After countless exams, days of studying and boards, fourth-year medical students are often thrilled on Match Day. The culmination of all of their hard work and preparation has led them to their match.
But before Match Day, there are residency interviews and audition rotations. Recently matched students share how they knew a program was right for them.
I am very interested in working with an underserved population. One of BU’s missions is social justice through medicine. And I really liked the program director. She’s a woman of color and she’s doing child and adolescent [psychiatry], which is what I’m really interested in. I felt like we really connected and she’s someone that could go to bat for me. —Maanasa Bandla, OMS IV, matched into psychiatry at Boston University Medical Center
When I was auditioning, I got a lot of positive feedback. ‘Hey, you’re doing a great job.’ Just hearing that from a lot of people was very reassuring to me. —Ryan Schmelter, OMS IV, matched into general surgery at Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines
I really enjoyed the people, the dynamic that each person had with each other, from the patients, to the staff, to the doctors, to the families that were there. It was a very inclusive environment where I felt very comfortable. I knew I’d be very happy working there for as many hours as I’d spend there. —Rohan Mehta, OMS IV, matched into internal medicine at University of Chicago-Northshore
I really gelled well with the residents. They worked hard. They were all really friendly. And I like big cities. I’m living in Chicago. Hofstra is in New York City. So location was important for me as well. —Karsh Gaurav, OMS IV, matched into internal medicine at Lennox Hill Hospital
For further reading:
More than 5,000 DO students and grads match in largest NRMP Match ever
It’s time to rethink what it means to be a DO