How thoroughly and extensively do admissions officers search a person on google?

[ellia]

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Do they just google the person's name? Do they google the person's name along with their school? When during the process does this take place and who specifically does it?

 

[Biochemistry69]

I think it's a myth.

 

[ellia]

I think it's a myth.

I don't think it is! I just wonder how thoroughly they do search a person and how much stock they put into what they find...

 

[chaim123]

I don't think it is! I just wonder how thoroughly they do search a person and how much stock they put into what they find...

I believe this is not an answerable question. I don't believe admissions offices have "policies" or staff whose job it is to google potential applicants. Perhaps if an interviewer is interested in getting more info, or if an adcom wants to verify something they'll google it.

 

[Welshman]

They definitely don't do it before the interview if they do it at all, too many applicants and not enough time. I wouldn't worry about anything that's not on the first page of google or readily accessible otherwise. I know I made sure to get google to remove an archived image that used to be on social media...

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

When I have an interview I typically look the person up on facebook and google their name if they mention that they did anything particularly unique (start a company/non-profit, won some prestigious award, etc)

 

[Welshman]

When I have an interview I typically look the person up on facebook and google their name if they mention that they did anything particularly unique (start a company/non-profit, won some prestigious award, etc)

on second thought, I did get a notification that someone using the school's wifi network looked at my company's website and I have heard of people seeing admissions employees in their linkedin notifications. I retract my previous statement, this only happened at one school tho

 

[Biochemistry69]

I don't think it is! I just wonder how thoroughly they do search a person and how much stock they put into what they find...

Do you realize some schools receive 10k+ applicants? Do you realize that many of these applicants have common names, like "John Smith"? Do you know how long it would take to dig these things up?

If you're nervous, deactivate your facebook and the rest of your social media.

 

[boogiecousins94]

I had someone from Tufts look at my linkedin before an II, and then I never got an II hahahaha

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Officially "on-record" I don't think they are doing it, especially with applicants. Just too many people to Google, and very few HR staff to do it at each school.

However, I could definitely see this becoming routine in the future. Schools will probably not do it in-house --- most likely submit a list of potential acceptees to a clearinghouse type service that will do "deep searches" and construct an "online profile" of each accepted student for the incoming year, and then any red flags get sent to the ADCOMs for further review.

The big question becomes --- what do ADCOMs do with the information? An incoming student might have an old Facebook photo of himself in blackface at a Halloween frat party when he was a drunk freshman --- is that grounds for rejection? It's gonna get really messy.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Do they just google the person's name? Do they google the person's name along with their school? When during the process does this take place and who specifically does it?

I think the general consensus is that it happens but not always. Keep clean profiles up.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

The real question is what are you trying to hide?

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

I think I remember having this discussion with @Goro and @gonnif and hearing that the admissions staff does ocassionally look at the social media accounts of students that are accepted to their programs.

 

[Goro]

I think it's a myth.

Wishful thinking?

Officially "on-record" I don't think they are doing it, especially with applicants. Just too many people to Google, and very few HR staff to do it at each school.

However, I could definitely see this becoming routine in the future. Schools will probably not do it in-house --- most likely submit a list of potential acceptees to a clearinghouse type service that will do "deep searches" and construct an "online profile" of each accepted student for the incoming year, and then any red flags get sent to the ADCOMs for further review.

The big question becomes --- what do ADCOMs do with the information? An incoming student might have an old Facebook photo of himself in blackface at a Halloween frat party when he was a drunk freshman --- is that grounds for rejection? It's gonna get really messy.

The concept of "they don't have to time to do that" is dangerously ignorant of the admissions process. That's the second time today I've noticed you doing this. Do us a favor and wait until you're actually taking part in med school admissions before you bloviate more dangerously inaccurate info.

With a seller's market, and we Adcom members being the filter between you and patients, you damned well better believe we'll reject people for poor judgment. Nobody, and I mean nobody has a right to a seat in medical school and a career in Medicine. This is a privilege that is earned.

