Staying Anonymous??

[aalu91]

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I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

Unless someone has a way of knowing your MCAT and GPA (which they don't, unless they can access your computer or AAMC portal) the stats would matter little unless you are from a fairly small campus and like to divulge this information to everyone you meet.

 

[osprey099]

I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

There are some med school adcoms that browse SDN but the chances of them seeing you (among hundreds/thousands of others) post their undergrad institution/mcat/gpa/activities and trace your username to your amcas application is pretty unlikely.. imho

 

[Cinclus]

There are some med school adcoms that browse SDN but the chances of them seeing you (among hundreds/thousands of others) post their undergrad institution/mcat/gpa/activities and trace your username to your amcas application is pretty unlikely.. imho

Definitely happened to me. I was also recognized by other applicants on the interview trail, and more recently, med school classmates. I have since unlinked my MDApps from my profile here.

 

[aalu91]

Thanks for the replies...so even if some adcoms are browsing SDN and somehow trace your info to your application and whatnot, is that a bad thing? I mean as long as you are not saying stuff that either incriminates you or leads to character concerns you should be fine right? Or is it the mere fact that you are asking people about their opinion of your stats a bad thing in their eyes? Just want to make sure!

So to clarify...people who say "I have a 3.8 + GPA with a mid 30 MCAT score and go to a top 25 undergraduate institution" do not really benefit from the added "security"?

 

[osprey099]

Definitely happened to me. I was also recognized by other applicants on the interview trail, and more recently, med school classmates. I have since unlinked my MDApps from my profile here.

Well, you're a mod so your name is probably more prevalent/recognized on these forums. But I don't think what happened to you is likely to happen to regular posters like the op and I.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Definitely happened to me. I was also recognized by other applicants on the interview trail, and more recently, med school classmates. I have since unlinked my MDApps from my profile here.

Wow. I find the chances of that happening very low and the chances that someone would mention it to you even lower. I wonder if that's common...

 

[ladybug1552]

I don't spew my info around on here needlessly but I also don't say anything I wouldn't say in real life so I don't really care if someone figures it out. I have linked some SDN accounts to people I know in real life though, and they always seem to have a cow when they realize their anonymity is 'blown' and I've figured out their identity. I didn't realize it was that big of a deal to some people. News flash: it's really quite easy to figure out if you have an inkling about someone and take a casual look through their post history and MDapps makes it as easy as taking candy from a baby 😉

 

[Spinach Dip]

The best way to stay anonymous is to post infrequently and let people know as few defining features as possible.

 

[ladybug1552]

The best way to stay anonymous is to post infrequently and let people know as few defining features as possible.

This. And apparently there's a good percentage of users with multiple accounts. Who knew?

 

[Ohyeah]

This. And apparently there's a good percentage of users with multiple accounts. Who knew?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

If you don't link an MDApps profile and aren't a highly visible user on the forums, I think your risk of being identified is minimal. If you want to take all precautions though, avoid mentioning your school's name and keep your GPA to a range (eg: 3.9+, 3.6-3.7, etc). If you're lucky enough to have a very rare MCAT score (43-45) you may want to simply say 42+ instead as a person can be identified just from their score and one more piece of information when it's that high (and if you managed to get a 45 you can probably be identified by that alone). You may also want to avoid mentioning specifics of a highly unusual EC or avoid mentioning it altogether.

Another big factor if you want to avoid being noticed: Avoid posting in school-specific threads. Apparently most adcom members who lurk SDN only stick to their school's own thread which makes sense. I really don't see adcom members data mining the entirety of SDN trying to identify every candidate on here.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Some people enjoy their anonymity and wouldn't want their internet anonymous persona be confounded with who they are in-person. Maybe on the internet you'd be okay with making a racy joke but not in person. If an ADCOM sees it, could they assume you'd be the same in person? Yes. Nobody wants that pressure on the internet. And yes, ADCOM are watching you and finding out about you. I had one ADCOM from an Osteopathic School even add me on LinkedIn a few months back.

