SDN identity exposed

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Another image in the same thread :laugh:

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NickNaylor said:
You might be surprised at how identifying very general information can be. Knowing two or three general activities (no specifics - just very basic info) plus a relatively narrow GPA/MCAT range plus your undergrad can be enough to identify you. In my case, I was the only person from my 12,000 person undergrad applying with a 4.0/41, so I wouldn't need to provide any other information beyond that. It's a little different if you apply with more common stats, but still, it doesn't take too many data points to narrow the number of possible applicants to a very small pool.
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Please, for the love of all that's holy, tell me that was a typo.....
 
Barley426 said:
I was a bit surprised how many people here are worried about people finding out their SDN accounts, or that they deny knowing about SDN in public. My SDN account may be fresh but I've been a high poster on other websites/forums and don't worry about those either. To each their own I guess, but I wouldn't mind if my account were browsed right in front of me during an interview.

And the anti-sdn sediment from reddit is funny, because they're often the same people (or at least the same type). :laugh:

Here's a recent reddit thread about SDN:

http://www.reddit.com/r/premed/comments/zjlmx/sdn_rage/

6aRwg.png
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I find it pretty amusing that /r/premed is attempting to not be like SDN. The irony, of course, is that it will inevitably happen as more people join the community. More people = less people that actually do research on something = utterly stupid, inane posts. SDN is not unique to this and is an incredibly valuable resource if the chaff is filtered out. Hell, the front page of /r/premed looks very similar to the front page of pre-allo in terms of the inanity of questions.

SDN doesn't foster or encourage this behavior (though I think the mod team could do a much better job by simply moderating the forum more proactively). The very fact that someone would have to take the time to find SDN, /r/premed, or any other community produces a self-selecting group: those who need help (likely those with weak apps or early on in the process) and those who want to provide help (likely those with strong apps or later on in the process).

Edit: just take a look at the comments of that post. Someone mentioned that since the OP took a 9/7 MCAT it was impossible for him/her to receive a score and, consequently, the story was fake. Sounds like something you would see here.
 
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Barley426 said:
I was a bit surprised how many people here are worried about people finding out their SDN accounts, or that they deny knowing about SDN in public. My SDN account may be fresh but I've been a high poster on other websites/forums and don't worry about those either. To each their own I guess, but I wouldn't mind if my account were browsed right in front of me during an interview.

And the anti-sdn sediment from reddit is funny, because they're often the same people (or at least the same type). :laugh:

Here's a recent reddit thread about SDN:

http://www.reddit.com/r/premed/comments/zjlmx/sdn_rage/

6aRwg.png
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TBH, there's a part of me that feels disappointed in only getting a 39 (I mean, sure, it's 99th percentile, but only the bottom half of the 99th percentile). I blame SDN for this.










I also credit SDN for getting that score in the first place, so it's all cool. I'd probably be sitting in the low 30s if it wasn't for the MCAT forum.
 
Barley426 said:
I was a bit surprised how many people here are worried about people finding out their SDN accounts, or that they deny knowing about SDN in public. My SDN account may be fresh but I've been a high poster on other websites/forums and don't worry about those either. To each their own I guess, but I wouldn't mind if my account were browsed right in front of me during an interview.

And the anti-sdn sediment from reddit is funny, because they're often the same people (or at least the same type). :laugh:

Here's a recent reddit thread about SDN:

http://www.reddit.com/r/premed/comments/zjlmx/sdn_rage/

6aRwg.png
Click to expand...

lol. SDN was so deeply embedded in my brain that I was mad/sad about getting a 33. That didn't last long though, I eventually realized SDN is stupid and a 33 is awesome.

FSU2013 said:
Please, for the love of all that's holy, tell me that was a typo.....
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It wasn't.
 