 

[boogiecousins94]

How do they even find your social media (other than Facebook since you prob joined the group) if it doesn't even have your name on it, never has, and isn't linked to Facebook? I have nothing to hide in like Instagram etc as it's all public I'm just genuinely curious how you find people who's real names aren't on it

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

How do they even find your social media (other than Facebook since you prob joined the group) if it doesn't even have your name on it, never has, and isn't linked to Facebook? I have nothing to hide in like Instagram etc as it's all public I'm just genuinely curious how you find people who's real names aren't on it

If your facebook doesn't have your name, I stop looking. Even if I find the person, as long as they don't have pictures of themselves taking shots or have a confederate flag as their profile pic I generally stop looking. As for googling, you'd be surprised the footprint most people have.

 

[altblue]

Lol why does this keep getting asked?

If you don't post stupid things on Facebook etc., you have nothing to worry about. If you do post stupid things on Facebook, change your name, delete the stupid ****, or disable your account.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

Lol why does this keep getting asked?

If you don't post stupid things on Facebook etc., you have nothing to worry about. If you do post stupid things on Facebook, change your name, delete the stupid ****, or disable your account.

Just get a Finsta.

 

[DarknightX]

Depends on how much time I have. Which is usually very little. To be quite honest, usually I’m looking at an applicant file just before the interview, and trying to get an idea of who they are. I’ve never once had the time to google someone. After the interview is done, I usually write up my summary/eval form write away, because I know I won’t have time later. If I had did have some extra free time, it probably wouldn’t be spent googling an applicant.

 

[doc05]

They have dedicated staff doing these searches on applicants. Constantly. It's not that hard to do, and all the important search terms are provided on your application.

 

[DarknightX]

They have dedicated staff doing these searches on applicants. Constantly. It's not that hard to do, and all the important search terms are provided on your application.

You must have went to a medical school that had a lot of money to spend on staff. In my experience, you’re lucky if the staff can reply to all the emails and actually get through all the applications. I was part of the interview process in residency, fellowship and as an attending (all at different institutions), and I can assure you nobody did internet searches on applicants.

 

[altblue]

Just get a Finsta.

I don't have the time, it's hard enough applying 20 filters to my stethoscope selfies

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

With a seller's market, and we Adcom members being the filter between you and patients, you damned well better believe we'll reject people for poor judgment. Nobody, and I mean nobody has a right to a seat in medical school and a career in Medicine. This is a privilege that is earned.

You project a very scary scenario for the "Big Brotherization" of the med school selection process. I literally shudder when I see this type of authoritarian attitude in any institution we hold dear in America --- whether it's the White House, Congress or a professional school admission office. Our core Constitutional values and freedoms should soak all those institutions like a bloody surgical sponge!

I shouldn't have to remind you of this --- but U.S. medical schools have had a 100+ year tradition of churning out phenomenal graduates long before the InterWebs and social media ever existed. Yes, there were criminal background checks in place for decades but that's where it stopped. I don't remember hearing stories in the 70's and 80's about ADCOM people going undercover and snooping around an accepted student's circle of friends and family trying to dig up dirt on them and what kind of naughty/racial jokes they told in 10th grade or what their socio-political views are. That's basically what you're saying is now acceptable in this modern digital age of everyone's life being archived on servers for all of eternity! I for one still believe in good ol' fashioned civil liberties and privacy. Makes me sad that you don't see things the same way.

"America is sliding down the slippery slope to fascism"
--- Ayn Rand (1944)

 

[sophop]

I'm almost positive at least one interviewer (a dean) must have searched for me because she brought up something I had not mentioned in my app (it was good -thank goodness). I know it's strongly tangental, but I did admissions interviews at my undergrad and almost always did a quick search if I had a minute or two before the next applicant came in. Like @doc05 says, it's not hard and it doesn't take a lot of time. Based on my experience as a "professional stalker," I definitely did a search on myself using every possible permutation and would recommend the same.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

You project a very scary scenario for the "Big Brotherization" of the med school selection process. I literally shudder when I see this type of authoritarian attitude in any institution we hold dear in America --- whether it's the White House, Congress or a professional school admission office. Our core Constitutional values and freedoms should soak all those institutions like a bloody surgical sponge!

