Otago HSFY chat - archive

[airuniverse]

Thank you for reminding us again greenglacier! I was trying to find that information.

 

[skyglow1]

Thing is, in a 'competition' such as HSFY, it really makes no difference if a paper is 'harder', because it's harder for everyone. If anything, it'd give you a chance to stand out from the crowd (or go down in a ball of flames).

I'd like to echo this. 'Easier' papers like HUBS tend to have everyone bunched up near the ceiling in terms of their marks. Look at a difficult test or exam or paper as a way to excel and stand out, rather than something to dread.

And congrats to everyone for their first semester results. Hope you are all having a good break.

 

[armando]

Hey friends,

does anyone have any practice exams to share around (pdf). I will greatly appreciate any help from you guys. Share the love. please send me an e-mail, I can also share all my practice exams which I have accuired so far...

 

[kakarot]

So I've been informed that all the HSFY first semester results are now out and confirmed - well done to everyone for surviving this far!

Now, I know a lot of health scis are going to be wondering if their results are good enough, so I thought I'd post a reminder (for members and lurkers) of what the entry standard has been for the last 2 years:

Provided all of your papers have a mark of at least 70%, and as long as your UMAT section 3 mark is not significantly higher than your section 1 or 2 mark, any of the following combinations would have gotten you straight into med (i.e. not off the waiting list) both last year and the year before:

30th percentile UMAT and 94% average
50th percentile UMAT and 92% average
80th percentile UMAT and 89% average
90th percentile UMAT and 87% average
95th percentile UMAT and 86% average

Hi there, I'm an Auckland uni student but I was just wondering if these values somewhat applied to graduate entry applicants as well? And does the "Provided all of your papers have a mark of at least 70%" rule apply for someone who has completed a degree? (Ie. over a 3 year degree nothing can be under 70%?)

 

[greenglacier]

Hi there, I'm an Auckland uni student but I was just wondering if these values somewhat applied to graduate entry applicants as well? And does the "Provided all of your papers have a mark of at least 70%" rule apply for someone who has completed a degree? (Ie. over a 3 year degree nothing can be under 70%?)

No, as far as I'm aware that rule only applies to undergraduate entry.

 

[Ramza]

Generally for graduate entry at otago, one needs only to reach the threshold of each section in Umat so above 25th - 30th percentile. Pretty stoked i don't have to waste another 200 dollars this year.

For those at otago who are now second year it is best to fill in a UMAT inquiry form at the HSFY office (4th floor physio) next year to see if your individual results are fine allowing you to save money and not having to stress about sitting it again.

 

[frootloop]

Hi there, I'm an Auckland uni student but I was just wondering if these values somewhat applied to graduate entry applicants as well? And does the "Provided all of your papers have a mark of at least 70%" rule apply for someone who has completed a degree? (Ie. over a 3 year degree nothing can be under 70%?)

Not strictly speaking, but remember that it is called competitive graduate entry for a reason. You wouldn't want too many papers that low (since you need something around an 8 to get in post-grad, and that's bound to rise).
How's Auckland going by the way?

 

[Cathay]

Hey friends,

does anyone have any practice exams to share around (pdf). I will greatly appreciate any help from you guys. Share the love. please send me an e-mail, I can also share all my practice exams which I have accuired so far...

Hi there, judging by your location and what you're studying (which are distinctly NOT HSFY), I believe you've come to the wrong place, this is a thread for Otago HSFY students, please post your question to the UMAT forum, thanks. Asking here would probably yield you plenty of past Otago HSFY exam papers, which I don't think are very useful to you.

EDIT: Ah, I see you have, good.

 

[lolol]

Hi there Just wanted to know, do I have to do the "comprehensive first aid" course for my first aid certificate? Thanks

 

[frootloop]

Hi there Just wanted to know, do I have to do the "comprehensive first aid" course for my first aid certificate? Thanks

On the admissions website it tells you what exact standards to do. I know the red cross comprehensive course covers these, but it would be best to check the required standards against those in each certificate required.

