Interviewer asking about SDN?

[ChrisMack390]

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I discovered SDN by googling "tips to get into medical school" or something similar.

If someone didn't do the same, that is 100% on them. It's not exactly a secret.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Also, I think SDN thrives in large part due to the terrible quality of most pre-med advising. The 3-4 threads I've made asking for advice on here have been 1000X more helpful than either of my pre-med advisors have ever come close to.

Those 2 advisors work at a top 40 research university and an Ivy League school with a medical school. If they had literally anything to say other than restating that I got a C in freshman biology and therefore can't get into medical school, I would never have sought other resources.

 

[Lost in Translation]

Are there premeds not on SDN?

I submitted my primary app before I joined SDN. Granted, I looked at the forum earlier but I didn't lurk.

Also, I think SDN thrives in large part due to the terrible quality of most pre-med advising. The 3-4 threads I've made asking for advice on here have been 1000X more helpful than either of my pre-med advisors have ever come close to.

And I think this is why I didn't join SDN earlier; my premed advising was pretty solid so I never found myself thinking I needed more help. And I still don't. I'm just here to read from past experiences and get more insight on the process.

 

[cherubb3]

For all of the hate this place can get, I say that pre-meds that don't at least read the content here are doing themselves a big disservice. I wouldn't have known what to do to get into medical school without the info I found on this site. The same people that would think me crazy for reading and posting here have actually complimented me on doing my research about the application process. This is honestly the best resource, if one is willing to wade through the trolls and neuroticism.

 

[Gandyy]

My main issue with the anti DO hate is that it is no longer "easy" to get into many DO schools. You cant have a 25 MCAT and 3.3 GPA and have a "good shot" at a DO school (Yes there are a few exceptions) anymore. Many DO schools have comparable Lizzy M's to low tier MD schools. The competitive atmosphere in medical school admissions is totally different than it was 10 years ago.

 

[jl lin]

It's very easy to come up with "stressful" questions. You just keep pushing on a certain topic until it hurts and the applicant can't go any further. Stress is more about the environment and responses to interviewee answers than it is about the initial question. You can ask a very difficult question and make it very friendly and easy to talk through, but you can also ask a very easy question and make the interviewer think they're in hell.

Yes. Exactly.

 

[jl lin]

SDNers even educate each other about stress questions, how to recognize them, and how to respond. When interviewees are able to field these gracefully, imagine the dismay of the curmudgeonly adcomm interviewer. His/her pure process was corrupted. Oops.

Yes, and maybe they've just learned that life can be tough, and they have been through worse things, and that this also shall pass. 😉

 

[jl lin]

At least three SDNers are my students, but they don't know who I am.

You know who they are, but they don't know who you are? So did they just outright tell you? 😕

The closest anyone could get to being SURE is if they were able to trace the ISP addy to the person's. Even then, b/c of friends and other users, it could never be used as 100%, but it could be enough to allow for pre-conceived biases to have impact. Regardless, it is what it is.

 

[bee17]

I agree that lack of advising drives SDN. One of my first posts on SDN was a frantic "omg help me" post in the MD/PhD forum because my school's pre-health professions advisor told me that I would need close to 10 LORs for MD/PhD. 😱
I have since obtained all of my application advice from SDN. Without an acceptance, I can't yet say if it has paid off, but with a few IIs, I'm hoping it will.