Kate Gidlow-Black
Kate Gidlow-Black attended high school in Christchurch but her family has now moved to Nelson and Kate is looking forward to joining them and eventually establishing her own dental practice in that city.
Like many students, Kate's original intention when she first came to Dunedin was to apply for Medicine, and it wasn't until part-way through the Health Science First Year course that Dentistry began to feature as an interesting option. The more she researched this, the more interested she became and this remained the focus throughout her undergraduate degree. Kate was not successful in gaining entry to dentistry at the end of HSFY – the difference in intensity between school and university was a shock – but this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Kate was able to immerse herself in the exciting inter-disciplinary programme that the BBiomedSc degree provides.
Kate chose the Nutrition & Metabolism in Human Health (NMHH) major as this seemed the most logical progression for someone whose favourite first year papers were BIOC 192 and PUBH 192. The wide range of options in BBiomedSc was a drawcard – Kate noted that she was able to take papers from six different disciplines in her third year of study and this interdisciplinary background is already proving of benefit in her dental studies. This ability to incorporate a wide range of papers also provided Kate with the opportunity to take PUBH at 200-level and to then work as a tutor in PUBH 192 – Kate cites this as one of the highlights of her degree.
Kate's advice to students is simple – “Don't limit yourself. Explore all the options and seek out information on all the degree pathways that are available to you”. Kate is looking forward to the challenge of joining a dental practice when she has completed her degree and notes that, with a background in BBiomedSc, she is well-prepared to take up future postgraduate opportunities.
And the best thing about taking Nutrition & Metabolism in Human Health? It's a great excuse for choosing that second chocolate!