Public Apology

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MFMaspirant said:
It's not the end of the world for the OOP. If I were him/her I would:

1) Scrub all internet existence and vow to be more discreet and careful. Focus on recreating a more professional image.
2) Tell my family exactly what happened.
3) Take the next year or two to get a M.S.
4) Reapply and matriculate 2 yrs later than planned.

Time passes quickly and s/he's very young.
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Easier said than done. The agonizing thought of losing 2 years of physician practice and not to mention pay out of lifetime earning would drive anyone insane.
 
MFMaspirant said:
I don't share that perspective. Lifetime earnings of 9 instead of 10 million is not that consequential. S/he can use the 2 yrs to get a graduate degree and to do some meaningful work in the community. We play our hand as best we can.
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the-big-lebowski-reunion-animated-gifs-6.gif
 
I feel bad for what this person is going through, but man reading the posts he made on here were over the top out of line and really, out of character. While we may think the Internet is "teh InterWebz wich is not teh real life," I think the Internet is becoming more and more integrated into our own personal REAL lives and should be treated with respect because it's used by literally every human in this country. What we say online could very well be just as bad as saying something in real life. It's possible that the school decided (if this is all real) that they only needed this slight insight in Internet persona to make a final judgment of character. Especially for someone this well-known and respected among the forums basically being their school ambassador. As MedPR said, there's hundreds of others hungry to take that one spot. It's really no loss for them. We are all constantly being monitored and judged by those above us.

I have to say though, this whole thing is more addicting than any other drama I have seen on the Internet. Hope it all works out. We will see in a few days.

And if this whole thing is a hoax, this should be a lesson to respect all of your peers, because clearly they can hold a lot over you and make your life miserable.
 
MedPR said:
No actual proof I guess. The person who found out the IP is from Washington is the same person now claiming that the IP is legit. Apparently ACOM uses a "central emailing system" thereby produces different IPs. I guess emails from ACOM have been received from this same IP in the past.

This person is also one of the supporters of the SDNer in question so I doubt they would make up the fact that they verified the IP's legitimacy.
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Wow. If this is true, then I'm definitely thinking this constitutes proof that it is probably not a hoax. =/

Definitely a word of warning and a cautionary tale for us all.
 
MusicJunkie said:
Wow. If this is true, then I'm definitely thinking this constitutes proof that it is probably not a hoax. =/

Definitely a word of warning and a cautionary tale for us all.
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Indeed. I have been abrasive at times on SDN and I've learned my lesson from this other person's experience with ACOM. In real life I'm nothing like I usually am on SDN.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
MedPR said:
Indeed. I have been abrasive at times on SDN and I've learned my lesson from this other person's experience with ACOM. In real life I'm nothing like I usually am on SDN.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
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I think there is this feeling of general anonymity when it comes to the internet. I think this "shield" makes us feel like we are somewhat invincible and not capable of being found out. But the truth is that, at times, it may be easy for us to slip up and mention little things that might reveal our identities. Even the way we type or come across can sometimes indicate who the person behind the computer is.

I think we need to start treating the internet as if it was real life. If you wouldn't say it in person, don't say it here. Just in case.
 
flodhi1 said:
Easier said than done. The agonizing thought of losing 2 years of physician practice and not to mention pay out of lifetime earning would drive anyone insane.
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Right. Because it's good to plan out your entire career and life expectancy at the ripe age of 22. This is the worst argument I've seen brought up here.

I feel bad for the OP..but there's a lot to learn here.
 
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NontradCA said:
Right. Because it's good to plan out your entire career and life expectancy at the ripe age of 22. This is the worst argument I've seen brought up here.
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There was no argument and no one talked about planning out an entire career?
 
MFMaspirant said:
I don't share that perspective. Lifetime earnings of 9 instead of 10 million is not that consequential. S/he can use the 2 yrs to get a graduate degree and to do some meaningful work in the community. We play our hand as best we can.
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How is spending money on an unnecessary degree a good thing?
 