I shouldn't have to remind you of this --- but U.S. medical schools have had a 100+ year tradition of churning out phenomenal graduates long before the InterWebs and social media ever existed. Yes, there were criminal background checks in place for decades but that's where it stopped. I don't remember hearing stories in the 70's and 80's about ADCOM people going undercover and snooping around an accepted student's circle of friends and family trying to dig up dirt on them and what kind of naughty/racial jokes they told in 10th grade or what their socio-political views are. That's basically what you're saying is now acceptable in this modern digital age of everyone's life being archived on servers for all of eternity! I for one still believe in good ol' fashioned civil liberties and privacy. Makes me sad that you don't see things the same way.

"America is sliding down the slippery slope to fascism"
--- Ayn Rand (1944)

Right. Medicine was much better when we had quotas for race and religion and no women.

EDIT: Sorry. Just because this is the internet I also have to make clear I'm being sarcastic. To pretend medicine was holy and is now tarnished because we screen for judgment is silly.

 

[skk_]

You must have went to a medical school that had a lot of money to spend on staff. In my experience, you’re lucky if the staff can reply to all the emails and actually get through all the applications. I was part of the interview process in residency, fellowship and as an attending (all at different institutions), and I can assure you nobody did internet searches on applicants.

I don't know if its as rare as you imply, although it definitely doesn't happen all the time.

I have a personal site that I run analytics on that doesn't have much on it, just some biographical info, my CV, details + expanded data for my major research projects etc. - I purely set it up as a resource for research-based internships I had applied for in the past and just kept it updated. Because of this, it gets basically zero traffic outside of when people go out of their way to look me up, or I give someone the url directly.

In the days prior to 9 of the 13 IIs I received last year (and likewise, just before many of the interviews I sat, and also during the weeks leading up to several of my acceptances), the only hits registered on my site came from the same city that the school who offered me a II was in. Even more than that, during two of my interviews several details of projects I had worked on that were only mentioned on my site (and completely left out of my application due to space constraints) were directly referenced by my interviewer.

Its definitely possible that my experience was just an outlier, but I honestly had the exact same experience when I applied for (CompSci-based) internships as an undergrad, where its common knowledge this is routinely done. It really would be much stranger to me if medicine opted to go against what is basically standard practice in every other industry.

 

[Goro]

You project a very scary scenario for the "Big Brotherization" of the med school selection process. I literally shudder when I see this type of authoritarian attitude in any institution we hold dear in America --- whether it's the White House, Congress or a professional school admission office. Our core Constitutional values and freedoms should soak all those institutions like a bloody surgical sponge!

I shouldn't have to remind you of this --- but U.S. medical schools have had a 100+ year tradition of churning out phenomenal graduates long before the InterWebs and social media ever existed. Yes, there were criminal background checks in place for decades but that's where it stopped. I don't remember hearing stories in the 70's and 80's about ADCOM people going undercover and snooping around an accepted student's circle of friends and family trying to dig up dirt on them and what kind of naughty/racial jokes they told in 10th grade or what their socio-political views are. That's basically what you're saying is now acceptable in this modern digital age of everyone's life being archived on servers for all of eternity! I for one still believe in good ol' fashioned civil liberties and privacy. Makes me sad that you don't see things the same way.

"America is sliding down the slippery slope to fascism"
--- Ayn Rand (1944)

10/10 trolling

 

[mwsapphire]

Much of background profile research is done by modeling interlinking/cross referencing of known identifying information with preponderance/ points/ priority of information that is associated with it. So if I know say, your birthday, gender, school, zip code, or similar, they may be linked to social media accounts etc. And you can see how time consuming, labor intensive this would be. Actually I am being totally sarcastic. Any admission system, can create a quick report with a brief known profile of applicants, send it to a service and get a report. Schools that more indepth background checks on acceptees, partly because more hospitals / health systems are demanding it. Assume when you get to residency or practice that you will have the social media equivalent of a colonoscopy. They will know you inside and out.

Does this just refer to social media with no anonymity/pseudonym, like Facebook, twitter, instagram? What about anonymous forums, like SDN or fanfiction sites.
Because that's just creepy as hell.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Right. Medicine was much better when we had quotas for race and religion and no women.

The ever-changing American cultural zeitgeist caused med school enrollments to include more women and minorities in recent decades.

