Otago HSFY chat - archive

[airuniverse]

Hey guys, I need your advice~

Hey guys, I'm yr13 at the moment and preparing to study HSFY next year.
Because I joined in Chemistry class at the end of yr13, I have lack of knowledge in Chemistry. So I decided to study Chemistry during Summer holiday to prepare CHEM191. There's two options for me. Getting a private tutor to study CHEM191 in advance, or enrolling Bridging Chemistry course held in Uni during Summer holiday. Which option do you think is the best? By the way, I'm not that that confident in my English. So please keep this in mind and suggest me your opinions. Thanx~

 

[Ben]

I'd suggest the bridging course; airuniverse.

A private tutor for CHEM191 will try to teach you CHEM191 content... but without past chem knowledge; it's going to be tricky for you to understand what's going on. Whereas the bridging course sounds like it'll give you the foundations to understand CHEM191 content and put you on a level playing field with everyone else.

The impression I get from past HSFY people is that CHEM191 is (along with the Biological Physics paper) one of the hardest papers to get a good grasp on, in the year; so I'd assume a getting good bridging background in chemistry would really help a lot more than trying to rote learn the content and hopefully getting the concepts with a CHEM191 tutor.

But I've never hired a tutor or done the summer bridging course. :unsure:

 

[patkirtan]

Hey guys, I'm yr13 at the moment and preparing to study HSFY next year.
Because I joined in Chemistry class at the end of yr13, I have lack of knowledge in Chemistry. So I decided to study Chemistry during Summer holiday to prepare CHEM191. There's two options for me. Getting a private tutor to study CHEM191 in advance, or enrolling Bridging Chemistry course held in Uni during Summer holiday. Which option do you think is the best? By the way, I'm not that that confident in my English. So please keep this in mind and suggest me your opinions. Thanx~

Redox and Aqueous are the only modules that you will find handy from Yr 13 Chemistry, everything else is relatively new to NCEA students. I don't think you have worry 'bout Chemistry that much.

Pretty much most of physics is new [apart from the first module] You won't be disadvantaged. Just practice past year papers from the first week of Uni and you'll get the hang of it. About 70 percent of the questions are the same from previous years, just that the numbers are changed around. The other 30 percent you'll have to learn from the lectures [ concept questions and some of the tricky questions]

To be honest. If you look over past year papers from Chem and Physics, there's not reason why you wouldn't do great.

 

[greenglacier]

I'd agree with Ben here... CHEM191 is a university level chemistry course and it's not something you enter lightly. It's a lot easier if you have done some more fundamental chemistry beforehand - firstly because lots of the content will duplicate this, and secondly because chemistry is a subject where understanding of a few basic concepts will help you a lot. I think it is a very unified subject myself, and even the content in CHEM191 that isn't taught in school is a lot easier to learn if you are familiar with the underpinnings of chemistry and the style of thinking required.

Do the bridging course... it'll bring you up to the level required far better than trying to jump straight into the CHEM191 material before classes start would. If you still have trouble afterwards you can get a tutor during the semester.

 

[greenglacier]

Hey guys, I'm yr13 at the moment and preparing to study HSFY next year.
Because I joined in Chemistry class at the end of yr13, I have lack of knowledge in Chemistry. So I decided to study Chemistry during Summer holiday to prepare CHEM191. There's two options for me. Getting a private tutor to study CHEM191 in advance, or enrolling Bridging Chemistry course held in Uni during Summer holiday. Which option do you think is the best? By the way, I'm not that that confident in my English. So please keep this in mind and suggest me your opinions. Thanx~

This question has been answered in the HSFY2011 thread.

 

[Ben]

To be honest. If you look over past year papers from Chem and Physics, there's not reason why you wouldn't do great.

Hey patkirtan, any idea whether/where I can see these before the year starts?

 

[greenglacier]

any idea whether/where I can see these before the year starts?

Due to copyright reasons no one is allowed to be supplied with exam papers off the official exam papers website until they are registered as a student at Otago.

Having said that, the physics department makes their 100-level exams publicly available on their website, so you can access past PHSI191 questions here:

https://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/teaching/PHSI191/PHSI191_exams/

 

[Ben]

Cool, cheers greenglacier.

 

[airuniverse]

Ben, Patkirtan, and Greenglacier!!! Thank you all to share your great ideas with me. You guys are all my heroes!!! I'm sure your advices helped me deciding my plan.
By the way, I came up with one curious question while I was worrying about the hsfy exams. I know that, for example, HUBS 1&2 has its mid term exams and the final exam. I was wondering which part of lectures are covered by the final exam. If the mid term exam covers lecture1~lecture36, then does the final exam covers lecture37~final lecture??? Or does the final exam covers the entire lectures we're studying through out the whole semester??
I also would like to know which amount of lectures the final exams cover for the other subjects such as Cell&Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Physics papers.
Please share the information with me~!!!! I'd like to hear them from you.
Thanx!!

