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Mature students: Advice/chat

MMD

Regular Member
7staroperetta might be able to help with this one! I'm pretty sure you are indeed allowed to do that, as I have heard many people do it. :) I don't think it has to be Science-based actually, but perhaps it might be what you enjoy most, given your Engineering background. Have you thought about doing a PGDip/PGCert instead? You'd, in essence, be working towards a higher degree, and a good GPA is achievable doing those courses too.

I hear what you're saying. But both the PGDip and PGCert in Science seem to require the BSc degree as a precursor. I think doing a year long diploma or certificate is a great idea. It'll be easier than my Engineering degree, it'll give me the marks I need to get in. I guess I was hoping someone could give me suggestions on a programme to choose as I would ideally like to do something that also happens to teach me the basics and fundamentals of the sciences (chemistry, especially!)
 

Kiwiology

MSO Lawyer
I absolutely loved my interview, it was so awesome, I wanna do it again! (not even fake news).

Yes, I think being a more mature/experienced person helped immensely even if just being more relaxed and comfortable and able to talk from experience rather than "trying to say what they want to hear". In practical reality the,re are no objective studies looking at this question AFAIK but the consensus around from the FMHS people I talked with was they found older students did better. How much better I don't know.
 

MMD

Regular Member
Okay so the PGDip and PGCert options may not work for me after all as they have an entry requirement of BSc to get in. I haven't applied for any other BSc, but the BSc BioMed option I keep getting declined for (as mentioned on the previous page).

If anyone has any advice of who I could talk to about this that would be great. I just need to figure out what my best pathway is to get into the BioMed programme. I am also aware that I'm running out of time to apply for programmes at this time of the year!
 

lordgarlic

MSO Kiwi #1
Emeritus Staff
Okay so the PGDip and PGCert options may not work for me after all as they have an entry requirement of BSc to get in. I haven't applied for any other BSc, but the BSc BioMed option I keep getting declined for (as mentioned on the previous page).

If anyone has any advice of who I could talk to about this that would be great. I just need to figure out what my best pathway is to get into the BioMed programme. I am also aware that I'm running out of time to apply for programmes at this time of the year!

why don't you apply for health science?
 

MMD

Regular Member
why don't you apply for health science?

I wasn't able to get on the BioMed programme because the entry GPA requirement is 4.0. My GPA that the university looks at is from my BEngTech degree (3.4 GPA).

Health Science programme entry GPA requirement is 5.0, so I'd be wasting my time even applying it seems.
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
I wasn't able to get on the BioMed programme because the entry GPA requirement is 4.0. My GPA that the university looks at is from my BEngTech degree (3.4 GPA).

Health Science programme entry GPA requirement is 5.0, so I'd be wasting my time even applying it seems.

Hi there,

You should push for the alternative category rather than trying to find something to study for the sake of applying.
 

MMD

Regular Member
Hi there,

You should push for the alternative category rather than trying to find something to study for the sake of applying.

I hear what you're saying, and actually completely agree. However, I have missed out on the dates for the alternative category till next year. And also, I do think they have some (albeit relaxed) requirements around GPA for the alternative category as well.

Going from someone else's recommendations, it would appear that a 1 Year PGDip with a high enough GPA will allow me access to the Graduate Entry. This is looking to be my best option. I'm currently considering either a PGDip in Engineering or a PGDip in Business Admin, where the latter will be easier to pursue and get a better GPA in.

I will be approaching UofA later this week for their advice regarding the above.
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
I hear what you're saying, and actually completely agree. However, I have missed out on the dates for the alternative category till next year. And also, I do think they have some (albeit relaxed) requirements around GPA for the alternative category as well.

Going from someone else's recommendations, it would appear that a 1 Year PGDip with a high enough GPA will allow me access to the Graduate Entry. This is looking to be my best option. I'm currently considering either a PGDip in Engineering or a PGDip in Business Admin, where the latter will be easier to pursue and get a better GPA in.

I will be approaching UofA later this week for their advice regarding the above.

Hi Mani,

If you end up going down the graduate category route, aim for 8.0 average or greater. I totally recommend contacting the admissions to confirm all the details.

Good luck! I hope it works out for you.
 

MMD

Regular Member
Hi Mani,

If you end up going down the graduate category route, aim for 8.0 average or greater. I totally recommend contacting the admissions to confirm all the details.

Good luck! I hope it works out for you.

Is there a reason you're suggesting I aim so high? Are the places so limited that the cut off ends up being that high, or are you suggesting I do that just to play it safe?
I will be using this PGDip to apply for both, Graduate and Alternate categories.
 

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Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Is there a reason you're suggesting I aim so high? Are the places so limited that the cut off ends up being that high, or are you suggesting I do that just to play it safe?
I will be using this PGDip to apply for both, Graduate and Alternate categories.

