Admissions People Reading SDN

[Toxic]

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Indeed it was Toxic -- but we cant pick you if we dont know who you are!! Danged if you do, and danged if you dont.......

Its tough being a premed....we just can't win 😛

 

[Flopotomist]

After reading a few years worth of interview feedback, it seems that some schools do NOT read SDN, or they just don't care to improve on some of the areas where there is opportunity for improvement. I think that if adcoms DO read here, they should look closely at any systemic problems that are identified through this semi-anonymous forum (such as crazy interviewers, 5 hour delays between interviews, unmotivated tour guides, the horrors of a closed file panel interview, etc.)

 

[BooMed]

Oregon: I spend one week every semester teaching Intro Anth students about the potlach; would love to be out there and see one for myself!
/QUOTE]

gdbaby, what's a potlatch? 😕 Is it some kind of mythical Oregon thing or a drug reference?

 

[PittMedicine]

I can say whatever nonsense I want to, b/c I don't live in Wilkes-Bare like I said I did!!!! I just grew up there!!!

 

[ShyRem]

Wilkes-Barre? I grew up in Dallas, PA! dang.. most folks don't even know where Wilkes-Barre is.

 

[QofQuimica]

Indeed it was Toxic -- but we cant pick you if we dont know who you are!! Danged if you do, and danged if you dont.......

Well, I'm glad that you know who I am then. 😉 And I have to agree with the previous posters that it's really great of you to come on here and answer questions for applicants. 👍 I hope you know how much we appreciate it. These are the neurotic times that try the pre-med soul....

 

[MoosePilot]

Well, I'm glad that you know who I am then. 😉 And I have to agree with the previous posters that it's really great of you to come on here and answer questions for applicants. 👍 I hope you know how much we appreciate it. These are the neurotic times that try the pre-med soul....

Yep. It's better after some successes, but the fact that it's still trying tells me how trying it really is.

 

[gdbaby]

gdbaby, what's a potlatch? 😕 Is it some kind of mythical Oregon thing or a drug reference?

Boo, a potlach is a competitive feasting event among NW Coast Indian tribes. It is a cultural adaptation to variation in resources with the changes in seasons, while strengthening alliances over pretty wide geography.

 

[MoosePilot]

Boo, a potlach is a competitive feasting event among NW Coast Indian tribes. It is a cultural adaptation to variation in resources with the changes in seasons, while strengthening alliances over pretty wide geography.

It really is kind of cool, in that it redistributes wealth while trading social status/power. It was one of the most interesting things I studied in my Native American studies class.

 

[REL]

After reading a few years worth of interview feedback, it seems that some schools do NOT read SDN, or they just don't care to improve on some of the areas where there is opportunity for improvement. I think that if adcoms DO read here, they should look closely at any systemic problems that are identified through this semi-anonymous forum (such as crazy interviewers, 5 hour delays between interviews, unmotivated tour guides, the horrors of a closed file panel interview, etc.)

And this is precisely one of the few reasons that the few of us visit. We do care about the day AND the applicants. It has nothing to do with and intelligence "mission" to "recover" name/alias or the verbage you use in citing your opinions and understandings. I post only help de-confuse those seeking information. Most of the time you come to the proper conclusions because there are some current med students and others who have "experienced the system" to provide some guidance or refer to proper references (especailly the MSAR). Many times I would love to chime in, but dont --- simply because the discussions are opinion-based. Some see commercial magazines (US News, Princeton Review, etc) as sources of fact, especially for rankings. How do they derive their rankings and for what purpose? For example a post several weeks ago indicated that USF and UM were not listing in the top 50 for primary care specialties. What does that mean? Think about it. If you are not putting people into primary care where are they going? Into very specialized areas of medicine. It means the graduates have more opportunities for receiving specialized training to do more than primary care. UM/USF have large and diverse patient populations for training students in a multitude of very busy, specialized facilities --- in short the students get a more high-class variety of training. So now back to the poll and the basic premise --- is it good to be in the top 50 for primary care? You will have to answer that on your own. We are a numbers-driven, poll-overusued society. If you sit down and review all of the opportunities available at each school and the environment you would most excell within, you will find the best school for you. You DO need a large population and you DO need a diverse population and medical facilities to experience all in your student life. (I remember a few posts ago where someone was extolling the virtues of the clinical facilities of Shands and the VA and how wonderful the Jax facility with patient loads and diverse cases. Certainly you get a good clinical education there, but you still have much less clinical opportunity than at UM/USF. Do the research -- dont get overcome by swamp gas politico numbers. Its a super place for an undergrad education -- you have to determine whether it will serve your needs for a much more intense degree.) You DO need to look deep into the curriculum of each school (something that is vastly different at each of the Florida schools), you do need to look at residencies --- tho UF/UM/USF have different curriculum, you will be equally ready for a super residency if you work hard in any of those programs. I want you to know these things so that you can select the right med program for you. Many get mesmerized by other peripheral things to make their school selections that really dont matter. Get away from the numbers and get into the facts that matter. Short answer: You have some great opportunities in Florida for medical schools and each is different, determine which is best for you and go for it.
Finally, it's great to see something like SDN where you can exchange ideas and goof off too. Let it continue, adcoms simply do not have the time or desire to "break" your code names. I visit only to provide assistance and get the gist of perceptions to make corrections if necessary and if possible. Usually I will only post when invited or when I can provide some clarity. I hope that this was one of those times.

