Otago Halls of Residence

[solstice]

any arana current / past residents who might have a thing or two to share about the experience, what to prepare, tutorials, etc? cheers

 

[Deleted]

At Carrington now and have friends at St Margs. Both are really good halls but in my biased opinion, I don't regret choosing Carrington over St Margs. Anecdotally, the food seems to be better, tutorials maybe more worthwhile, whilst both halls have well rounded, academic students. The location of St Margs is preferable to Carrington (on campus vs hill) but the Carrington hill isn't that bad and its only a 7-10 minute walk to campus.

How much of a party vibe is there?? Like how much drinking goes on haha...
- like any Otago hall there is a decent party vibe, especially at the start of the semester. If it's your thing you can go ham. For me, it's not really how I enjoy my free time so my friend group just did our own thing.

In regards to the hill, it seldom has been frozen over but yeah one time a friend had to go back to St Davs because the hill was too icy (coming back at 5am from studying smh). I think it happens pretty rarely it gets that bad and there's three different roads to Carry anyways.

Not from St Margs but:
I've heard a lot about it having quite a competitive and not so friendly vibe... how accurate is that?
- The people I've met there are pretty friendly and good people. I think both halls are pretty similar in regards to academics being taken pretty seriously but as long as you find a good study group its all goods. If anything, I think St Margs might have more students that prefer to study alone whilst Carry seems to have many small study groups.

And also, does anyone know which of the two is more competitive to get into?
- Carrington was for 2021 I think. I've had friends declined from Carry that were put into St Margs. St Margs wasn't a first choice hall for admission this year, from what I can tell.

Bulgogi i see u got into carrington with an academic excellence scholarship? i'm planning on aiming for the same two things this year and just wondering what were your yr 12-13 stats and any advice on applying. thanks!

 

[Bulgogi]

Bulgogi i see u got into carrington with an academic excellence scholarship? i'm planning on aiming for the same two things this year and just wondering what were your yr 12-13 stats and any advice on applying. thanks!

Hiya there- from just my personal experiences and anecdotal info:
Academic excellence seems to value academics (surprise surprise) and leadership roles. I was Deputy Head at my school and got 110 E credits at L2. I have a couple of friends that got just under 100 E credits but didn't get the scholarship so I think 105/110+ E might be ideal.
For applying to halls, what I thought they valued might be totally different so in my application the main things I stressed was how I liked to volunteer and involve myself with the community (eg. talked about my volunteering experiences).

 

[Deleted]

ohhhhh I see. did u get any nzqa scholarships at yr 12? I got 125 E in my yr 12 year but got no scholarships so am kinda worried. Also were you straight excellence? I'm worried having some merits lowers my E percentage overall.

 

[Bulgogi]

Hey, I got one scholarship in Y12 and did some Cambridge on the side. I think I got 110/124 but honestly I'd be surprised if your percentage matters too much. Honestly, I think you should be all good.

 

[nside]

I’ve just received an offer for selwyn in 2023 and I was wondering if anyone could share their past experiences? I’m going to do hsfy and hoping to get into med. I was wondering wether selwyn draws in many academics and what’s the drinking culture like. I was almost going to put arana or st margs as my 1st choice but I didn’t end up doing this as I was afraid it might feel too competitive/overwhelming being surrounded by so many hsfy people.

Also wondering what kind of reputation selwyn has amongst the other halls (from anyone who’s gone to a different hall). And how are the hsfy tutorials at selwyn and are there many that get into med?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I’ve just received an offer for selwyn in 2023 and I was wondering if anyone could share their past experiences? I’m going to do hsfy and hoping to get into med. I was wondering wether selwyn draws in many academics and what’s the drinking culture like. I was almost going to put arana or st margs as my 1st choice but I didn’t end up doing this as I was afraid it might feel too competitive/overwhelming being surrounded by so many hsfy people.

Also wondering what kind of reputation selwyn has amongst the other halls (from anyone who’s gone to a different hall). And how are the hsfy tutorials at selwyn and are there many that get into med?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Lots of people have commented on this topic previously. If you use the search function you should be able to find plenty of info in the meantime.

 

[Deleted]

got into carrington for 2023! anyone else who will head down next year?

also does anyone know if there will be a single sex area available there? and can anyone who has been to carrington tell me how each House tends to be like?

Edit: haven't seen one person getting into carrington yet... makes me worried about the recent reputation of the hall... anyone would like to give a testimony on how it is?