MedPR said:
lol. SDN was so deeply embedded in my brain that I was mad/sad about getting a 33. That didn't last long though, I eventually realized SDN is stupid and a 33 is awesome.
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This really does get lost here. I do mock interviews with the undergrads at the University of Chicago, and MOST people that I interview have excellent GPAs (3.8+ at a school that is notoriously, notoriously difficult) yet decent but not extraordinary (33-36) MCAT scores. Anything around a 35 is respectable and won't hold you back. Points beyond that are just gravy.
 
MedPR said:
lol. SDN was so deeply embedded in my brain that I was mad/sad about getting a 33. That didn't last long though, I eventually realized SDN is stupid and a 33 is awesome.



It wasn't.
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I wasn't mad at my score (32R) but I was disappointed. However, I would have been a little disappointed if I got a 44 just because I would have been one point from a 45. Sure my score was a few below my average, but I am happy with it.

As for /r/premed, it is a watered down version of SDN. I think we are a little harsher than they are, but we are essentially the same people. However, I feel a little safer getting advice from anonymous people on SDN than people on reddit. I don't see a LizzyM, Catalystik, or NickNaylor account on reddit
 
NickNaylor said:
This really does get lost here. I do mock interviews with the undergrads at the University of Chicago, and MOST people that I interview have excellent GPAs (3.8+ at a school that is notoriously, notoriously difficult) yet decent but not extraordinary (33-36) MCAT scores. Anything around a 35 is respectable and won't hold you back. Points beyond that are just gravy.
Click to expand...

Yea, it's kinda funny. I never knew about SDN in undergrad. Med school was a kind of "well, I don't know what else to do, I guess I'll apply to med school" thing for me. I think if I had planned on going to med school a little longer and known about SDN, I may have actually studied for the MCAT, lol.

When I got my Step 1 score, I was actually disappointed. I had to take a step back and remind myself that in the real world I actually killed it. It's just this crazy sample bias mess known as SDN that made me feel average.

Oh - and actually on topic - I have basically 0 anonymity. Putting my med school and graduation date puts you in a group of 120. I also am the first person in the short (13y) history of my med school to have my major....

I've toyed with the of a new name when I start residency for anonymity, but I don't know if there's a point. Other than political views, I don't think there's anything I write that people could find disagreeable.
 
BABSstudent said:
I wasn't mad at my score (32R) but I was disappointed. However, I would have been a little disappointed if I got a 44 just because I would have been one point from a 45. Sure my score was a few below my average, but I am happy with it.

As for /r/premed, it is a watered down version of SDN. I think we are a little harsher than they are, but we are essentially the same people. However, I feel a little safer getting advice from anonymous people on SDN than people on reddit. I don't see a LizzyM, Catalystik, or NickNaylor account on reddit
Click to expand...

The neuroticism here is a good thing. But misinformation is still rampant. Reddit has all the bad, very little of the good.
 
lobo12 said:
I'm curious as to how people would handle this. For instance, if someone called you by your username at a med school interview, or at school, what would you do?
Click to expand...

Two options for me.

1. Call the agency and plan my escape...
2. Exert my pharmacologic powers on the adcom, so the adcom will forget this question was asked.
 
lobo12 said:
I'm curious as to how people would handle this. For instance, if someone called you by your username at a med school interview, or at school, what would you do?
Click to expand...

Going back through the thread, I noticed that I never really answered the original question.

I would admit to using the site. I mean, I couldn't really say I didn't use SDN when I am the only person applying from my university that has a B.A. and a B.S.

However, I would also point out the value of using a site like this. I would casually say that since they made noted of my account username, they undoubtably noticed the activity of it as well. I would tell them that the advice that has been shared with me, as well as the advice that I have given to others, is meant to aid students in the process and help those who ask for help. Hopefully they don't have quotes from me that I posted here that I am unaware of...
 
BABSstudent said:
Hopefully they don't have quotes from me that I posted here that I am unaware of...
Click to expand...

Yeah that post you made referring to the enormity of your phallic region is going to get awkward really quick.
 
