Students from the class of 2021 celebrated one of the most exciting days in their professional journey—Match Day. Here they share their personal match story, what has inspired them along the way and what advice they would give to students starting the journey today.
Where did you match?Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia
I became interested in the medical field in high school and began shadowing different medical professionals in college. I had the opportunity to shadow a family friend that was a pharmacist and really enjoyed that pharmacy involves diverse patient care in which attention to detail is a key component.
I felt the most relief I have probably ever felt in my life. There is so much preparation that goes into applying for residency. From working on every research project I could get my hands on to staying late every day on APPEs to try and build my reputation, it all felt worth it as soon as I saw that wonderful word, MATCHED!
The advice I would give is to say yes to everything you can. I know that it's sometimes difficult to get your foot in the door with research, publications and making vital connections, but when you start saying yes to opportunities, eventually they add up and you end up having a lot of experiences under your belt to build your CV and make you a stellar candidate. The opportunities that seemed the most intimidating and scary to me ended up being the most rewarding!
There are too many to choose from!
I would just like to say how grateful I am to the professors, preceptors and faculty members that invested so much of their time and energy into me. There were many times that I found it difficult to see the potential that they saw in me, but thankfully I was surrounded by mentors that encouraged me to push the limits I had set for myself. They have all inspired me in different ways and I could not thank them enough!
