Otago HSFY chat - archive

[kaixian0011]

Hmm,
Im using the cornell method at the moment and Im finding it quite useful,
Formulating questions gets me thinking from my written notes,
However I find it too time consuming from copying down the lecture notes,
Is there a better method that someone can suggest?
Also, is everything in the slide important?
Like I hate it how they give you extra info that you dont even have to know!
Especially like who discover what and when.
Are all these info relavant?

 

[dalif110]

Sup. I know what you mean, especially with cells. I think the best thing to do is to do everything in the objective, as I'm sure you'd be doing, and then if you got time do the recommended reading. I'd probably try cram in details like who discovered the cell stuff and dates before a test.
The study technique I use is read then write then read again then regurgitate in my head. It's real tedious and time consuming but I remember everything pretty solid after the first time. Probably best not to try something too new now cause if it doesn't work you may fall behind.

 

[Cathay]

Hmm,
Im using the cornell method at the moment and Im finding it quite useful,
Formulating questions gets me thinking from my written notes,
However I find it too time consuming from copying down the lecture notes,
Is there a better method that someone can suggest?
Also, is everything in the slide important?
Like I hate it how they give you extra info that you dont even have to know!
Especially like who discover what and when.
Are all these info relavant?

From the discussions here on MSO, the slides are probably the most important source of examinable information, although do by all means use common sense and prioritize so you don't end up spending ages learning that van Leeuwenhoek made a 275x microscope in like 1675 or something (that somehow got stuck in my memory -___-).

Note-taking, IMO, is a method to, first of all, record the lecturer's explanations of concepts if you don't understand them already, and second of all, engage your brain so that you actively try to remember it, also it helps to be writing something down - or you'd have the tendency to get sleepier and sleepier. For CELS and HUBS I personally tend to take plenty of notes in the lecture (to keep my brain going), but only use them to supplement slides - and learn primarily off the slides.

IMO the learning of the content is more important than the notes, and for that purpose, the method that works best for you would, of course, depend on you - but there are tools that can help us find our learning style, so we can help ourselves learn better.

Here are some learning style quesitonnaires mentioned in HUBS GLM1:

https://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire - this one is reasonably useful, guides you in the rough direction of what media is best for you (mine is just reading and writing lol)

https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html - this here pretty much tells you your learning personality, whether it's more helpful to do or think, whether you learn facts better or concepts, whether you learn better by looking at pictures or words, and whether you like logically sequenced learning or a big picture

https://www.oswego.edu/plsi/ - this last one is more like a personality quiz to me, and it would appear that I'm ISTJ - an Inspector-type person -____-

 

[Bamboozle]

Haha i know what you mean by wanting to study cuz you have no friends....
silly irrelevant question:
how do you quote people on this thread? i can't seem to be able to use the 'quote' button

 

[Ben]

Haha i know what you mean by wanting to study cuz you have no friends....
silly irrelevant question:
how do you quote people on this thread? i can't seem to be able to use the 'quote' button

Click quote at the bottom right of their post and a 'Quick Reply' box should pop up directly below their post.

If that's not working at all just copy and paste what you're quoting and put

at the start and [-/quote] at the end (without the hyphen).

 

[Cathay]

how do you quote people on this thread? i can't seem to be able to use the 'quote' button

Click the "quote" button (middle button in the lower right) and a quick reply thing will pop up with the quote already inserted. Alternatively click the multi-quote button (the button on in the bottom right corner of each post) on as many posts as you wish, then click "reply to thread" button on the lower left part of the page, again a quick reply box will pop up with the quotes inside. (Under the quick reply box is a "Go Advanced" button where you can go into the full reply page to use various functions)

There is the ultimate backup, where you copy and paste the post, and use the following code: [*quote]Things being quoted[*/quote] (without the asterisks)

 

[kaixian0011]

Sweet!
Thanks alot,
I tried the first one, The second and third I have done.
I guess its stuff I sort of already know and found useful.
If its just the concepts I guess I can handle it,
I keep trying to learn everything off the slide, being paranoid as I am and not knowing what questions they will ask.
I learnt Robert Hooke, Micrscope, 1665 Or something
Its stuck in my head
Although not long term, anyhow I will guess I will try learning the concepts and everything before I get into the real detail stuff. Thanks alot!