 

[IAMS]

Finally, it's great to see something like SDN where you can exchange ideas

So it's safe for the munchkins to come out and play???
Whew..... 😳

 

[LJDHC05]

I've been away from SDN for a while, mostly because I started seeing the same types of posts all the time and, honestly, if I read another post about someone being accepted to school in the middle of september I was going to have an ulcer.

SDN is a free forum. It's a forum not only for us overly anal pre-meds to bitch about applications/classes/mcats/other life issues, but also to exchange information about this very confusing, all-consuming, year long process of applications. I think that latter role gets lost a lot of the time as we're consumed by stress or in the heat of a debate over how much money we're going to all make in a decade as the top (Insert specialty) in the universe. So as that wealth of information, wouldnt you rather have the information striaght from someone who knows instead of someone who's making it up or heard about it third-hand from an undergrad advisor? I dont know about you all, but I greatly appreciate REL's posts when they show up, because he cuts through all the BS and lays out some fact.

And really, do you think that ADCOMs really have the time or energy to match up your forum name and MD applicant file to your real application??? They have thousands of applicaitons to go through. By reading through some of these rediculous posts, they get to view an anonymous cross section of the applicant pool and read our uninhibited thoughts on what we are concerned about and what we're passionite about and what we think of their program. Bottom line, it's also a wealth of information for them!

 

[gujuDoc]

I've been away from SDN for a while, mostly because I started seeing the same types of posts all the time and, honestly, if I read another post about someone being accepted to school in the middle of september I was going to have an ulcer.

SDN is a free forum. It's a forum not only for us overly anal pre-meds to bitch about applications/classes/mcats/other life issues, but also to exchange information about this very confusing, all-consuming, year long process of applications. I think that latter role gets lost a lot of the time as we're consumed by stress or in the heat of a debate over how much money we're going to all make in a decade as the top (Insert specialty) in the universe. So as that wealth of information, wouldnt you rather have the information striaght from someone who knows instead of someone who's making it up or heard about it third-hand from an undergrad advisor? I dont know about you all, but I greatly appreciate REL's posts when they show up, because he cuts through all the BS and lays out some fact.

And really, do you think that ADCOMs really have the time or energy to match up your forum name and MD applicant file to your real application??? They have thousands of applicaitons to go through. By reading through some of these rediculous posts, they get to view an anonymous cross section of the applicant pool and read our uninhibited thoughts on what we are concerned about and what we're passionite about and what we think of their program. Bottom line, it's also a wealth of information for them!

GREAT POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree with this totally.

I for one PREFER REL to post for several reasons.

1. As a USF student, this allows me another way to contact him, if I can't reach him through other means.

2. He provides useful and real information, whereas what you hear from students may not always be reliable.

3. He provides a different view point.

 

[MoosePilot]

Usually I will only post when invited or when I can provide some clarity. I hope that this was one of those times.

I'm always happy when you post. There are a lot of people here who know what's going on, but sometimes it hard to pick them out from the loud but less knowledgeable. Sometimes people listen to whoever is saying what they want to hear. An ADCOM member, though.... that's the gold standard for information.

 

[gdbaby]

I'm always happy when you post. There are a lot of people here who know what's going on, but sometimes it hard to pick them out from the loud but less knowledgeable. Sometimes people listen to whoever is saying what they want to hear. An ADCOM member, though.... that's the gold standard for information.

Ditto, Moose. And this is coming from one of the loud but less knowledgeable!
BTW Moose, in a secret former life I was married to an AF pilot. The T-38 was the "tweeter" right?

 

[MoosePilot]

Ditto, Moose. And this is coming from one of the loud but less knowledgeable!
BTW Moose, in a secret former life I was married to an AF pilot. The T-38 was the "tweeter" right?

