fossildoc
07-27-2007, 11:07 PM
One of the downsides of democracy is that the crazies can be heard. The arrival of the Internet offered them an unprecedented forum, and they haven't squandered the opportunity. Bulletin boards in particular, such as the one you're on right now, are a favorite gathering place for malcontents, agents provocateurs, spies, imposters, and freakazoids with various motivations.
But the boards are also a place where a voice crying in the wilderness can be heard despite forces bent on silencing embarrassing criticism. That's where your skills as a sifter of chaff and wheat come in; you must discern the Truth among the Lies. The latter are in abundance, but the former may save you from darnation (I didn't make that word up; the VMD censor did; the original might corrupt young minds).
In your hunt for a med school, read the postings on the school's forum, going back about a year. Don't get into the mindset of attributing reports of scandals to the workings of foreign agents (promotors of competing schools). For example, every single outrage you read about at MUAB is true; I know, I was there. You must investigate allegations which, if true, would eliminate a school from consideration.
Start by PM'ing posters who make allegations you are interested in. I have found that a post's flaming tone can be the emotional expression of an injured student, and when taken out of public view into the more private domain of the PM, the discussion is more placid and rational. Serious posters will give you information you can verify; the crazies will not.
Next, contact the SGA (Student Government Association). The school may be willing to give you their email address; if not, make a post asking for it. You will need skill in communicating with the SGA. They are walking a tightrope; they exist at the pleasure of the administration, but are supposed to represent the students. They can't, of course, which is why students should have an off-campus organization that exists whether the administration likes it or not.
The SGA will speak between the lines and exercise what politicians call "plausible deniability", which means that they didn't really say what they said. You must learn to read between those lines; assume that SGA is really trying to tell you something, without really telling you.
Got that?
For more frank answers, ask the SGA for the email addresses of real students who are not SGA members. You'll be surprised at their willingness to do this, but you may have to wait a while because they will need to get permission from the students, who will be from the more vocal crowd who are not intimidated by what the adminstration might do to them if their opinions come back to bite them.
The purpose of all this is to investigate posted allegations that may affect your choice of school. Don't waste time investigating whether the Biochemistry teacher is living with his/her student; it may make for a juicy campus scandal, but has no bearing on your future. Do spend time, however, investigating an allegation that the school is about to collapse because of pending lawsuits. You wouldn't want to be in the middle of a semester when the school goes out of existence.
But the boards are also a place where a voice crying in the wilderness can be heard despite forces bent on silencing embarrassing criticism. That's where your skills as a sifter of chaff and wheat come in; you must discern the Truth among the Lies. The latter are in abundance, but the former may save you from darnation (I didn't make that word up; the VMD censor did; the original might corrupt young minds).
In your hunt for a med school, read the postings on the school's forum, going back about a year. Don't get into the mindset of attributing reports of scandals to the workings of foreign agents (promotors of competing schools). For example, every single outrage you read about at MUAB is true; I know, I was there. You must investigate allegations which, if true, would eliminate a school from consideration.
Start by PM'ing posters who make allegations you are interested in. I have found that a post's flaming tone can be the emotional expression of an injured student, and when taken out of public view into the more private domain of the PM, the discussion is more placid and rational. Serious posters will give you information you can verify; the crazies will not.
Next, contact the SGA (Student Government Association). The school may be willing to give you their email address; if not, make a post asking for it. You will need skill in communicating with the SGA. They are walking a tightrope; they exist at the pleasure of the administration, but are supposed to represent the students. They can't, of course, which is why students should have an off-campus organization that exists whether the administration likes it or not.
The SGA will speak between the lines and exercise what politicians call "plausible deniability", which means that they didn't really say what they said. You must learn to read between those lines; assume that SGA is really trying to tell you something, without really telling you.
Got that?
For more frank answers, ask the SGA for the email addresses of real students who are not SGA members. You'll be surprised at their willingness to do this, but you may have to wait a while because they will need to get permission from the students, who will be from the more vocal crowd who are not intimidated by what the adminstration might do to them if their opinions come back to bite them.
The purpose of all this is to investigate posted allegations that may affect your choice of school. Don't waste time investigating whether the Biochemistry teacher is living with his/her student; it may make for a juicy campus scandal, but has no bearing on your future. Do spend time, however, investigating an allegation that the school is about to collapse because of pending lawsuits. You wouldn't want to be in the middle of a semester when the school goes out of existence.