Will that same changing zeitgeist demand Big Brotherization of our digital profiles to determine if we meet all the fickle moral qualifications to be physicians?

I fear hearing the answer. 🙁

 

[CleverAdvisor]

You project a very scary scenario for the "Big Brotherization" of the med school selection process. I literally shudder when I see this type of authoritarian attitude in any institution we hold dear in America --- whether it's the White House, Congress or a professional school admission office. Our core Constitutional values and freedoms should soak all those institutions like a bloody surgical sponge!

I shouldn't have to remind you of this --- but U.S. medical schools have had a 100+ year tradition of churning out phenomenal graduates long before the InterWebs and social media ever existed. Yes, there were criminal background checks in place for decades but that's where it stopped. I don't remember hearing stories in the 70's and 80's about ADCOM people going undercover and snooping around an accepted student's circle of friends and family trying to dig up dirt on them and what kind of naughty/racial jokes they told in 10th grade or what their socio-political views are. That's basically what you're saying is now acceptable in this modern digital age of everyone's life being archived on servers for all of eternity! I for one still believe in good ol' fashioned civil liberties and privacy. Makes me sad that you don't see things the same way.

"America is sliding down the slippery slope to fascism"
--- Ayn Rand (1944)

I think the school is more concerned if an individual that has attended their institution is exposed for, or newly does something that reflects poorly on the school. I honestly don't think adcoms has anything to gain by only admitting cookie cutter students, and is in fact detrimental overall. But with everything being posted online often being taken out of context to create a public outcry there will be an overreaction, but hopefully it mellows out at some point

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

So if it’s early in the cycle and you get an acceptance would it be ok to post on social media? Or would this discourage other schools from accepting you?

 

[HomeSkool]

The ever-changing American cultural zeitgeist caused med school enrollments to include more women and minorities in recent decades.

Will that same changing zeitgeist demand Big Brotherization of our digital profiles to determine if we meet all the fickle moral qualifications to be physicians?

I fear hearing the answer. 🙁

Just curious, do you do anything other than regurgitate pseudointellectual garbage you picked up from Mother Jones? Keep this up and I'm going to send you an invoice for my medical bills when I have to see Ophtho for rolling my eyes right out of my head. In the meantime, it would be best if you stopped offering as fact your unfounded speculations about an admissions process through which you have yet to pass.

To all other premeds reading this: assume anything you post online will live forever. Acceptances have been rescinded, jobs lost, careers ruined, and lives devastated by thoughtless social media activity. Don't post anything that might come back to haunt you.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

The ever-changing American cultural zeitgeist caused med school enrollments to include more women and minorities in recent decades.

Will that same changing zeitgeist demand Big Brotherization of our digital profiles to determine if we meet all the fickle moral qualifications to be physicians?

I fear hearing the answer. 🙁

I encourage you to bring up how fascist you believe the admissions process to be during any interviews you may receive.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

So if it’s early in the cycle and you get an acceptance would it be ok to post on social media? Or would this discourage other schools from accepting you?

@gonnif is right that no one will care, unless that one post says something like "Finally got in to my dream school! Can't imagine going anywhere else!"

 

[Biochemistry69]

It isnt. One of the admission directors I know did her doctorate on social media and med school admissions

Do you have a link to her work?

Wishful thinking?


The concept of "they don't have to time to do that" is dangerously ignorant of the admissions process. That's the second time today I've noticed you doing this. Do us a favor and wait until you're actually taking part in med school admissions before you bloviate more dangerously inaccurate info.

With a seller's market, and we Adcom members being the filter between you and patients, you damned well better believe we'll reject people for poor judgment. Nobody, and I mean nobody has a right to a seat in medical school and a career in Medicine. This is a privilege that is earned.

Until I see proof, I refuse to believe you people sit there, combing through social media, looking for dirt on all applicants. Tracking someone's personal life going off of names, birthdays, and addresses is WAY overhyped, and this is coming from somebody who knows how to do it. If your social media is private/deleted, most people don't have the tools to access your information, contrary to what everybody wants you to believe.

 

[Goro]

Do you have a link to her work?


