Match Day

So yesterday, 3/20/08, was Match Day for most fourth year medical students. At my school, we showed up for a class picture at 10:30 am, then were herded to a cramped outdoor location. The dean gave a speech while everyone twitched anxiously. They finally started reading off names and each student would push their way through the crowd, grab their envelope, and drop a dollar into the basket (a raffle for the last name called). I waited with my friends forEVer, then finally bobbed and weaved my way through the crowd to get my envelope. I made it back to my friends and took the required pictures of me with my envelope, then held it up to the sun for another photo op.

Except in my case, I actually was able to read the program name (backwards and upside down) through the envelope. I immediately burst into tears.

It was Top Choice Program.

I had to tear open the envelope with everyone else to be SURE, but it was still there, on the paper. You have matched with TCP. I confirmed that it was my name on the paper, and cried some more. My husband hugged me fiercely, rubbing my head and telling me "I told you so!"--probably the one time in his life when I'd let him say that to me. I squealed with my friends and hugged people and took more pictures and cried some more and eventually called my parents and one of my grandmothers and texted some friends and walked around finding classmates to celebrate with and finally settled down long enough to get some food and eat.

For my class, the news was mostly good, but there were a few people who had to scramble, or matched into a program they're not happy with, etc. At least one couple who tried to couples match ended up on opposite sides of the country. One person tried to match surgery and ended up in pathology. One tried to match OB/Gyn and didn't make it. Several ended up deferred or taking prelim spots to try again next year. For a few, the news wasn't good.

For me and most of my close friends, though, the news was great. It was so awesome to see my friends so happy, to learn where they're going next year (and therefore, where I'll need to go visit), and to congratulate them on their accomplishment. They're all going to be great doctors in their various fields, and I look forward to saying "Why, of course I know a great anesthesiologist/ internist/ neurologist/ OB-Gyn/ pediatrician/ radiologist/ surgeon/ urologist, etc. in X town, I went to school with them."

It was a great day.