I guess not everyone has learned.
 
circulus vitios said:
How is spending money on an unnecessary degree a good thing?
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This may be a good point. Would the time be better spent "beefing up ECs", retaking the MCAT if necessary, etc?

ECs are not only an awesome experience, but you can also discuss your personal growth from certain experiences if this ever comes up as an issue (although I don't think it would).
 
I really hope this is a hoax. The convenient timing tells me that it is. But in all fairness, as long as the guy was not threatening, and he was just giving his opinions, he shouldn't be punished. What has this world come to? Is this 1984, and is big brother behind that picture frame? Srs, we should have respect but politically correctness is obviously extremely dangerous, even on the Internet.

I sort of know how the person talks, and I thought he was a nice guy. I hope he finds out that it is a complete joke
 
wjs010 said:
I really hope this is a hoax. The convenient timing tells me that it is. But in all fairness, as long as the guy was not threatening, and he was just giving his opinions, he shouldn't be punished. What has this world come to? Is this 1984, and is big brother behind that picture frame? Srs, we should have respect but politically correctness is obviously extremely dangerous, even on the Internet.

I sort of know how the person talks, and I thought he was a nice guy. I hope he finds out that it is a complete joke
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I think the bigger crime, and the one they probably were most baffled by, is having your screenname be your actual name. That is downright ritard.
 
wjs010 said:
I really hope this is a hoax. The convenient timing tells me that it is. But in all fairness, as long as the guy was not threatening, and he was just giving his opinions, he shouldn't be punished. What has this world come to? Is this 1984, and is big brother behind that picture frame? Srs, we should have respect but politically correctness is obviously extremely dangerous, even on the Internet.

I sort of know how the person talks, and I thought he was a nice guy. I hope he finds out that it is a complete joke
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This goes back to the debate of "should physicians have a code of conduct or rules as how to how they should conduct their lives when not in the office"? I think it's an interesting question and would make for a good discussion (I'm not necessarily saying now, but just in general). Should someone's personal life be put under a microscope when in a career like medicine?
 
MusicJunkie said:
This goes back to the debate of "should physicians have a code of conduct or rules as how to how they should conduct their lives when not in the office"? I think it's an interesting question and would make for a good discussion (I'm not necessarily saying now, but just in general). Should someone's personal life be put under a microscope when in a career like medicine?
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No, it shouldn't. I'm friends with an ophthalmologist from brazil. When I'm brazil I can see how completely homosexual he is ( which I'm perfectly fine by) an some of the things he says and does is crude and nasty ( and funny). He goes to clubs and sometimes does things there that I don't need to mention. But, he is an extremely nice, well mannered , professional doctor. I would know. I have shadowed him 😀. Personal life is personal life. Anytime you are addressing an issue as "dr x" in the public eye though, of course you should act like the professional that you are. But we don't need big brother rooting kids out of med school for online opinions. We should at least be able to know which statements were incriminating, and there should be an appeals process ( voted on by a board or something)
 
wjs010 said:
No, it shouldn't. I'm friends with an ophthalmologist from brazil. When I'm brazil I can see how completely homosexual he is ( which I'm perfectly fine by) an some of the things he says and does is crude and nasty ( and funny). He goes to clubs and sometimes does things there that I don't need to mention. But, he is an extremely nice, well mannered , professional doctor. I would know. I have shadowed him 😀. Personal life is personal life. Anytime you are addressing an issue as "dr x" in the public eye though, of course you should act like the professional that you are. But we don't need big brother rooting kids out of med school for online opinions. We should at least be able to know which statements were incriminating, and there should be an appeals process ( voted on by a board or something)
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True but said person was apparently presenting himself as an ambassador of the school and is a different situation.
 
