18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord

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Willyousucceed?Yes!Youwillindeed!(98and3/4percentguaranteed)

MyaffairwithMBChB
PublishedonFebruary28,2011,byLogan

Andthoughthecoursemaychangesometimes,riversalwaysreachthesea.LedZeppelin

Interpretithowyouwant,butkeepinmindthatyourlifeatuniversitywillnotbeexactlyhowyouplanned,mostlikelynot
evenclose.Wecanonlyplanourlivesfromwhatweknow,anduniversityisallaboutchange.Wecannotaccountfor
differentopportunitiespresentedtousdaily,andthatiswhatwillmakeyourlifehereattheUniversityofAucklandaunique
one.

Forme,itsafreshstart,leavingbehindwhatevermistakesImayhavemadeinthepast,theopportunitiesInevertook.Ive
decidedtobetheopportunistIalwayswantedtobe,nomatterhowforebodingitmayseem.Likesomepeople,Iwas
discouragedbywhat,Ithought,mypeersthoughtofme.But,the7thformersfromlastyeararenolongerthetopofthe
foodchain,actuallyquitetheoppositetryingtouncoverbuildingsinthelabyrinthwecalluniversity,itsanewstartforallof
us.Hopefully,wecanbandtogethertoovercomethemanyobstaclesuniversityhastothrowatusformingstudygroups,
studentrepresentativescommunicatingbetweenlecturersandclassestomakelearningmoreeffective,evenintroducing
yourselftothepeoplesittingnexttoyou.Thisishowwewillsucceed.

Logansworldasof28thFebruary2011,600+studentscompetingforamere190placesinAucklandseliteMedical
programme.Iveheardeverythingthereistohear,fromcompetitionsofiercepeopleresorttosabotage,tothosewho
destroylabnotesandleadpeopletothewronglecturetheatre.ThesepeoplewillnotgetintoMedicine.Thoseextremely
passionateaboutMedicinestrivetowardsacommongoal,toimprovethehealthcareinnotonlyNewZealand,but
internationallyandthestepswetakeinordertoreachthecommongoalshouldntinvolvesabotageorhatred.Thingslike
communication,teachingandevaluationbetweenstudentswillbuildrelationships,andtheserelationshipsarethefoundation
ofultimatehealthcare.IurgethoseofyoucontemplatingMedicineasacareer,findotherswhosharethesamepassionas
youandstickwiththem.IntheendyouwillbevictoriousinthebattletowardsMedicine.

TipsforOrientationWeek:

Biomedstudents:duringyourorientationdaywhichshouldbeheldattheGraftoncampus,gotothefrontdeskand
askabouttheaccesscard.Foramere$10thiscardwillgiveyouaccesstotheholygrailofMedicine,thePhilson
Library,alongwithotherfacilitiesliketheanatomyroom!
CheckECMailandCECILregularly.LecturersandCourseCoordinatorscommunicateusingthesesystemsposting
resources,lecturetimesandotherannouncements.LectureguidesandpastexamswillbepostedupduringOWeek.
GetyourprescribedbooksASAP!ThereisaprelabassignmentforBIOSCI101dueinonthefirstlabsession.You
willnotbeabletodothiswithoutthelatestBiologyCampbell&Reece.
IfyouareenrolledinBIOSCI101,youdonotneedtobookaDELNAassessmentasitisincorporatedintooneof
thelabsessions.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutorientationweek,oranythingelse,feelfreetoaskandIwilldomybesttoanswerit!

Logan:)

Like 3peoplelikethis.

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 1/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
58ResponsestoMyaffairwithMBChB

FeedforthisEntryTrackbackAddress

Toni
March1,2011at5:30pm

HiLogan,

IamconsideringdoingeitherfirstyearBioMed/HealthSciatAucklandUninextyearwiththehopeofgettinginto
Medalso.
Ijusthaveacoupleofquestions
WhatmadeyouchoseAucklandforMedicineandBioMedinsteadofHealthScience?

YourfeedbackwouldbegreatlyappreciatedandgoodluckwithgettingintoMed!

