Use the search function barrage
I've read quite posts about folks getting angry with repetitive questions on this forum. I can sympathize with these folks, however, let me present a different side of the argument.
When a prospective college student (myself included) or someone looking to "break in" asks a question in an online forum, 9 times out of 10 the question will already have been asked in either this forum or other forums around the net.
There are questions that should be googled, I agree. Questions such as; Which college is better, X, Y, or Z? What is the best major for IB, X, Y, or Z? Is X major hard? .. etc. However, it must be noted that while most questions are generic in this sense, many questions pertain to the individual themselves.
I will use myself as an example. Right now, I attend Northeastern University and while it is far from a target school, it does a great, if not one of the best, job of placing students in positions. Now, obviously because I'm on this site, I want to eventually break onto the "street."
If/when I ask a question regarding some aspect of school or how to break, I'm writing the question for my specific situation. Obviously, I can use the search function and find something along the lines of what I'm asking, but it does not truly serve justice to my thoughts since the answers are not catered to me.
Take for example a question regarding which major and how high of a GPA is needed. Clearly, the question has been asked all over the internet, but it might have other parts to it such as, "I go to college X, with aspirations Y, and a GPA of Z." Then it might go on to say, how would I get into IB, S&T, PE, etc., what are other people's thoughts. Every persons variables will be different from one another and that's why they're many "similar" questions asked.
If a question asked seems offensive, rude, or somehow derogatory, then by all means I think the OP should be bashed. However, if it is question regarding their own personal concerns and you think its too repetitive, then please move on and don't answer. Someone else with constructive thoughts will be happy to lend a word of advice. We prospective monkeys appreciate help, but highly dislike bullshit when all we seek is advice for our OWN situations. It does not make someone an idiot or a troll when they seek an answer that pertains their own dilemma.
Remember, questions maybe be similar, but the circumstances are NEVER the same.
Thank you
First of all, we're lucky to have FT and SAs on here answering our questions. Second of all, we don't deserve catered answers to all of our questions; we're lucky if we get them. Finally, 9 times out of 10 the answer you could've found by doing a search can be easily extrapolated to your current situation.
In short, if you think a little bit and stop freaking out about the most minute of details, you'll find a lot more information on this site than you did before. Due diligence + a little analytical ability = more information + not being told to stop being a lazy ass
UES TEH FUCBTHING SEARCH FUCNKTIONG GAWDD
In a world where you aren't special, what makes you think you'll get special treatment here? If you ask a stupid question you'll get stupid answers.
And 2/3 of the replies you've gotten are from students on here that are highly appreciative of these guys taking time out of their 60/80/100 hour + workweeks to answer our questions
If the case that no one is special, than of course they want to feel some sense of "specialness." It's better to not be respond to at all than be completely discouraged and put down.
Also, D M, you seem to be missing my point. I'm not freaking out at all, in fact, I couldn't care less. I haven't asked any questions about the aforementioned topics. All I'm saying is that there IS another side to the argument. Additionally, it takes 30 seconds to read a question. I'm sure those wasted seconds won't detract from your free time after a 60/80/100+ hour work-week. If it does detract then you need to revisit how you spend your free time.
Thanks
You will get fucked with that attitude. Let's see what happens if you actually do get into banking (that's a big if) and you walk into your MD's office with a dumbass question. Sure, taking 30 seconds out of his life won't kill him, but you will look like an idiot and lose whatever existing respect/credibility you had by not utilizing your basic resources first. Just make sure you tell him that he needs to revisit his time management techniques once he suggests that you didn't look for the answer hard enough.
+1
I was about to write the same thing, but because of my poor time management techniques I didn't think I could spare more than enough time to write a line or two.
If you couldn't care less than why did you take the time out of your day to write a long post about it?
First of all, the freaking out thing was a generality, not aimed at you specifically. Second, these guys aren't paid to be here, this site is built around giving the users the ability to help each other (along with the guides, interview help, job postings, etc). It's not their job to make some undergrad feel "special". They're courteous enough to help us try and be where we want to be, anyone who visits this site is going to learn something and they should be thankful for that.
If you (once again, general "you", not your specifically) are so lucky as to get a personalized response to your specific question, you should be on your knees with your throat warmed up and ready to roll. This isn't fucking high school, nobody is here to hold your hand and walk you step by step through the process. If you have a problem with that you need to grow. The fuck. Up.
I'm tired of people thinking they for some reason deserve to be helped, to have someone be nice and courteous to them while they're being helped, to have to be made to feel special while they're getting that helped. That's a bunch of bullshit. I thank my lucky stars every day for having stumbled on this site, I can't have asked for any better of an environment or place to ask questions and get answers, whether they're nice/decent responses, go-fuck-yourself responses, or why-the-fuck-are-you-asking-this-I'll-answer-anyways responses.
So to all of our cert users and the FTs/SAs that come on here and answer questions: THANK YOU. You do a great job and most of us appreciate any bit of information you're willing to impart.
+1 again.