Hi Mani,

Yes, the MBChB programme is competitive to get into. It is not necessary to achieve an 8.0 GPA (best 120 points per year for two years) for a domestic applicant (I assume you fall into this category), but it is my opinion that one should aim for that minimum because people do get rejected even with GPA 8.0. Things begin to look a bit grim when you fall below that. I say it is not necessary because the academic component only accounts for 60%. The interview and UMAT account for 25% and 15% respectively. To put things into perspective, I think an applicant with 8.0+, excellent interview and 20%ile UMAT would be expected to have a good shot. If you were to do the first year course, you should aim for 9.0 because quite a lot of applicants seem to miss out even with 8.5+. Just note that academic performance is not the only factor, however it is the most important factor.

This thread (2017 UoA - MBChB Entry Scores & Offers) might be useful for you.

If you are not familiar with the NZ system, 9.0 is the maximum GPA and it equates to 90%+ or A+.
 

MMD

Regular Member
Hi Mani,

Yes, the MBChB programme is competitive to get into. It is not necessary to achieve an 8.0 GPA (best 120 points per year for two years) for a domestic applicant (I assume you fall into this category), but it is my opinion that one should aim for that minimum because people do get rejected even with GPA 8.0. Things begin to look a bit grim when you fall below that. I say it is not necessary because the academic component only accounts for 60%. The interview and UMAT account for 25% and 15% respectively. To put things into perspective, I think an applicant with 8.0+, excellent interview and 20%ile UMAT would be expected to have a good shot. If you were to do the first year course, you should aim for 9.0 because quite a lot of applicants seem to miss out even with 8.5+. Just note that academic performance is not the only factor, however it is the most important factor.

If you are not familiar with the NZ system, 9.0 is the maximum GPA and it equates to 90%+ or A+.

Hi Stu,

I’m a domestic student and understand the GPA system here. I also completely understand what you’re saying and would personally be doing what you’ve said anyway. Thank you for the advice.

However having read a little more it seems like doing a PGDip in Business Admin or something and achieving a high grade does not qualify me for applying to the MBChB programme. It seemed too easy to be true. So I’m now back to square one to figuring out what I should do next year that will allow me to apply for the MBChB programme, or the BioMed programme so that I can then go on to do MBChB.

People from UofA science faculty have stated that Grad entry to Biomed is not guaranteed and that you would have to wait ti Jan/Feb to find out if I’m even accepted. This would be too difficult to deal with as there’s no certainty in terms of what I should plan for.

I’ll take any advice from people right now. Will be talking to both the Science Faculty and Medical School as well. It’s a shame I can’t seem to get anyone at the Science Faculty to actually meet with me, it all has to be done via email it seems :/
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Hi Stu,

I’m a domestic student and understand the GPA system here. I also completely understand what you’re saying and would personally be doing what you’ve said anyway. Thank you for the advice.

However having read a little more it seems like doing a PGDip in Business Admin or something and achieving a high grade does not qualify me for applying to the MBChB programme. It seemed too easy to be true. So I’m now back to square one to figuring out what I should do next year that will allow me to apply for the MBChB programme, or the BioMed programme so that I can then go on to do MBChB.

People from UofA science faculty have stated that Grad entry to Biomed is not guaranteed and that you would have to wait ti Jan/Feb to find out if I’m even accepted. This would be too difficult to deal with as there’s no certainty in terms of what I should plan for.

I’ll take any advice from people right now. Will be talking to both the Science Faculty and Medical School as well. It’s a shame I can’t seem to get anyone at the Science Faculty to actually meet with me, it all has to be done via email it seems :/

Hi Mani,

I just realised that you studied at AUT (I somehow thought you were from Australia).

I cannot remember the exact rules for postgraduate qualifications (they will tell you if you emailed them), so I won't comment further on this matter.

It will depend on your situation (e.g. finance), but you can always complete a whole new degree in NZ. Alternatively, do some postgraduate study to increase your GPA, then apply for the FY course. The BSc course is more competitive to get into than the BHSc one. I think you might be able to get into BHSc with just above the minimum prerequisite.

With regards to the entry into BSc (Biomedical Science), you have to wait til January/February because that is when NZQA releases NCEA results. Secondary school students get precedence over graduate applicants (to my knowledge).
 

greengem

MD III
I absolutely loved my interview, it was so awesome, I wanna do it again! (not even fake news).

Yes, I think being a more mature/experienced person helped immensely even if just being more relaxed and comfortable and able to talk from experience rather than "trying to say what they want to hear". In practical reality the,re are no objective studies looking at this question AFAIK but the consensus around from the FMHS people I talked with was they found older students did better. How much better I don't know.
Hey kiwi, I was wondering if when you were first-year FMHS told you anything about the GPA needed for UTAS applicants to be competitive? Because it says 6 GPA to be considered for an interview but I assume to be competitive for an offer it would need to be much higher?
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Hey kiwi, I was wondering if when you were first-year FMHS told you anything about the GPA needed for UTAS applicants to be competitive? Because it says 6 GPA to be considered for an interview but I assume to be competitive for an offer it would need to be much higher?

