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Do Med Schools Actually Look at Your Facebook?


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Med schools may or may not. You cannot gurantee anything. Residency programs also may or may not. Our school has told us that they know many residency programs actively scope out applicants on facebook to just screen for lack of professionalism. That's why, be very careful what you write and post online or it could seriously hurt your reputation/career prospects later.

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Med schools may or may not. You cannot gurantee anything. Residency programs also may or may not. Our school has told us that they know many residency programs actively scope out applicants on facebook to just screen for lack of professionalism. That's why, be very careful what you write and post online or it could seriously hurt your reputation/career prospects later.

 

I didn't even think of residency programs scanning facebook :S

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Med schools may or may not. You cannot gurantee anything. Residency programs also may or may not. Our school has told us that they know many residency programs actively scope out applicants on facebook to just screen for lack of professionalism. That's why, be very careful what you write and post online or it could seriously hurt your reputation/career prospects later.

 

Anal retentive specialties and residencies may do that. Do you really want to go to a school where your faculty are that way?

 

Anyways, if you have to hide, your life is going to suck, especially for longer residencies.

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Anal retentive specialties and residencies may do that. Do you really want to go to a school where your faculty are that way?

 

Anyways, if you have to hide, your life is going to suck, especially for longer residencies.

 

Trouble is you won't know if the residency program you are applying to has someone that "anal". This has worried people in our class, although most of us probably haven't actually done anything about it.

 

Bottom line is if you put something out there in the public domain then you have to be prepared for that to be viewed by anyone. In residency applications when the number of applicants being considered falls to a handful then it isn't that hard to do a search etc. If you were a program director why wouldn't you seek out all available information?

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Trouble is you won't know if the residency program you are applying to has someone that "anal". This has worried people in our class, although most of us probably haven't actually done anything about it.

 

What if you're applying to a program offering

?
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I tottaly agree with you m30wc0w but the fact of the matter is that despite the fact that its not a 'good thing to do' it *IS* done. Life aint fair I guess :/

 

people should not be judged for their appearences but thats the type of society we live in unfortunetly. Heck tv ads for tailored suits often exclaim ' its the suit that makes the man'...shouldnt it be the MAN that makes the suit? but no your personality is not important the price tag on your suit is. its the same thing here. Your visual outward appearence is always judged by people every day. an employer may even not give you a job but deny checking out your facebook 'for privacy reasons' but if at the end of the day they do...not much you can do about it :/

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I think if the adcom / residency adcom looks at a person's Facebook because you didn't set your privacy setting, then it's fair game as it is in the "public domain". While I agree that "looks" may be deceiving and people can't fairly be judged on them i.e. tattoos, what about other activities? I know a few people who love putting their "let's do drugs and put it on facebook" pictures up... I want these kinds of people to be penalized. :rolleyes:

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I think if the adcom / residency adcom looks at a person's Facebook because you didn't set your privacy setting, then it's fair game as it is in the "public domain". While I agree that "looks" may be deceiving and people can't fairly be judged on them i.e. tattoos, what about other activities? I know a few people who love putting their "let's do drugs and put it on facebook" pictures up... I want these kinds of people to be penalized. :rolleyes:

 

While I don't drugs, nor do I drink (not due to religious reasons, just personal choice), I don't think a single medical school would even consider INTERVIEWING me if they really knew me outside a professional setting. It's just that some of the words that come out of my mouth, the way I act, the jokes I make, etc. can often seem to be very offensive if said to the wrong person. Around my friend? It's not a problem. In front of an interviewer, well, their head would probably explode, lol.

 

With that being said, what I do or say in my personal life should not influence my chance at gaining admission. I know when it's time to joke around and I know when it's time to get serious. I think that as long as you know where that line is, then you should have nothing against you in this regard.

 

At the end of the day, however, if someone foolishly makes the mistake of not making their Facebook private or disabling it during the application cycle, then they get what they deserve.

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While I don't drugs, nor do I drink (not due to religious reasons, just personal choice), I don't think a single medical school would even consider INTERVIEWING me if they really knew me outside a professional setting. It's just that some of the words that come out of my mouth, the way I act, the jokes I make, etc. can often seem to be very offensive if said to the wrong person. Around my friend? It's not a problem. In front of an interviewer, well, their head would probably explode, lol.

 

Lmfao just when I thought this day couldn't get any better....

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I didn't change my fb settings when I applied but I think it is on friends only anyway.... But why not change if it will make you feel better. Easiest way is to change the setting so no one can search for you (but then that cute girl you were talking up can't find you either :( )

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  • 5 weeks later...
I don't worry about my FB - I never do anything interesting on FB anyway. I'd be more worried about someone finding me here or something.

 

Yeah may be a problem but by this point (well actually for a long time) I am simply in "this is who I am - either it is what you want or it isn't. I don't want to be at a place that wouldn't want me for me" :)

 

You cannot live in fear

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