Some truth is being thrown out in this thread tonight
I somewhat agree with the OP here. If you don't want to answer, then don't. No need to waste your time telling users to search. I know the search function has been improved, but it is still quite difficult to use. Of course, when someone asks "I go to a non-target and want to work at GS, what are my chances?" that is a bit annoying. But often enough an experienced user can save a new member hours of searching/reading by answering a specific question, or pointing the new user to the right thread. Isn't that the point of this website? If you want to help, then do, if you don't then don't help. I am often happy to help new users find their way around, as long as they sound humble and have done a bit of research, and I agree that the "use the search function" response if overused.
Most times someone does answer the question or point that person in the right direction. We also have new users who come on here all the time and don't know about the search function, so it helps having people say, "use the search function asshat". And a new user who spends hours sifting through threads is going to learn a shitload more than they would have learned if they'd gotten the tailored answer they wanted. Also, most of these "tailored questions" don't require a 30 second read/30 seconds response. The ones that do usually get answered. The ones that don't are usually life stories that can be answered with, "Get your GPA up, network, have good ECs, and get an internship". If that's not the answer to a question, somebody usually gives an answer. Hell, someone usually gives a tailored answer even IF that's the only answer necessary.
You are not understanding my point at all. Again.. my point is that there IS a reason why it is not done. Right or wrong there is a reason. You can google any question and tons of forums will have a similar question, BUT not the exact question. Thus, people will naturally ask a question that corresponds to their exact situation.
@ Flake, I'm sure I'm not "fucked" thank you. There is a completely different environment inside an office and I would not walk up to a MD to ask a stupid question and/or critique his time management. I'm simply stating reasons why it's done.
@ Simple as.. You are taking what I am saying out of context. I was responding to D M and the long work week. My point is, if you read something and don't like it, don't respond, move on. Also, I am making a thread responding to another thread I read about how people need to learn how to use the search function. All I'm making is a counter-arguement.
@ D M, From an undergrads perspective, if you don't ask your question to the "nice" people giving their time on this site, how are you going to be sure about your personal situation?
It's a simple fact, as a college student or anyone trying to break in, you're going to look for answers relating to your specific circumstances. You'll never walk up to a person in real life and ask them what they advised someone else who had a similar situation.
There is no need to blow this out of proportion.
Thanks
I still hate you.
Oh? That is too bad.
Your username is stupid, also.
Nobody is blowing anything out of proportion, you posted your opinion, we replied with our opinions. I'll break this down even more for you:
1) There's always going to be people that scream troll at every question. This happens on the internet.
2) From a fellow undergrads perspective, a lot of people on this site want to be in jobs that require heavy amounts of due diligence and analytical ability. A lot of these people post questions about their shitty/"unique" situation that just requires some due diligence.
3) Most people get a response, even if 90% of the replies say "use the search" or "troll". And then when the person asking the question gets one response, they ask for another because it doesn't fit with what they were hoping to hear.
4) This may not be the same situation as asking an MD, but it's similar. You want information that someone else has. Why waste their time asking a question that can be answered with a quick forum search?
5) Regarding your note to Simple as..., asking a question in real life is much different than an internet forum (note the MD comparison as well). The difference is that when you're face to face with someone you can't get that information without asking them for it. Here you can 95% of the time.
6) Once again, employing a little analytical ability will get your question answered. If you have a 3.4 from Harvard, if you have a 2.8 from UCONN, if you have a 4.0 from MIT, there's a dozen threads about what you can do to make yourself a better candidate. Do some due diligence and use your analytical abilities.
I understand what you're saying, even though you don't think I do. My answer is simple, you can get the answer you need without asking about your specific situation. If you want to know precisely what to do in your specific situation (whether your GPA is .15 less than another guys, or you're a math major instead of a CS major, or you go to CU Boulder as opposed to Ohio State), be ready to get shit for it. You'll probably get a response anyways. And by the way, most people do ignore most topics that they think the OP should do a forum search or some due diligence on. There are so many users on this site that you're still bound to get 4 or 5 people telling you to search the forum
D M, I have no arguments against what you are saying. I think it is fair and true. However, new users to the site, for example, probably do not know that there are people on this site who are actually specialists in their given field. Some may think of it as more sophisticated college confidential, I don't know, I can't say. However, I have read many posts on this site from college kids and some of the responses were out right awful. I understand people are entitled to their opinion, but in a face to face conversation they would never say that. It angers me when people believe they are mighty behind their computer screen. College students have genuine personal concerns and most like at least some aspect of a reasonable response. It's all I'm saying.
Actually, I asked a question once about military after college and someone responded with, "I'll bet my money that your face has a bullet through it." Now, it doesn't bother me, however, it's a shitty response. Much rather received no response at all.
I would actually say everything I say on here to your face (given that most of what I say is usually sarcasm). The few people that know me in person can vouch for me.
Sure, some responses are nasty and uncalled for but at the same time, these people don't owe you anything. In fact you're being quite rude yourself with your little statements like "if you can't take 30 seconds out of your 60/80/100 hour work week then you need better time management". You said that sentence BEFORE any real hostile posts were made. I was actually offended and felt that if somebody was to tell you to fuck off, it would be perfectly justified. So before you go around being a fucking hero and saving new users from big bad assholes on WSO, you should probably check your own attitude first.