Hi greengem,

I doubt they would have said much. I would expect to hear "this is a competitive programme and it varies year to year" at best.

The fact that they only interview a handful of applicants and only have a small number of seats available (less than five in each sub-category), the calibre could be quite variable, especially in comparison. I highly doubt the competition is high. It could be similar to RRAS, most likely less competitive.
 

greengem

MD III
Hi greengem,

I doubt they would have said much. I would expect to hear "this is a competitive programme and it varies year to year" at best.

The fact that they only interview a handful of applicants and only have a small number of seats available (less than five in each sub-category), the calibre could be quite variable, especially in comparison. I highly doubt the competition is high. It could be similar to RRAS, most likely less competitive.
Oh wow! Yeah, I didn't know about this pathway until after first year despite being eligible, but it's great I'm aware of it now. For SWD there are usually around 10 applicants and only 2 seats, so that's why I'm a tad hesitant to believe it's academic requirement is as RRAS, however, I hope you're right as I declined an offer in the UK for hope of getting in as a grad in Auckland under UTAS. My GPA is looking like it'll be somewhere around 7.75 this year. Thanks, Stuart.
 

Stuart

Administrator
Emeritus Staff
Oh wow! Yeah, I didn't know about this pathway until after first year despite being eligible, but it's great I'm aware of it now. For SWD there are usually around 10 applicants and only 2 seats, so that's why I'm a tad hesitant to believe it's academic requirement is as RRAS, however, I hope you're right as I declined an offer in the UK for hope of getting in as a grad in Auckland under UTAS. My GPA is looking like it'll be somewhere around 7.75 this year. Thanks, Stuart.

You are welcome. You will have a shot at it even in the general category if you keep up the good work. So, try not to stress too much about it (I know it is easier said than done, though).

Good luck!
 

heartley

Member
As such, I was told by some staff in the Science faculty at UofA that I could simply do the first year of some other degree (science based?) and then use the GPA of that to get into OLY1 for BioMed in 2020, with the intention to then get into the MBChB programme at UofA (while also applying for the Alt category at Otago).

- Can someone confirm the above is true?
- If so, what do you suggest I study for this one year? I was thinking it would be good to get into some science-y courses that acted as a bridging course and gave me the background that I haven't really had in Engineering (mainly chemistry, especially from what I'm reading here).

Thanks guys! :)

Hey Mani,

My reply is probably a bit too late but I'll post anyway incase it helps others.

I didn't meet the entry requirements for either OLY1 programme so I completed a year of BioChem at UoWaikato and have been accepted.
 

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Hey guys, I know this thread is kind of dead but I was hoping to get some advice.

I am a recent graduate of Victoria University Wellingotn with a Biomed degree but haven't come out with a less than competitive GPA ~6.6/7.

I haven't applied through graduate entry for 2019 because I didnt want to waste my only chance with a low GPA.

So I was hoping someone who went through HSFY in Auckland as a graduate in a similar position could help on terms of whether it is worth it to try and get in through HSFY with my advantage of a similar degree up my belt as opposed to people just out of high school. Or should I just work and take up an honours year in something I find interesting and try to bump up my GPA and then try for graduate entry next year.

Hey! I’m in the exact same position as you. Recently graduated with a 6.92 GPA and unsure if I’d have a competitive gpa (thankfully I make the cut to apply under RRAS).

Did you end up doing OLY1 and getting into medicine?
 

MMD

Regular Member
Hey guys - thought I'd post an update on my situation as it may help someone in the future.

Having done my BEngTech from AUT, UofA Science department gave me an interesting intake plan for BioMed. They suggested that as my degree isn't from UoFA, I can choose to do 4 x Level 5 papers (15 points each) equaling to a 60 point total in one semester. Any 4 papers can be chosen that aren't in the BioMed cohort (so as to allow me to do it competitively next year). Then, I can apply for BioMed for next year as a "Returning Student", where only my UofA grades will be taken into account from the 4 papers I did. This plan sounded great and works really well for me as I can go back to work for the rest of the year and save up more.

The only issue being that I've been told that the entry in BioMed is not 'guaranteed' as it is 'guaranteed' for school leavers. I told the person at the Science department that it sounds like this could mean literally no one gets accepted except for school leavers if they collectively all had high enough grades. He then suggested that while that is theoretically true, indicatively from the past few years as long as the GPA is above 6.5, getting into BioMed itself is not too much of an issue. I will not know if I'm in BioMed or not till early next year when school leavers have been given first preference.

So I started in semester 1 this year, and am doing MATHS 102, CHEM 150, PHYS 102 and BIOSCI 108. We are just over halfway through the semester and my current GPA across the 4 papers is 9.0. Hopefully I can maintain it at 9.0 to secure entry into BioMed, though the whole thing about how school leavers get first preference is indeed a bit of a worry!

Wish me luck!
 
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