P&S Students Meet Their Match

At noon on March 20, eager—and in many cases nervous—graduating P&S students gathered in Bard Hall for an annual rite: Match Day. Since 1952, medical students have been matched to residency programs through a complex process administered by the nonprofit organization The Match. The results are revealed to students across the country at the same time on the third Friday of March (noon on the East Coast).

Starting at 11 a.m., the students, along with many friends and family members, milled about, eying the long table with its rows of sealed envelopes. Shortly before noon, Lisa Mellman, MD, senior associate dean for student affairs, welcomed everyone and announced, “Everyone has a job.” All of the 149 students participating in this year’s match had matched to a residency. She then started the countdown from 10; loud voices immediately joined in. Some of the students then rushed to the table, while others seemed to prefer a few final moments of not knowing. Soon the room was filled with shrieks, hugs, and, in some cases, tears (of joy).

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTOQqYFtXAxV8zbMdG4JX2j5ejXE1IRe4

The most popular residencies were internal medicine (18 percent), orthopedic surgery (8 percent), psychiatry (8 percent), pediatrics (7 percent), emergency medicine (6 percent), ophthalmology (6 percent), urology (5 percent), anesthesiology (4 percent), ob/gyn (4 percent), and otolaryngology (4 percent).

Fifty-one percent of the students are staying in New York State for all or part of their residency, and thirty-one percent are staying at Columbia for all or part of their residency.

Another P&S tradition is Super Night, a themed party held on the evening before Match Day. Students enjoy dinner and skits, performances, and videos. The theme of Super Night 2015 was Super Nintendo.