Logan
March2,2011at7:57am

HiToni,

Thankyouverymuch!Wellfirstly,thereisadifferencebetweenthecoursestakenineachprogramme.BioMedis
heavilysciencebasedwhereastheHealthSciencesprogrammeismorepopulationhealthbasedwithcourseslike
HLTHPSYCH122.CourseslikeBIOSCI106andPHYSICS160wereappealingtomeandtheyarentincludedin
theHealthSciencesfirstyearsoIchoseBioMed.Iguessitsallaboutpreference.IalsochoseAucklandfor
MedicineaseventhoughentryintotheprogrammemaymemoredifficultthantheOtagoscheme,theinterview
ensuresthattherightcandidatesgetintoMedicine.Inmyopinion,Ithinkthattheoverallqualityofthestudentsgetting
intotheUoAMedicalprogrammeismuchhigherbecauseofthis.Medicinehasbeenapassionofmineforaslongas
Icanremembersoitwouldmakesensetogowithaprogrammethatensuresquality!Goodluckwithyourstudies
Toni,Imsureyouwillbefine!

Logan
March2,2011at8:02am

Iwilltrytopostasmuchinformation/tipsaboutBioMedfirstyeartohelpyouallwithyourstudies!

Logan:)

Toni
March7,2011at3:58pm

Thankyoufortheinformation.Onemorequestionisthereabetter/morepopularresidentialhallthatfirstyear
BioMed/HealthSciencestudentstendtostayin?

Logan
March8,2011at7:47am

Imnottoosureaboutthat.IdoknowthattherearetwoHallsofResidencelocatedneartheGraftonCampuswhich
iswheretheSchoolofMedicineislocatedtheseareGraftonHallandHuiaResidence.Thesearentlocatedtoofar
fromtheCitycampuswhichiswhereBioMedcoursesaretaught:)

O'RorkeResident
March16,2011at12:20pm

ORorkeisthebesthall.Always.Noseriouslyitactuallyis,butapparentlytheyarebuildinganewhallwhichyou
mightwanttocheckout.GraftonfeelslikeaprisonalthoughitisclosertotheGraftoncampus,butwoulddefinitely
recommendORorke,onlybeenthere3weeksandalreadyfeelslikehome.Alsomostlecturesareinthecitycampus
infirstyearanywaysoifyouwereinGraftonyouhavetowalkallthewayintothecityeveryday.whereasitsjust
downthehillfromORorke.

InternationalHouseresident
March16,2011at3:06pm

IhatetobreakittotheORorker,butyoushouldknowthatInternationalHouseisprettyawesomeaswell!Its
prettymuchthesamedistancefromCitycampusasORorke,ifnotcloser,weresetamongsttreesattheendofa
couldesac(notinanuglyhighrisebuildingonabusystreet),wehaveahighershowertopeopleratio,thebestfood,
thecoolestpeople,tenniscourtsandbrickwallssoourroomsareprettysoundproof.Justsaying:)

Taylor
March17,2011at5:25pm

HiLogan,

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 2/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
IhaveanothercoupleofquestionsthatIdontknowifyouwillknowtheanswertoyet,butIllgiveitago

1.WhataretheexamslikeinBioMed(eg.multichoice,essaystyle,NCEAstyle?
2.HowdopeopleacutallygainaplaceatAucklandMedicalSchool/Whatareallthethings(eg.UMAT,interview
etc)thatmakeupyoufinalscore?

Yourhelpwouldbegreatlyappreciated:)

Taylor
March17,2011at5:37pm

IobviouslydidntpresssubmitwhenIpostedmyfirstquestionpreviouslysohereitis.Youmentionedinthisbog
aboutorientationweek,sodoeseachfacultyhavethereownorganisedeventsforthisweekorisbasciallyjust
everyonedoingeverything?
Thanks!

Logan
March18,2011at12:01pm

HiTaylor,Orientationweekispackedwithevents.Inregardstotheuniguides,eachfaculty(forBioMed,itisthe
Sciencefaculty)giveguidedtoursaroundcampuseswhichIhighlyrecommend.Findingclassesiseasyenoughbut
theywillalsoshowyouotherplacesliketheessentialMunchyMart:)

ExamsinBioMedaresomuchbetterthanNCEA.Ihavelookedatpastexamsandtheyareapproximately50%
Multichoicequestionsand50%shortanswer.Shortanswerincludeslabelingdiagrams,fillinginthemissingwords
andsketchingcrosssections.TherearemoreexamplesbutIcantthinkofthemrightnow.Thequestionsarefarless
vagueincomparisontoNCEA,andyoueitherknowthematerialornot.ThegoodthingaboutmultichoiceQsisthat
ifyouhavesomeideaabouttheanswer,the4or5optionstendtoleadyouintherightdirectionifyouknowwhatI
mean?Homeworkisallonlineaswell,onprogrammescalledMasteringBiology,MasteringA&P,BestChoiceand
PeerWise.

