I agree that rumors and gossip about programs is just plain dumb and can be detremental to people who foolishly believe such outlandish statments. Rumors are always present in any setting, and they seem to flourish in a medical program when many students are stressed out and looking to blame other people besides themself. I usually bite my lip, but I get very sick of rumors.
Here's a few of the dumbest ones I've heard;
"School A is the only school that takes summer courses."
(a simple look at the curriculum on the school websites or a call to the admissions offices let you know this is not true at all)
"The board exam might start earlier for western schools and eastern schools can cheat because they take it a couple hours later."
(ok, this might have happened to a small degree years ago, but it has obviously been corrected now. A simple look at the NBPME bulletin shows you that the exam starts instantaneously across the nation.)
"School X has you seeing patients in clinics and cutting in the OR by the second or third semester."
(I sure hope I'm never one of those patients!!!)
"I heard that you're going to fail histology if you don't write the research paper."
(This one made me laugh first semester and was actually told to me by multiple classmates. That paper was 10% of the grade as were 10 other components for a total of 11 components. The lowest scoring component was dropped when the final grade was calculated. I had already spoke to the professor in his office and he ok'd my decision to not write the paper and accept the other 10 components as my grade because I had other anat and bioch exams to focus on. Judging by my 3.7 that semester, I think I did ok.)
People seem to like making up answers for questions they do not know the answer to. I just wish they would not spread those made up answers or rumors as fact. A simple talk with the dean/professor/upperclassmen etc is the easiest way to get the real answer.