense pressure to not only adapt to the uni way of self-directed learning but also to get the most amazing grades ever because you want to get into medicine.

Thank you for the sentiment, but I have not come straight from school. I dropped out when I was 16 and came to Uni after doing year 13 through correspondence in a very short period of time. This was good in a way as I have some life experience traveling and working overseas, but on the other hand I have found it so hard to connect with people who have come straight from high school. There have been one or two exceptions, and those people are beyond suited for Medicine. They actually have empathy.

 

[Rotors]

thats true, but its hard to say, the faculty state that they interview twice as many people than there are places, so a little over 400. so if the cut of is supposedly 7.5.......thats 400+ students with grades in surplus of 7.5............ seems quite stiff competition to me

If you get an interview then in theory you are only competing with one other person for that seat however from a statistical perspective I am not sure

 

[hca12]

Medsci marks are out now, hope everyone got the grades they were hoping for

 

[Lemons]

From what I remember about enrolment, the classes specifically for Biomed students worked out that CHEM 110 was in first semester and PHYSICS 160 was in second. I'm also pretty sure that CHEM 110 was a recommended prereq. for BIOSCI 106? I don't know if it was compulsory though.

And I do feel the same way. I think that I'd really enjoy this year more if I wasn't so stressed out and if this didn't feel like a rat race. Like if you don't hit the ground running or if you slip up once, you're as good as gone. While I haven't thought about dropping out, I have seriously doubted myself.

I sort of wish that they still looked at overall GPA, lol. I think that my chances of getting in would go up if they did. I know so many people who all but abandon their non-core papers, and that's just because it doesn't matter beyond getting your GPA above a 6.0. I don't think that it's a good idea to implement a system that works like that, since as a med student and doctor, you can't just focus on some things at the expense of others. You need to learn to balance things and handle everything that's on your plate.

 

[Rotors]

I sort of wish that they still looked at overall GPA, lol. I think that my chances of getting in would go up if they did. I know so many people who all but abandon their non-core papers, and that's just because it doesn't matter beyond getting your GPA above a 6.0. I don't think that it's a good idea to implement a system that works like that, since as a med student and doctor, you can't just focus on some things at the expense of others. You need to learn to balance things and handle everything that's on your plate.

I agree with you to a point but I suppose the "core" papers are seen as "core" by the Faculty to the study of medicine.

While I actively dislike their system, most US medical schools require two semesters of chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and some require physics as their "pre-requisite" classes so its kinda similar, but again the US medical education system is not one I would be too keen to look to for any ideas.

 

[BC mso]

I sort of wish that they still looked at overall GPA, lol. I think that my chances of getting in would go up if they did. I know so many people who all but abandon their non-core papers, and that's just because it doesn't matter beyond getting your GPA above a 6.0. I don't think that it's a good idea to implement a system that works like that, since as a med student and doctor, you can't just focus on some things at the expense of others. You need to learn to balance things and handle everything that's on your plate.

That's a good point but I think the disregarding of non-core papers was used to account for possible differences in difficulty of papers taken by OLY health science and OLY biomed. By considering to 4 core papers common to both degrees, they account for those people that used to complain about difference in difficulty between to 2 pathways......just a hunch tho but it seems logical enough.

 

[Lemons]

I get what you mean. But then I also think that you can look at what they do for grad entry? I know someone who's gonna apply this year with a psychology degree. And there are bound to be graduates from UoA who also want to apply. And from what I understand, they look at your overall GPA over three years. They don't ignore any papers (that I know of) because some papers might be harder than others. But they do for OLY1.

I'm assuming that's how grad entry works. I also heard that some grad students have to repeat OLY1, but I'm not sure of the circumstances.

 

[Rotors]

Graduates who have not completed equivalent papers must take OLY1 while their place in medicine is reserved for the following year

I think if you were to use whole-year GPA for OLY1 it is a little unfair, structure and assessment for the BHSc is different than the BSc (Biomed) owing to the different focus of the program. If you want to look at overall GPA everybody must take the same courses e.g. like Otago has done with HSFY

You know what, I was still eligible to get in to Auckland med straight from school (I left in 2003) ... that's annoying

 

[Lemons]

Yeah :/. I understand why they level the playing field, and think that it is fair in that sense. I just wish that overall effort could count for more, rather than as just a threshold that needs to be passed.

Other than that, is everyone happy with how Medsci went?

 

[hca12]

Yeah :/. I understand why they level the playing field, and think that it is fair in that sense. I just wish that overall effort could count for more, rather than as just a threshold that needs to be passed.

Other than that, is everyone happy with how Medsci went?

definitely agree. i overheard someone in a lecture bragging about their 3 a+'s in a their cores and yet they thought it was hilarous that they only go a b- in 101. medsci went better than expected, fluked a 57 lol

 

[Rey]

i overheard someone in a lecture bragging about their 3 a+'s in a their cores

Yeah.....

I've said it before: don't dwell on what people tell you about their grades.

 

[BC mso]

definitely agree. i overheard someone in a lecture bragging about their 3 a+'s in a their cores and yet they thought it was hilarous that they only go a b- in 101. medsci went better than expected, fluked a 57 lol

......one does not simply..........fluke a 57...........
haha well done

 

[Rotors]

57 at Auckland is a B- ? Heck, at Massey a 57 is a C or at best, a C+

 

[Lemons]

57 at Auckland is a B- ? Heck, at Massey a 57 is a C or at best, a C+

Actually, I think that what hca12 meant was that they got 57 marks for the Medsci test. Which was out of 58. Which is pretty damn brilliant. Congrats!! Indeed, one does not simply fluke that xD.

 

[hca12]

thanks guys, hope you all went ok

 

[Hopefully]

Damn, but that's an awesome result [MENTION=14740]hca12[/MENTION]!!

LOL, I suppose I went...ok... haha, I won't go into much more detail than that

 

[Favour]

At best looking at 7.25 in core 4 do I bother? honesty appreciated !!! Don't hold back guys