Congratulations to all the matches! Love hearing all the good news. I’m on the beginning of this trek with DS just getting accepted to med school. I’ve appreciated all your information and assistance with the many questions about the process. I hope you can stick around to help those of us at the beginning of the med school scene to guide us through the next 4 years. So happy for all of you and excited to see all the great match news! Enjoy the celebrations!
Congratulations on the matches, and good luck with the next step of this adventure! Echoing VAmom on the appreciation for the advice you all have given on CC. I’ve lurked for years, posted a little, but this med school application process was tougher than undergrad or law school (older D), and the information here was a tremendous help. Hope your sons and daughters, and those of you who are new residents yourselves, enjoy the new locations and jobs.
Congrats to all! With DD 3 years into a MD/PhD, who knows which year we’ll be doing this…and I’ll continue to lurk on CC until she’s done!
Congrats to all!
D. got her first choices for both prelim year and specialty. The big question of “moving or not moving” has been answered: NOT moving. In addition, 20% of her class is NOT moving, she will be having many of her friends around her. She knows all 3 others in her specialty residency “class”. One is from D’s class, 2 others she met during interviews and one of them became a good friend. Very excting day! More so, that I am soooo glad that I did not know some statistics. The number of applicants to D’s specialty has increase by 20% this year, matching only about 60% of them. I am happy to hear this AFTER the match!! Stats were higher in D’s class, one out of 9 did not match, whcih still made me very upset knowing what this person and family went thru and how they feel now. On a posititive side though, being hard working and nice and always stay true to yourself seem to be sufficient to achieve any goal (D’s conclusion).
Congratulations to your D, Miami!
Thanks!
congratulations to all!
Congrats miamiDAP. How long is the program?
Thank-you every one for all your earlier help, your links, the advice, and comradeship. This was rewarding to be able to share in the wealth of knowledge from all the students, parents and medical professionals.
With awe let me say:
Hip Hip Hooray!!! Congratulations and much future success to all the students who earned their dream of becoming doctors!
We were invited by my son to attend with his wife, her parents and sister. With the largest attendance ever for the event, our venue became a grand ballroom. The Dean’s office put together a poignant day!
We were made to feel extra special with a catered luncheon. First time, I have ever seen my son too excited too eat.
He asked his Dean, if he could go early in the ceremony because our family across the pond wanted to attend online. Dean said they would be calling students together in groups of five to the podium. He would be in the first half hour of the ceremony.
They had put all the envelopes out on the table at noon. The students were given 3 choices.
- Take your envelope and put it in the black box unopened. Waiting to open envelope until your name was called in front of every one in attendance.
- Open your envelope, put your match back inside, putting your envelope in the black box. The dean would take these envelopes out, announce your name, where you would introduce yourself and specialty match and prelim spots in front of the audience in attendance.
- Open your envelope and keep your match to your self.
The envelope movement between table student and box took about 15 minutes. It was special to watch some couples leave the ballroom to open their envelopes together, all the hugs, other students letting out whoops of joy, and witnessing stirring reality of friends learning they would now be separated, and tears.
My son decided to wait to open his envelope. His wait was not long because the Dean called him first! He took his wife with him to the podium. He introduced her as his beautiful soul mate.Gave her the envelope to open as he thanked his family for being in his court. She was startled by him handing her the big duty. They both looked so happy reading it!
Since he did not really eat and the ceremony took until 2, we went out to celebrate at his favorite pizza place. We went home (I have 2 puppies) and he went to meet his classmates. They all had dropped a $1 in the black box after announcing their match and shaking alumni, and all the Deans hands. The dollars were the prize to the student who had to wait the longest and be last to announce his match; besides this match, he announced the first round of drinks were on him for the afternoon!
Will graduation be as touching?
Congratulations Ulumay’s son and wife.
I don’t know about other schools but I did hear Northwestern allows any family members who are doctors also to wear the robes and go onto the stage.
Curm would now start wondering if his D should have been a lawyer so he could go on stage.
@MiamiDAP
Congrats to your D and your family. such good news!!! 
Congrats to your family. All the efforts and $$$ that have been spent are worth it on this day.
Congrats to your family and thanks for sharing your happy event with us.
Thanks to everybody!
“Congrats miamiDAP. How long is the program?” - Prelim year is one year and specialty residency is 3 years. D. may go for fellowship, it would not be very selective. Fellowship is one additional year. But it is way too early to talk about it.