 

[Ismet]

I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

I honestly don't mind people knowing who I am on here. My med school friends know I like to help out on SDN just like I mentor pre-meds at the undergrad here, and anyone in my class would be able to figure out that this is me even without my MDApps. I'm not mean, I try my best to post constructively, and I don't waste hours on here, so I really have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, even if adcoms were looking last year. I think some people like to be anonymous because they probably say things on the internet that they wouldn't say to someone in person, sometimes things that can come off as rude or insensitive. Or people who troll. Whatever the reason, just post as much or as little as YOU are comfortable with.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've been called out at interviews before by people that recognized Mr from SDN. It's a little creepy but doesn't bother me too much.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile

 

[BuddyTheElf]

As long as you're not posting anything terrible, I never worry about my anonymity. I only say things that I would say to someone in person. An extreme situation: There was somebody who had their acceptance rescinded this past cycle because of things that they said on SDN. However their SDN name was very similar to their real name so it was easier for adcoms to figure out who it was.

 

[GopherMD]

As long as you're not posting anything terrible, I never worry about my anonymity. I only say things that I would say to someone in person. An extreme situation: There was somebody who had their acceptance rescinded this past cycle because of things that they said on SDN. However their SDN name was very similar to their real name so it was easier for adcoms to figure out who it was.

And to clarify, the things that person said were a lot worse than the normal SDN banter on here.

So OP, even if someone did identify you, unless you are stating horrible/racist/threatening/rude comments, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Nymphicus]

Anonymity?

Oops.

 

[TriagePreMed]

As long as you're not posting anything terrible, I never worry about my anonymity. I only say things that I would say to someone in person. An extreme situation: There was somebody who had their acceptance rescinded this past cycle because of things that they said on SDN. However their SDN name was very similar to their real name so it was easier for adcoms to figure out who it was.

Cole was an idiot. He used his real name to make 2 fb groups: underdogs and accepted ACOM students. He said some horrible threatening and racist stuff, which then linked back to SDN because a) name was close, but more importantly b) he made it known on fb that it was him on SDN.

 

[Josh7]

Two people I know IRL have recognized my SDN posts. It isn't that hard to figure out who people are if they have an unorthodox major and you know where they go to undergrad. No big deal though as long as you aren't saying anything too dumb.

 

[DoctwoB]

I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

Like anything online, it's best to assume that your anonymity is incomplete. Sdn has been a great resource in applying to medschools and in looking at potential residencies, so it's a small tradeoff to make. Éven If you can be identified, if you think that adcoms have the time/energy/inclination to track down every applicants (or even interviewee's) profile, you're crazy.

Besides, if someone figures out who you are, what's worse: being someone who posts on SDN or being someone who tracks individuals post history and correlates with MDapps etc. to figure out who someone is?

 

[deleted393595]

I just have a quick question about how people post on these forums...

A lot of people when telling their stats like to "keep themselves anonymous" by not revealing their undergraduate institution or by not revealing their MCAT score. I was just wondering what the point of this was... Am I missing something? Should I not post my true to form stats when I need to on this forum?

Well... someone did figure out from something I had posted that I go to the University of Houston, but they never figured out who I am 😀

 

[jeffs office]

I found someone I know on SDN, recently. I don't really approve of his fabrication of ECs that got him into med school, but I guess some people feel the need to lie. Yes, I think anonymity is important if you are ridiculously rude or are less truthful about your application, and you don't want anyone to find out. Otherwise, I don't think it's a big deal. I guess it would be eerie for someone to ID you over the internet, but I guess everyone has their reasons for staying anonymous.

 

[Irish Football]

Besides, if someone figures out who you are, what's worse: being someone who posts on SDN or being someone who tracks individuals post history and correlates with MDapps etc. to figure out who someone is?

Haha, so true!