I posted this on SDN, cause I’m hoping someone there will have some information, and here cause I need to vent…
So, my friend and I took a neurochem class together last spring. All went well, we both made good grades, the class was fun. My personal life was going to hell in a hand basket. My mom had cancer and my hubby and I were taking care of her, my relationship with the rest of my family was enormously strained, I was trying and failing to concieve, etc. etc. So maybe I was a little distracted, or sometimes a little brusque in my dealings with other students. But at the same time, I did share notes, and I did study with others.
Fast forward to this past December. My TA in the neurochem class gets a cryptic e-mail over winter break stating that my friend had borrowed MCAT material during the neurochem class. The e-mailer said they were planning on taking the MCAT this Spring, and needed the material back. This person then went on to describe my friend in detail, and asked my TA if they had any info about her. My TA gave the emailer her first name, and left it at that.
February, my friend got the same email, only it was about me. Now I had taken the MCAT material, and this person needed my info. My friend gave the emailer my first name, and left it at that.
Now, my friend is pre-dent, so no, she didn’t borrow any MCAT materials, and I wasn’t even thinking about the MCAT that semester, so I didn’t either. I even checked my bookshelves - nothing that isn’t mine is there. So this is complete crap.
March. 45 people show up at my friend’s house, all saying that they had seen her post on Craig’s list advertising a room for rent. She never made that post. Then she starts getting phone calls asking about her computer for sale… they saw it on a campus mailing list. She didn’t do that, either.
The next day, on the same campus mailing list that had her apt and computer listed for rent and sale, a message appeared with the same IP asking for info about me. The person was “desperate” to get a hold of me, and then described me. My friend then sent out a general message telling people about the situation and asking them not to contact her, nor to give any info about me. Unfortunately, one person did give this a**hole my email address.
We found out the emails are coming from a local community college, and the campus police there have started an investigation. We’ve also contacted the local police here.
How creepy is this? I really don’t understand this. We have no idea who this person is, and we’re starting to get a little paranoid. (The class had 300 people in it - not like I’m going to have some kind of epiphany). Now, I have no idea if this is a really a pre-med or not, but it kind of sounds like it, yes? Is this gunning taken to a psychotic extreme? Or some kind of nut job that has something against woman science majors who wear black?
Anyway, we’ve heard nothing since my friend posted her warning. But I thought I’d share…
One of the thing that ticks me off the most about this (besides the fact that it’s making me jumpy) is that I took this semester off to relax and get remotivated. My burnout was so bad at the end of last semester that I was considering not ever going back again. It was partly the course work, but it was also the feeling of being somewhat isolated as an older student. I missed working with people my own age. I missed being able to talk about my life without seeing this look on my peers faces. :eek: I missed just going home and watching TV with my husband guilt free. So I left for the semester to go back to work and get back into shape.
And it worked. I was just starting to miss school again, and then this. I’ll still go back, I’ll at least finish my degree, but I am so sick of dealing with this retarded crap. If this is what my classmates are like now, what is medical school going to be like? The kinds of people who I see getting in aren’t always the most mature candidates. Not saying that medical students are likely to be stalkers at all, just that I’m really tired of being in an environment where the things that are least important to me right now are of paramount importance to nearly everyone around me…
Anyway, guess I just needed to rant. 
I’ll get over it. 
Thanks for listening,
Nanon
Holy Cow…that really is freaky! Don’t let this one person (who is obviously in need of help) get you down! I went through a situation in grad school where one of the PhD students (a male from the middle east) and I had a disagreement…he kept putting down American women and wouldn’t let me carry my own beakers, etc in the lab. After trying to be nice about it for awhile, I just had enough one day…after that, all of my LB kept turning a bright red or a bright green…it switched off and on . Then messes started happening in the lab over the weekend and he would tell our PI that he saw me do it 
and the PI didn’t even question him…he just rode me harder. It was a total nightmare and I felt like just giving up…but I decided that I wouldn’t let one a$$hole ruin it for me…and I went to him and apologized for offending him…then asked what I could do to make things better. From then on, if he was around, I let him carry my beakers, etc and just saw the relationship as a means to an end…and a necessary evil.
I hope this woman doesn’t try and contact you again…it’s good that the campus police are involved as well…maybe she’s moved on. In the meantime, don’t let one a$$hole get you down. You are going to make it!
Kris
Kris, you rock. Thanks for the love. 
Nanon
| QUOTE (Nanon @ Mar 29 2003, 08:23 PM) |
| And it worked. I was just starting to miss school again, and then this. I'll still go back, I'll at least finish my degree, but I am so sick of dealing with this retarded crap. If this is what my classmates are like now, what is medical school going to be like? The kinds of people who I see getting in aren't always the most mature candidates. Not saying that medical students are likely to be stalkers at all, just that I'm really tired of being in an environment where the things that are least important to me right now are of paramount importance to nearly everyone around me... Anyway, guess I just needed to rant. I'll get over it. Thanks for listening,Nanon |
Hey Nanon,
I promise you that those immature little classmates of yours tend to mature pretty quickly when they start clinical rotations during third year. Medical school has a way of bringing everyone to the same level. I used to look at my colleagues and wonder what type of physician they would make. Surprisingly, they turned out to be very good physicians after it was all said and done.
You story is creepy! I was unnerved for you just reading it. Enjoy your R & R this semester. You have earned it. As someone said above, "Don't let a psycho rob you of your dream". Next semester, this won't matter and you will be about the business of getting your class materials mastered.
The key to medical school is that people get to the businees of studying and tend to become more self-absorbed than interested in making trouble for their classmates. Once in awhile you do run into someone who is truly psychotic. I did have a classmate who was an MD/Ph.D candidate that was voted "The Medical Student most likely to go postal and shoot up the lecture hall". I was very happy when second year came to an end because he went into the lab and we went on to clinicals. He became the butt of many jokes during the next year but he really ended up with psychiatric problems. Some of the folks who had teased him felt pretty bad after they had heard he was mentally ill. I was just thankful to not have to keep an eye out for the escape exits.
Rest up and do something nice for yourself. I can offer the idea of a trip to DC in late May and some "hanging out" with a truly great bunch of folks. Try to make the DC Convention!!!
Natalie