NickNaylor said:
Schools that are more hip to non-traditional forms of communicating and are aware of SDN likely monitor their school-specific thread. That's what our school does. By no means are they trying to identify who people are; they do it more to be aware of questions people are having, problems with the application, etc.. I think SDN users WAY overblow the importance of anonymity and how much schools ACTUALLY care about what you post here. That said, you should certainly be on your best behavior in the school-specific threads or risk getting noticed. A fourth year on the adcom at Hopkins didn't take to kindly to something I posted in that thread when I was applying and sent me a nice long PM berating me and "explaining" my waitlist decision. I wish I had kept the messages - it was probably one of the funniest things I had ever read. Not to mention that I'm sure the admissions office would love to know that they have a student adcom member harassing applicants online (keeping in mind, by the way, that his username identified exactly who he was).

You should also be careful about your antics on SDN if you plan to continue to use the site after your cycle and rep your school.
Click to expand...

Yeah this isn't surprising. I guess I never understood why people are constantly freaked out about staying anonymous.
 
Narmerguy said:
Yeah this isn't surprising. I guess I never understood why people are constantly freaked out about staying anonymous.
Click to expand...

Do you not read the crap that people post? There are plenty of pre-meds to fill our medical schools, if someone posts like a jackass, there are likely better applicants than them out there.
 
mimelim said:
Do you not read the crap that people post? There are plenty of pre-meds to fill our medical schools, if someone posts like a jackass, there are likely better applicants than them out there.
Click to expand...

Absolutely this.

Also, sarcasm doesn't always come though well in text. I love sarcasm. Therefore, not exactly what I'd like an AdCom to see.
 
PreMedOrDead said:
Absolutely this.

Also, sarcasm doesn't always come though well in text. I love sarcasm. Therefore, not exactly what I'd like an AdCom to see.
Click to expand...

thats why I always end my sarcastic posts with a smiley 😉, 🙂, or 🙄 seem to work well for indicating sarcasm through text.
 
I've always thought how weird it would be if someone I talk to on SDN is really a good friend of mine and I have no idea.
 
Irish Football said:
I've always thought how weird it would be if someone I talk to on SDN is really a good friend of mine and I have no idea.
Click to expand...

This made me think of what would happen if a happily married couple setup online dating profiles on e-harmony and didn't get matched up.
 
Mjolner said:
Dad?! Is that you?
Click to expand...

Wait, that was seven years ago and she said she was on the pill. You're pulling my leg, right?

Also, what would a seven year old even be doing on SDN?! Yeah, definitely pulling me leg...
 
Irish Football said:
Wait, that was seven years ago and she said she was on the pill. You're pulling my leg, right?

Also, what would a seven year old even be doing on SDN?! Yeah, definitely pulling me leg...
Click to expand...

It also implies you knocked up a poor girl when you were fourteen years old.
 
NickNaylor said:
This really does get lost here. I do mock interviews with the undergrads at the University of Chicago, and MOST people that I interview have excellent GPAs (3.8+ at a school that is notoriously, notoriously difficult) yet decent but not extraordinary (33-36) MCAT scores. Anything around a 35 is respectable and won't hold you back. Points beyond that are just gravy.
Click to expand...

Erm. Either you are interviewing people that took every easy bio topics class with minimum difficult upper levels, light course load, or pubpol/poli sci/english/stat/econ (some) fillers or I may be considered crazy. I know very few people with 3.8's and they all got there by taking easy classes (which, if you know the UChi mindset, is not exactly looked upon favorably) or by blatantly cheating in every class (which is unfortunately very common in certain groups in all the classes 🙁). I would say I know the majority of people in the last cycle, this cycle, and the coming cycle, and have taken enough classes with them to know their grades....so....I am confused how most people have 3.8+ when I can name off like 20+ people in the previous and current app cycle (who all did the pritzker mock interviews) with much lower statistics....


