Otago Halls of Residence

[nairlythere]

Hey I'm new here, but have read all 150 pages of this forum. Just got an offer from Carrington which I am super pleased about wondering if anyone else is going to Carrington?

Haha, i couldn't even get through all 150 pages. But yea, i got an offer from Carrington too!
Super excited too, but i was soo nervous lol

 

[stevo140]

Haha mate your dreaming...title #3. Not if i can help it

Haha ....... Carrington = no chance in sports. Maybe debating?

 

[nairlythere]

Haha ....... Carrington = no chance in sports. Maybe debating?

Haha things are gonna change this year. I'm gonna make sure of it

 

[stevo140]

Hiya everyone, new here as well! I've also just received an offer for Carrington College, super excited as it was my first choice. I'm interested to know how useful the tutorials for HSFY students are and what life at the College is like in general. If anyone here has stayed there before or is currently living there I'd love to hear from you

Congrats on getting an offer from Carrington, you'll have a great year there
The quality of tutorials in Colleges will not influence how well you do academically. Yes Carrington will have good tutors, they have a very strong academic programme. But if you wanna get into Med, the tutorials will make diddly squat difference. It's all about you and how much you put into it.
One College withdrew their tutorials for Epidemiology a couple of years back. There was no difference in grades.

 

[HansKrebs]

St Marg's come out for anyone yet???

 

[blu3b3rry]

Congrats on getting an offer from Carrington, you'll have a great year there
The quality of tutorials in Colleges will not influence how well you do academically. Yes Carrington will have good tutors, they have a very strong academic programme. But if you wanna get into Med, the tutorials will make diddly squat difference. It's all about you and how much you put into it.
One College withdrew their tutorials for Epidemiology a couple of years back. There was no difference in grades.

Ah I see, thanks for clearing that up

 

[Futurefaileddoctor]

Hi Guys, This is my first post. I want to get into medicine at Otago, and was offered a place at Toroa today. I didn't apply for Toroa so I don't know what it is like. Can anyone tell me if it is any good for HSFY and in general or should I go on the watch list and hope for something better?

 

[frootloop]

Hi Guys, This is my first post. I want to get into medicine at Otago, and was offered a place at Toroa today. I didn't apply for Toroa so I don't know what it is like. Can anyone tell me if it is any good for HSFY and in general or should I go on the watch list and hope for something better?

Firstly, welcome to MSO! Your username is priceless

Toroa is... Well [MENTION=9988]Cathay[/MENTION] went flatting in first year rather than going to Toroa. It's a bit of a different hall, it seems more like supervised flats from what I can make out. This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I would rather go on the waitlist/find a flat than go to Toroa. It's not that it's 'bad for HSFY', it's just that it seems like a more expensive way to go flatting imho.

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to dishearten you, flatting and getting into med is definitely doable. I just reckon Toroa probably isn't worth the money.

 

[Futurefaileddoctor]

It's not that it's 'bad for HSFY', it's just that it seems like a more expensive way to go flatting imho.

So if I put the effort in it shouldn't matter where I end up going to halls? It's just that Toroa is a bit like a bigger more expensive flat?

 

[madimolly]

Hey Guys, first post on here (despite being a long time lurker) - anyone else get into Te Rangi Hiroa?

 

[Axwe8]

I GOT INTO KNOX LOL 2nd pref !!

 

[madimolly]

congrats! (ooh a fellow sydneysider!)

 

[frootloop]

So if I put the effort in it shouldn't matter where I end up going to halls? It's just that Toroa is a bit like a bigger more expensive flat?

Yeah, I went to UniCol for first year, one of the halls that typically only gets about 1-5 of its ~200 HSFY students into med. If anything, the less pressurised environment was really good for me, stopped me going full health-sci 100% of the time. I don't actually know that much about how Toroa works, I just know its reputation, and from walking past it it looks like a bunch of apartments.

But yeah, there's no special magic from certain halls which is going to get you into med, all that really matters in HSFY is the quantity and *quality* of your own study, and your ability to interpret exam questions.

I GOT INTO KNOX LOL 2nd pref !!

I can confirm (lived there for a semester last year) that Knox is pretty awesome, you're in for a good year! Try not to party too hard though haha, it'd be pretty easy to get caught up in 'being a Knoxie'.

 

[franchoo9]

Does anyone know much about hayward?

 

[madimolly]

Does anyone know much about hayward?

I went on a tour there and its super nice! Great atmosphere and everyone was really lovely. The only thing that put me off was there is one corridor of rooms that are really dark and about half the size of the rest of the rooms and like double the age. I still liked it though and still put it down as my second preference.

 

[Futurefaileddoctor]

Yeah, . I don't actually know that much about how Toroa works, I just know its reputation, and from walking past it it looks like a bunch of apartments.
But yeah, there's no special magic from certain halls which is going to get you into med, all that really matters in HSFY is the quantity and *quality* of your own study, and your ability to interpret exam questions.

I just had a talk to one of the advisers at Otago, he said that Toroa is pretty good with an academic focus and lots of HSFY students get in because of the small size and good academic help. I think I will be fine with going there.

 

[frootloop]

I just had a talk to one of the advisers at Otago, he said that Toroa is pretty good with an academic focus and lots of HSFY students get in because of the small size and good academic help. I think I will be fine with going there.

You spoke with an Otago staff member about whether or not you should give Otago an extra >$10,000 next year. Can't say I'm surprised by their opinion

You will almost certainly be fine if you go there, I just personally don't know if Toroa's benefits are worth the $$$ extra compared to flatting. That academic help is available to people not in halls as well (I'm reasonably sure they still run the PASS sessions for flatting people?). But if you want the halls experience, and aren't comfortable with the idea of flatting in your first year away from home (perfectly understandable), Toroa is probably the better option.

 

[chaucolai]

Toroa does now offer food - and for me that'd be worth it alone lol.

I GOT INTO CITYCOL! Before anyone asks, yes that was my first choice :3 I'm so happy, even though the acceptance letter did start off condoling me for getting into CityCol and saying you can't always get into your first choice, lol. So if anyone in the future is looking at coming down as a transfer for their second year and worried about that awkward 'Undergraduate' status, go for CityCol lol. I'm so excited.

 

[frootloop]

Toroa does now offer food - and for me that'd be worth it alone lol.

Oh good, that makes Toroa a much better prospect.

Congrats on getting into CityCol, I've never seen why it's got such a bad rep, my sister's boyfriend lives there and from what I've seen it's really nice! So close to lectures, and so, so close to fatty lane (yy)

 

[Futurefaileddoctor]

You spoke with an Otago staff member about whether or not you should give Otago an extra >$10,000 next year. Can't say I'm surprised by their opinion .

You underestimate my need not to cook any meals and to not walk very far, and no offence but I trust the guy that works there and knows about all the halls more than people who just walk by it.