My Top Three

Prior to Match Day, I didn't want to talk much about where I liked, where I wanted to go, etc. Although I changed the settings so people couldn't find my blog through search engines, I still didn't want programs reading about my thoughts before they submitted their rank lists and all.

Now that the Match is over, I can talk more frankly.

Fortunately for me, pediatrics isn't a super competitive specialty and everyone says students matching into pediatrics generally get one of their top three choices. Since Joe and I heard that from so many people, we mentally prepared ourselves for mostly the top three.

So, what were they?

1. A.I. duPont Children's Hospital, part of Jefferson Medical College
2. University of Maryland
3. Penn State, Milton Hershey Children's Hospital

A couple of weeks prior to the match, my gut was telling me I'd match at University of Maryland. I liked duPont so much and since it was my first choice, I basically said I wouldn't be lucky enough to get it. Plus, while I liked Maryland, I didn't love it, but I liked that it was in Baltimore. I truly thought I wasn't going to be fortunate enough to get my number one. The week of the match, I woke up one morning and was like, "you're going to match at duPont." I don't know where it came from, but I didn't want to let it permeate my thoughts too much. I like to set my emotions up so that I'm pleasantly surprised, rather than disappointed.

Joe on the other hand, he was convinced we were matching at Hershey for more pessimistic reasons. Of the top 3, it was the furthest from Baltimore and the most rural. Being in Central Pennsylvania and more rural, it probably meant it had the fewest job opportunities for Joe. Like me, he likes to be prepared for the worst. At the same time though, he said, "I haven't mentally prepared myself for anything past number 3, so let's hope we don't go lower."

Confession time though--I absolutely LOVED my number 6. So we skipped numbers 4 and 5 and landed in King's Daughters Children's Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, I'd be just as happy as getting duPont. So, why was it so low? It was 5 hours without traffic from Baltimore. Yes, it's still closer than Omaha, Nebraska, but we really wanted to be closer and I could be just as happy at the 5 above.

Needless to say, we're ecstatic we got duPont!