I doubt the adcom people do but if I were a student interviewer and only was assigned a handful of people, then yeah, I might see what I can find on the web just out of curiosity.
At smaller schools that get relatively few applicants, they might. I know I certainly wouldn't if I was on and adcom, and even if I did, what I saw wouldn't influence my decision at all unless I saw a massive pile of drugs in some of the pictures or something.
I know lots of pre-meds who make their profiles private to anyone they aren't friends with because of this type of thing. This is for Facebook, btw.
I would. Just to see if the person was dumb enough to make their profile pic something like a beer bong hit. I doubt anyone would really have the time to comb through them more deeply than that though.
What for?? To see if they cant figure out who certain applicants are? Seems like that would take even longer than Facebook.
How is a beer bong hit incriminating? A bong hit, perhaps.
OP: No, I don't think they do. They might like to, but don't have the time or resources.
While I definitely agree with the title of the cover story (keep your online persona clean), I think it's less applicable to med school applicants than it is to those applying for corporate positions. Applying to jobs is a lot different than applying to med school (I've done both). When applying to jobs, topical BS matters a lot more. You have to tell them what they want to hear and basically ***** yourself out to be their perfect candidate. They have a lot more time and resources to investigate frivolous details of their candidates' lives. If they find something negative about you online, you're sunk. In essence, corporate America is really, really stupid.
I think med school admissions committees just want to see evidence that you are mature, responsible, and capable of handling the work load in medical school.
There are too many applicants. Adcoms are busy as it is. Going through all of that is a gianormous task. So, it's not likely to be the norm, though it does happen.
The best thing to do is to live your life online in such a way that it's not likely to come back and bite you in the arse in the future. When a student adcomm realizes out that his interviewee is the one who defamed his granny online, that's poetic justice.
The best thing to do is to live your life online in such a way that it's not likely to come back and bite you in the arse in the future. When a student adcomm realizes out that his interviewee is the one who defamed his granny online, that's poetic justice.
Hacking myspaces, I hear, is really easy.
So.
I'd err on the side of caution, anyway. There are too many whack jobs out there.
So.
I'd err on the side of caution, anyway. There are too many whack jobs out there.
- Apr 5, 2007
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If they do it, they probably do it for those candidates that are being considered seriously for admission.
- Apr 19, 2008
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they can't, my profile is only viewable to "my friends", I've tried to access it using other users under my same networks. It's impossible.
Intentionally hacking into someones' profile which the perpetrator knows darn well that its been locked as private, is clearly a violation of said persons' privacy.
I'm pretty sure there's a little more to it than that. Just because you can't do something with minimal effort doesn't make it impossible.
Well, you're wrong - they can and do sometimes check both. And yah, it can change their decisions.
But is it legal? If I want my profile to be private, then I would expect that no one would violate my wishes the same as if I don't want anyone spying on me while I'm taking a shower.
I think we're all getting past the main issue at hand;
Why the f**k are you using myspace?
Maybe if you're 13. Or a pedophile.
Why the f**k are you using myspace?
Maybe if you're 13. Or a pedophile.Whether it's morally right or not isn't the issue. Putting information about yourself on the internet and saying it's private is the equivalent of taking a shower with a garden hose on a busy street and getting mad at people for "spying" on you. The internet isn't private. Accept it and deal with it.
Student interviewers might if you act like a fool during interview day. Other than that, I doubt it. Most people have too many flaws already, no need to go to facebook or myspace to find more.
I think we're all getting past the main issue at hand;
Why the f**k are you using myspace?
hahaha.....btw I dont have incriminating photos. I just thought that this would be a good topic of discussion.
I agree. You have to watch out for the med student interviewer. Since they only have a bunch, they may want to know what kind of people they are interviewing. Thus they may do some informal research. I personally have a fb account, but I try to make it that no pictures that could be used against me are posted or tagged of me.
- Apr 25, 2007
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It is in anyone's best interest to leave incriminating evidence off of the internet. But most people have myspace and facebook accounts to have an easier way to keep in touch with people, which sometimes causes people to be a little more open about there personal life on the internet.