 

[lolol]

Cool thanks frootloop

I looked at the red cross ones and the standards are NZQA Unit Standards: 6402, 6401 (or 26551, 26552) 6400 (4 credits). The admissions website said it should meet NZQA standard 6400 so I guess it's the right one. Did anyone do the red cross comprehensive first aid course?

 

[frootloop]

Cool thanks frootloop

I looked at the red cross ones and the standards are NZQA Unit Standards: 6402, 6401 (or 26551, 26552) 6400 (4 credits). The admissions website said it should meet NZQA standard 6400 so I guess it's the right one. Did anyone do the red cross comprehensive first aid course?

Lol I just realised I wrote St. John in my above post. I meant red cross, I wouldn't have a clue about the St. John one. The red cross comprehensive course is two days, really ridiculously easy, and not overly expensive (just under $200, from memory).

 

[lolol]

Thanks again frootloop !! That really confirms what I wanted to know . Now I'm definately doing that one without worrying that I might waste 2 days doing something that was totally irrelevant to Healthsci! Cheers

 

[frootloop]

Thanks again frootloop !! That really confirms what I wanted to know . Now I'm definately doing that one without worrying that I might waste 2 days doing something that was totally irrelevant to Healthsci! Cheers

Well assuming it's the exact same course I did, (which the red cross people assured me was the right one), then yes. But to be honest it would be best to ring the people running the course and make 100% sure that course is the right one.
Edit: Just to make this perfectly clear, I would definitely ring the red cross, and have them confirm.

 

[Cathay]

Thanks again frootloop !! That really confirms what I wanted to know . Now I'm definately doing that one without worrying that I might waste 2 days doing something that was totally irrelevant to Healthsci! Cheers

Most of the time, you can just look at the specifications in terms of the unit standards covered (they will accept certificates of the 6400-series until December 2013, while they start accepting the 2655x-series from Jan 2011, so either one is applicable at this point in time), and compare it to your HSFY information manual which specifies which one it needs. Even if you do want more assurance, it's better (and probably easier) to call the course provider directly than to just get a second opinion here.

For the record, I did the 2 day course with St John, and it also covers 6400, 6401 and 6402, so I'm fine.

Also, I'm pretty sure the said standards are THE standard first aid cert material, so I doubt any sort of entry-level 2-day first aid cert course would actually not cover those...

 

[lolol]

Cheers cathay . I would ring them as well but the course is for tomorrow :cry: and tuesday starting at 8:30am so I wouldn't have time to confirm it with them. Oh wait... level 2? The red cross one is level 1 ! Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter as long as it covers the standards. I'll check with them tomorrow. This is a dumb question but do you have to pay before hand or can you pay it there right before the course starts:blink:? I ordered it online so I'm not sure :huh:...

 

[Cathay]

Well, I booked mine online and it was all paid-for online well before the course started, that is not to say there are no other ways of doing it. As long as you've made them aware that you're attending, they can sort out the rest of the details.

As long as the standard numbers (US 6400 etc) are the same, it doesn't matter what they advertise it as - experience from NCEA shows that 90717 is always L3 Biology's Patterns of Evolution paper, for instance, whether your school calls it Year 13 Biology or Year 12 Biology.

I used to worry about that sort of detail as well but experience has since shown that most of the time all you have to do is check that they do the standards you're after, and alert them of the fact that you're attending, and they can sort out the rest for you.

 

[lolol]

Yes, that is true as long as the standards are the same it should be fine. I get paranoid about those details ha ha. Anyway thanks for all that ! It really helped me out a lot. I'm not worried anymore :lols:

 

[brin]

You can pretty much rest assured that any (comprehensive) first aid course offered in Dunedin is going to be healthsci applicable. The only decision is which one is going to teach you the best skills. Personally I'd probably go with St John just for the experience factor (though I'll be using Wellington Free Ambulance instead), as opposed to the shonky looking bunch who gather like vultures outside the student union offices.

 

[sid_kudav]

Anyone know when the semester 2 timetable is released?