Life Updates: Match Day, I See You.

After some questions on Monday's post, I realized that while I mention bits and pieces about med-school, I don't ever really talk about it in terms that apply to me. And I thought, well that sounds like a good blog post.

While I am not in med-school, it is a huge part of my life. I met Chris when I was 15, we started dating when I was 17, we got engaged at 19 (I know, I know, it's young), and married when I was twenty. We got married on his break during his first year of school, so our entire marriage has involved med-school. Because of this I feel like I have a pretty good perspective of it. One of these days I'll blog about all the ins and outs that would have been nice to know beforehand, but until then, if you have any questions--I'm your gal.

But, about where we're at now: Medical School is four years long. Chris is in his fourth year (#PRAISES) now. He's finished all of his tests and is now just finishing out the year working different rotations in different hospitals/clinics/etc.

By September, he has to have all of his applications for residency programs in. He'll go on interviews from November-January (which I'm kind of looking at as a bunch of cross country road trips...yes please.) and then comes match day.

Match day is a cruel and unusual punishment. Everywhere that Chris goes on an interview, he ranks. 1-5 or 1-100, they all get ranked. These places also rank Chris. Instead of just saying, "Hey, we like you!" Or, "Mmmm, not gonna work out!" Everything just stays a big secret. Until match day.

Chris will "match" with the program that he ranks and that ranks him that matches up closest. And because a simple phone call informing him of this would be too painless easy, some sadist invented match day.

Everyone in the entire class finds out where they match on this day. Together. All at the same time. They're given envelopes to open in front of everyone's friends and family. All together. At. The. Same. Time.

Again, a brutal system.

Right now, life is just a big, anxious, exciting adventure. Because on March 18th, we'll find out where we'll be moving and starting the next phase of the adventure. The planning side of me says that this is unacceptable, the hippie side of me is excited for a surprise and a new place to explore.

Anyway, it's a day that's four years in the making. And whatever place is written on the inside of that envelope, it's an adventure waiting to happen.

I hope that explains a little bit better about exactly where we are in the journey. And boy, is it a journey. But, my partner's pretty cute, so I'll take it.

Have any of you ever experienced a match day, or anything like it?