I've been told by many people in the corporate world that myspace and facebook sell your information to data-mining companies, even if your account is set PRIVATE. These companies will then sell your information to government agencies, private companies and public organizations if asked for (it is mostly used for marketing purposes). I don't know how long they store this information, but I know they have access to any images you have ever put up and what you say to people and what people say to you.
I have heard of some companies using myspace and facebook information against applicants for certain job positions. I have also heard the same information being used during the application process to residency programs. Also, my friend who is a lawyer has used myspace information in prosecuting defendants. But I have never heard of adcoms hacking into myspace and facebook accounts to help there admissions decisions.
Basically, be careful what you post on the internet cause you never know when it will come back and bite you in the ***.
I've been told by many people in the corporate world that myspace and facebook sell your information to data-mining companies, even if your account is set PRIVATE. These companies will then sell your information to government agencies, private companies and public organizations if asked for (it is mostly used for marketing purposes). I don't know how long they store this information, but I know they have access to any images you have ever put up and what you say to people and what people say to you.
I have heard of some companies using myspace and facebook information against applicants for certain job positions. I have also heard the same information being used during the application process to residency programs. Also, my friend who is a lawyer has used myspace information in prosecuting defendants. But I have never heard of adcoms hacking into myspace and facebook accounts to help there admissions decisions.
Basically, be careful what you post on the internet cause you never know when it will come back and bite you in the ***.
Two words:
blissfully naive
There are codes you can enter to see pics of whomever you want. All you need is their facebook profile ID# (part of the profile url) and an ID# of one of their friends. A little copying and pasting and you have access to all of the pics in which they're tagged.
Other than the student interview, I would bet adcoms wouldn't put in the resources to buy info or hire a hacker to get into individual applicants' myspace or facebook. Seriously, is this all we have to talk about???
i really don't think anyone should be worrying about conspiracy theories here.
i highly doubt the above quote takes place.
having said that, there is no reason to have a ridiculous photo of yourself on myspace/facebook. If you had fun getting s*&tfaced last weekend and partying to you drop that's awesome (i've been there many times), but why the hell would you post a picture of it on facebook/myspace? I say if you are that stupid (or dumb enough to put any other compomising photo of yourself on the web) than you deserve to get caught.
Yes but hacking into an account thats restricted(i.e privacy settings) must by all logical means be illegal.
There are programs out there that can very easily bypass that.
Even if it were "illegal," the feds woundnt exactly be busting down doors to stop it.
Don't be dumb everybody, if you have things on a myspace/facething profile that you are worried about, take it down. Un-tag your photos that you might be concerned about. If you don't have anything up there that could leave a bad impression than you have nothing to worry about.
Have you actually read the user agreements? I haven't, and I suspect most others haven't either. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the privacy settings weren't legally binding. I don't care enough to take the time to find out. It's not that hard to keep the really inappropriate stuff off, and I doubt anything bad is going to happen to me for a few picutres of me holding a beer on spring break. Do we really need to make a legal issue of this?
And someone would have to be an idiot to have anything remotely incriminating online. For christs sake, where do you think those "OWN3D" and whatever pictures came from? YOU.
Stop thinking the internet is a nice little suburb with just you and your friends having access to it. You and your friends might think that picture of you holding that joint is hilarious, but if that picture gets leaked, in any way, and the entire world wide web finds it funny, expect to find it on 4chan/420chan/google images/irc/etc etc etc.
*the YOU wasn't directed at you, persay, but to anyone who naively thinks "Oh, I have privacy on, I'm fine. If anyone posts these, I'll sue for infringing on my privacy! lol"
my facebook profile pic used to be of me taking a shot from between my girlfriend's breasts at new year's. it's still in my profile pictures album. do you think i should remove it or will case rescind my acceptance??????