The T-38 is the "Talon". I didn't fly it and spent three years ignoring the jackasses who did, so I don't know what they called it (or do know and am blocking it). The T-37 is the "Tweet". I flew that one for 6 months as a student and 3 years as an instructor. It's a blast!

 

[gdbaby]

The T-38 is the "Talon". I didn't fly it and spent three years ignoring the jackasses who did, so I don't know what they called it (or do know and am blocking it). The T-37 is the "Tweet". I flew that one for 6 months as a student and 3 years as an instructor. It's a blast!

Thanks for the refresh. After living in Wichita Falls for 1.5 years, you think I would remember...

 

[MoosePilot]

Thanks for the refresh. After living in Wichita Falls for 1.5 years, you think I would remember...

Generally it seems like spouses don't get as "into it" as us nerds who actually fly the planes

Euro-Nato, huh? A couple of friends of mine went to pilot training there.

 

[gdbaby]

Generally it seems like spouses don't get as "into it" as us nerds who actually fly the planes

Euro-Nato, huh? A couple of friends of mine went to pilot training there.

Yeah, as an anthropologist it was so cool meeting people from Italy, Turkey, Germany, etc., and talk to them about the military experience in their countries. As a spouse, not as cool to never see your significant other.

 

[MoosePilot]

Yeah, as an anthropologist it was so cool meeting people from Italy, Turkey, Germany, etc., and talk to them about the military experience in their countries. As a spouse, not as cool to never see your significant other.

Unfortunately UPT is the best assignment for actually seeing your spouse I ever had. I moved from FAIP to cargo pilot. I was gone over 200 days the first year and flew 1000 hours - the same amount I had flown in my 3 years as an instructor. I would love 12 hour work days and most weekends off now.

But I'll be a doctor soon and out of this lifestyle (and into another one that people complain about).

 

[gdbaby]

But I'll be a doctor soon and out of this lifestyle (and into another one that people complain about).

Indeed you will, and good luck to you!

 

[MoosePilot]

Indeed you will, and good luck to you!

Thanks!

We hijacked this thread pretty badly, didn't we?

 

[45408]

Friends of mine have figured me out on SDN, so I'm pretty sure an adcom member could do it as well, but they'd have to do a little digging. I keep in mind that they could be reading this, but I act pretty normally.

 

[gdbaby]

Thanks!

We hijacked this thread pretty badly, didn't we?

Yep, but I am now turning it back over to those who wish to stew over the Foucauldian "gaze" of the Adcom thread prowlers!

 

[deuist]

For example a post several weeks ago indicated that USF and UM were not listing in the top 50 for primary care specialties. What does that mean? Think about it. If you are not putting people into primary care where are they going? Into very specialized areas of medicine.

From UM's match list, few of our graduate's go into primary care---only 30 graduates matched into internal medicine and the number of family practice residents was in the teens. For pre-meds who are stuck on looking at the rankings, might I suggest that you look into the match list to get a better idea of where you might fit in. UM/Jackson hospital is great for procedure-intense specialties such as optho, emergency medicine, and various surgeries. We also boast competitive programs in ENT and urology. We're able to offer such a wide variety of training backgrounds simply based upon our large patient load---as Rel said, diversity of patients is a great training tool.

(Oh, and by the way, you'll be fluent in Spanish once you leave here. Why, I can say, "No hablo español," much more convincingly as a result of my first-year training.)

 

[gujuDoc]

Yeah I saw the Miami Match lists from last year, and they ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There were a lot of people going to top universities and what not.

 

[Law2Doc]

And really, do you think that ADCOMs really have the time or energy to match up your forum name and MD applicant file to your real application??? They have thousands of applicaitons to go through. By reading through some of these rediculous posts, they get to view an anonymous cross section of the applicant pool and read our uninhibited thoughts on what we are concerned about and what we're passionite about and what we think of their program. Bottom line, it's also a wealth of information for them!

I suspect by and large that adcoms do infrequently look at SDN to see what is being said about their schools, but probably couldn't care less whether they can figure out who is on here or not. However, as with anything you post on public bulletin boards on the web, you should really give out very limited personal information, and only post things that you would not be uncomfortable saying in public and unanonymously. It also is probably foolish to badmouth or vent about any school, especially if you have any hopes of attending. Also assume that if you indicate that you had or received an interview from a school on a specific date, it is usually painfully obvious to adcoms who you are -- it takes very little detective work when you narrow the field for them in this way.