General Decorum Question

[solairne]

Why is it that many people prefer to use vague descriptions of their schools they either attended or are applying to? I understand if the student is worried about schools looking online for posts by potential admits or something along those lines. Are people just being private? Maybe I'm just not that bashful of a person, but I figured it'd be the most helpful to disclose everything so others can get an idea of competition and even offer helpful suggestions if they have background with a particular school.

[zilch]

I would imagine mostly for purposes of anonymity.

If you write about a negative experience at your school and a faculty member or administrator from that school sees it and manages to identify you, it may create problems for you down the road.

Keeping in mind that the academic community is a small one. If you annoy an established person in your field you may have burned quite a few bridges.

[Summit_Bid]

I'm paranoid someone is going to find out who I am ...although I think I've revealed enough already even without naming schools.

[socialpsych]

I know I'm not anonymous here, and furthermore I'm aware that there is no way to edit or delete posts beyond a certain number of minutes after posting. So I try not to post anything I wouldn't be okay having up here for all eternity with my full name attached to it. Which leads me to err on the side of caution, even if I have no specific reason right now to avoid sharing a given detail...

[glasses]

For me, it's a combination of the fact that I'm generally a private person and the fact that I'm superstitious and fear the bad juju of saying things that I want out loud; not many people know my full list of schools, and fewer people than that know what my first choice is. Other concerns include things that others have already said, such as wanting to stay anonymous.

[expressionista]

I'm paranoid about revealing too much too. I realize it's extremely unlikely that any admissions people are here trying to figure out who I am, but I still don't want to take that chance. For example, I have one school that I applied to that is absolutely my first choice school, but I wouldn't necessarily want them or the other schools I applied to to know that because I'm afraid it would sway their decisions on either admission or financial aid offers. Also, my employer doesn't know about my whole plan to quit working there in May to go to grad school (because I don't know yet if it will actually happen), so I worry that someone affiliated with my work (my boss's daughter, etc.) could be here and figure out who I am. My specific background is not common (I have a strange combination of degrees), and I really think anyone who knows me would figure out who I am if I posted the specifics of my previous schools.

I'm also generally a private person, so there's that too.

[Lauren the Librarian]

offer helpful suggestions if they have background with a particular school.

That would be wonderful if this were a local, in-person forum. And there are plenty of times I wish I could say I go to XX school and am studying Y-can anyone help me?. But this is a digitally-saved, world-wide forum and there are some creepy people out there. There is also the eternity thing, and adcom thing. But for me it's mostly a privacy issue. In order to discuss some issues honestly, I've had to retain my anonymity. I've had my privacy violated on the web in the past and I've since learned my lesson. But I'm not worried about getting scooped by anyone academically. But I am aware of the world-wide public nature of this forum.

[bgk]

Just a small note on the privacy thing. The only thing we have here is your email address and you can be sure that we'll never pass it on to a third party. So, as a previous poster said, be thoughtful about what you write so as to be sure not to give away any personal info. and you should remain reasonably anonymous.

[jacib]

Why is it that many people prefer to use vague descriptions of their schools they either attended or are applying to? I understand if the student is worried about schools looking online for posts by potential admits or something along those lines. Are people just being private? Maybe I'm just not that bashful of a person, but I figured it'd be the most helpful to disclose everything so others can get an idea of competition and even offer helpful suggestions if they have background with a particular school.

Actually one thing I like about this forum is that undergrad schools don't come up. When people start talking about undergrad schools, some people tend to brag, some people tend to be uncomfortable. I like that we're all equal in this mess, and that no one is "more equal" cause they went to "a school in Cambridge, MA". I think if someone said "I have a 3.x from this Ivy league school" some well meaning person say "Oh you'll definitely get in!" which is obviously not true. And if people say "I have a great score... but it's from a school you've never heard of" some ill meaning person might say "No one from that school has a chance at this school." Privacy is obviously also an important element, but I think it's more than that.

[fuzzylogician]

Why is it that many people prefer to use vague descriptions of their schools they either attended or are applying to? I understand if the student is worried about schools looking online for posts by potential admits or something along those lines. Are people just being private? Maybe I'm just not that bashful of a person, but I figured it'd be the most helpful to disclose everything so others can get an idea of competition and even offer helpful suggestions if they have background with a particular school.

I've posted enough information on the GradCafe that if you really wanted to, you could find out who I am in less than 5 minutes. Still, I assume most people won't bother and I like the false sense of anonymity. But yeah, like socialpsych, I don't post things I wouldn't want people reading with my full name on them. As for my undergrad institution, well, it's foreign. Most people on this website won't be able to reliably use this data point, and on the other hand it'd give out more private information about myself. Posting the people I worked with is tantamount to simply posting my name, so I'd rather not do that either.

[jlee306]

I'm paranoid someone is going to find out who I am ...although I think I've revealed enough already even without naming schools.