 

[lettuce_head]

got into carrington for 2023! anyone else who will head down next year?

also does anyone know if there will be a single sex area available there? and can anyone who has been to carrington tell me how each House tends to be like?

Edit: haven't seen one person getting into carrington yet... makes me worried about the recent reputation of the hall... anyone would like to give a testimony on how it is?

Hiya, I'll be at Carrington this year studying HSFY too I can't really answer your questions but it's comforting to see a fellow carringtonian here!

 

[skyy]

Hey, I know that there is so many colleges available in Otago. I'm going for 2024 HSFY and going for med the year after. I only know there's St Margs which is the most famous for HSFY I think. I though just putting St Margs would be really risky. Is there any other colleges that you guys would give me advice on??
I would love if my college has lots of HSFY students aiming for med and there's good tutorials for HSFY!!

 

[Fili]

Hey, I know that there is so many colleges available in Otago. I'm going for 2024 HSFY and going for med the year after. I only know there's St Margs which is the most famous for HSFY I think. I though just putting St Margs would be really risky. Is there any other colleges that you guys would give me advice on??
I would love if my college has lots of HSFY students aiming for med and there's good tutorials for HSFY!!

Though halls such as St Margs, Carrington and Arana are notorious for having a lot of HSFY students, usually those rumours are becoming less and less accurate as most colleges have changed throughout the years to try and have a more mixed & balanced cohort. These 3 are probably still good for HSFY students but they're all first choice halls so your application will only be considered if they are your first choice.

Regardless, said rumours may still hold some fluidity so google what they were like and base it off location as well. Cumby, Hayward, Te Rangi (which changed names to George Street something now? Idk) are in campus so give them a look, and make sure they're not first choice only.

 

[Deleted]

Hey, I know that there is so many colleges available in Otago. I'm going for 2024 HSFY and going for med the year after. I only know there's St Margs which is the most famous for HSFY I think. I though just putting St Margs would be really risky. Is there any other colleges that you guys would give me advice on??
I would love if my college has lots of HSFY students aiming for med and there's good tutorials for HSFY!!

After experiencing a semester in a hall (a “health sci focused” one too) I grew to believe that your hall really doesn’t determine how you’d do in health sci so the thought about st margs being good for people aiming for med is really not a good reason for people to pick halls imo. I’d say the only reason you’d reason health sci focused halls being beneficial is due to the tutors they hire but even then a lot of the work in health sci depends on yourself. You could go to all the tutorials and listen to them and know all the content and still do trash in exams. Doing well in health sci is almost always more important in how you function in the exam rather than your hall choice

Rather, I’d advise you (and to my past self as well) to decide which hall you choose based on more practical features like distance to campus, the characteristics of the people at the hall (do they tend to be drinking heaps, challenging to interact with for health sci etc.), rooms if u are particular about it lol.

 

[Keykins]

Hello Everyone,

I am also a potential future student at Otago for HSFY for 2024.
In relation to the possible accommodation options, would you recommend flat mating or do the facilities provided in the Uni campuses outweigh the benefits of managing your own living space?

I'm currently in Australia (NZ citizen) and am completing my last year of HS within the Australian ATAR system. There are no relatives living in Dunedin so I was just curious as to what is more cost-efficient and beneficial

P.S Any other potential HSFY students for 2024? If so, we should definitely keep in contact if we get in! Would be nice to have a buddy or two

 

[skyy]

Hello Everyone,

I am also a potential future student at Otago for HSFY for 2024.
In relation to the possible accommodation options, would you recommend flat mating or do the facilities provided in the Uni campuses outweigh the benefits of managing your own living space?

I'm currently in Australia (NZ citizen) and am completing my last year of HS within the Australian ATAR system. There are no relatives living in Dunedin so I was just curious as to what is more cost-efficient and beneficial

P.S Any other potential HSFY students for 2024? If so, we should definitely keep in contact if we get in! Would be nice to have a buddy or two

Hey, I'm also potential HSFY next year!!!

Even though I'm not otago student but I can give some advice based on what I found and heard from people in otago.

Most people advised to go for the halls for the first year as you would be stressful enough with the exams and uni studies so self cooking would give it more stressful. So I'm also thinking bout halls. Other good things include that halls have mostly first year students so you'll be able to make many friends from what I've heard. But cost wise.. I actually have no clue.