- Apr 25, 2007
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hi medisforme,
not sure what conspiracy theories you are talking about, but just consider why facebook and myspace are free to sign up. Tom must be rich from something
. A lot of his money was made by getting your (the account user) to voluntarily give personal information that can be used to develop marketing strategies for companies (ie alcohol producers, clothing lines, ebay, Netflix, weightloss agencies etc). It is just an easy way for companies to find out how they can connect with you better to sell there product. Otherwise, they would have to rely on surveys, which very few people hate to waste their time on.
- Apr 25, 2007
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my facebook profile pic used to be of me taking a shot from between my girlfriend's breasts at new year's. it's still in my profile pictures album. do you think i should remove it or will case rescind my acceptance??????
id leave this one up. everyone likes a shot from the boobies picture
OK, here's the deal, guys. As my major (Bioinformatics), I am taking a Databases course, and we've been talking about data security and blah blah blah and databases.
Now, one of our grad students actually wrote his thesis on the development of Facebook, and possible data mining and so on, and we came on this issue that apparently has been kept quiet mostly, in that superusers are present on Facebook. Superusers tend to be university officials or IT tech and so on, and they have the ability to see past limited and private profiles. This is reasonably possible, considering the security precautions such as determining whether a person is writing death threats and so on, or doing illegal activities.
One thing that none of us can tell is... just how large are Facebook's databases, and how deep do they extend? Say you upload a picture of yourself doing an illicit activity 2 years ago, and immediately delete it. The record could theoretically still be kept in a log of the database. All of your pictures, posts, musings, application data, and so on, could theoretically be stored for an indefinite amount of time. While I neither participate in illegal activities or do stupid things, I am still wary of exactly what I do on FaceBook, more than chat and check on some clubs and events. It seems paranoid, but learning the vital infrastructure can do that to a Facebookie.
Whether or not the admissions committees check our profiles does not matter. What matters is that people DO check your Facebook for possible jobs, and other activities entirely, as cited in this article I found on Google from some university in California... Post at your own risk!
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/1/20/employersSnoopOnFacebook
Now, one of our grad students actually wrote his thesis on the development of Facebook, and possible data mining and so on, and we came on this issue that apparently has been kept quiet mostly, in that superusers are present on Facebook. Superusers tend to be university officials or IT tech and so on, and they have the ability to see past limited and private profiles. This is reasonably possible, considering the security precautions such as determining whether a person is writing death threats and so on, or doing illegal activities.
One thing that none of us can tell is... just how large are Facebook's databases, and how deep do they extend? Say you upload a picture of yourself doing an illicit activity 2 years ago, and immediately delete it. The record could theoretically still be kept in a log of the database. All of your pictures, posts, musings, application data, and so on, could theoretically be stored for an indefinite amount of time. While I neither participate in illegal activities or do stupid things, I am still wary of exactly what I do on FaceBook, more than chat and check on some clubs and events. It seems paranoid, but learning the vital infrastructure can do that to a Facebookie.
Whether or not the admissions committees check our profiles does not matter. What matters is that people DO check your Facebook for possible jobs, and other activities entirely, as cited in this article I found on Google from some university in California... Post at your own risk!
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/1/20/employersSnoopOnFacebook
let's not get too self-righteous here. everyone has made an illegal lane change and done something stupid
your perspective is appreciated, btw
let's not get too self-righteous here. everyone has made an illegal lane change and done something stupid
your perspective is appreciated, btw
OK fine I ran a red light because I was enjoying my McDonald's fries too much and didn't see it. I'M SORRY!!!!!!!
I was trying to point out some of the stupid stuff some people do on Facebook like post themselves drinking themselves silly, indecent exposure, etc.
Anyways, another thing I'd like to point out that also creeps me out. Try to delete your Facebook account.
- Jan 15, 2008
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I know at least one person who was asked during interview if she used SDN.
My profs told us point blank that they routinely check facebook, myspace before they interview anyone for a job and that probably a lot of employers are doing that these days.
My profs told us point blank that they routinely check facebook, myspace before they interview anyone for a job and that probably a lot of employers are doing that these days.
