Week 1 - I think we made it

I made it through week one!!!!!!!!

Here's a run-down of my initial thoughts on my courses this semester:

 - Biosci 107 - Cellular Processes and Development
I think this course is going to be reasonably straightforward. All rote learning (which is perfect for me :D I win at remembering things). We've covered embryonic development from conception to week 3 in overview form, later on we do up to week 4 in way more detail which will be interesting. I've heard it puts a girl off having kids for a while :P.
Right now we are going over cell and tissue types. we've learnt about epithelia and connective tissue. It's been good to refresh the names, structures and functions of this stuff I learnt way back when.

The lecturer is bizarre! he speaks really quickly, but half of what he says is "And you're listening to this, and now you're writing it down and you're going to remember it for the exam" or "I've written some things on the slide for you to read and you'll read them and takes some notes about them"......... My hope is that by the power of suggestion I might just remember those things he wrote on the slide when I'm in the exam in 13 weeks time.

 - Chem 110 - Organic Chemistry
Lectures for chem have been bring as hell, but the lecturer has suggested that this first week should just be revision for most people. It's probably good, seeing as I haven't done chemistry in three years, to recap this stuff - functional group structures, naming conventions etc. Once I've been over it this weekend, I think I should be up to speed with everything I need to know.
The lab this week was reasonably cool. Chromotographic extraction of leaf components. from the tutor's feedback I understand that my burette set-up was "excellent" and my carotene sample was sufficiently yellow :). I got a good lab partner too - a first year who knows that we can't afford to be on autopilot for even one moment this year if we seriously want to get in to medicine.

 - Poplhlth 101 - Health Systems
The lecturer for this paper tells us that PopHealth 101 is the most important course we will ever take. She said that this is true for absolutely everyone regardless of whether or not they go on to become health proffesionals, which I think is probably a bit of a tough call... not entirely sure that learning how health systems work will be exceedingly relevant to absolutely everyone, but each to his own, I guess. I am really enjoying the course so far though :). Yesterday we were asked to construct a diagram of the system we would implement to manage chronic asthma if we were the Minister of health. T'was a really interesting exercise! lots and lots of things to think about. I'll scan my diagram in (because sooo many people are interested in how I think we should manage asthma >.< lol).

 - Poplhlth 111 - Population Health
This course scares me. This is the course that trips everyone up in OLY1. From what I have heard, even people who get all A+s only manage to get A- in PopHealth111. I'm going to a tutoring session on Monday for this one and hopefully I'll be able to get my head around how the assessments work and things like that.
We are currently learning about epidemiology. Nothing new - just standard research practice applied to   health-related topics. I'm worried though because apparently the tests (multi-choice questions) have the most ambiguous answers imaginable. We shall see :S

Other things: There are some cool people in my classes who I am getting to know. It's really nice having a prescribed course so everyone is pretty much doing all the same things.
I lost a kg this week.... must remember to eat as well as study!!!!!!!!
For one course - Poplhlth 101 - we have to go to tamaki campus on the bus, except there are 1000 odd people all going at the same time so they don't have enough buses. Had to wait for half an hour yesterday for the bus to come back and get us. Didn't miss too much of the lecture though, so that's alright.

Okay, must go have lunch and go over that chem stuff. Fun times :)
 - G