InregardstotheweightofyourGPA,UMATandinterview.

GPA=60%
Interview=25%
UMAT=15%

SomeoftheinterviewersareskepticalontheoutcomeofUMATresultssoitsnotasimportant,butstillimportant,as
theinterviewandyourGPA.Thereare190placesthisyearfortheintake,butrealisticallyitsonly100.Thisis
becausetheyhavetoreserveplacesforMAPAS,ROMPEandinternationalstudents.Tobecomeeligibleforan
interview,youmustgainanB+averageGPA.Thisisthebareminimumbecausetheyscalethestudentssoinreality
theymeananAaverageGPA.Abouthalfofthestudentsgetaninterview,andthentheycutthenumbertohalfagain
oncetheyhaveinterviewedeveryone.Somyansweristogetintomedicine,youmustworkextremelyhard,bewell
roundedandbeabletocommunicateveryeffectively.

Anymorequestionsyouhave,Idhonestlybehappytoanswer.IwasinyourpositionlastyearandIwishsomeone
hadtoldmeallofthishaha.Youwillnotgettooannoyingsokeepthequestionscoming!:)

Taylor
March18,2011at3:25pm

WowthankyouheapsforyouradviceandinfoLogan!Youansweredaverythingextremelyindepthithashelped
meALOT!IamverygladtohearthatBioMedquestionsaredifferenttoNCEA.Theexamstructuresoundsreally
good!IamconsideringsittingUMATthisyearbutamnot100%sureifIshouldornot.Whatwouldyouropinion
aboutthisbe?Cheers:)

Logan
March23,2011at11:58am

IdidntsittheUMATtestinYear13simplybecauseIwantedtofocusonmylevel3grades.IsearchedtheUMAT
siteandtheysaythatintensivepreparationisntnecessaryasitsapersonalitytest,alongwithotherthingslike
reasoning.Therearepracticepapersthatyoucanbuyonlinetogiveyousomeideawhattheyarelike,butUMAT
doesntsupportanyonethatoffersUMATcoursesorUMATguides.Itsalluptoyouthoughifyouareconfident
aboutlevel3,thenyoucouldsitUMAT.Ifyousititthisyearandnextyear,Ithinktheywilltakethehighergrade,or
thatswhatIheard,somaybethereismorechanceofgettingbettermarks,butIwilltrytoverifythatforyou.LikeI
said,anymorequestions,feelfreetoask.

Cheers,
Logan:)

Logan
March23,2011at12:00pm

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 3/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
UMATstatesthatyoucanusewhicheverscoreyouprefersomaybeitwouldbewisetodoUMATthisyear,butonly
ifyouareconfidentenoughinlevel3.

Cheers,
Logan:)

Julian(Admin)
March28,2011at2:42pm

PLEASENOTE:TheinfoaboutUMATiscurrentlyunderdiscussionandmaychange.PleaserefertotheFacultyof
MedicalandHealthScienceswebsiteforthelatestinformation.

Steve
April11,2011at1:04pm

HiLogan,
Firstoff,thisisagreatidea!IalreadyhaveaBAandPostGraddiplomaintheartswhichIhavereallyenjoyedand
dontregretbutisfarfromaleaduptotheMBChB.Thisisquiteabigcareerchangeforme.Ialsodidntdobioand
cheminhighschoolfromthelaterNCEAlevelsandImwonderingifyouwouldsuggestdoingsomestudyonthis
beforestartingtheBioMedcoursenextyear,orifIwillbeOKstartinginthelevel100papersatUoA?Alsodoyou
knowiftutoringisavailableforstudents?Cheers

Logan
April11,2011at7:48pm

HiSteve,
IthinkthereisSummerschoolleadinguptothestartofthefirstsemester,maybeofferingfoundationcoursesfor
BiologyandChemistrywhichwouldbeabigadvantagetoyouespeciallysinceyoudidntdoBiologyorChemistryat
year13.However,italldependsonhowmucheffortyouputintostudy.Bythesoundsofityouarereallycommitted
tostudysowiththefoundationscoursescombinedwithyourmotivationyoushouldbreezethrough.Checkoutthe
UoAwebsiteandseeifyoucanfindanythingaboutsummerschool,butalittlehardworkneverhurtanyone!

