Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) students are panicking – and it's not about if they will get into Med for a change. This time, it’s because there are no tutors to help them get the grades. St Marg’s, Arana, Hayward and 192 Castle College were all without POPH192 tutors at the start of Semester Two, leaving many Med and Dent hopefuls having to fend for themselves in the subject that can famously make or break their meticulous 10-year plans.
POPH192 (Population Health) is a notorious core paper in the HSFY schedule. Critic Te Ārohi has heard that is one of the “easier” subjects on the roster but, ironically, it’s also one of the easiest to fuck up. Many students rely on the extra hall tutorials, which are advertised as a benefit of staying in a residential college, to decode the notorious paper. Instead of the strict regime of numbers and random combinations of letters (or whatever science is supposed to be about) POPH192 takes the crowning achievement of mandating the only written essay of all the HSFY papers. Without these tutorials, some may say they are up Shit Creek without a paddle.
Sources have confirmed to Critic that attempts to recruit former POPH students or older Health Sci students had fallen through, largely due to the confusing structure of the paper and an already small tutor pool. Sam*, a Med student who has tutored for Otago residential colleges for four semesters, says the scramble was obvious: “I received emails from both [Hayward and St Margaret’s] within the past week asking if I would be their POPH tutor — again. I’ve been offered the role at least three separate times. They’ve asked me to ask around Med School too. They’re clearly desperate.” Oh, woe.
So why don’t tutors want to take on POPH192? “It’s the lectures,” said Sam. “They don’t have clear objectives. Most tutorials are built around helping students break down those objectives — but with POPH, we don’t know what’s important. The lecturers say anything on the slide, even a random image in the corner, could show up in the exam. So how are we supposed to guide students when we don’t even know what to focus on?”
Another factor is the fear of being associated with a paper known for its high failure rates, with over 300 students failing POPH192 last year. One of POPH192’s learning outcomes is to “appreciate the complexity of health and well-being”, which requires a high degree of empathy (hard to come by in the HSFY cohort fond of burning each others’ notes). “When I was offered a role again this year, they looked at how my students did last year. Student pass rates impact whether you get hired again — or even whether they’ll pay you more. So if I think I can’t do a good job because the paper’s a mess, I don’t want to take it on and risk looking like a bad tutor.”
Meanwhile, the University of Waikato is inching closer to opening Aotearoa’s third medical school, after Otago and the University of Auckland. With government support growing, the project has just been green lit – meaning Otago and Auckland’s long-held monopoly over medicine may be donezo. With the cost of residential colleges increasing every year, there is worry that many students won't be able to afford the price tag that comes with studying at Otago – especially when basic academic support like tutoring isn't being delivered. As one student put it, “We’re paying a fuck tonne for a ‘prestigeous’ university expereice, but there’s nothing prestigious about having to hire an outside tutor because the Uni can’t get anyone.”
In response to questions, Senior Warden of Colleges Ruben Katigbak confirmed that 192 Castle and Hayward (which collaborate on tutorials) have “recently appointed a tutor for POPH192, scheduled to begin work this coming Sunday, 27 July. Arana College had a tutor ready for onboarding who withdrew at the last minute, so we are still seeking to appoint there.” He added, “We cannot speak on behalf of St Margaret’s College, which is an affiliated college and not owned by the University.”
POPH192’s reputation as a silent killer of GPAs is being whispered a bit louder in the residential colleges this year. With a slow start to the semester for many colleges, it’s good the tutoring problems mostly got resolved at the last minute. Who knows for next year though – there’s only so many students who can get traumatised by that pesky essay.
*Name changed.