So we are now in the final days leading up to March 18, and everyone is getting crazy! Every resident I meet in the elevator asks me, “So, what are you going into? What program do you hope to match into? Good luck!” Truthfully, I wasn’t as nervous and excited until I started having all these conversations. Each day in the ER I get the opportunity to meet and talk with LOTS of residents, and the conversations are pretty much the same. Everyone is excited, knowing that the Match is only a few days away.
And I don’t think I’m imagining it, that we’re being treated just a little differently now - we’ve been “promoted” in the eyes of the residents we’re working with. For the most part, I’ve felt that residents always treated us students collegially, but there is definitely a dynamic now that leaves me feeling like I am much closer to being a full-fledged contributing member of the team, instead of a junior hanger-on who is desperately trying to do things that are actually relevant and helpful. It feels good. 
And I am getting rea-a-aa-ally nervous with all these people constantly wishing me good luck in the Match!
Thursday my class will gather in our lecture hall, accompanied by family and friends we’ve invited. The deans will hand out sealed envelopes starting at 11:45am EST. Then at 12 noon, we’ll all open our envelopes together and find out our fates for the next… three, four, five years. Then there’s a reception with a champagne toast (a non-EtOH version is also provided). My husband, daughter, mom and dad will be with me. It should be a lot of fun. After the festivities conclude at school, partying continues well into the night… one of our deans was saying the other day that they really try not to schedule any lecture time Friday morning for obvious reasons!
(At GWU, we’re about to start two weeks of lectures attended by the entire class - I dunno what the formal title of the course is but it’s colloquially referred to as “How to be a good intern.” It’s supposed to be great, plus it’s fun to get back together with all your classmates one last time.)
So five days from now, I’ll be signing my family into Ross Hall (how WILL the security guards handle this influx of people, all needing to show their photo IDs? sigh) and getting more and more nervous… OH I cannot wait to find out, and then get started!
That all sounds very stressful and exciting! Keep us posted!
Mary-
Relax…easy for me to say right? I’m sure you will be an outstanding FP doc no matter what residency program you come out of, but I do hope you get your #1 choice…fingers crossed.
Mary,
I hope that you can enjoy the circumstance surrounding Match Day. Hopefully, it will be a memorable day. You are going to be a great doc!
Best of luck!!!
Michelle
Thanks to everyone. I am getting soooooo excited about this, I will be ready to burst by Thursday. Actually step one of this process is tomorrow (Monday) - at noon, the NRMP sends out an e-mail to everyone in the match, telling you IF you matched, not where. So the first big sigh of relief comes tomorrow (I hope!!!) when I find out that I’m not going to have to scramble. That is definitely not likely to be in my particular picture. Natalie has written of her scrambling experience, which turned out great - and in fact I’ve heard lots of good scramble stories though it’s certainly stressful to find out you didn’t match and now have to “scramble” for a job.
So first thing is to find out that I matched tomorrow (imagine 120 students all headed to the library at lunch time…), and then let the excitement build for Thursday.
Thanks for all the good cheer!
Dear Mary,
First of all, please accept my congratulations on your successful journey to become a physician. I am so in awe of your determination, energy and overall tenacity.
Best wishes for getting your first choice in the match! What an exciting event your medical school is preparing for the date. Match day at my institution, as I remember, was held outside in the quad area and was very low key…but that is California for you!
Once again, congratulations and wishing you your heart’s desire on Match Day!
Mary,
Good luck on Thursday. It’s sounds like a really cool ceremony! I hope you get your 1st choice.
Best of luck!!!
Pam
Good luck, Mary–both tomorrow and Thursday!
Hope you have a very happy match day,
Andrea
Hi there,
I know that Mary is anxiously awaiting noon today. I can just see all of those GWU folks rushing to their computers to check the website to see if they have matched. I know that Mary is going to get the good news. We also can’t forget about Larry Flint. He’s doing the same thing today too. Here’s to hoping that Mary and Larry have two great days (today and Match Day).
Natalie 
Mary -
I’m giddy with excitement for you! I hope you are having fun and I can’t wait to hear more!
-Christy
“Congratulations! You have matched.” is the e-mail I read with a huge sigh of relief at about 12:10 (got stuck in the 7-11 parking lot!). I had even been strategizing how to find an unattended computer… but our class let out a little after 11, and there is NO class this afternoon (so the scramblers have more time, and the rest of us stay out of the way), so I just came on home and found out in the peace & quiet of my messy office. WHEW. So far, so good.
WOOHOO! I thought I felt a breeze out here in Wisconsin. Must have been your sigh of relief (even though I know we all knew you’d matched.)
Way to go and half way there! Best of luck on the other half!
Hey Mary,
Congratulations! You are almost home. You can really celebrate. I am so happy for you!!!
Natalie
Congrats!
what are your top three choices?
I interviewed at three programs locally: Fairfax, Georgetown, and Front Royal. As was the case for my medical school applications, moving is not an option for us right now. My husband has just started a new job, I’ve got a kid starting college and NEED it to be in-state tuition, both my husband and I have elderly ailing parents nearby… etc. etc. So once again I defied convention by not applying lots of places, and once again (whew!) it worked out, fortunately.
Congrats, Mary!
OMG, it has already been a year! It just dawned on me last night that today is “unmatch” day…and Thursday is the “BIG DAY”!
I wish all of the OPM 4th years the best of luck! I know that Mary is locked & loaded. I would love to hear from old Larry Flynt & Mike Haas…seems as though there area few others that’ll be a-matching away this week.
Mary, many special CONGRATULATIONS to you my dear!!
See you all in Denver!!!
Congrats Mary!! It seems just like yesterday that you had posted he pics of you with your family in your new short white coat. It’s been great following your adventures. You are such an inspiration.
Tara