Goodluck!:)

Hannah
May8,2011at5:03pm

HiIknowyouaredoingBioMedasopposedtoHealthScibutIwaswonderingifyou(orsomeoneyouknow!)
couldgivemeaquickrundownonwhatHealthScienceislikeasanentrancepathwaytomed?I.e.whatsortoftest
questionsetcThanks!

Logan
May9,2011at10:50am

HiHannah,betweenBioMedandHealthSciencestherearefourcommonpapersandtheseareBIOSCI107,
CHEM110,POPLHLTH111andMEDSCI142.ThissemesterbothHealthSciencesandBioMedaredoing
CHEM110,BIOSCI107andPOPLHLTH111.SofarwehavehadtestsforallfourandhavetestsforCHEM110
andPOPLHLTH111comingupsoitsprettyfullonforbothentrypathways.Testquestionssofarhavebeenmultiple
choiceandshortanswerquestionswhichmayconsistoflabellingdiagrams,sketching,etc.Theyaredesignedsothat
youcantgetgoodgradesifyoudontknowyourstuff,asopposedtoNCEAwhichyoucouldtalkyourwayinto.
SoIsupposeifyouknowyourstuffreallywellyoullbefine.

HealthSciencesaredoingafourthpaper,POPLHLTH101thissemesteraswell.Coursedescriptionfor
POPLHLTH101isasfollows:

Thiscourseintroducesyoutothebasicconceptsnecessarytounderstandhowhealthsystemswork.Youwilllearn
importanttoolsfornavigatingyourwaythroughthecomplexityofhealthsystems,including:
Professionsandoccupationsinthehealthsector
Thedifferentarenaswithinhealth(primarycare,hospitals,publichealth)
Differentorganisationaltypes
Withthisbasicunderstandingofwhoswhoandwhatswhat,thecoursewilloffersomeunderstandingofhowall
thesedifferentelementsinteract.Attheendofthecourseyouwilllearnsomebasictoolstoassesshowhealthythe
NewZealandhealthsystemactuallyisandwhatoptionsthereareforchange.

IdontthinkthereismuchofadifferencebetweenthetwoinmyopinionIsometimesstudywithHealthScistudents
becausethepapersoverlap.

Didthathelp?:)

Max
May18,2011at8:24pm

HiLogan,

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 4/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
Iamayear13studentatthemoment,andIplantostudyBioMednextyear!IamabitconcernedwithUMATifI
dontdoaswellastheothers,butstillgetaninterview(assumingIdowellintheinterview),willUMATbethe
decidingfactorbetweenmegettingaspotornot?

Cheers!

Logan
May19,2011at10:18pm

HiMax,
ThatswhatIveheard.Ifthereisapositionthatisopenanditisbetweenyouandanotherapplicant,assumingGPA
andinterviewscoreswerethesame,theUMAtisthedecidingfactor.Iwouldntbetoostressedjustyetthough:)
therearecoursesyoucantakeandtonsofresourcestohelpyoupractice!

Bestofluckwiththisyear:)

Max
May20,2011at9:30pm

ThanksLogan,

Onemorequestion,whatisagoodUMATscore(Percentile)?

Thanksagain!

Logan
May24,2011at9:12am

Sorryaboutthelatereply!
ImnottoosurewhatIwouldconsideragoodUMATscore,butjudgingbyhowmanypeoplearegettingstraightA+
thisyear,agoodUMATwillbe85ish%.BoththeinterviewandUMATwillbedecidingfactorsthisyearIreckon.
ThecalibreofeveryoneIvemetsofarisrightupthere,Isuggestyoudothebestyoucando!Imsureeverythingwill
turnoutfine:)

David
May28,2011at8:18pm

HiLogan,

ImcurrentlydoingmyNCEALevelTwoyearathighschoolandstronglyconsideringmedicineattheUniversityof
Auckland.TobecompetitiveshouldItakePhysicsasalevelthreesubjectnextyearorwillleveltwosuffice?

MyLevelTwosubjectsare:
Biology,Physics,Chemistry,EnglishandMathematics.

Manythanks!

