Man, I’ve been reading the boards over at SDN and those guys can get mean! Lots of name-calling and flame wars.
Made me appreciate all the more how much support and advice my fellow OPM’ers have to give. Here I get a real sense of community, over there… not so much.
So… this is just a quick post to thank all of you for being old(er). 
Jason
Jason, you suck.
Just kidding. I have never spent any time over at SDN so I can't really comment. I beat myself up enough so it's sort of redundant to let others do what I know I do so well.
People here rock. The support I have received has meant the world to me.
Yeah, I second that. I'd be a lot more lost without OPM. Thanks to every one out there that makes up OPM!
Yea, I like it here too. I get sick of those SDN questions that go like this… “I have a 3.97 GPA from Yale, my MCAT’s 37, and I was wondering if someone could tell me if I’ll get into medical school?”
LOL… Only thing here… I wish there was more traffic.
Well I need to pop in as well - oldpremeds is a great cyber space with great people. Where else can you get good advice from people who have been there and are willing to share, or those going through the process. This is just one more thing that helps me stay focused.
cheers to all
ditto…
I can't stand the SDN…This is a great, supportive place…I've received so many helpful responses and PMs…It's nice to be able to logon and read a mature discussion without having to sort through flames and childish posts.
kris
Cheers to OPM!
I also wish we had a bit more traffic… maybe it’s 'cus we all have lives… 
Have to admit, they can be pretty funny sometimes. I go there for the laughs. I come here for the serious advice and support.
Theresa
the way to cope with SDN is to follow the Affirmative Action thread in the pre-allo forum - (it’s not what you think by the title 
- there we say what we wish we could say everywhere - if you make it thru the first few pages of posts - it starts to get pretty funny -
Another benefit of OldPreMeds - saving money - I just signed up for Kaplan and saved $134 - thanks to whoever set that up!
I second the Affirmative Action thread recommendation above-I’ve posted on it a few times myself! That said, there is a small but growing presence of actually gasp supportive people over on SDN. Agent very nicely started a thread in the pre-allo forum called the Under M1 Club-it runs to 29 pages as of today but is mostly nontrads who are in their first or second years. It’s just about classes and daily life and has really nothing to do with application cycle stuff. This was the thread that got me back onto SDN after ignoring it for several months. 
Hey, maybe if we increase our presence “over there” we might teach these young’uns a little respect for others (not that I’m so old myself but I’m still old enough to shake my head and laugh at how childish most of the stuff is-c’mon, this isn’t high school anymore!).
But OPM is still my “home” of choice-thanks to all you wonderful people out there!
Jason, you do suck and that 3.97 can’t hold a candle to my 4.0!
Second, I had a 42 on the MCAT and I did research on lab mice to explore the DHEA pathway to making hair fall out on purpose. This is going to result in massive dollars coming into the university for prank sales on a new instant baldness foam. Top that! Plus I went to the Congo and negotiated a treaty that lives to this day!
Ha!
Just wanted to make you feel at home with some SDN crap. The infants are raging over there.
| QUOTE (futrfysician @ May 16 2003, 05:41 PM) |
| Jason, you do suck and that 3.97 can't hold a candle to my 4.0! Second, I had a 42 on the MCAT and I did research on lab mice to explore the DHEA pathway to making hair fall out on purpose. This is going to result in massive dollars coming into the university for prank sales on a new instant baldness foam. Top that! Plus I went to the Congo and negotiated a treaty that lives to this day! Ha! Just wanted to make you feel at home with some SDN crap. The infants are raging over there. |
Sigh, if only it were true. I've always thought there was more money in hair REMOVAL than hair regrowth. I'd be right there with my wallet, baby.
Shoot, I'm old and I'm still a jerk. Nuthin' like a good ol' flame war to keep your interest up…
I confess to occasionally fanning the flames on SDN myself. It is sometimes just too much fun to resist. The rest of the time, I just bring my own marshmallows and pull up a seat by the fire. You gotta love the cast of characters. Since I have kids who are around the same age as (presumably) a lot of these folks, I “hear” the conversation as if it were taking place at my kitchen table and it makes me laugh.
And SDN is nothing, nothing I tell you compared to the old Princeton Review pre-med board. Back in the good old days, it was completely anonymous and just toxic. I loved it; it was way entertaining and when the kiddies got particularly obnoxious, it helped strengthen my determination to get into medical school if for no other reason than to try and keep one of them from getting a place!
Note: I have met very, very few people in med school who come off as foolishly as the occasional idiots on SDN. For the most part people are nice, supportive of one another, and genuinely interested in helping people when you interact with them in person. Anonymity on-line is a different matter!
PS I, for one, laugh out loud at succinct posts like “Bite me, dweeb.”
| QUOTE (Mary Renard @ May 18 2003, 02:03 AM) |
| I, for one, laugh out loud at succinct posts like "Bite me, dweeb." |
* takes a bow *
Hey Folks,
OwlMyst hasn't found us yet! Whew! There are some advantages being more compact.
Natalie
| QUOTE (njbmd @ May 18 2003, 08:39 PM) |
| Hey Folks, OwlMyst hasn't found us yet! Whew! There are some advantages being more compact. Natalie |
Good one, Nat!
OMG shhhhhhhh she might hear us!
very grateful none of my kids are such idiots
| QUOTE (Mary Renard @ May 17 2003, 09:03 PM) |
| I confess to occasionally fanning the flames on SDN myself. It is sometimes just too much fun to resist. The rest of the time, I just bring my own marshmallows and pull up a seat by the fire. You gotta love the cast of characters. Since I have kids who are around the same age as (presumably) a lot of these folks, I "hear" the conversation as if it were taking place at my kitchen table and it makes me laugh. And SDN is nothing, nothing I tell you compared to the old Princeton Review pre-med board. Back in the good old days, it was completely anonymous and just toxic. I loved it; it was way entertaining and when the kiddies got particularly obnoxious, it helped strengthen my determination to get into medical school if for no other reason than to try and keep one of them from getting a place! Note: I have met very, very few people in med school who come off as foolishly as the occasional idiots on SDN. For the most part people are nice, supportive of one another, and genuinely interested in helping people when you interact with them in person. Anonymity on-line is a different matter! PS I, for one, laugh out loud at succinct posts like "Bite me, dweeb." |
I agree. Most of the flamers on the SDN are those same supportive people; they're just taking advantage of the depersonalization of the computer to say things they'd never say to someone's face. I'd love to talk to some of them in person, wearing my scrubs and stethoscope (especially since I'm 6'5", 250 lbs!!) Oh well, it's fun to watch (*whisper* and sometimes participate in)
Yup! SDN can be a regal pain in the ass! I have volunteered there for Lee Burnett virtually since day one. Hell, my member number is #171 and there are over 30k members there now!!! In fact, the vitriol of the old Princeton Review site was the impetus for the formation of the orginal OPM-six…that is where we all met!