Personally, I eat a lot and would buy lots of food if I'm self catering. Also I wanted to feel how halls be like soooo I'm going for halls....

So I can't say anything bout flats though.

But it'll be good if we keep in contact!!

 

[Keykins]

Hey, I'm also potential HSFY next year!!!

Even though I'm not otago student but I can give some advice based on what I found and heard from people in otago.

Most people advised to go for the halls for the first year as you would be stressful enough with the exams and uni studies so self cooking would give it more stressful. So I'm also thinking bout halls. Other good things include that halls have mostly first year students so you'll be able to make many friends from what I've heard. But cost wise.. I actually have no clue.

Personally, I eat a lot and would buy lots of food if I'm self catering. Also I wanted to feel how halls be like soooo I'm going for halls....

So I can't say anything bout flats though.

But it'll be good if we keep in contact!!

Hey Yunn!!

I'm genuinely happy that someone else is prepping ahead too haha

Yeah I'm also leaning more towards halls for taking out extra stress, especially since I'd be alone so It would be good to have support

What you said about eating a lot is so real - (I relate)
Can go a bit crazy when it comes to food so I think halls (with it being catered) will prove very beneficial to my pockets (and physical/mental health )

Just was mainly curious about the cost-differences, but now that I think about it, I believe the pros of hall residing definitely out way the cons. In this aspect, I don't think money should be the defining factor as I wouldn't mind spending a few extra dollars for the overall experience

I heard in relation to Hall applications that some will only consider your application if you've put them as the first choice? Not pressuring at all

What Halls are you contemplating on? Saw that you're thinking of St Margs but not sure if that has changed since the last replies

Would love to keep in contact! What platform suits you? Maybe we could make a group chat with prospective HSFY students for 2024

 

[skyy]

Hey Yunn!!

I'm genuinely happy that someone else is prepping ahead too haha

Yeah I'm also leaning more towards halls for taking out extra stress, especially since I'd be alone so It would be good to have support

What you said about eating a lot is so real - (I relate)
Can go a bit crazy when it comes to food so I think halls (with it being catered) will prove very beneficial to my pockets (and physical/mental health )

Just was mainly curious about the cost-differences, but now that I think about it, I believe the pros of hall residing definitely out way the cons. In this aspect, I don't think money should be the defining factor as I wouldn't mind spending a few extra dollars for the overall experience

I heard in relation to Hall applications that some will only consider your application if you've put them as the first choice? Not pressuring at all

What Halls are you contemplating on? Saw that you're thinking of St Margs but not sure if that has changed since the last replies

Would love to keep in contact! What platform suits you? Maybe we could make a group chat with prospective HSFY students for 2024

I'm still going for St Margs but also applying to Carrington and Haywards.

I'll be good with discord but I don't mind... my ones orez_sky if u wanna msg me!!

 

[youstink]

Hello everyone!

This thread has just recently be used but I need help!!! I am a potential HSFY for 2024 but am unsure which two halls (haywards or carrington) are good to have a lot of study done but won't get distracted, they're not in order but am unsure of which to do. BTW i get distracted pre easily so like having ppl around me that can balance both their academics and their social life.

Questions i'm putting consideration into.
1. which ones are great for late night studies?
2. which ones provide 24/7 coffee/hot chocolate machines? - for late night studies
3. what are the vibes and rooms like? - didn't get to go to open day this year so unsure

 

[skyy]

Hey, for any potential 2024 hsfy, becuz the uni halls applications opened??

Could i ask you which halls did u put down for preference???

Ive put St Margs, Carrington, and Hayward.

 

[MIH]

Hey, for any potential 2024 hsfy, becuz the uni halls applications opened??

Could i ask you which halls did u put down for preference???

Ive put St Margs, Carrington, and Hayward.

Hi Yuun:

St Margaret’s, Carrington and Haywards are also my top three halls (originally Arana was my first choice but it’s not available next year) I am just a bit uncertain about whether the so called “first choice” halls are still exist. Otago uni website indicates theirs is no first choice halls but most people says the contrary.

 

[yenuri]

Hey, for any potential 2024 hsfy, becuz the uni halls applications opened??

Could i ask you which halls did u put down for preference???

Ive put St Margs, Carrington, and Hayward.

1. Te Rangihiroa (IT LOOKS SO PRETTY)
2. Carrington (terrible choice idk why i even put it on )
3. and 192 Castle College