Logan
June17,2011at1:21pm

HiDavid,
Iwoulddefinitelyrecommenddoingphysicsatlevel3ifyouwantedtogothroughtheBioMedpathwaybecausein
semestertwothereisthePHYSICS160paper.Althoughihaventstartedthispaper,agoodbackgroundinphysics
wouldbeadvantageous:)

Sarah
August28,2011at5:06pm

HiLogan,
ImconsideringapplyingforBioMedinAucklandtoo.Iwasjustwonderingwhatsortofthingstheyaskyouinthe
interview?

Logan
August29,2011at8:49am

HiSarah,
Tobehonestwithyou,Idontreallyknowallthatmuchabouttheinterview.Iveheardtheylookforwellrounded
studentsfromalotofpeopleandthatyoushouldknowwhatshappeningintheworldofhealth.Youshouldalsobe
awareMaorihealthandmaybeeventheTreatyofWaitangi,butthatisallIveheardImsorry:(Ifyouhaveanymore
questionsilldomybesttoanswer:)

Sarah
August30,2011at3:29pm

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 5/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
HiLogan,
Thanksforyourreply,maybeyoucangivememoreinformationonceyouveactuallyhadtheinterview?:)
Ihaveonemorequestion:whatmadeyouchooseBiomedicalScienceoverHealthScienceFirstYearasarouteinto
Medicine?Isonebetterthantheother?Also,ifyoudontgetintoMedicinewhatelsecanyoudowithaBiomed
degree?HopeIhaventaskedtoomanyquestions!

Logan
August30,2011at4:21pm

Noproblemaboutthereply,justkeepthequestionscoming!ihopeIgettheopportunitytotellyoumoreaboutthe
interviewlateronthisyear:)IchosebiomedbecauseImamorescienceorientatedpersonasopposedtoenglish
orientated(notthathealthsciispurelyenglish,butmoresothanbiomed).Neitherismoreadvantageoussochoose
whateverdegreesuitsyou:)thebiomedspecializationsareactuallyreallyinteresting:
http://www.science.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/science/shared/about/ourfaculty/publications/departmental
handbooks/2011biomedicalscience.pdf
havealookthroughbutdontletthecompetitivenatureofmedicineputyouoff,Imsureyoullbefine!:)

Bob
November12,2011at5:45pm

Hilogan,woulduhappentoknowtherequirementsforotherspecificcoursesafterthefirstyearofbiomedorhealth
science.iwantedtoseeiffailingtogetintomedicalwouldstillmakeothercourcesaviableoptionconsidering
someonegetsaverageorbelowaveragegradeforfirstyear.

Ola
January9,2012at5:11pm

hilogan,iamcurrentlyundergoingthecambridgeinternationalexaminationspathwayinsteadofNCEA.ihaveyetto
makeupmymindaboutwhetherornottotakephysicsthisyearornot.IhaventtakenitbeforeandInothattheresa
paperinBiomedonphysics.ThesubjectsihavedecidedwhichareAlevelisbiochemandenglish.takingphysics
willbeastrainonmylifeasAlevelsubjectsdorequirealotoftime.WillireallystruggleinuniifidonttakePhysics.
btwiintendtostudyMed:)thanks

Haifa
January14,2012at11:36am

HiLogan,soIhavebeenacceptedintoHealthScienceandBioMedatAuckland,andwhilstImleaningtowards
Biomed,InoticedtheresaPhysicscourse.Imnotabigfanofphysics,andIdbereallyupsetifdoingbadlyinit
spoiledmychancesforMed,soIwashopingyoucouldtellmehowchallengingyoufoundthecourse,andsome
generalinformationonwhatitsabout.

Thanks!

Ray
January14,2012at4:15pm

HeyLogan,
IminthesamesituationasHaifa.Whatisthephysicslike?IsitsimiliartoNCEAlevel3typephysics?Andalso
whichpapersaretheonesthatcounttowardthefinalGPAisphysicsincluded?

Thanksforyourtime!

Emma
January14,2012at7:50pm

HeyLogan,
Justwondering,ifyoustruggleabitduringHealthsciorBiomed,whocouldhelp?Andiamveryweakatchemand
labpracticals,isthereanyadviceyoucouldgivemeinregardstothat?IhavedoneBiologyandPhysicsinhigh
school.

Joy
January15,2012at1:32pm

HeyLogan,
Alltheinformationuponthisblogisamazing!Inordertopreparefortheinterviewwoulduconsideruswatchingthe
news,andreadingeducationalmagazinesaranythignlikethat?AndsinceillbebussingtoandfromUni,wouldu
suggestthatIbuyavoicerecordersothaticantapethelecturesandlistentothemonthebus?

