The Role of SDN

Posted on February 13, 2007
Filed Under Student Doctor Network

SDN LogoWhat on the surface appears to be “just another forum” is in fact a lifeline for some. “One of my biggest regrets in college was not finding SDN earlier…seriously,” says SDN member Brandon. (All SDN Forums participants create unique user names, and for the sake of anonymity, have acquiesced to the use of their first names for quotes.)

Yes, they take it that seriously. And for good reason.

According to Lee Burnett, executive director and co-founder of the Student Doctor Network, the SDN Forums have grown to become the largest pre-health and health professional student forums on the Internet.

SDN is operated by the Coastal Research Group, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization (which means any monies donated are also a write off for the donor). Entirely run by volunteers, SDN provides numerous Student Doctor Forums, where camaraderie, friendships, and even, rumor has it, marriages, have been formed. In short, there would be no SDN were it not for the many moderators, administrators and advisors that volunteer their time to keep SDN running on task.

Originally, SDN was founded in 1999 as a conglomerate of other well-known medical student websites, including the Interactive Medical Student Lounge, Osteopathic.Com, The Big Guide To Med School, The Dental Students Network, and Medschooldiary.com.

Today, discussion in SDN forums ranges from how to handle test anxiety, to what to do about an incompatible roommate, to feelings of loneliness and confessions of insecurity, to pop culture and dream vacations.

Brandon says he’s met and talked with students all around the country and networked with hundreds of like-minded students. “Most of my colleagues were not pre-med in college, and having been the first to graduate high school and attend college in my family, it was a bit difficult to travel and pave the road through to medical school alone,” he recalls. “After suffering some poor grades at college from working three jobs, I finally stumbled upon SDN in my senior year, and as a result, I scored well on my MCAT, enrolled in an Specialty Masters Program, and have subsequently been accepted to medical school with another interview coming up.”

“The fact that it draws students from all over the world to share their thoughts and to be able to pick the brains of every type of medically-related individual out there is an aspect that no others have probably come close to mirroring…There is no better resource. I’d go as far as saying that this may even do a better job of advising than any school’s premed advising committee. I consider SDN the altruistic, opportunistic, optimistic, pessimistic, realistic and individualistic fraternity of medicine,” adds Brandon.

Tim, another forum poster, echoes the sentiment, stating, “Though SDN seems just like a web forum, it provides much more than just information; it is a place where professionals (and soon to be professionals) can come together to learn about career options, share their trails and triumphs throughout the training, and then disseminate their knowledge with others who are starting the journey.”

And for those skeptical about information found on the Internet, SDN forum user Anush has these words, “SDN has effectively filled a significant part of the information gap. It has eliminated geographic barriers to information gathering. It has a built-in system of checks and balances, whereby most inaccuracies are flushed out, and biases and prejudices are exposed, as information flows from all sources.”

Brandon in Alabama adds, “The unique capability of SDN… is that it allows you to connect to a much larger group of people than those in your immediate geographic area. I bring this up because I go to a relatively small school, with very few medical school applicants each year. I have lots of friends, but almost no one who can empathize with the plight of a pre-med…I think SDN succeeds because it doesn’t just provide answers that any pre-med advisor could, it provides a built-in support system.”

And as far as lifelines go, Anush adds, “About a year ago, as I was face-to-face with someone working in the admissions office of a certain medical school, I was told (in a scathing, abrasive tone of utter contempt), ‘Your undergraduate GPA is so awful, I don’t understand why you are even bothering thinking about medical school. You are deluded if you think you will ever get in.’ That was the day I found SDN. I realized that I am in an awfully deep hole, but I do not have to remain buried alive for the rest of my life. I read about others who had made it out of similar holes and I am inspired by their stories every day.”

“SDN has helped me to feel ahead of the game: to know what’s coming up and be prepared for it,” says David, summing up SDN’s goals in a nutshell.

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