Just to be clear, having a 3.8 while taking a respectable courseload at UChi is very hard (if not impossible...we only had a handful of premeds who were phi beta kappa this year and the year before, and most of these students got there by playing the easy class/easy professor game). Most decent premeds I know sit at the 3.2-3.3 bench. And those few sitting around 3.7 who have taken rigorous schedules have mostly only ever focused on classes and have inflated ec's. Again, I am making generalizations here based on my classmates and the statistics premed advising gives me. Premed advising directly told me that the average premed gpa is around a 3.1 at UChi.

Anyway, the point of this post was to also propose an explanation for the discrepancy between the seemingly excellent gpa's and lower than expected MCAT. Students who take really hard classes and are pretty intelligent tend to end up in the 3.3-3.5 gpa range and end up killing the MCAT. Those who take rather easy schedules and study hard for the MCAT end up with 33-35. I should note here that all my arguments are observation based and aside from the average of 3.1, I don't have a method of statistically verifying any of the numbers I provided. So take it with a grain of salt!

Maybe you just interviewed the few with 3.8! Just wanted to point out that this gpa is extremely rare and there are often many underlying reasons (aside from the occasional case of genius 😀) for a high gpa at UChi, as stated above.


EDIT: Upon rereading, I realize I sound a little bitter. Definitely failed to convey the "curious" tone. Only contemplation going on here...no bitterness. 😀
 
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Gahjah, this thread was talking about whether you would mind if your sdn username was connected with your real identity (barring pmod and Irish's humorous tangent), it wasn't really talking about easy vs hard class gpa vs mcat score, maybe this thread is better suited for your concerns.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=943443

Cheers mate
 
I have never been called out. Not sure how, haha. I normally posted when I was going to be interviewing. Seems like there aren't too many people in my class who use SDN.

I wouldn't be bothered if I was called out.
 
Barley426 said:
Gahjah, this thread was talking about whether you would mind if your sdn username was connected with your real identity (barring pmod and Irish's humorous tangent), it wasn't really talking about easy vs hard class gpa vs mcat score, maybe this thread is better suited for your concerns.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=943443

Cheers mate
Click to expand...

thanks! I was just replying to NickNaylor....wasn't going to take it further! 🙂

On the side note, I would cry if someone found out my identity.
 
Yeah originally I was going to stay anonymous but when I discovered the identity of a few friends here--I decided to join with this username and avatar. It matches with my gmail avatar thus friends can ID me through that.

I added my MDApps thus people could further ID me.


And I would take NickNaylors Autograph any day. When he becomes US Surgeon General--will frame it--hang it in my office and brag to people how much the surgeon general likes me.
 
Planes2Doc said:
Future gunner!!!
Click to expand...

Good lord, could you imagine a gunner in elementary school?

"OMG I'm below average on the spelling test, I'm never going to go to Harvard!"

Back on topic though, I'd be pleasantly surprised if I met a SDN regular in real life. I think it's a unique experience to navigate the neuroticism and atmosphere here and it'd be fun to speak candidly with somebody else who has encountered the same thing. I've been members of forums here and there since I've had internet, so it comes naturally to me to make sure I don't say anything that I wouldn't say otherwise so the real and internet-life split isn't something I fret over.

I don't have a problem advocating SDN as a resource as long as I make sure I qualify it with the frequent trolling and caliber of people here to give some perspective. My pre-med advisor, on the other hand..🙄
 
kpcrew said:
How do they know?
Click to expand...

They ALWAYS know.:scared:

...In reality, depending on how active I am during the application year, they'll ask another student who will then tell them.

MedPR said:
No offense to NickNaylor (or anyone else), but why would a pre-med want another pre-med's or med student's autograph? 😕
Click to expand...

Ha. I had one that wanted to take a picture with me. I also had one that showed up at my door at 7 in the evening.
 
Myuu said:
They ALWAYS know.:scared:

...In reality, depending on how active I am during the application year, they'll ask another student who will then tell them.



Ha. I had one that wanted to take a picture with me. I also had one that showed up at my door at 7 in the evening.
Click to expand...

