On Friday, March 15, 146 medical students from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania celebrated Match Day—the national, annual ceremony, during which students learn where they will spend the next chapter of their journeys towards becoming physicians and surgeons.
Penn’s unique Match Day ceremony calls students one by one to receive an envelope which reveals the name of the residency program they matched with. This event is the culmination of a process that matches graduating medical students with a residency program for future training.
The lengthy process involves advising and mentoring, applications, interviewing, and then a ranking process where students rank programs and programs rank students. Many will spend the next three to five years—if not longer—at these programs.
“It is truly exciting to watch each student open an envelope and learn what their next step will be as everyone celebrates with peers, family, teachers, and friends,” said Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, senior vice dean for Medical Education at the Perelman School of Medicine. “After years of learning and growing together, our very talented students are continuing on their unique paths to careers in medicine, and each student’s future is bright.”
Leading up to Match Day, nine students shared their thoughts as they prepared for the next step in their medical journeys. Vidya Viswanathan, Mallika Marar, and Ivy Maina penned stories for the Philadelphia Inquirer, reflecting on experiences that helped shape their careers. Additionally, Mallika, Amanda Labora, and Julia D’Souza showed us a glimpse at life leading up to Match Day. Last but not least, five students, including Amanda, discussed how they chose their path to residency with the Penn Medicine News Blog.
Check out the video above to experience the excitement, re-live the emotion of Match Day, and learn where some of the students—including Mallika, Amanda, and Julia—are headed!