I’ve met so many rad human beings at O’Rorke, Orientation day, and all my lectures that I’ve probably said these just a couple hundred times already but here goes: Hiya, I’m Sonna and I’m studying Biomed. Welcoooome to my first blog! Waking up in my tiny (but homely) room in O’Rorke Hall, it’s hard to believe this is going to be my home for the entire year. I guess not all orange things are bad (ahem, the US president). I would show you a picture of my cosy room but it looks like a bomb exploded in here so we’ll save that for another day and appreciate the beautiful exterior of the Mighty O’Rorke!
What dreams are made of.
So much has happened during O’Week, I couldn’t possibly talk about it all: University events like the Science faculty orientation and Toga Party to Hall events like Halls Day Out and the Welcome Dinner. These past two weeks have just been filled with things that are so NEW: new room, new people, new campus, but also new….SNAPCHAT SPECTACLES. I’m so pumped to have got my hands on a pair of these limited, super cool specs and can’t wait to use them to show you little snippets of my life from my perspective (literally). Look out for O’Rorke Hall tour & Campus tour coming soon!!
These are so damn COOL.
The other morning to my shock horror I set my alarm to 6:30PM instead of AM (rookie mistake). I attempted to sort my life together in 10 minutes and make my way to OGGB for my 8am lecture. If this was any other lecture, strolling in 5 minutes before the lecture begins would be no biggie. But the biomedders and healthsci’ers seem to rise at the crack of dawn to secure their seats and the rest come running in some sort of herd-like stampede, as soon as the doors open. So, here I was: stomach rumbling, half asleep, and awkwardly running along Symonds Street – Welcome to University. If you can’t get a seat in the main lecture theatre, you’re directed to another lecture theatre where you view a live video streaming of the actual lecture. Being in the overflow theatre is honestly not the end of the world – It’s the exact same lecture! My advice: keep calm and carry on…to the good old overflow. As for the lecturers, they’re amazing so far and so passionate about what they do (can’t say the same for some of my high school teachers).
Quality content from our butter-hating lecturer
I did NCEA last year and didn’t even have a notebook the entire year, was a chronic procrastinator and did everything last minute which usually resulted in far too many all-nighters and an almost infinite amount of coffee. The amount of study and work you are expected to put in at university is so immense, that my study methods (if any) would be practically unsustainable. But don’t worry – it’s never too late to change! While I praise the lecturers for being able to teach and know everything like it’s the back of their own hand, its next to impossible to listen, take notes AND understand what’s even going on. It’s pretty sweet that all the lectures are uploaded online so you can review the lecture online in your own time where you can pause and play to your own delight. But…still go to your lectures kids! Even though it can be tempting to skip a lecture or two (even if you live 5 mins away :P), it’s definitely worth it to pay attention while you’re in that kind of learning environment.
I just got back from the Auckland 2k17 Colour Run and it was such a colourful and refreshing experience after the first official week of Uni (highly recommend if you have not done it before!). The first week was overwhelming, but its important to not hole yourself in your room and take some time to do whatever you love, whether it just be going for a stroll, hitting the gym, or catching up with some old friends. If you have any questions or want to know ANYTHING at all, whether its biomed, high school or uni related (or not!), leave a comment because I promise I’ll reply 🙂
Best decision I’ve made all year!
Yours,
A naïve first-year who has no idea what’s going on
PS. This blog post is an accurate representation of my life right now because it’s a complete and utter mess.
What are your reason for choosing O’Rorke Hall? I have similar aspirations as you (biomed as a pathway to Med). I come from a small rural community and I am torn between choosing O’Rorke and University Hall. From an unbaised perspective (:P!) would you please be able to list pros and cons for each? Ultimately, I want to be in an atmosphere where I can focus heavily on my studies whilst still interacting with people. Thank you!!!:)
Hi Dikshya! Both O’Rorke and Uni Hall are equally close to the Uni. Uni Hall was built very recently whereas O’Rorke Hall has been around for a while, but still has great facilities. Both halls are fully catered and are catered by the same company. Both halls provide mentoring by second-year students for Biomed students. The main difference is that each O’Rorke floor (around 30 people) are divided into “pods” of 5-7 students who share one bathroom (one shower and one toilet). Whereas each Uni Hall floor (around 30 people) has a large bathroom at each end of the corridor (multiple toilets and showers). I find O’Rorke’s pod structure to be quite homely. That being said, both O’Rorke and Uni Hall are really good places to be! Check out these videos and the comparison chart:
O’Rorke Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuYBc6TMH0o
Uni Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAhvIOI2QnE
Comparison Chart: https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/auckland/on-campus/accommodation/how-to-apply/school-leavers/2017-halls-comparison-chart.pdf
Also you might be interested in my next blog coming soon 😉
hello Sonna
Your blog was really helpful. I too will be joining the O’Rorke hall this july as a first yr student. Could I meet you then and get some tips and useful info regarding my uni life. only if it’s possible for you.
thanks.
Hi Lavi, Sorry for the late reply! I assume by now you will already be at O’Rorke 🙂 I’m on 6th floor, feel free to come say hi!
Hello Sonna, Great job on the first blog entry!
Regarding your comment about rethinking study methods… on Orientation Day there was a session on academic expectations, study tips etc. The slides and links from that talk are available here: http://www.tinyurl.com/bscyear1 . Other readers of this blog might also find the material useful. Cheers and all the best with your studies this semester!
Thank you. The orientation presentation was definitely helpful for understanding study methods that suit my learning style. I guess University is all about figuring out what works best for you!
Are you wanting to go into medicine at the end of the year?
Hiya! Medicine is definitely an aspiration of mine (and the majority of other biomedders). Those doing biomed as a pathway intending to apply for Medicine, Pharmacy or Optometry all take the same papers. If you’re interested in doing any of those courses, keep an eye out on my blog 🙂
Thanks. Were you involved any leadership activities at school? Also did you join any clubs at the university ?
I wasn’t a lead student/house leader or head student/prefect at school but I did take part in a few other leadership opportunities. I will be going into detail about these kinds of things in a future blog (with tips for Scholarships!). I haven’t joined many clubs yet (i’m so lazy), but planning to do a blog on life outside biomed too 🙂 Stay tuned.
Hi, sorry for all the questions but What kind of leadership activities did you take part on? I’m really looking forward to you and Rebekah’s blogs.
I lead the debating club at my school, and was a member on a couple of school councils! Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time during the year to take part in leadership roles 🙂
Are you still doing debating in uni? If so what’s it like?
Not right now 🙂 I’ve been super busy as of Sem 1, but am definitely considering getting involved in the Auckland Uni Debating Society in Sem 2!