UoA 'What papers should I do at UoA for graduate entry' Chat/enquiries

[Tupac4life]

Wouldn't it be difficult if one is pretty hopeless with computers. Does it involve complex programming... haha that's an area which I dread to even go near... :cry:

Yup, taking stage I papers in the 3rd year is just fine with regards to the case you mentioned. I recommend you include COMPSCI 111 in your possible options, it's easy. This teaches you how to email, how to write a simple programme, MS Office things, and how to make a powerpoint about your family.. haha!

 

[Smac]

Wouldn't it be difficult if one is pretty hopeless with computers. Does it involve complex programming... haha that's an area which I dread to even go near... :cry:

hmm,, as far as I can remember, there wasn't a lot of programming. I think the ones that was covered included python, html, and another one which I don't quite remember. hehe

 

[Tupac4life]

What are the grade thresholds like?*

 

[Smac]

For Compsci 111, the A+ is 90% when I took it last year.. I think most science papers went to 90% for A+ except for some chem papers, which is still 85%.

 

[Tupac4life]

I'm not sure is Physics at 85% with some variation? I think that's what I heard for PHYSICS160?!*

For Compsci 111, the A+ is 90% when I took it last year.. I think most science papers went to 90% for A+ except for some chem papers, which is still 85%.

 

[Smac]

I don't know about the physics dept.. but this is what I know about the other science papers.

 

[qbob]

honestly people on these forums worry far too much about "grade thresholds". There are no strict grade thresholds. The threshold varies based on the difficulty of the exam, and the distribution of marks. If an exam was really hard, the threshold goes down, if it was easy, it goes up. You need to be more concerned with how you compare to the rest of the class -e.g. if you're in the top 15% (which would normally be an A).

 

[inches]

@YogiBearified

Sorry, I haven't been on the forums in a while but ep1kness pretty much said everything that I was about to say.
The assignment for 204 was really easy as it's outlined for you, hopefully you won't get a competitive brat trying to mark you down but it's hard for people to be that lame since there are moderators and you can see the comments the markers have left you. To be honest, most of friends and I, well we started 3 days before it was due...bad time management,definitely not recommended, but if you keep your head straight anything is possible even in bad situations.

As for specialisations...well I'm kinda going towards neuro/cancer/genetics/developmental bio...yeah. They are my interests so there you have it.

As for tips for the cores, well, they're not too bad content wise if you understand the concepts.Understanding is key since you have to write mini essays (sorta). Think big and try to connect everything, ultimately everything is connected but it's hard to do that when you have different lecturers and "blocks". Oh and just ask the lecturers questions when you have any, I never asked a single question until sem2 last year-what an idiot

Cheers

 

[Tupac4life]

What do you study in PHYSICS107 anyway I've heard that it's a course about astronomy and planets but I was just wondering what do they do in the laboratory sessions? It's offered in 1st semester usually right? I'm planning to do PHYSICS108 it's got assignments 40% and exam 60%. I don't know if it has tests or not?!*

Medsci 204 and 201 seem to be safe bets..206 as well although it can get kinda dull..
I rember that bio 203 was also not bad..just heaps of writing...oh and if possible do physics 107..easiest paper at uni...

O btw im final year too!!! doing biomed though, what 300 papers you taking this year?

 

[stuckinpause]

HELP?

I'm going into second year Biomed feeling really uneasy about whether this is something I should continue. I've always hated the thought of research as a career, didn't want to do med either, but basically did this because nothing else in Uni appealed to me career wise. Now I'm worried I am going to be stuck doing something I hate, or even worse, struggle to find a good job. I've never wanted to work in a lab, or be a ''lab rat'' but from what I've heard this is basically where Biomed takes you. And it's a shame because apparently people who study courses such as applied science from AUT and just a regular BSc from AU end up with the same job as a Biomed graduate, despite the obvious difference in course difficulty.

Any graduates want to enlighten me on what kind of jobs you have gotten/heard of graduates getting? I plan to do honors hopefully, and masters but NOT a phd.
I can't stand the thought of doing a phd, because it's simply not something I am willing to do.

Thanks, feel like I'm wasting my time and effort on a degree that will get me nowhere in life ):

 

[Corn_Add_Risk]

[MENTION=11571]Tupac4life[/MENTION] Physics 107 is really really easy. You have 2 tests during the semester which are stupidly easy, I easily got 98 for both of them with only 2 days study. The test is also really, really straightforward with many questions being repeated from previous years. The labs are also designed for someone who has never done any physics in their life, so the experiments are simple i.e shine a beam of light through a prism and measure the angle it comes out. Also if you run out of time they just give you the answers. Saying all this the course itself is actually really interesting all balck holes and expanding universe theory, some of the concepts are difficult to wrap your head around, but its really not too hard and once you get your hear around it you fee really smart!! Yea its a first sem course, I would say do it this year as if you are planning to apply to otago doing a 100 level paper in final year drastically lowers your GPA.