 

[skyglow1]

Ben, Patkirtan, and Greenglacier!!! Thank you all to share your great ideas with me. You guys are all my heroes!!! I'm sure your advices helped me deciding my plan.
By the way, I came up with one curious question while I was worrying about the hsfy exams. I know that, for example, HUBS 1&2 has its mid term exams and the final exam. I was wondering which part of lectures are covered by the final exam. If the mid term exam covers lecture1~lecture36, then does the final exam covers lecture37~final lecture??? Or does the final exam covers the entire lectures we're studying through out the whole semester??
I also would like to know which amount of lectures the final exams cover for the other subjects such as Cell&Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Physics papers.
Please share the information with me~!!!! I'd like to hear them from you.
Thanx!!

HUBS final covers all 52 lectures. CHEM covers all lectures. PHSI covers all lectures. CELS I am not sure because they changed it. One of the recent HSFY will be able to tell you that one.

The summer bridging course for CHEM191 is a very good idea, as everyone has said. CHEM191 is one the papers that students tend to do more poorly on.

Oh and welcome to MSO airuniverse! There'll probably be a decent bunch of you HSFY guys for 2011 on here.

 

[airuniverse]

HUBS final covers all 52 lectures. CHEM covers all lectures. PHSI covers all lectures. CELS I am not sure because they changed it. One of the recent HSFY will be able to tell you that one.

The summer bridging course for CHEM191 is a very good idea, as everyone has said. CHEM191 is one the papers that students tend to do more poorly on.

Oh and welcome to MSO airuniverse! There'll probably be a decent bunch of you HSFY guys for 2011 on here.

Thanks a lot!!!! I'd better do the Bridging Chemistry course. It seems very suitable for me. Also thanks for greeting me~ This place is really CCcooooooooool~!~!~!!!!!! I really wanna thank a person who introduced this site to me. Lol

 

[greenglacier]

The CELS final exam only covers the lectures after the mid-semester exam.

The final exam for every other HSFY paper covers every lecture in the paper.

Hope to see you stay around airuniverse

 

[skyglow1]

The CELS final exam only covers the lectures after the mid-semester exam.

The final exam for every other HSFY paper covers every lecture in the paper.

Hope to see you stay around airuniverse

Do they have 2 or 1 terms tests for CELS now? Nvm just realised it must be 1 test...just worth 20% instead of the 30% it used to be.

 

[greenglacier]

it must be 1 test...just worth 20% instead of the 30% it used to be.

yep, because the GLMs are now assessed on blackboard

 

[kaixian0011]

Hm,
I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
Im doing very very very poorly at my chemistry (level 3)
This year, it was my best last year but this year its down in the dumps.
Reasons being my teacher isn't so good this year.
However I could do some independant study, (but I didnt)
Anyhow, Is there anything I can do to prepare for chemistry?
The last few posts mention the summer chem class or w/e
But I will be overseas, What alternatives do I have? Or otago chemistry is just on its own, I understand the basic chemistry idea.

 

[greenglacier]

Hi kaixian0011

The Otago bridging chemistry course only lasts 3 weeks (but they teach a lot in those 3 weeks), so if you come back from overseas 3 weeks before orientation week you could still do it - it doesn't take all summer.

If you can't do that then I think you have identified the solution - independent study. If you don't understand the level 3 chemistry content now then you are likely to have trouble with CHEM191. I would advise going over the level 3 content again during the summer (particularly aqueous systems) and doing what you can to understand it. See if you can get someone to help you out.

 

[kojiko]

yeah aqueous is a good idea; I personally found the AME level 3 chemistry book to be really helpful alot of concepts are covered in the aqueous chapter (altho some presented differently like they dont actually tell you the henderson hasselhoff equation is the henderson hasselhoff equation not that it even matters)

if you are in desperate need i may have some resources that would help you greatly pm me

 

[Ramza]

Hi,

Yeah just to reiterate what green glac. was saying, It is essential you understand the basics, of chemistry as It is one of the hardest papers ( I think pass rate was like 60-70% of the class). I took jumpstart physics - managed to bypass the fact i did lvl3 physics, but found it helped ALOT, Chem was my fav NCEA but that didnt prepare me enough, Its funny cause majority of the people i know did really well did CIE, but we NCEA folk are just as kool i guess.

- TO the point I had mates who did the bridging chem aswell - you get the option to all stay in SMC over the 3 weeks. Some who didnt work well in the bridgiung did not pass. THose who sat their asses down and did something got places. Ace-ing (wtf i forgot how to spell it) Biochemistry in Second semester 2 aswell.

Just make sure you have bascis down, my good mate who did a BA then moved toi hsfy last year, after a year break of chem + bridging. did fairly well, and he's not the brightest. Just if you do it, dont make the mistake of doing NOTHING @ SS it as it really helps to know the people who teach it, get contacts.

 

[kaixian0011]

Wow
It seems very promising to do bridging.
However, I will be overseas and needa contact mum to tell her about the bridging.
So say,
Im can get maybe Ms in the exams for NCEA
You think I can handle next year with lotsa self study and tutorials from carrington college?
Or I shuold definately try my best to do the bridging.

 

[skyglow1]

Ideally you do the bridging course, because it definitely can't hurt. Of course, if you don't do the bridging course it's not like it will severely hurt your chances.