Until I see proof, I refuse to believe you people sit there, combing through social media, looking for dirt on all applicants. Tracking someone's personal life going off of names, birthdays, and addresses is WAY overhyped, and this is coming from somebody who knows how to do it. If your social media is private/deleted, most people don't have the tools to access your information, contrary to what everybody wants you to believe.

SDNers who are medical students (or acceptees) have contacted me via PMs in abject terror because they left enough of a trail here that Admissions Deans contacted them with one of two different messages:
1) knock it off
2) perhaps you'd rather go to a different school?

The social media vetting process may or may not extend to applicants, but if something piques out interest about people getting IIs, then we do look it up. I once interviewed someone who had the same name as someone's avatar here...by checking the person's posts, I could figure out that this wasn't the same person.

But if you wish to live in your little bubble and deny reality, by all means go ahead.

 

[pikachoo]

Does this just refer to social media with no anonymity/pseudonym, like Facebook, twitter, instagram? What about anonymous forums, like SDN or fanfiction sites.
Because that's just creepy as hell.

Well is it good writing or Grey's Anatomy smut?
😉

 

[Biochemistry69]

SDNers who are medical students (or acceptees) have contacted me via PMs in abject terror because they left enough of a trail here that Admissions Deans contacted them with one of two different messages:
1) knock it off
2) perhaps you'd rather go to a different school?

The social media vetting process may or may not extend to applicants, but if something piques out interest about people getting IIs, then we do look it up. I once interviewed someone who had the same name as someone's avatar here...by checking the person's posts, I could figure out that this wasn't the same person.

But if you wish to live in your little bubble and deny reality, by all means go ahead.

Thank you for the polite response. How often does this happen, and what is your usual response to these students?

I can't imagine this happens often. The majority of people aren't aware of SDN. Of those that are, the majority probably don't make an account. Of those that do, the majority probably don't post enough or become "regulars" and divulge any personal information. This is a very, very small percentage of the population, and cross referencing ALL applicants or students (or even 50% of them) with SDN accounts is a waste of time, and probably impossible, since many situations on here aren't unique. If they are finding a student's SDN account easily, then this student is using the same username as their twitter/instagram/unique facebook URL.

I think it's more likely that these medical students/applicants have mentioned SDN to colleagues, professors, or mentioned something about SDN on their applications or interviews, causing the application reader to peruse a bit further onto SDN. Probably by googling "[insert unique personal event]" followed by "sdn", "studentdoctor", or "reddit premed". And even at that, I can't imagine the reader would be often successful, unless someone posted their super unique situation/story in detail.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

I think it's more likely that these medical students/applicants have mentioned SDN to colleagues, professors, or mentioned something about SDN on their applications or interviews, causing the application reader to peruse a bit further onto SDN. Probably by googling "[insert unique personal event]" followed by "sdn", "studentdoctor", or "reddit premed". And even at that, I can't imagine the reader would be often successful, unless someone posted their super unique situation/story in detail.

I find it really creepy and borderline "Big Brother" fascism that a med school administration member would take the initiative to investigate an applicant's SDN postings to try to dig up potential red flags or dirt on that person and deny their acceptance because of what they find out.

That would've been the same thing as 25 years ago before the InterWebs even existed of an administrator bugging your phone and inserting an undercover spy into your circle of friends to listen to all the stuff you say negatively about the school and it's professors and admininstrators.

 

[deleted804295]

SDNers who are medical students (or acceptees) have contacted me via PMs in abject terror because they left enough of a trail here that Admissions Deans contacted them with one of two different messages:
1) knock it off
2) perhaps you'd rather go to a different school?

The social media vetting process may or may not extend to applicants, but if something piques out interest about people getting IIs, then we do look it up. I once interviewed someone who had the same name as someone's avatar here...by checking the person's posts, I could figure out that this wasn't the same person.

But if you wish to live in your little bubble and deny reality, by all means go ahead.

That's a bit eery... Should students not post on SDN if they want to maintain privacy?

 

[Goro]

That's a bit eery... Should students not post on SDN if they want to maintain privacy?

Just don't leave major electron trail, and more importantly, don't be a loose cannon.

The annals of SDN are famous for a poster who had his acceptance rescinded for some inflammatory posts he made on Facebook. Look up the "rescindment of November".