Logan
January16,2012at9:40am

HiBob,
IfyouaretakingBiomed,thenithinkaGPAofoverthreeisrequiredtogetyouintosecondyearcourses.Imnottoo

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 6/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
sureabouttheHealthSciencesideofthingsImsorry.Butifyouregoingformedicine,youwillwantyourgradesto
behigh,sosecondyearwillbefine:)

Logan
January16,2012at9:44am

HiOla,
Well,takingphysicscertainlymakeslifemuchmucheasierifyouwanttodoBiomedthereistheoptionoftaking
HealthScienceshowever.WhatIfoundisthatphysicshelpswithsomeunderstandinginsomeoftheMEDSCI142
topics,whichisanextremelyimportantpaper.Ultimately,ifyouintendtostudymedicine,therearetwofirstyear
pathways,andyoucanchoosetheoneyoulikemost:)
Iwishyouallthebestforthisyearandtherestofyourstudies!Makesureyoustudylots:P

Logan
January16,2012at9:50am

HiHaifaandRay,
SoPHYSICS160iscalledphysicsforthelifesciencessoit*tries*tomakeconnectionsbetweenphysicsandthe
worldasweknowit.Thetopicsincludedare:
Mechanics
Electricity
Waves
Thermodynamics
ItisnotthatsimilartoNCEA,butsomepeopletoldmethatCIEhelpedabitwiththeirunderstanding.Physicsisa
noncorepaper,whichmeansthattheydontrankyouonthispapertoputitbluntly,allyouneedtodoitgetB+.
Thepapersthatreallymatterare:
BIOSCI107
CHEM110
POPLHLTH111
MEDSCI142
ItisidealifyougetA+inthesefourpapers,sincetherewillbemanyotherwhodo,anditmakeslifethatmucheasier.
Soyoudonthavetodoextremelywellinphysicstogetintomedicalschool,butifyourereallynotkeenondoingit,
andHealthSciencesoundsbetter,thendothat:)

Ifyouguyshaveanymorequestions,Idbehappytohelp

Logan
January16,2012at9:55am

HiEmma,
IknowofatutoringplacecalledAvanceTutorsthatspecializeinhelpingpeoplegetintomedicalschool.The
directorsnameisMichaelsoIsuggestgettingintouchwithhim.InregardstotheChemlabs,readthenotes
beforehandveryextensively,theygiveyoueverythingyouneedtoknowitsyourjobtoreadit.Thesupervisorsare
reallynicesoaskquestionsandtheycanhelp(sometimes).Ifyouhaveanymorequestions,Idbehappytoanswer:)

Logan
January16,2012at10:00am

HiJoy,
Iwoulddefinitelyrecommendgettingavoicerecorderthereisnotenoughtimeinonelecturetogeteverythingdown,
andsometimesthelectureguidesdonthavethatmuchinformation,sotheyareagoodreference.

Asfortheinterview,Ithinkawarenessandmaturityaretwothingstheinterviewersreallylookfor,especially
awarenessofcareerchoice,andthemedicalprogrammeitself.Itsgoodtobeawareofwhatshappeningi.e.current
events.IfyougototheSchoolofMedicinewebsite,theyhaveinformationabouttheprogramme,MAPASand
RRAS:)

Ifyouhaveanymorequestions,Illtrytohelp:)

Eleanor
January26,2012at9:04pm

HiLogan,

Thankyousomuchforcontributingtothisblogitisfantastic.TheUMATissupposedtobeapersonalitytypetest
sodoyoubelievethatwithanaverageamountofpractice,peoplewhoshoulddowellinitwill?ordoesitnotreally
workthatway?IaskasmostofmyfriendslookingtodomedarealltakingtheUMATayearearly(ie.inyear13)
andIamwonderingwhattodo.

Thanks
Eleanor

Logan
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 7/12
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January27,2012at7:20am

HeyEleanor,

UMATissomethingyoucangetbetteratwithpractice.UMATismorealogictesttoseeifyouthinkingrationally
andinastructuredway.Ifyouareinyear13,Isuggestdoingitthenjustsoyouknowwhattoexpectinfirstyear.
Also,ifyoutryhardenough,yourscoremayevenbegoodenoughsoyoudonthavetodoitinfirstyear,which
wouldbeabigbonusandalotlessstressful.