This is really bizarre.
 
gahjah said:
Erm. Either you are interviewing people that took every easy bio topics class with minimum difficult upper levels, light course load, or pubpol/poli sci/english/stat/econ (some) fillers or I may be considered crazy. I know very few people with 3.8's and they all got there by taking easy classes (which, if you know the UChi mindset, is not exactly looked upon favorably) or by blatantly cheating in every class (which is unfortunately very common in certain groups in all the classes 🙁). I would say I know the majority of people in the last cycle, this cycle, and the coming cycle, and have taken enough classes with them to know their grades....so....I am confused how most people have 3.8+ when I can name off like 20+ people in the previous and current app cycle (who all did the pritzker mock interviews) with much lower statistics....


Just to be clear, having a 3.8 while taking a respectable courseload at UChi is very hard (if not impossible...we only had a handful of premeds who were phi beta kappa this year and the year before, and most of these students got there by playing the easy class/easy professor game). Most decent premeds I know sit at the 3.2-3.3 bench. And those few sitting around 3.7 who have taken rigorous schedules have mostly only ever focused on classes and have inflated ec's. Again, I am making generalizations here based on my classmates and the statistics premed advising gives me. Premed advising directly told me that the average premed gpa is around a 3.1 at UChi.

Anyway, the point of this post was to also propose an explanation for the discrepancy between the seemingly excellent gpa's and lower than expected MCAT. Students who take really hard classes and are pretty intelligent tend to end up in the 3.3-3.5 gpa range and end up killing the MCAT. Those who take rather easy schedules and study hard for the MCAT end up with 33-35. I should note here that all my arguments are observation based and aside from the average of 3.1, I don't have a method of statistically verifying any of the numbers I provided. So take it with a grain of salt!

Maybe you just interviewed the few with 3.8! Just wanted to point out that this gpa is extremely rare and there are often many underlying reasons (aside from the occasional case of genius 😀) for a high gpa at UChi, as stated above.


EDIT: Upon rereading, I realize I sound a little bitter. Definitely failed to convey the "curious" tone. Only contemplation going on here...no bitterness. 😀
Click to expand...

Of the ~15 or so (former) pre-meds I know, about 12 of them had a 3.8+ in a +/- (no A+) grading system. For the most part they took the exact same classes I did and I can vouch for the rigor and difficulty of the pre-med program at my UG. I didn't go to a top school, but it is a respected school school in the midwest.

I'm not sure what you mean by "discrepancy" between GPA and MCAT. A 3.8+ is an excellent GPA, and outside of SDN, a ~35 MCAT is equally excellent.

There are far more "legit" 3.8 GPAs out there than 40+ MCATs.
 
Myuu said:
They ALWAYS know.:scared:

...In reality, depending on how active I am during the application year, they'll ask another student who will then tell them.



Ha. I had one that wanted to take a picture with me. I also had one that showed up at my door at 7 in the evening.
Click to expand...

Scary... People are crazy.
 
gahjah said:
Erm. Either you are interviewing people that took every easy bio topics class with minimum difficult upper levels, light course load, or pubpol/poli sci/english/stat/econ (some) fillers or I may be considered crazy. I know very few people with 3.8's and they all got there by taking easy classes (which, if you know the UChi mindset, is not exactly looked upon favorably) or by blatantly cheating in every class (which is unfortunately very common in certain groups in all the classes 🙁). I would say I know the majority of people in the last cycle, this cycle, and the coming cycle, and have taken enough classes with them to know their grades....so....I am confused how most people have 3.8+ when I can name off like 20+ people in the previous and current app cycle (who all did the pritzker mock interviews) with much lower statistics....
Click to expand...

You can disagree or be "confused" all you want, but I assure you that this is what I've seen. Perhaps you don't know their grades as well as you think you do.
 
