let's organize ))))

[hoyden]

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Q for the moderator - can all the threads about residency applications and related ones have their own sub-specialized area? From July 1 until the Match day it is almost impossible to read the forum. Every year there is a flood of almost the same threads. I do sympathize with the new applicants but the separation of their threads may be beneficial to all of us.

Thanks.

 

[Bertelman]

I would support this only if we removed the ITE keywords subforum. It never really got off the ground.

 

[hoyden]

You guys don't like discussing "what are my chances" and "what are the best programs" and "how do I prepare for fellowship as a med student" over and over and over and over, etc.? 😀

We are cruel and heartless, aren't we?

 

[seinfeld]

The problem with every applicant is that they are looking for a simple answer. THey are used to knowing that in order to get an "A" they must study so much and answer questions correctly. Its a black and white mentality. The mentality has been taught and reaffirmed throughout schooling. Now that they approach a fork in the road of life they once again seek that black and white answer. The problem is that most jobs are given based on the feeling that one is that right match. Sure the Resume will get you in the door but it does not land the job, how you answer questions, how you mesh with personality of those looking to hire, etc. Additionally unlike a test where you control your own destiny, in life you cant control whether those interviewing along side you are better qualified, a better match in those intangibles i talked about.

In the end you all you can do is get the highest scores you can, collect the best letters you can, have done the best on your rotations, apply broadly and let the chips fall here they may

 

[Sergio99]

Another problem is that they don't search the forum for related threads. Often they will be able to find answers to their questions in another thread of a few days or weeks earlier. Actually, sometimes there are two or three almost identical threads on the same day.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Probably not, but I am always open to suggestions if enough users agree. The ITE forum is pretty much a bust. IIRC, I suggested some time ago that the ITE forum be merged back into the main one but it just hasn't happened yet. There seem to be about a billion forums on SDN and it doesn't really make sense to keep subforums alive that are not generating any traffic at all.

The WAMC threads are a yearly irritant but I am not sure there is much to do about it. On the front page today, we have WAMC threads for applicants with a 242 and 248🙄. If someone needs to assess their chances when they have great board scores I am not sure they would utilize a WAMC subforum.

Here's a sticky from the gensurg forum addressing some of the exact issues:

New users are welcome in the Surgery and Surgery Subspecialty forums. Really, we like to make new friends. But please observe some general rules or expectations for the forum.

1) Please do a search for your question before posting a new thread; chances are its been asked before

2) Please do not ask the following questions because we honestly don't know or cannot answer:

a. What are my chances (ie, WAMC) to get into surgery?
b. I'm an IMG/FMG/50 yo, can I get into Surgery?
c. I'm a HS student who must be a surgeon or die. What can I do now to improve my chances? (Ok we know the answer to this one...its NOTHING. Relax, have fun, get laid, whatever.)
d. Please find this article/do my homework, etc. for me. Google does a great job of that.

3) Please be patient when asking a question. Most of us are busy residents and attendings and this forum doesn't get the traffic that many of the others do. If we know the answer we will answer it, if not there is no need to bump it up from half-way down the page.

4) Finally, we really don't mean to be rude or mean to you. Many of us do not tolerate silliness, laziness or attempts to derogate us or our field. Surgery tends to be a very hierarchical field, thus we expect that members treat others with due respect given their experience and station in life. Hang around awhile, get the mood of the forum, make a few posts and you will be welcomed in most cases. You can disagree with us but understand that it stymies us a bit to have a pre-med student lecture us on how our training should change or how life as an attending really is. When you get there, you can talk about it.

We're actually pretty nice IRL but sometimes we come off a little brusque in our responses; being tired or overworked is not always an excuse but before you criticize us please try and understand the tremendous pressures we are under.

And if all this is too much to bear, I hear they have cookies in the FM forum.

The gensurg regulars have little tolerance for these type of threads. Perhaps I will post something similar for our forum, provided that the surg mod staff is OK with it.

 

[aredoubleyou]

The name of the web site is student-doctor forum, therefore we should welcome student doctors and their relentless, never ending predictable questions. That is where they are in life and what is important. Regulating and dividing the forum up further makes it boring. Expecting everyone to do a search is unrealistic, way to much trouble for most people, plus, they actually believe that theyre board score of 205 is different than the advice rendered last year for a 209 board score.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Arch, if you still want the ITE subforum merged with the regular forum, I can take care of that. Just let me know.

As far as a WAMC subforum, some forums have a WAMC megathread that they merge all the WAMC threads into. Something to consider.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Arch, if you still want the ITE subforum merged with the regular forum, I can take care of that. Just let me know.

As far as a WAMC subforum, some forums have a WAMC megathread that they merge all the WAMC threads into. Something to consider.

OK thanks. I remember we discussed it at some point in the past in the broader context of what to do with forums that seemed to generate very little chances but no definitive action was agreed up (discussion sort of dies out IIRC).

Is anyone in here interested in keeping the ITE subforum?

Also, a WAMC megathread seems like a pretty good idea. Anyone else in seeing this (WAMC= what are my chances?). So instead of a seperate forum, we would have one superthread.

 

[hoyden]

OK thanks. I remember we discussed it at some point in the past in the broader context of what to do with forums that seemed to generate very little chances but no definitive action was agreed up (discussion sort of dies out IIRC).

Is anyone in here interested in keeping the ITE subforum?

Also, a WAMC megathread seems like a pretty good idea. Anyone else in seeing this (WAMC= what are my chances?). So instead of a seperate forum, we would have one superthread.

It's an awesome idea. For us. For the WAMC posters it won't be that great, however, because it is difficult to search within one long thread.
Since you( or anybody) will still have to glue the threads together, won't it be easier from technical standpoint to just move all WAMC threads and their variations to the ITE subforum, so the interested ones can easily search for their threads there?