Ihopethishelpsandifyouhaveanymorequestionsjustask:)

Joan
February10,2012at9:20am

So,justtoconfirm,IshouldntbookaDELNAfororientationweek?Also,istheDELNAinthefirstlabsessionof
BIOSCI101?

Steven
February25,2012at9:08pm

HiLogan,

YoumentionedtheaccesscardforthePhilsonLibraryandIwaswonderingwhetheryouthoughtitwasusefultohave
duringyourBiomedyearorwhetheritwasmorerelevantonceinMedicine.

Dylan
June19,2012at6:14pm

Hello,Logan

ImquiteconfidentaboutthescienceandmathsbasedsideofentrytoMedicineviaBBioMed,buthowmuch
importanceisplacedoncommunicationskillsincomparison?Whatsortofthingdotheinterviewerslookfor?

Logan
July4,2012at1:39pm

HiDylan,
Icantrecalleverythingtheinterviewersarelookingforbuttwothingsthatcometomindrightnowarematurityand
leadership.Asapercentage,60%ofyouroverallscoreisdeterminedbygrades,and25%isdeterminedbythe
interviewsoIguessitsarelativelylargeamount.Anotherthingtopointoutisthatifyouaresuccessfulingainingentry
intomedicalschoolyouwilltaughthowtocommunicateeffectivelywithpatients,ethicsandotherthingsofthatnature
inboth2ndand3rdyears:)

Hopethishelps:D

James
July6,2012at10:09pm

Hithere,
IamcurrentlyaYear12studentdoingaLevel3Coursewiththeintentionofstudyingmedicine.Iwillhavethe
opportunitytostudyuniversitylevelpapersnextyearwhilestillatschool.Willthisbeanadvantageinentering
biomed?AlsowhatgroupsandactivitiescanIgetinvolvedwiththatwillmakememoreattractivetointerviewers?
Arethereanyotherthingsthatwouldmakemestandout?Thanks.

Kelly
August6,2012at5:21pm

HiLogan,thankyouforallyouradviceonthisblog.Doyourecommendmathematicswithstatisticsorcalculusfor
biomed/medschool?Whereyoucanyoufindoutwhatpapersyoudoeachyear?

Logan
August6,2012at6:11pm

HeyKelly,

Ithinkthatstatisticsisalwaysgood,butitdoesntreallymatterwhichoneyoutake.Ifyoureunsure,dotheoneyou
thinkyouwillgetthebestgradesinbecausetherankscoreforentryintoBiomedisincreasing:O

Imsureyouwillbefinethough:)

http://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/faculty/undergrad/_docs/medical_structure.pdf

ThisisaPDFofthestructureoftheMBChBprogrammeatUoA,wherethenumbersinthebracketsrepresentthe
yearofthedegree:)

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 8/12
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Hopethishelpsandgoodluckwithyourjourney:)

Kelly
August8,2012at9:15pm

thankyou!

Danielle
November5,2012at4:49pm

Hello,
Ivebeenlookingthroughthispostandyouranswersandhavefoundthemreallyhelpfulsothankyou!
IhavebeendumpedwithaparticularlyharddecisionrecentlyandIneedalltheadviceIcouldget.So,Imgoinginto
Level3NCEAnextyearandIintendtotaketheBioMedpathwaytoMedicinealso.Iamtornbetweenchoosinga
subjectIreallylove,French,andasubjectthatwould/couldhelpmealotinUni,EnglishoraTableAsubject.Im
quitereluctantondroppingFrenchbecauseitwouldbesuchanassettobemultilingualanditsmyfavouritesubject.
ButtodropEnglishmightbeafoolishmistake,asitcouldopensomanydoors,incaseIchangemymind.Ivealso
beentoldIcouldtakeFrenchclassesinUni.

IdobetterinFrench,soIwasthinkingthatitwouldhelpboostmyrankscoremorethanEnglishwould.Igetgood
marksinEnglishbutnotasgoodasFrenchandIcertainlydontenjoyitasmuch.

WhatwouldyousuggestIdo?WillLevel3EnglishbeextremelyhelpfulinBioMed?Wouldtheylookdownon
peoplewhodonttakeaLanguagerichsubject?Imsotorn.

Thankyouinadvance!

