FEATURE
THE IDES of Match
Bailey Nelson , MS4
One of my newest and most enjoyable hobbies is explaining Match Day to people who are not in the medical field and seeing their reaction . It goes something like this …
“ I find out where I will be training for the next five years at the same time as 154 of my classmates in the same room . At noon Eastern Standard Time , on March 16 th , we will each open an envelope that will contain our fates . I can be placed at one of the twelve programs that I ranked , and I interviewed in the Midwest , the South and the Northeast .”
I ’ ve recited this paragraph at least twenty times , but every person has had the same reaction of disbelief and the same questions …
“ What if you don ’ t want to go to that city ?” “ I have to … it ’ s a binding contract .” “ Do you have an idea of where you will end up ?” “ Kind of , but nothing is certain .”
“ So some people will be excited and others will be devastated , right ?”
one room together … talk about an emotional rollercoaster of a day .”
I ’ ve added an extra layer of complexity to my Match experience by getting married this June . I ’ m definitely not alone , though . Many of my classmates have chosen to get married the summer after medical school because it will be one of the last extended breaks that we will have until retirement . I candidly told my fiancé , “ We can get married this summer or I can marry you in five years when I ’ m finished with residency .” This added detail of my life has led to more questions …
“ Is your fiancé able to move with you ?” “ Hopefully !” “ Will you all buy a house or rent where you match ?” “ We will buy in cities X and Y , but rent everywhere else .”
Match Day may sound unbelievably horrifying , but the interview trail was no cakewalk . While I was on the interview trail , I got stuck in Washington D . C . overnight due to mechanical issues on a flight . Ironically , I had scheduled that connecting flight through Washington D . C . instead of Atlanta in order to avoid the Great Winter Storm of the South 2017 edition . A significant number of my classmates were trapped for days waiting for flights home . Many of them even tried to get rental cars , but eventually there were no rental cars left !
“ Yes , 155 students with a variety of different emotions will be in 12 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE