Otago HSFY chat - archive

[Deleted member 4350]

Do any second years know of the kind of questions they ask for physio interview? In the email it says motivation, decision making and communication Skills but that's still really broad. How do they assess decision making and communication skill? Would it be senario based or from your personal experiences?

I have the Dent and Physio question if you would like a copy. Just PM me

Bl Candy Those scores + UMAT deserved at least an interview for dent. No idea how a UMAT of 33rd percentile can get a dent interview, but a 66th can't. Strange system indeed. Esp given that both your GPAs were, give or take, the same.

 

[SASOL]

Its such a weird system, maybe they made a mistake or something?
Cos if I got one you definitely should

 

[Public Liability]

My friend got 88 gpa and 75 in umat, but no interview. My other friend however got 71 in umat and B+ average and got an interview. I definitely agree there's something wrong here.

 

[SASOL]

maybe it has some thing to do with your order of preference thing. remember at course approval we had to rank the professional courses on order, but I dont know

 

[Random]

My friend got 88 gpa and 75 in umat, but no interview. My other friend however got 71 in umat and B+ average and got an interview. I definitely agree there's something wrong here.

Was the one who got 71 umat applying under something other than standard entry though?

 

[skyglow1]

Of course, but I'm just thinking about a trend here.

If skyglow knows of no one with a UMAT below 80th percentile getting a dent interview last year, yet you do get one with 34th percentile, it indicates an interesting trend.

Unless there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of people applying for dent (and for all we know there could have been), this indicates lower UMAT scores across the board.

In other words, people may be able to get into med with lower UMAT marks than last year...

Oh there were some with below 80th percentile who got an interview. I wouldn't've gotten one because my section 2 was too low and there were minimum cutoffs for each section last year.

SASOL are you 100% sure you got an interview? One of my friends thought they got one at first but then read the wording more carefully and realised they hadn't. Not being patronising but the situation sounds reeeeeeally weird.

 

[SASOL]

Yeah I'm pretty damn sure, it asked me if I wanted to accept both dent and physio interviews. Then I got a confirmation email telling me times etc.
I know its really weird, and I double checked to make sure I hadnt read wrong.

I definitely don't deserve to get an interview for dent, even physio. I'm sure many more people have better UMAT results than I did, I kinda feel bad that I did get an interview now.

Maybe I should decline?

 

[skyglow1]

I thought you were going for med anyway and had no interest in Dent?

 

[SASOL]

Awww I feel really bad now.....Im having second thoughts about med, I dont know if I can wait another 2 years. But I guess heaps of people are doing dent interviews with no intention of doing dent. Which is really quite sad for those who wanted to but didn't get an interview. If I honestly didn't want dent at all, I would decline, but maybe its not a bad option now....

 

[vvvvv]

I got UMAT 80% 30% 70% and no dent interview. But I am not bothered, as I am going for graduate med entry anyway.

SASOL, I think you should accept the interview. Remember, going to interview does not mean you have to do Dent. Last year, I went to physio interview, I ended up getting accepted but I rejected the offer in summer.

 

[SASOL]

Yeah I'll go, just feel bad I got one when other people with better results didn't.

 

[Public Liability]

Was the one who got 71 umat applying under something other than standard entry though?

Nope, my friend's domestic

Oh and SASOL what do you mean you have second thoughts about med? Don't succumb to the dark side

 

[SASOL]

Im just having second thoughts bout whether I want to wait that long, just every now and then. Like I really really want to do it still, but its just hard ya know. I hope I can get in after a BSc

 

[Public Liability]

I'm having difficulty choosing something that would actually get me a job (or continue on to something that would), if I don't get into medicine. For example, I heard for something like anatomy, it would only lead you to getting a job such as teaching it lol.

Despite all the job prospects you read about a Biomed degree, I don't really think it would help you guarantee a good job. This is what seniors have told me..I'm not sure about it though.

I was thinking to do a professional course like pharmacy or med lab, then use that to get into med. That way, if I don't get in still, I still have a job secured. Problem with that is that it'd take even longer..plus must consider if I would find it interesting enough to get good grades to be a competitive enough candidate.

So I'm kinda lost too lol

 

[SASOL]

Yeah I get exactly what you mean. I am in no way interested in research etc, so a degree in biochem or something I would hate, plus i don't like bioc anyway haha. One thing I like about med, dent etc is that they have defined jobs, like you're pretty much certain of something with them. I will prob do physiology as a major, with anatomy and maybe some pharmacology papers. Physiology seems like it would be similar to HUBS, which I really enjoy, and I'm good at, so hope that it will get me good grades to be competitive. And like you say, what kinda jobs could you get? I don't think I can think of any other than teaching or research.(n)But if I don't get into med at Otago or Auck I may look at Aussie, or else I will apply for physio and dent at the same time, and do one of them if I dont get med. So yeah, my only real option at this stage is to try and get post grad med.

However, I don't really understand all this points stuff to make up a degree etc, and what how many and what papers you can take. Also I'm definitely genuinely interested in doing dent, like some people who dont get med will do it, but won't actually be too fussed on it, whereas I actually would be happy to do it one day if I never get med.

Though I'm going to smash UMAT in 2010/2011 and get in haha

 

[vvvvv]

Hi, I am a graduate of Bachelor of Biomedical Science major in physiology. I can tell you that there is absolutely no job opportunity for this stupid degree and the department does not care at all what job you can get after you graduate. After all, education is just a business.

My suggestion is that unless you are absolutely sure that you are capable of getting into med after finishing your biomedical degree, you should not waste your life.

Honestly, I have probably wasted my life. I am not a genius and I only got a GPA of 7.86 for my degree (i.e. Mostly A and some A-). I am not sure if this grade is gonna be good enough to get me in next year. Right now, I am doing 2nd year pharmacy, a course I am not too interested in.

 

[gustavofring]

I sort of agree with vvvvv

with a science degree, research is your job but you need a post grad degree for that (just in general, there are other things you can do with a science degree)

which requires a new set of skills

not just memorising and writing stuff in exams

and then most of my tutors who are currently doing a pHD are really stressed all the time

except for those who really like this stuff, to them like some drug RS-5305363 activates this CCK receptor coupled to G alpha i signalling pathway which dimerises some other protein to form homodimers which then binds to this novel protein afadfhaskfasdfasdf is apparently the best thing since sliced bread

 

[SASOL]

I have no idea what I would do other than a science degree though....I'm sure I could at least get physio if I fail to get into med, and then if I failed to get into dent after a BSc.
This is all UMATs fault(n)
But I guess I was the idiot who did bad in it

VVVVVVVV did you do first year health sci when you started out?

 

[Cobalt]

Hey guys I've been following this for a while, but have only just signed up.
Just wondering, what kinda questions do they ask in the dentistry and physio interviews?
Sweet

 

[vvvvv]

2006: I did HSFY. I got 87% (A+ A+ A A A A- A-) and very sh** UMAT result (65% 0-20% 80%). I got an offer from pharmacy, physio but not med

2007: I did Biomedical Science. Grade did not improve much (A+ A A A A-) and UMAT was sh** again (77% 0-20% 70%).

2008: I did 3rd year Biomedical Science. Grade got worse (A+ A A A A-A-A-) and UMAT was sh** again (85% 0-20% 95%). I wanted to kick myself for getting sh** grade and UMAT.

2009: I am doing 2nd year pharmacy. UMAT was sh** again but at least I pass 25% for all three sections (80% 30% 70%). So I am applying for med this year.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate my chance of making it at about 4-5, where 10 is "definetely in" and 1 is "definetely out"