Don't be single on Match Day

I RSVPed for my school's Match Day reception. Just me. That's flat out depressing. It's not that it's depressing that I'm single. Nah. The depressing part is that there really is no one in a 500 mile radius that could come to this deal who gives a rat's ass about where I go for residency. There's something infinitely disturbing about the thought that no one really cares where I do my training. Someone should care. Someone should want to be there. And I think ultimately this is what disturbs me the most about being single. There's no one to share things with. There's no one to share the good times with, or to weather the tough times with.

I'm sure my family is interested. But interested is a long way off from caring. It's not like where I go will affect them all that much. I'm not going to train near any of them, based on my rank list, so it's sort of a moot point where, really.

It just seems sort of unfair that one of the biggest decisions in my life should have so little impact on anyone else. To any other medical students reading this that are not 4th years, I'd suggest getting yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend to have for Match Day. And maybe you'll end up matching in a program so far away that you'll be forced to break up, and that's okay, because someone should view this decision as huge other than yourself.

When you're the only one who cares about where you match, the decision begins to seem as trivial as whether you super size your extra value meal or not. I was talking to my friends about Match Day, and someone mentioned that he'll be on the phone for a lot of Match Day, telling people where he's going. It dawned on me at that moment that I hadn't even thought about informing my family or friends. It's become meaningless to me, just another excuse to get out of a day of rotations.

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