MusicJunkie said:
I think there is this feeling of general anonymity when it comes to the internet. I think this "shield" makes us feel like we are somewhat invincible and not capable of being found out. But the truth is that, at times, it may be easy for us to slip up and mention little things that might reveal our identities. Even the way we type or come across can sometimes indicate who the person behind the computer is.

I think we need to start treating the internet as if it was real life. If you wouldn't say it in person, don't say it here. Just in case.
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Yea I agree. I've learned that from this person's experience and I'll be turning over a new leaf here on SDN. It's the only forum where I'm not "myself".
 
NontradCA said:
True but said person was apparently presenting himself as an ambassador of the school and is a different situation.
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I agree the scenario is a little different and if so, I can almost see why a school would be offended. However, I still think the statements should be questioned and appealed. I would love to see the incriminating statements to at least make a judgement for myself and gain perspective for what NOT to say.
 
wjs010 said:
I agree the scenario is a little different and if so, I can almost see why a school would be offended. However, I still think the statements should be questioned and appealed. I would love to see the incriminating statements to at least make a judgement for myself and gain perspective for what NOT to say.
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Don't say anything that you wouldn't say during an interview. Pretty simple.
 
Cole posted then Ninja'd at 8:55. Looked like he had a nifty golden badge under his name as well.

Did he win an award or something?
 
Mehd School said:
[The Person] posted then Ninja'd at 8:55. Looked like he had a nifty golden badge under his name as well.

Did he win an award or something?
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I saw that too. He must've donated to be gold donor. How much does that cost? I really like the way the lifetime donor badge looks, but I'm pretty sure it's $200+ and I don't have that kinda cash right now.
 
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Mehd School said:
[The Person] posted then Ninja'd at 8:55. Looked like he had a nifty golden badge under his name as well.

Did he win an award or something?
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I saw that as well. I agree with that decision.

I think the best option at this point would be to express regret for making an offensive comment and leaving it at that. Regardless of what someone else might have done, we are all responsible for our own behavior. I think being defensive or trying to continually defend yourself takes focus away from the apology aspect. It may even show that your apology is insincere because if you keep trying to justify it, then are you really sorry? Further, if you keep trying to justify it, do you really see where you went wrong?
 
I just have to suggest that perhaps the decision, if real, had to do with other forums used by someone with the same handle who said much less professional things compared to anything said on SDN.
 
Jas1360 said:
I just have to suggest that perhaps the decision, if real, had to do with other forums used by someone with the same handle who said much less professional things compared to anything said on SDN.
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Earlier in this thread someone said that ACOM mentioned this person's name during the interview day. I don't know when they interviewed, but I'd guess that ACOM's decision was a culmination of the investigation involving more than the recent spat on the UD thread.
 
MusicJunkie said:
This goes back to the debate of "should physicians have a code of conduct or rules as how to how they should conduct their lives when not in the office"? I think it's an interesting question and would make for a good discussion (I'm not necessarily saying now, but just in general). Should someone's personal life be put under a microscope when in a career like medicine?
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on a lil bit different note, what if he was abrasive in real life? some ppl are..is this some sort of reportable offence to the board? abrasive is different from the 'protected' categories.

are docs not allowed to show any emotion like irritation, etc? we are human too.
 
MedPR said:
Earlier in this thread someone said that ACOM mentioned this person's name during the interview day. I don't know when they interviewed, but I'd guess that ACOM's decision was a culmination of the investigation involving more than the recent spat on the UD thread.
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I agree that it is very likely related to much more than just SDN and FB.
 
Lifetime is 250, the Gold is 40 for 2 years.

Can someone elaborate about mentioning the person during an ii at ACOM?
 
MedPR said:
I'm sure you read the post, but just in case: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=13334226&postcount=25

I'm curious what else was said though. Imo it's unprofessional for a school to call out a specific individual (whether by name or some other identifiable info like "creator of XYZ facebook group") like that.
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Maybe they were just trying to alert students that there was a Facebook group available and one of the accepted students had created it? Maybe they mentioned it as a way to give the students information on how to access the Facebook group? I can't say for certain, but it's a possibility.