Logan
November11,2012at10:09am

HiDanielle:)

Englishmayhelpinlateryearsofthebiomeddegree,butIdidntfeelitmadethatmuchdifferenceinthefirstyearin
thesecondandthirdyearofbiomed,youneedtowritelabreports.Idontthinkthatyouwillbeeligibleforthefrench
paperinfirstyeareitherbecauseyouhavebeentaughtFrenchpreviously(youmightneedtocheckthatthough).If
youchangeyourmind,bothfrenchandenglishhavetheiradvantagesandbothcanopenmanydoors.Ithinkthatabig
advantageintakingfrenchisbeingmultilingual,andwouldhelpheapsinadoctorpatientsituationatsomestageIm
sure.SoIthinkthatyoucoulddofrenchinyourlastyearofhighschoolsinceyouwilldobetterinitandyoulikeit
more:)Attheendofthedayyouneedtomakesurethatyoufilltheentryrequirementsforbiomed,andifyoucando
thatwithfrenchthenthatsoundslikeagoodidea:)

IhopethishelpsandifyouhaveanymorequestionsthenIwouldbehappytotryhelpout:)Goodluckwithexams:)

Danielle
November12,2012at9:51am

Thankyouverymuch!

Admin
January24,2013at6:58am

HiAnna,

DoyoumeanoldUMATtestpapers?Ifso,youcanorderthemthroughtheUMATwebsitebyfollowingthislink:
http://umat.acer.edu.au/.

Carnie
February16,2013at5:47pm

HiLogan,

ImcurrentlyenrolledinthecoursesforBiomedatUoA,hopingtogetintomedicinenextyear.
IjustwantedtoknowifregisteringmyselfinasitelikeMedEntrywouldbehelpfulingainingahighUMATscore?

Thanks

Admin
February18,2013at7:47am

Hi,our2012bloggershavefinishedbuthopefullyIcanprovidesomeinformation.

TheUniversityofAucklanddoesnotrunUMATitiscreatedandrunbytheAustralianCouncilforEducational
Research.
ThefollowingstatementaboutUMATpreparationcoursesistakendirectlyfromtheirwebsite:

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/theinsideword/?p=814 9/12
18/01/2017 MyaffairwithMBChBStudentBlogTheInsideWord
ACERandtheUMATConsortiumdonotrecommendorendorseanycommerciallyavailablecoursesoffering
UMATpreparation.NordoACERortheConsortiumhaveknowledgeofthecontentofsuchcourses,orany
involvementintheirdevelopment,oranycommercialinterestintheprograms.ThustheUMATOfficeisunableto
commentontheirrelevanceorusefulness.Itispossiblethatsomecommercialpreparationcoursesmightprovide
misleadinginformationoradvicetocandidates.

FollowthislinktoreadaboutUMATpreperatorycoursesontheUMATwebsite:
http://umat.acer.edu.au/prepare/preparingforumat

Sowhetherornotyouenrollinapreparatorycourseisuptoyou,butitsworthnotingthattheorganisationthatruns
thetestisnotinvolvedindevelopingpreparatorycourses.

Logan
February18,2013at9:36am

HiCarnie,

Ithinkthatitwouldbebetterthanjustdoingthepracticeexamsandhopingforthebest,andthatsspeakingfrom
experience:/Iknowalotofpeoplewhohavegainedentryintomedicalschoolandhavedonepreparationcourses
forUMATliketheonesthatMedEntryofferIthinkthegoodthingaboutMedEntryisthenumberofquestionsthey
haveonofferIvealsoheardthattheyaresimilarindifficultytotherealUMATquestions(thisiswhatIveheardsoI
cantguaranteeanything).Insayingallofthis,ImnotendorsingMedEntryeither:PIhopethishelps:)

Anonymous
February27,2013at7:58pm

hi..istheDELNAteststillruninthebiosci101labfor2013?andistheprinciplesofanatomyandphysiologybookby
martiniamustbuy?asiboughtmineoffishpondbutitwontarrivetill12march!isthatabitlate?orwillibefine
withoutitinthetimeleadingtoit?thanks

Admin
February28,2013at9:10am

Hi,unfortunatelyour2012bloggershavefinishedposting.InformationaboutDELNAcanbefoundbyvisitingthis
pageonourwebsite:http://www.delna.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/
Regardingthetextbookquestion,youmightneedtospeaktoyourlectureraboutthat.

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