Is it really that hard to just be an adult and act appropriately in any medium, whether online or off? 😕

I've been recognized and approached by several people at interviews. If your online persona is congruent with your real self, you should have no reason to feel awkward or uncomfortable about someone connecting the two.
OCDOCDOCD said:
Put another way, SDN is just like Facebook: I can't see anything good coming from someone finding your profile, but I can see many ways in which it could screw you over.
Click to expand...
I've been personally thanked by an admissions officer for providing helpful advice and being a general voice of reason on their school-specific application thread.
mimelim said:
I learned a long time ago that your online identity can be easily penetrated, even if you hide things well. If someone has the time/energy it is trivial. So be nice...
Click to expand...
This.

I've never quite understood why people seem to think they have any real anonymity online. I imagine it's the same human tendency that leads people to feel invisible while driving alone in their car, digging for gold... :meanie:
 
So I just made an account because I was reading SDN and saw this thread and wanted to post. If someone found out about my SDN identity, I would really not care and would go along with it because I have a total of 1 post. However, as I am revealing my university and have discussed this thread at length with some of my friends, I have already compromised my anonymity.

Getting to the controversial tangent produced by NickNaylor and gahjah, I want to throw my two cents in: from my experience at UChicago, both of you are right to some extent. The list of my "observations":

There are a fair number of premeds with 3.8 gpa's. (+1 NickNaylor)
There is an incredible amount of cheating done by Uchicago premeds. The school has tried-ineffectively-to crack down on this. (+1 gahjah)
Most people who have a high gpas have cheated extensively or taken "easy" classes. No admission committee member or interviewer would be able to know this. (+1 gahjah)
There is nothing to be confused about. (+1 NickNaylor)
Among those who have cheated and have high gpas, not many are actually dumb. Therefore they fare well on the MCAT. (+1 for Truth)
No one tells you their actual grades at UChicago. People lie. This is universal. (-1 Gahjah)
From a small sampling of my close friends, those people who take the honest way through this college tend to end up sitting on the 3.3 benchmark. Unless of course, you are incredibly intelligent (when compared to UChicago's already nerdy student population). Minus gpa points for more difficult classes. (+1 Truth)

This is a very controversial topic at UChicago and it definitely cannot be resolved in a tangential conversation. My 1 post ends here. Perhaps I may post more. The future can only tell.

I laugh to think how many UChicago premed undergrads saw this discussion and had a panic attack because of the GPA NickNaylor posted. To be honest, Uchicago undergrads with lower gpa's who have decent MCAT scores end up at amazing schools. Surprisingly, it tends to be the kids with the 3.4/36 MCATs that have the most successful application cycles. It's not something to worry about. It does make hardworking kids resentful, but that's life. There will always be those who get past you and look better than you through less than honorable ways. Whether you adhere to an honor code or not is your personal choice and is an outpouring of your character.
 
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I got a PM several months ago and they basically knew everything about me (major, who i took my MCAT with, where i lived my first two years in college, etc.)... and they didn't tell me who they were. THAT is creepy although i have my suspicions... I WAS an RA for two years...
 
Hopeful101 said:
I got a PM several months ago and they basically knew everything about me (major, who i took my MCAT with, where i lived my first two years in college, etc.)... and they didn't tell me who they were. THAT is creepy although i have my suspicions... I WAS an RA for two years...
Click to expand...

Pretty much same thing has happened to me... atleast for me it's because I rant about my major alot and it is relatively small.
 
Hopeful101 said:
I got a PM several months ago and they basically knew everything about me (major, who i took my MCAT with, where i lived my first two years in college, etc.)... and they didn't tell me who they were. THAT is creepy although i have my suspicions... I WAS an RA for two years...
Click to expand...

sliceofbread136 said:
Pretty much same thing has happened to me... atleast for me it's because I rant about my major alot and it is relatively small.
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****, I really gotta be careful about the **** I post on the internet. Stalkers like that are ****ing creepy.
 
badap said:
Surprisingly, it tends to be the kids with the 3.4/36 MCATs that have the most successful application cycles
Click to expand...

I want to believe this since my 3.43/37 is pretty damn similar, but I fear it's probably not quite accurate.
 
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