I don't think it's particularly malicious, but it would have been nice to let him know that they would be mentioning him.
 
This is sad but employers do this sort of digging all of the time. You HAVE to be anonymous on the web.
 
MusicJunkie said:
Maybe they were just trying to alert students that there was a Facebook group available and one of the accepted students had created it? Maybe they mentioned it as a way to give the students information on how to access the Facebook group? I can't say for certain, but it's a possibility.

I don't think it's particularly malicious, but it would have been nice to let him know that they would be mentioning him.
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Yea you could be right. Just the way that post was written makes it seem like ACOM brought him up as an example, and not as just another applicant.
 
MedPR said:
Indeed. I have been abrasive at times on SDN and I've learned my lesson from this other person's experience with ACOM. In real life I'm nothing like I usually am on SDN.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
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I hope this true man.
 
Temperature101 said:
I mean it.. I dont know you at all. You might be a good human being , but the way you come off the internet (SDN)....All I can say is : WOW...
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I know what you mean 👍
 
ACOM should have given the individual in question some kind of warnings before taking such a drastic measure IMO.
 
if this isnt a hoax, what really did him in was the way he associated himself with ACOM.

in my opinion, he had become the poster child for ACOM on sdn and fb. he was clearly very excited on attending medical school at ACOM. sometimes though, schools may not like too much publicity of a certain kind.

let this be a lesson for all of us. how you behave online does correlate with how you conduct yourself in person. you may not think so, but there can be times when your guard is down and something slips out of your mouth. ACOM considered this- how will this individual interact with fellow classmates? with the local community? with people he meets while on rotations?

there is still a chance this may be a hoax. in either case, ACOM has gotten a whole lot of new publicity that it may not necessarily want. if this isnt a hoax, i really feel as though ACOM made a mistake.
 
mersi said:
if this isnt a hoax, what really did him in was the way he associated himself with ACOM.

in my opinion, he had become the poster child for ACOM on sdn and fb. he was clearly very excited on attending medical school at ACOM. sometimes though, schools may not like too much publicity of a certain kind.

let this be a lesson for all of us. how you behave online does correlate with how you conduct yourself in person. you may not think so, but there can be times when your guard is down and something slips out of your mouth. ACOM considered this- how will this individual interact with fellow classmates? with the local community? with people he meets while on rotations?

there is still a chance this may be a hoax. in either case, ACOM has gotten a whole lot of new publicity that it may not necessarily want. if this isnt a hoax, i really feel as though ACOM made a mistake.
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It's not that big of a deal and there is no publicity other than some trolls trying to drag this story even after 2 threads have been locked. Let it go guys and just chill out.
 
Come on guys, this is clearly a SDN-sanctioned exploitation of pre-med paranoia in order to score more gold donors.
 
shinbeats said:
It's not that big of a deal and there is no publicity other than some trolls trying to drag this story even after 2 threads have been locked. Let it go guys and just chill out.
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👍

I lol'd when I saw this thread pop up. People love drama, amirite?
 
mersi said:
this is interesting as when I interviewed at ACOM, they actually brought him up as he created the ACOM FB group. its obvious that someone must have reported him and ACOM looked in to his online posts and stuff. figured he was too much of a liability. i distinctly remember how much the dean at ACOM stressed respect and how they even denied a potential faculty member after seeing how he treated a waitress at a restaurant. so with them being a new school and all, they dont want to take any chances. having seen the letter and some of the things written on it regarding them informing the authorities, theres much more to this...

so lets see what happens come monday. if it is a hoax, someone needs to call up the fbi or something
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Where is the actual letter? This stuff is legendary, neurotic premeds will wonder for years if this is real or not, like the blair witch project or sasquatch, and "the guy" has all but dissapeared into the unknown lol.
 
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