Match week is a visceral experience. As a current program director, I get to experience this week from a very different perspective than graduating medical school applicants. I’ve now been on each side of the match twice: twice as an applicant and twice acting as program director. I empathize with those students distraught at not matching, wondering what their future holds and feeling utterly helpless. I’ve been there. And I’m elated for those students who are ecstatic about a successful match but potentially a nervous wreck to find out just where their next 4-6 years might be spent.

Congratulations to those matching! And to those who did not, persevere. Keep on. This match is not your identity. The type of physician you become does not define who you are as a person. You may not control your every circumstance, but you do control your response to it. Viktor Frankl wrote, “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment”.

Having experienced multiple match weeks from both sides, I can confidently say that some great things happen through temporary suffering. I would not be where I need to be had I matched in my first attempt.