Otago HSFY chat - archive

[frootloop]

Err well I think it is in some cases especially if you are in med med.

Eg if you know that the root for breasts were mam and sectomy or resection means to remove. Then you could say that mastectomies are basically breast removal/reduction.

Or you could just learn what 'mastectomy' means
Trust me, you'll have plenty of stuff to be studying in HSFY (and I'd imagine med as well), so Latin/Greek (at a level on that website) falls under the 'extras for the extremely interested' category. I say this for the benefit of future HSFY's, who have a tendency to see something suggested on here and go 'zomg, I must learn ALL TEH STUFF'.

 

[Hari]

XD fair point, but I was thinking along the lines of this as a base will get you further in the long run especially if you do anything health related. Besides if you already had the ability to dissect the words, you can then go/learn/do things without the need for a dictionary.

This was just something that I found really useful back then for learning science in general because it is made up by a huge percentage of greek and latin XD, and probably the people whod look at these are those who are just over excited or really keen to learn something new.

 

[Hari]

XD thanks! I think it only works for some though not everyone I know it certainly works for me, in the sense that it jogs my memory at times

 

[Wongtong]

Aghhh, reading this topic makes me both nervous and very excited for Otago.

I can't wait!!

However, I get a feeling that I'll look back at this post mid-year and cringe at my eagerness.

 

[epikness]

However, I get a feeling that I'll look back at this post mid-year and cringe at my eagerness.

I'm sure you'll be fine.

It's a memorable experience for many reasons. One thing you'll remember is how much crap people spread about how tough HSFY will be.

 

[mango101]

Sorry if this has already been asked but I couldn't find it anywhere when searching. I realise that the earliest times for lectures etc is 8 am but what is the latest possible time slot we could have? Thanks!

 

[skyglow1]

5pm for lectures, 6-9pm possibly for labs.

 

[Zany92]

hi..

may i know how our course/subject is assessed? how much/ weightage the final exams contribute to the course?

 

[greenglacier]

https://www.medstudentsonline.com.a...tudents-potential-students-please-read-23929/

^^ If you follow the link on that page to the article about HSFY and med entry you'll find your answer.

 

[Cathay]

I was thinking along the lines of this as a base will get you further in the long run especially if you do anything health related. Besides if you already had the ability to dissect the words, you can then go/learn/do things without the need for a dictionary.

Sounds a bit speculative to me... And given how lecturers like to dissect words in lectures, I do believe rote-learning Latin and Greek is an unnecessary move. My opinion is that you can just pick up various bits and pieces along the way (as I have) simply from lectures.

And yes, I say this to avoid having health scis that go 'ZOMG I want to be a serious health professional so I MUST ROTE-LEARN LATIN AND GREEK!!!', which is just health-scichotic.

 

[skyglow1]

XD fair point, but I was thinking along the lines of this as a base will get you further in the long run especially if you do anything health related. Besides if you already had the ability to dissect the words, you can then go/learn/do things without the need for a dictionary.

This was just something that I found really useful back then for learning science in general because it is made up by a huge percentage of greek and latin XD, and probably the people whod look at these are those who are just over excited or really keen to learn something new.

You pick up roots and prefixes and suffixes as you go along. There is no real need to learn these separately. In fact it's most likely easier to learn and remember them in the context of a word than trying to rote learn a million random terms that you'll just forget later.

 

[mango101]

For those interested, the HSFY 2012 textbook list is... https://books.unibooks.co.nz/2012%20Health%20Sciences.pdf . Looks like the BIOC one that everyone says is useless is not even on the list anymore.

 

[Cathay]

For those interested, the HSFY 2012 textbook list is... https://books.unibooks.co.nz/2012 Health Sciences.pdf . Looks like the BIOC one that everyone says is useless is not even on the list anymore.

Actually, like last time, BIOC department is slow to confirm its presence/absence...

PLEASE NOTE:
We have not yet had requirements for BIOC192 confirmed.
List will be updated if and when we hear from the Department.

I remember in late 2010/early 2011 BIOC was slow to confirm the textbook also, but it eventually ended up on the list anyway - either way don't bother buying it unless you find yourself using it at the library a lot.

 

[mango101]

Sorry, I missed that "please note" bit. Thanks for clarifying cathay808. Regardless of whether or not it ends up being on the list, I'm pretty sure I won't be buying that book after reading all the comments on here.

 

[mango101]

In HSFY, I realise the way in which you learn the course material is a lot different to NCEA but when it come to the actual exams, are the questions more specific than NCEA? In NCEA I found that the questions were pretty generalised quite a lot of the time and sometimes it was hard to decipher exactly what they were asking...
Also, is it usually easy to find a seat in the main library to study or is it hard to find a space? It looks like a pretty good place to study from the pictures I've seen.

 

[bobby190]

In HSFY, I realise the way in which you learn the course material is a lot different to NCEA but when it come to the actual exams, are the questions more specific than NCEA? In NCEA I found that the questions were pretty generalised quite a lot of the time and sometimes it was hard to decipher exactly what they were asking...
Also, is it usually easy to find a seat in the main library to study or is it hard to find a space? It looks like a pretty good place to study from the pictures I've seen.

Long time since NCEA but ill give it a crack... I think the excellence questions are more generalised and prompt you to think about concepts and connect them up. Achieved level questions are pretty much recall and similar to low mark questions in uni or hsfy anyway. IN higher mark questions in university its more how coherently you can understand a certain concept so its different to NCEA but easier to do IF you have studied well. BUT given so much material to study it is hard to study all so coherently so that is the catch.
Mind you considerable amounts of hsfy is multichoice questions and I have no idea how to relate that to NCEA so just study hard, understand everything and memorise it too.

In the library it is easy to find seats except exam time when it is packed and frankly disgusting with rubbish piling up people everywhere, I like my space and hygeine when Im trying to focus.

 

[mango101]

Thanks [MENTION=8492]bobby190[/MENTION] !

 

[Cathay]

Re NCEA vs HSFY, I'm inclined to say don't worry too much about that now, and when you do need to worry about it, you'll have access to the uni's online database of past exams, and THEN you can *see* the difference for yourself.

Re finding study space, the library is quite empty at the beginning of each semester, becoming more crowded as the semester progresses, and becomes absolutely packed by exam revision time. It goes from "turn up at any time and expect a seat" to "turn up and spend some time looking for a seat" to "turn up earlier in the day and find a seat, then try to coordinate between friends to hog that seat for a whole day" to "turn up when the library opens or you won't find a seat". Do explore the Science Library as well - I found it consistently a better place than Central, but most people prefer Central and it's somewhat variable.

 

[unidenj]

Totally explore the science library, get into the upper floors before the other HSFYs realise they even exists haha! Avoid the ground floor its so busy and noisy!

 

[greenglacier]

Or just bite the bullet and go to central library because it's sooooo nice to study in. Just a shame that it's completely packed at exam time!

(Although the thing about central is that it's quite possible to find a space pretty much any time if you're prepared to go without a power plug).


If you do want a tip though, med library almost always has a good amount of space, even during mid year exams. And don't worry, HSFY students study there all the time.