Otago HSFY chat - archive

[Cathay]

Also, I need some advice ---> How on EARTH do you keep up with the load

This is a good time to mention that this *is* the real challenge in HSFY. You'll find it difficult, but so will everyone else. The people who got into med aren't all geniuses, they're just regular people who managed to rise up to the challenge and were eventually able to keep up with the load somehow. No one (straight from school anyway - this is part of why they won't let you do HSFY after you've done some uni study) finds it easy right off the bat, and most have to change their methods to keep up. I for one abandoned written notes completely from like Day 1 in the interest of keeping up.

Also, I've personally found that making notes (electronically in OneNote) allowed me to arrange the material in a logical order, shift stuff from one slide to another slide to suit my understanding, and really let me have an overview of the lecture before I plunge into the details, which I find necessary (or else I'd know a bunch of details but have no idea how they fit together), but that's just my learning style. A lot of lecturers also like to put a lot of pictures in, which helps understanding, but is just getting in the way when I get to the "memorize" stage, so I do like my concise plain text notes.

You'll find that my method probably won't apply to you, because everyone's learning style is more or less unique (remember it has >18 dimensions), so you'll have to figure out what works best for you through trial and error. Never directly take onboard someone else's methods.

 

[brin]

No one (straight from school anyway - this is part of why they won't let you do HSFY after you've done some uni study) finds it easy right off the bat, and most have to change their methods to keep up

Uh, what.

They allow you to so long as you maintained a B average for that previous study and there were no conflicting papers. It's to do with course content, not study ability.

 

[greenglacier]

You can't do HSFY if you've done more than 1 year of prior uni study, or done any papers covering the same stuff. That B average thing must be new - I had to apply for an exemption because I did a uni paper in year 13 and they never told me about anything like that then.

 

[Wongtong]

Not sure if someone has asked this before (had a search but couldn't find it), but which calculator would you personally recommend out of the approved list?

My guess is that it doesn't really matter, so I might just buy the cheapest one.

Edit: Turns out I already have a uni-approved calculator, score!

 

[brin]

You can't do HSFY if you've done more than 1 year of prior uni study, or done any papers covering the same stuff. That B average thing must be new - I had to apply for an exemption because I did a uni paper in year 13 and they never told me about anything like that then.

That's for the Guaranteed Entry pathway anyway. Still have to apply for dispensation for previous study, but that's in no way equivalent to "they won't let you do HSFY after you've done some uni study"

 

[frootloop]

That's for the Guaranteed Entry pathway anyway. Still have to apply for dispensation for previous study, but that's in no way equivalent to "they won't let you do HSFY after you've done some uni study"

Close school friend of mine did a year of a BSc (psychology and statistics, none of his papers overlapped with HSFY), and they told him point blank that he wouldn't be able to do HSFY (and he had well over a B average). So either they're really inconsistent, or the rules have changed recently (you were let into HSFY 2011, so I'd presume when you deferred you were exempt from any possible rule changes?).

 

[brin]

Close school friend of mine did a year of a BSc (psychology and statistics, none of his papers overlapped with HSFY), and they told him point blank that he wouldn't be able to do HSFY (and he had well over a B average). So either they're really inconsistent, or the rules have changed recently (you were let into HSFY 2011, so I'd presume when you deferred you were exempt from any possible rule changes?).

Could be - they didn't ask for my transcript from Vic again this year. However there doesn't seem to be any mention of a recent change in the dispensation process. Website isn't very helpful, unless anyone can find additional info to this:

Dispensation for prior university study
If an application for enrolment to HSFY is made by someone who has prior university study, a dispensation may be granted, but only if that study has not duplicated any portion of the material in the HSFY course.

 

[Wongtong]

Did anyone notice how sad the chem lecturer seemed today? I hope he's alright!! :unsure:

 

[Sam]

Did anyone notice how sad the chem lecturer seemed today? I hope he's alright!! :unsure:

Which one is this? I have the old dude in the morning.

 

[hermafish]

He was!! No comics, no music at the start I really like him, it was sad seeing him be all quiet.

 

[alice]

Did anyone notice how sad the chem lecturer seemed today? I hope he's alright!! :unsure:

Yes.. Very unlike him! At first I thought it was a joke and that he might jump round and say 'hah you don't think I was going to do the whole lecture like that do you!'.. but he didn't. I agree, hope he's ok, he's usually so bright and enthusiastic during lectures!

 

[Profiterole]

Yes.. Very unlike him! At first I thought it was a joke and that he might jump round and say 'hah you don't think I was going to do the whole lecture like that do you!'.. but he didn't. I agree, hope he's ok, he's usually so bright and enthusiastic during lectures!

maybe because no-one was interested in his poem about equilibrium?

 

[Sam]

So, was chem as bad as people were thinking it was going to be?

 

[brin]

Little bit. Have been pleasantly surprised at how understandable it is with no chem background, however.

 

[Sam]

Little bit. Have been pleasantly surprised at how understandable it is with no chem background, however.

Yeah, it's all pretty simple to pick up so far. Most of it is just basic manipulation of equations really.

edit: Wow, that CELs lecture was great, so entertaining haha. First time I've heard a lecturer blatantly swear like that xD Can't wait till his next one! Also all the BS about SHM and circular rotation was confusing - lucky he just gave us the easy formulas, lol.

 

[frootloop]

edit: Wow, that CELs lecture was great, so entertaining haha. First time I've heard a lecturer blatantly swear like that xD Can't wait till his next one!

You've been introduced to the pure concentrated awesomeness that is Peter Dearden, I see

 

[Ben]

You've been introduced to the pure concentrated awesomeness that is Peter Dearden, I see

It's pure and concentrated!

 

[Sam]

You've been introduced to the pure concentrated awesomeness that is Peter Dearden, I see

Oh yes, so funny haha. Do we get to see him much more in HSFY?

 

[brin]

Natural Selection lecture was really quite fantastic.

 

[Wongtong]

Natural Selection lecture was really quite fantastic.

It was entertaining and stuff, but I don't think I learned much today..!