 

[Tupac4life]

Thanks for the advice man. Are you still doing Biomed out of curiosity? Hmmm yeah I'm trying to weigh up which paper I should choose to do in 3rd year. PHYSICS108 has no labs and no tests but 5 assignments 40% and 1 final exam 60% with 4 lectures a week. I know PHYSICS107 has 3 lectures a week, 5 assignments, 5 or 6 laboratories 10%, 2 tests now and 1 exam 50%... so I don't know what would be better? I'm choosing between these two. I am not applying to Auckland or Otago by the way just Australian Universities. I'm planning to do this extra 100 level paper in the Second Semester of my 3rd year so I will be doing 3 300 level papers then so I want to choose a paper which does not require too much attention... *I think PHYSICS 107 is offered in both semesters.

@Tupac4life Physics 107 is really really easy. You have 2 tests during the semester which are stupidly easy, I easily got 98 for both of them with only 2 days study. The test is also really, really straightforward with many questions being repeated from previous years. The labs are also designed for someone who has never done any physics in their life, so the experiments are simple i.e shine a beam of light through a prism and measure the angle it comes out. Also if you run out of time they just give you the answers. Saying all this the course itself is actually really interesting all balck holes and expanding universe theory, some of the concepts are difficult to wrap your head around, but its really not too hard and once you get your hear around it you fee really smart!! Yea its a first sem course, I would say do it this year as if you are planning to apply to otago doing a 100 level paper in final year drastically lowers your GPA.

 

[Corn_Add_Risk]

[MENTION=11571]Tupac4life[/MENTION] nah I'm heading over to UWS in 3 weeks so Biomed ended for me a couple of months ago.I kinda miss it, hopefully I can make it back for graduation!! Anyway If you are only going for aussie uni's then I say just go for the easiest papers possible. A good second sem paper for your 3rd year is Compsci 111..once again piss easy, even easier than physics. Also if you haven't already done it ECO 151G is also an easy A. I dont know what 108 has but I like the fact that it has an exam worth 60% it's a nice way of saving yourself if you dont do so well in the assignments. However 107 has a garunteed 10% with the labs being so easy...but also the labs are at shit times, and if you are doing some bio papers they are straight after the labs you will have for those papers, meaning 4 hours of labs and you leaving uni at around 6.

 

[Tupac4life]

[MENTION=8906]Corn_Add_Risk[/MENTION]First of all well done man for getting into UWS! Graduation is in May right? Yeah I think [MENTION=12693]Smac[/MENTION] mentioned COMPSCI 111 being easy to me too a couple of posts before. Thanks for the advice anyway. Yeah I did ECON 151G last semester and yeah wasn't that bad. I think it's the labs that put me off for 107 that's why I think I'll probably stick to 108.

@Tupac4life nah I'm heading over to UWS in 3 weeks so Biomed ended for me a couple of months ago.I kinda miss it, hopefully I can make it back for graduation!! Anyway If you are only going for aussie uni's then I say just go for the easiest papers possible. A good second sem paper for your 3rd year is Compsci 111..once again piss easy, even easier than physics. Also if you haven't already done it ECO 151G is also an easy A. I dont know what 108 has but I like the fact that it has an exam worth 60% it's a nice way of saving yourself if you dont do so well in the assignments. However 107 has a garunteed 10% with the labs being so easy...but also the labs are at shit times, and if you are doing some bio papers they are straight after the labs you will have for those papers, meaning 4 hours of labs and you leaving uni at around 6.

 

[Corn_Add_Risk]

[MENTION=11571]Tupac4life[/MENTION] Thanks man! Finally got a degree under my belt, now just 5 more years till I have 2! Good luck bro I hope you choose something easy but also make sure it's interesting otherwise when you sit in the lectures you will just be bored out of your skull! Don't forget to apply this year for non-standard entry..it was my saving grace lol!

 

[Tupac4life]

Yeah I'm doing Cancer Biology and Nutrition for my specialisation within the BSc so I'm not doing Pharmacology papers at all and hardly any Physiology papers. I'm actually mixing my courses with quite a few interesting ones like FOODSCI201 and WINESCI201. I have quite a keen interest to delve more into gastronomy and the nutritive aspect of health with its relation to non-communicable diseases especially that of cancer. I guess Neurobiology, Cardiovascular Biology and Reproductive Biology don't interest me as much as the above two.

Hey with regards to non-standard entry are you saying that I should give a shot for University of Western Sydney at the end of this year? How would the Non-Standard entry pathway apply for it? Are there other universities with non-standard entry for medicine besides UNSW, JCU and University of Western Sydney?

@Tupac4life Thanks man! Finally got a degree under my belt, now just 5 more years till I have 2! Good luck bro I hope you choose something easy but also make sure it's interesting otherwise when you sit in the lectures you will just be bored out of your skull! Don't forget to apply this year for non-standard entry..it was my saving grace lol!

 

[Corn_Add_Risk]

Hey with regards to non-standard entry are you saying that I should give a shot for University of Western Sydney at the end of this year? How would the Non-Standard entry pathway apply for it? Are there other universities with non-standard entry for medicine besides UNSW, JCU and University of Western Sydney?

