Did College help prepare you for medicine? If so, how? Tom: I was very fortunate to have the stellar academic
nascent years of medicine. Having been through medical school and the hospital, I have seen that doing well is not just down to pure academics. One has to have some social skills to pass the entrance interview, and these become even more important throughout medical school and into the hospital environment. I have found it easier to interact with patients from different backgrounds because I have tried to collect a broad range of experiences throughout high school and university. Whether this be through volunteering with the Christchurch City Mission Foodbank and Cholmondeley Children's Centre, to working as a carpenter/joiner through university and spending university summers roguing/ driving trucks for the harvest in South Canterbury, I can draw on these experiences to develop whakawhanaungatanga with patients, improve trust and provide better care. The other way that College set me up to succeed as a doctor is through its Rowing programme.
Balancing the demands of training as well as maintaining my academics built good study habits and time management. It also pushed me harder than other sports or activities could have, building my resilience to stress, fatigue and criticism. Medical school is hard work and the effort ramps up moving into the actual job. Having good stamina has been useful to get through 15- hour shifts and 10-day weeks. And I’m still in the easy part of the job with no 48-hour on-call, clinic or operating duties. Jack: I think it did to a certain degree, particularly the Biology teaching that Mr Worner did gave me a very good foundation going into university. Fraser: The Chemistry and Physics teaching translated quite closely into the corresponding papers in Health Sciences first year. Beyond that I’m not sure I can give anything specific. I feel that generally being encouraged to achieve highly and having the support to do so was helpful in setting me up for university.
opportunities and assistance that College provides. Boarding also helped me to build independence and develop skills that helped me with university life. Will: College provided me with a good set of basic skills
for digesting and retaining information, which became
essential when starting university. Luke: College taught me to always show respect for those above you and to find your feet when your approach to a task is challenged. Anthony: My time at College allowed me to establish a solid understanding of the Sciences and provide me with good English and Maths skills, both of which have been helpful throughout my studies. The career talks from the University of Otago held at College also helped me prepare for my first year in Dunedin, as well as speaking to Old Boys about their experiences at Otago. Michael: College gave me opportunities to hone character traits that have proved invaluable through med school and in my Where did you study? Tom: University of Auckland. Will: I studied at the University of Otago, and attended Selwyn
Jack: I studied at the University of Auckland School of Medicine. The campus is based in Grafton. Fraser: University of Otago.
(undergraduate), University of Sydney (postgraduate). Anthony: University of Otago, Christchurch campus. Michael: University of Auckland.
College in the first year. Luke: University of Otago
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