Student Profile

Hok Lim

Hok Lim enjoyed chemistry at school in Wellington, and a teacher suggested pharmacy might interest him. Hok decided to enrol in Otago’s Health Sciences First Year after talking to a pharmacist who opened his eyes to some of the many career options.

“I didn’t fancy going to Auckland, and Dunedin seemed just like a smaller Wellington. And I’d heard all the crazy stories about the lifestyle at Otago and how they had this great hall structure so first years met people straight away and how the social life is amazing,” says Hok.

“I didn’t know too much about pharmacy, but when I got here I talked to people doing research and it made my mind up. The first year was a fantastic year. It’s a great little course. All the papers are chosen for you so you do papers that you’d never have done and it broadens your horizons.

“I found the work quite hard because I really wanted to do pharmacy so I figured I should work as hard as I could for the first year to make sure I got in. Now I reckon I probably overworked — because I cruised in at the end. But I didn’t miss out on the social side because living in a hall it was easy to chill out. I’d get home from a hard study session and there’d be a party going on next door. That was cool. The people here are really friendly, and the diversity is great.

“The second year pushed me a little bit and that’s definitely great. There’s a big workload, but balanced by lots of social events. The teaching style is very different to secondary school. It allows you to be much more independent. In the end you get out what you put in. I’ve had some standout lecturers and there’s lots of support. If you find yourself struggling the lecturers are keen to hear from you and get feedback.

“The Pharmacy School faculty and facilities are great. A lot of time on subjects is out of class so it helps to have the cosy, warm Central Library to go to. It’s like a tourist attraction. Obviously I spend a lot of time there studying — it’s a more pleasant environment than the flat to work in.”

Hok’s now into his third year, hoping to specialise in law and ethics surrounding drugs. “It’s a multi-million dollar industry that can involve life and death, and that raises all kinds of questions.”