Am I saying this? Abso-F***ing-loutly lol!! With the way that NZ GPA"s correlate to the Australian system you pretty much don't have to worry about GPA (you still have to get an A minus overall to get the max aussie GPA). Also applying to uni's like western sydney where non standards make up a larger portion of the med cohort like other uni's really strenghens your chances. Also as a non-standard I feel that you perform much better in interviews due to the fact that you are competing with high school kids and you, being a 2nd year plus uni student have a much better idea of what you are getting into and know how to communicate better (hopefully!) Also having 2 years of uni science under you belt before you begin cant huet when you start. It's a nice backup as well if you want to defer and then finish your degree then have a crack at grad med.
All those uni's take non-standards as well as Newcastle..however I think their course structure is changing and soon they may no longer do so...

 

[Tupac4life]

Yeah I did UMAT 2 years ago and got a good raw score back then and I can even go to UQ but again it's provisional entry and it's a total of 6 years so I decided to cancel that last year. I'm not planning to stay in NZ most likely that's why I'm focussing on GAMSAT study at the moment as well as doing STATS101 to spice things up!!!*

The problem with applying to UNSW is not my uni grades but my school results. I first applied at the end of my high school year along with several other people. We had very good results mind you but because CIE results come out too late they rejected all our applications!!!*

In first year of University I was thinking of applying again so I emailed them to see if my ATAR was eligible for an interview. I did CIE for my qualifications and until 2010 for 2011 entry, I would have got in easily with the UMAT (high 90%-ile) I achieved and the grades that I got provided I had a decent interview.

In 2010 my final year at high school I managed to get 3A*s for my A levels and 2 As for my AS levels, I pretty much hit 90%+ for everything. In that same year UNSW stopped accepting AS level results and so I was left with 3 A levels which only equated to 93 ATAR when the cutoff was 96 ATAR which was ridiculous! In the course of a couple of months my ATAR which would previously have been close to 99 ATAR slumped to 93!!! I mean CIE advocates say that solid grades in 3 A levels which I got can get you pretty much into any university globally including IVY league universities and Cambridge/Oxford yet UNSW just changed their policy at the last minute when CIE added a new grade boundary A* which is 90% and above.*

The conclusion is that if you do CIE now you have to do 4 A levels scoring at least 3 A*s and 1 A besides getting a high UMAT and have to apply during the first year of university as a non-standard applicant which I think is quite unfair. That's just my opinion anyway. I'm not saying UNSW is a bad university but they sure make applying a big pain!*<_<

Am I saying this? Abso-F***ing-loutly lol!! With the way that NZ GPA"s correlate to the Australian system you pretty much don't have to worry about GPA (you still have to get an A minus overall to get the max aussie GPA). Also applying to uni's like western sydney where non standards make up a larger portion of the med cohort like other uni's really strenghens your chances. Also as a non-standard I feel that you perform much better in interviews due to the fact that you are competing with high school kids and you, being a 2nd year plus uni student have a much better idea of what you are getting into and know how to communicate better (hopefully!) Also having 2 years of uni science under you belt before you begin cant huet when you start. It's a nice backup as well if you want to defer and then finish your degree then have a crack at grad med.
All those uni's take non-standards as well as Newcastle..however I think their course structure is changing and soon they may no longer do so...

 

[Corn_Add_Risk]

[MENTION=11571]Tupac4life[/MENTION] Sorry to hear about that man, really. I know it sucks a bit especailly when you are told that CIE should make your journey to UNI way easier than NCEA. Personally I feel that all this CIE crap is over rated, I mean at the end of the day even NCEA students come to the same uni as you and do the same course and once you're in uni no one gives a crap about how many UCAS points you have!! Just focus on keeping those grades up dude make sure you have nothing below an A minus in any paper and you're sorted, this will definately help with applying to graduate unis!

 

[Tupac4life]

Yeah well said man. It is over rated. I've grown up with the system but in hindsight when I look back it's in no way superior as all the advocates go about chanting like madmen. I know many more people from NCEA schools in my year of Biomedical Sciences who got straight A+s for their core papers than people from CIE schools. I hear so many teachers from both systems argue that their system is better than the other but at the end of the day it just doesn't seem to f**ing matter when you get into university. At high school you're told to think and not memorise everything. In university not only do you have to think you have to memorise pretty much everything that's put in the course guide and the lecture slides!!!

Anyway there's no point in me whinging about the past, I've got to get ready for MEDSCI 205!!! I asked Marie Ward about what I should do and she said pretty much read over the BIOSCI 107 and MEDSCI 142 course guides over again which I have started doing. Yeah some of the other course co-ordinators advised me to do the same and start preparing for MEDSCI 205 over MEDSCI 201!

@Tupac4life Sorry to hear about that man, really. I know it sucks a bit especailly when you are told that CIE should make your journey to UNI way easier than NCEA. Personally I feel that all this CIE crap is over rated, I mean at the end of the day even NCEA students come to the same uni as you and do the same course and once you're in uni no one gives a crap about how many UCAS points you have!! Just focus on keeping those grades up dude make sure you have nothing below an A minus in any paper and you're sorted, this will definately help with applying to graduate unis!