Why do people donate to SDN?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Benefits can be found here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/payments.php

Many people donate after they obtain acceptance to medical school, in gratitude of the resources this site provided during their application process. In many of those cases, people donate less for the benefits they receive as a donor and more so they can help the site help others.
 
Hemichordate said:
What kind of benefits do you get? Just curious.

Edit: donate money, i mean
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I donated to SDN because it was something that helped me get through a very difficult process in my life.

Now as for the benefits:
There are a few levels of donors, and different levels get different benefits.

Most donors don't see the ads, get bigger avatars, bigger PM boxes. They can delete their own posts. Also, animated avatars... 😀

We're trying to think of more perks for donors... any ideas, let us know.
 
I donated because without it, I would not have any shot of going to medical school. It's that simple.
 
heres a question...can a donor get "banned for trolling"
 
Yes.
 
chad5871 said:
Donors do not get special treatment. If you do something that breaks the Terms of Service you agreed to when you signed up for the forums, the rules have still been broken.
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Actually I don't even know what happens when anyone is banned at first (not an invitation to try thanks). I mean, do you get a warning from a mod first? Do you just log on one day and it says your user name and password is banned?

Or is the process like game mechanics in an old MUD game, where if you talk about, you are banned.
 
It's not clear to me: do the life members get any of the benefits listed at the other levels? Or do they have to donate separately for the other stuff?

I think I may sign up for life after I get in, but I want to be sure that I'll have the ability to change my avatar to something huge and seizure inducing--without donating again.
 
Last edited:
It depends on the offense. Generally for normal regular users, the first notice is a warning. If you continue, things escalate. Banning outright without warnings or post holds is reserved for trolls and spammers.
 
we donate because despite all the bs, there is a lot of good info on this site.

it can take you all the way.
 
whats the point of banning anyone anyway. won't they just make another account?
 
it's the psychological turama that matters
 
scottyT said:
It's not clear to me: do the life members get any of the benefits listed at the other levels?
Click to expand...

never mind, I looked closer and found the answer. It says that life members get "All Platinum Donor Level Benefits plus: Non-expiring (lifetime) Donor status"
 
scottyT said:
It's not clear to me: do the life members get any of the benefits listed at the other levels? Or do they have to donate separately for the other stuff?

I think I may sign up for life after I get in, but I want to be sure that I'll have the ability to change my avatar to something huge and seizure inducing--without donating again.
Click to expand...


Life members get ALL of the benefits that a Platinum donor would get (huge avatar, more PMs, other stuff) plus you get the cool icon. And you pay once and it never expires. For people who are going to be on SDN for many years it's a great way to support the site and get long-term donor benefits.
 
Even though I am just starting the journey toward med school, I donated because I can see how much great information this forum provides.

Even if I don't get into med school, I feel like this is a worthy thing to donate and help
 
I donate every year that I use this site because I would have been LOST without SDN. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten in anywhere without it. Wouldn't have known about osteopathic schools, wouldn't have known about applying early, wouldn't have known about studying for the MCAT even! Since I am a non-trad, I don't have a pre-med club or advisor to get info from. Everything I learned about medical school applications came from SDN.
 
Depakote said:
I donated to SDN because it was something that helped me get through a very difficult process in my life.

Now as for the benefits:
There are a few levels of donors, and different levels get different benefits.

Most donors don't see the ads, get bigger avatars, bigger PM boxes. They can delete their own posts. Also, animated avatars... 😀

We're trying to think of more perks for donors... any ideas, let us know.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna end up donating anyways (once the app cycle is over...need all the money I can get right now for that)...but I thought the ability to change your username would be a nice perk at least.

I just think it would be weird if years from now, assuming I'm in medical school, I still have that username. Didn't quite think that one through 🙄
 
hopefuldoc87 said:
I'm gonna end up donating anyways (once the app cycle is over...need all the money I can get right now for that)...but I thought the ability to change your username would be a nice perk at least.

I just think it would be weird if years from now, assuming I'm in medical school, I still have that username. Didn't quite think that one through 🙄
Click to expand...

Donors can change their usernames by sending a PM request to memberservice. We got your back. 😉
 
Caesar said:
Donors can change their usernames by sending a PM request to memberservice. We got your back. 😉
Click to expand...

Oh wow. Thanks for the heads up. Definitely going to donate, just a matter of time. If only I had the extra cash lying around 🙄
 
I didn't really donate for the benefits so much as in return for all the advice I've gotten - even though SDN can make you overthink and go a bit batty sometimes, I really liked being somewhat "in the know" about the process (a little more than the average non-SDN applicant, at least). It was so comforting to know approximately when I should get verified, or when an interview season was coming to a close. Also, meeting people on here has been priceless - meeting people who are in the same boat helps a lot during this crappy waiting game, and some people I've met here will continue to be friends for a long time.
 
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