D’s ceremony was simpler in comparison. It was in a lobby of some “better” school building (according to D.). They had several speakers starting at 11:30am. Since the official time is 12 noon, they had to talk right until 12 noon. At 12 noon, everybody was allowed to grab envelopes that were divided into 2 tables in alphabetical order. I do not know why, but D. was much more nervious than I ever saw her and then after openning and seeing her first choices, she was way too excited. She had 5 people attending, but many other students did not have anybody since most of students in her class are from CA, way too far especially that graduation event is coming up in a middle of May, I bet families are planning to attend at graduation. Many were happy that they are not moving, even CA students (surprise!). Lunch after had great food, but it is normal at med. school, I still remember unbelievable feast that we had at D’s while coat ceremony when she started 4 years ago.
D. will have 8 people attending her graduation, we have all reservations made long time ago. She bought a frame for diploma matching her UG frame. i wish it says “Medical School”, but it only has a name of her school
We do not have any docs in our family. We will be hosting my 87 year old mother for graduation. She is quite excited about her big trip. My son and wife will be flown across the pond to celebrate the graduation honors by his older brother and spouse.
Then back for an orientation meet and greet before all the fun begins in July.
They did tell us there is another match for fellowships? We have five years to wait. We were happy to learn their residency years count in their Public Service Loan Forgiveness plan for them. They will only have 4 years left to be debt free.
The fun for our students continues on!
From what I understand according to my D., there are still competitive and not so competitive felowships. If she goes for it, hers is not considered to be a competitive one (as of now). Many things may change in 4 years, we are not thinking about it now. We will have another cycle of college application next year, GrandD is a HS sophomore. Frankly, I wonder how this will go. It will be very different from my D’s, who had relaxed college and Med. School application cycles. But the younger one is into prestige (a NYC thing, that we in Midwest, do not understand much)
8, maybe more, years of thinking, worrying, stressing, spending, etc by students/families and then suddenly an envelope with a single piece of paper enclosed gets opened and puff, it’s over except for cleaning out the locker so to speak. What a simply amazing journey. Congrats to all.
It was fun to think that that morning will probably be among the most happy/terrified nervous moments of my life. It is hard to fathom what would top that, nerves wise. Probably a child, but just a guess. It’s a weird thing, to have ranked programs in order of your preference, then not see your most preferred program on your paper. It’s strange to be both bummed and excited. Luckily for me/us, the bummed part has all but been replaced by sheer excitement. Things move fast! I’m turning in my license application tomorrow; I ordered my long white coat with kristin5792 MD (kidding, I used my real name ); we’re choosing a place to live next week; and tomorrow I’m sending in my contract, signed–for the first time ever, because it said so under the line–kristin5792, MD. Impossible not to feel just incredibly blessed (and I have a hunch a certain piece of jewelry is burning a hole in a certain someone’s pocket…)
How very exciting for you, Kristin5792! Congrats and best to you in ALL your new adventures!
Kristin, you are right!
We have been talking about March 16 being so much more important than March 20. But March 16 was calm, fact stating, while D. was way too excited at the Match Day on March 20. I do not understand this part, she was ready to be anywhere, while strongly prefering her #1, she was ready to uproot and move. But when she saw what she got, she started shaking (first time in her life!) and then she could not stop jumping. When we got home, she said she was very tired (oh, yes, it was a great work out, for sure). All who are staying (20% of her class) actually were very excited to keep their friends close.
The sad thought about one who did not match in D’s specialty is still stuck in my head. The only fact that we know about it is that he got only 6 interviews.
It was interesting to hear from D1 about all the various reactions students had.
There was everything from literally dancing on the table to one fellow openly weeping. (But it was tears of relief from a fellow who matched in ENT at his #1).
D1 is celebrating her impending graduation and residency in true D1-style. She bought plane tickets to Tahiti and will vacation there for 2 weeks before reporting to intern orientation on June 9. ( Flight paid for with her frequent flier miles from all her interviewing trips!)
As for housing and relocating and all that–I have no clue what’s she doing. She’s grown up and can take of these things by herself. I think she’s looking for a roommate and rental house. But I really don’t know. She just made me promise to ship green chile and “real” salsa to her as soon as she has an address. (Canned jalepenos just aren’t an adequate substitute.)