I am this way as well. I am not worried as much about the schools getting online and figuring out is was me that was talking about them, I am more worried about murderers tracking me down on the internet and killing me in my sleep . Although I'm quite sure no one on this forum gives a hoot as to who I am, I have just always been that super careful person about giving too much info out on the internet. I don't even have myspace or facebook and that makes for awkward conversions when people at school are like: "Facebook me" and I always have to say: "I don't have facebook." Then they say: "Myspace?" Then I have to say: "Nope." and have to deal with the shocked faces that look at me as if I'm from another world. So in sum, I'm just afraid that somehow by me telling the exact schools I am applying to or currently going to, I'm going to be tracked down.

Disclaimer: I am by no means saying that I am afraid of the people on the grad cafe...if I were, I would not post as much, or any, as I do. I really trust this site.

[jlee306]

i hesitate to mention such a thing, but i dated someone for a year and a half who is now on trial for raping and murdering someone (who could have been me).

his knowledge and skills, internet-wise, were poor.

nonetheless, i get your concern, and now i have a lot to think about.

Wow, that is a tough situation. I'm sure if I had been in that situation, I would have thought constantly about the fact that it could have been me that was killed. My inner Psychologist wants to know if you have ever talked to someone about this. But that's personal, so I not really looking for an answer. That kind of stuff can weigh heavy on the mind. I don't want my paranoia to spread to others who read my post.

[Roll Right]

You guys are really paranoid.

[mlle]

You guys are really paranoid.

*chuckles*

I have no comment on the fear-of-being-ax-murdered hysteria that is starting to spread through the thread. My concern for anonymity stems not out of a morbid fear for my safety but rather out of a morbid fear that I might be identified by colleagues as that cyber geek who reports every anguished and mundane detail of their grad school hopes, dreams, tribulations and studies on a public message board for everyone on the world to read and mock. I have nevertheless probably posted enough for someone who really wanted to, to figure out who I am; it seems inevitable given that I also have an unusual combination of degrees like someone else here mentioned, and it's just so hard not to post unique information when you're trying to get the relevant advice. *sigh*

Regarding admissions people literally going on these forums and tracking down who's posting what--am I the only person who thinks that sounds just a little far-fetched? Does anyone actually have firm evidence that this really happens? I just have trouble seeing how it is reasonable for a harried academic--or even the departmental coordinator hired by the harried academic--who is researching, publishing, grant writing, teaching, and serving on a dozen committees to go on one of these joints and to monitor everyone's posted GRE scores and GPA, etc.

[Roll Right]

Nope, I think it's so far fetched it sounds a bit like paranoid schizophrenia. Why would professors in PhD programs keep tabs on message boards?? They have an application process. Thats what they look at. And their grad students don't make a living by stalking potential students on a forum. I mean...really?! Who's doing this??!

[jacib]

*chuckles*

I have no comment on the fear-of-being-ax-murdered hysteria that is starting to spread through the thread. My concern for anonymity stems not out of a morbid fear for my safety but rather out of a morbid fear that I might be identified by colleagues as that cyber geek who reports every anguished and mundane detail of their grad school hopes, dreams, tribulations and studies on a public message board for everyone on the world to read and mock. I have nevertheless probably posted enough for someone who really wanted to, to figure out who I am; it seems inevitable given that I also have an unusual combination of degrees like someone else here mentioned, and it's just so hard not to post unique information when you're trying to get the relevant advice. *sigh*

Regarding admissions people literally going on these forums and tracking down who's posting what--am I the only person who thinks that sounds just a little far-fetched? Does anyone actually have firm evidence that this really happens? I just have trouble seeing how it is reasonable for a harried academic--or even the departmental coordinator hired by the harried academic--who is researching, publishing, grant writing, teaching, and serving on a dozen committees to go on one of these joints and to monitor everyone's posted GRE scores and GPA, etc.

My father, a professor, just joined facebook for some project or something, I don't know. Anyway, he searched for me, and I already made my profile private because I'm teaching. However, my father could see that a. I was in some weird Ron Paul something b. my gender was listed incorrectly. Ron Paul I was fine deleting entirely (he's so 08), but we got in a screaming match over whether i) a professor on the adcomm would check facebook ii) if they'd noticed my gender on facebook was not different from the gender on my application iii) if they'd assume this was serious or if they'd assume it was a joke iv) if they'd care if i were transgender. I argued that anyone who would be bothered by it would assume it was a joke because transgender isn't even really on their radar screen.

I gave up fighting him eventual. Interestingly, I don't think he'd have a problem with this forum.

Edited January 16, 2010 by jacib

[socialpsych]

My own professor relative --who is very involved in grad admissions -- heard a lot of "OMG School X contacted someone according to GradCafe!!" from me last year, and therefore is well aware of the boards, but seems to have no interest in looking at them.

On the other hand, when we set up a chat room last year, there were a few people in it who'd signed on as "School Y Graduate Admissions Officer" or something like that, for a few different schools -- and they lurked without saying anything. May have been a joke...guess they wouldn't have used those obvious handles if they were really trying to be undercover.

Edited January 16, 2010 by socialpsych

[swisnieski]

I use vague descriptors because they're generally more salient.

I don't tell people I got my BA from Shepherd University; I tell them I got my BA from a small, not very prestigious liberal arts school on the east coast.