So let's review:
applicants: maybe examined
interviewees: likely examined
acceptees: definitely examined.

 

[deleted804295]

Just don't leave major electron trail, and more importantly, don't be a loose cannon.

The annals of SDN are famous for a poster who had his acceptance rescinded for some inflammatory posts he made on Facebook. Look up the "rescindment of November".

So let's review:
applicants: maybe examined
interviewees: likely examined
acceptees: definitely examined.

Well the problem with WAMC are they give out enough information for a person to be narrowed down to.

I was planning on posting a WAMC to get a school list likely from you next year but I don't want that to be used against me. I have a lot of religious and political posts and since half the nation doesn't agree with my political views and a large fraction of the nation doesn't agree with my religious views it can be a problem

 

[mwsapphire]

Just don't leave major electron trail, and more importantly, don't be a loose cannon.

The annals of SDN are famous for a poster who had his acceptance rescinded for some inflammatory posts he made on Facebook. Look up the "rescindment of November".

So let's review:
applicants: maybe examined
interviewees: likely examined
acceptees: definitely examined.

SDN and FB/Instagram/Twitter makes sense, but digging for every internet account you've had in the last 5 years or so seems like a bit of an insane reach for me. ( Other forums, the like, were there is plenty of anonymity).

 

[deleted804295]

SDN and FB/Instagram/Twitter makes sense, but digging for every internet account you've had in the last 5 years or so seems like a bit of an insane reach for me. ( Other forums, the like, were there is plenty of anonymity).

If you don't divulge a lot of personal information you shouldn't worry about other internet accounts. I think it's just the big ones that they look at because it's easier to get information from them.

After hearing this information from @Goro I likely won't be posting a WAMC anyways. I think my posts are fine but it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't want my med school chances revoked over differences in world views.

 

[Welshman]

Do you have a link to her work?


Until I see proof, I refuse to believe you people sit there, combing through social media, looking for dirt on all applicants. Tracking someone's personal life going off of names, birthdays, and addresses is WAY overhyped, and this is coming from somebody who knows how to do it. If your social media is private/deleted, most people don't have the tools to access your information, contrary to what everybody wants you to believe.

I think the most likely scenario for finding someone’s identity is if they regularly cause a huge ruckus on the school specific forums. Current students, alums and staff are known to be active on them and I’ve heard deans reference them as well. So if a naughty SDNer who is ragging all over the school also happens to say when they got their II (very common) and when they got their decision/what the decision was (again very common) I think it would be very easy to narrow down the list to a handful of applicants. Combine that with maybe state of residence or the multiple acceptance report if you want to be sure and bobs your uncle.

Sounds like it’s more for SDN trouble makers to me. I know if I was in admissions at RFU I wouldn’t have offered myself a spot if I found out who I was on SDN lol

Edit:grammar

 

[Lucca]

I think the most likely scenario for finding someone’s identity is if they’re regualarly causes a huge ruckus on the school specific forums. Current students, alums and staff are known to be active on them and I’ve heard deans reference them as well. So if a naughty SDNer who is ragging all over the school also happens to say when they got their II (very common) and when they got their decision/what the decision was (again very common) I think it would be very easy to narrow down the list to a handful of applicants. Combine that with maybe state of residence or the multiple acceptance report if you want to be sure and bobs your uncle.

Sounds like it’s more for SDN trouble makers to me. I know if I was in admissions at RFU I wouldn’t have offered myself a spot if I found out who I was on SDN lol

I agree. Contrary to popular belief, your GPA, MCAT score and list of activities is not enough to identify you because there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people with similar profiles. Plus I suspect a large proportion of WAMCs are embellished just a bit to help protect against identification. WAMC can only really identify you if you give away your undergrad and something super unique about yourself (Olympic swimmer).

SSD threads would be the way to go to identify people from the adcom perspective.

 

[NickNaylor]

When I was doing admissions committee work, I very seldom Google’d people. It’s a low-yield way to find out additional information about people and, quite frankly, is just a waste of time. The only times I would look people up is if they talked about or included on their application an activity/organization/whatever that seemed interesting to me and I wanted to learn more about it. I certainly never looked people up as a routine.