 

[Cathay]

Although not long term, anyhow I will guess I will try learning the concepts and everything before I get into the real detail stuff. Thanks alot!

Remember that CELS and HUBS don't have much in the way of concepts, and it's really about remembering as much as possible -the location of the tibia is just something you'll have to remember, whereas, say, the oxidation state of Mn in KMnO4, if you don't remember it, can be figured out, and if you don't remember the rules you can still go a long way to figure it out logically referring to periodicity, electronegativity, and what not.

Also, while CHEM and PHSI are thought of as concepts-based, I have come across a (qualitative) question in a past PHSI exam paper where remembering an arguably less important fact from lecture slides (of this week) gave me a shortcut by eliminating two options.

 

[greenglacier]

I have come across a (qualitative) question in a past PHSI exam paper where remembering an arguably less important fact from lecture slides (of this week) gave me a shortcut by eliminating two options.

Hence the value of the cheat sheet.

 

[Arutha]

Haven't visited this site in so long. Things have changed. Speaking of textbooks does anyone remember the website that was on the whiteboard in Colquhoun for ages?

 

[skyglow1]

Bookdepository.co.uk?? Everyones been raving about it in our surgical run, so I went and had a look and ended up ordering 3 books haha. Free shipping, and it took less than a week for my first book to arrive (the other 2 still on their way). The NZD is doing fairly well against the pound too right now.

 

[smile]

Bookdepository.co.uk?? Everyones been raving about it in our surgical run, so I went and had a look and ended up ordering 3 books haha. Free shipping, and it took less than a week for my first book to arrive (the other 2 still on their way). The NZD is doing fairly well against the pound too right now.

I ordered mine of amazon.co.uk last week - way cheaper than american amazon and free shipping also. It also ended up cheaper than book depository I think.

 

[skyglow1]

I ordered mine of amazon.co.uk last week - way cheaper than american amazon and free shipping also. It also ended up cheaper than book depository I think.

Will be ordering from them next time

 

[Arutha]

Is it still cheaper than buying local once you take the currency conversion fee into account?

 

[smile]

Yip definitely. I got small robbins, gray's, oxford handbook and pathology at a glance for $260 NZD and in NZ with the OUMSA discount robbins is like $150 and greys like $160 so mega savings!! I think the pounds quite good at the mo

 

[mango101]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at going to Otago for HSFY next year (to hopefully gain entry into Med) and was wondering which Residenital College is the best for HSFY students? I am looking at probably going to either Selwyn, St Mags, Hayward or possbily Carrington. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[greenglacier]

It really doesn't matter which college you go to. The main reason certain colleges get more people into med than others is because they attract students who are more likely to get into med to start off with. The main consideration in choosing a college should be to choose the one you would feel most comfortable calling home. Remember - this is what your college is for. I would recommend coming to the uni open day and touring all the colleges you're interested in. This should give you a fair idea of where you'd be most comfortable living.

Nonetheless, if you want to know which colleges got the most students into med, in 2010 Arana got the most, closely followed by Carrington. In 2009 Carrington got the most, followed (by some distance) by St. Margaret's. Knox got the highest proportion of their HSFYers in.

 

[mango101]

Hi there,

The UMAT example questions in the 2010 UMAT info booklet seem relatively easy. Are questions in the actual UMAT test similar or harder?? I am considering sitting the UMAT this year and then take HSFY next year, so I would be interested to know any tips people have for sitting the UMAT and how to approach the questions? Some people suggest that the shapes and patterns questions from MESNA tests are good prep for UMAT, however the questions seem really hard! Would the ones in the actual UMAT test be as hard as these kinds of ones or more like the ones in the 2010 UMAT booklet. Your advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[skyglow1]

Yup...correlation doesn't equal causation. Students forget that just because a hall may reliably output a high number of med students doesn't mean that the hall is the CAUSE for the students' success. I'd pick my hall based mostly on location, and other considerations like facilities, what the rooms are like etc.

 

[mango101]

Thank you for the information From what I've heard, St Margarets seems to have mainly HSFY students so I am seriously considering that one at the moment. At the Otago open day, are you allowed to look around as many Residential Colleges as you like?