Thought I'd chime in here since it is a pretty crucial / interesting issue that we struggle with a lot here on WSO (as do many other message boards I assume).
The balance is #1 trying to make new users welcome and give them the best advice possible vs. #2 keeping our most knowledgeable users (usually SAs, full time professionals and/or Certified Users) from getting too frustrated.
This is why we have been putting a lot of time into expanding the new FAQ section and why we invested in improving the Search function (if you think the search function sucks / or is tough to use, maybe we need to create video, because it is actually very powerful. It is multi-faceted search which means you can sort by relevance, date, author, content type, etc.) -- yes, we understand the desire of each new user wanting specific advice, but I think in order for WSO to survive, we also need to respect the users that are so generous with their time.
Encouraging new users to try out the search function or check out out FAQs, especially if they are asking questions that are very similar or basic, I think is a fair response. Not everyone does it nicely, but I think it is important to remember that the site is free to join and people are giving you advice for free (even if that advice is rude, or directs you to use the search....we have over 70,000 discussions and close to 500,000 comments over WSO's history...usually, even for a very specific question, if you spend enough time with search you can find a very relevant answer).
Another reason we are developing the FAQ section and encourage the use of Search is because WSO is growing rapidly on campuses which is going to bring a massive influx of students, especially starting next week. Without the dedication of our Certified Users and our other more experienced members, nobody would get anything answered....first and foremost, we need to make sure that they stick around and don't get sick of the same / similar threads popping up every day.
So while I agree with the OP that oftentimes it is easier just to move on, you should also try and understand where the frustration comes from. In the meantime, I encourage more members to become Certified Users and we will keep trying to improve the FAQ section so that new users are able to come to the forums and keep the repetitive threads to a minimum (they will likely never disappear completely).
Thanks, Patrick
i think the beauty of the WSO system, like many others, is that it's pretty self-policing. i mean, if a truly retarded question comes up, it is hit with all manners of mockery and sarcasm and it discourages similarly retarded questions. and that's about it.
I'm totally against that.
Sure, but once again its a user generated site which anyone can join, and as is with ANY AND ALL user-centric forums, theres going to be stupid shit like that. And if you notice, it's usually guys with 15-20 banana points that either have a track record of trolling or have been around a while and not posted all that much.
Just to add, try using google search with wallstreetoasis as a parameter. It might be like the placebo effect, but I find that the searches are a lot more relevant.
If you're having a problem with the search (which I love by the way), Hamilton is right. Perhaps the easiest way to do what he's saying is to enter this in Google (without the brackets):
search:wallstreetoasis.com [whatever you are searching for]
the search function here is pretty good but ive always found it AMAZING that idiots do not know how to properly use google or any other search functon. and rafikki youve already been blacklisted for talking shit and talkin back to established users for actually posting something asinine and posted time n time again - OMGIF I GO INTO THE ARMY CAN I GET INTO HBS -- which you were subsequently bashed one. oh, and you still had the same asshole attitude and overbearing self worth as you kind of did in this forum post.
I'm going to throw my thoughts in here because I deal with a lot of these types of questions through PMs:
I think the disconnect is that posters who want advice that is catered to their very specific situation don't realize that the elements of their situation that make it "unique" do not influence the steps they must take to get a job in the industry. For example: It doesn't matter if your GPA is 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, or even 3.99 - if you want to improve your chances, you need to raise your GPA. The formula is very simple and applies to everyone regardless of their school, major, or pretty much any other factor: maximize your GPA and network like hell. Whether you're captain of the finance club or a recent immigrant from China, the advice simply does not change.
For this reason, many experienced users feel that all the "individual situation" posts aren't unique at all.
Yup, my thoughts exactly. These kids think their situation is unique because they're at Princeton instead of Harvard, or because they do crew when another poster did lacrosse. People should be smart enough to know when their question requires a post, or a search.
^^That's what I was trying to say. Damnit, where were you 8 hours ago CB
I actually don't even mind posting this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=calm+the+fuck+down+dude
Take five, it's not worth it.
the answer is: 42
^^
against self policing, or against mockery?
Mockery. No reason to be mean.
I disagree. Racism and sexism are mean. Mockery and sarcasm are pretty mild. Oh well, British humor vs American, too long to get into here.
I was just kidding. I've been called a dick on WSO before, for whatever reason...Kind of random, but whenever I think of British humor, I think of Fawlty Towers lol.
Rafikki it's que facile. People don't like to write more than they have to. Ever emailed with a banker? It's like deciphering chinese sometimes. (Forget S&T people no one outside understands them lol). Concise and succinct. Bankers suffer from TL;DR syndrome too. Point is people get pissed if you bug them with low-level questions. Learn how to absorb and uncover all the basic information out there and then ask something that can't be answered without experience + working knowledge. That will leave a good impression and is a useful tactic for informational interviews as well. It shows you have done your homework and that you are not looking for a hand-out. Bankers like specific questions and shorter answers. And yeah, some are mean and some are nice about these matters. Welcome to the working world :)
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