Match Day is the highly anticipated culmination of many years of dedication, hard work, and sacrifice for medical students. After years of intense study, clinical rotations, and personal commitment, this day signifies the moment when students learn where they will begin their training after graduation. It is an emotional and life-changing event, marking a significant turning point in their journey toward becoming future physicians.
On March 21 at 11 a.m., graduating medical students will gather with family, friends, and loved ones to discover where they have been accepted for residency training.
Click on the stories below to learn more about our students and their journey to Match Day.
For more information and details on Match Day 2025, please click here.
Humanity, Global Health, Fixing Problems are Key Themes for a CU Med Student
As he nears the end of his four years as a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Brandon Bellen thinks of the clinical goals he set for himself. One of them was to “learn how to process grief after the death of a patient.” When that day finally arrived, he says, “I would be lying if I said I was prepared.”
Bellen – who awaits Match Day, when he and his classmates will be matched with a residency program – wrote of that experience in an open letter to second-year clerkship students entering clinical rotations. It was one of several notes offering advice in a compilation written by members of the CU School of Medicine’s Class of 2025.
A Balancing Act: From Division I Gymnast to Aspiring Emergency Medicine Physician
When Allison Broad stepped onto the balance beam at 3 years old, it marked the start of her eventually becoming a Division I gymnast. Only years later would she realize it was also the beginning of her journey to medicine. Now, as a fourth-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, she’s preparing for her biggest leap yet: Match Day.
Match Day is an annual event where medical students across the country simultaneously learn the residency program they have matched into. This year, when Broad opens her envelope to reveal where she has matched, she hopes to see an emergency medicine training program at a county hospital in Denver or the Bay Area.
From the Classroom Into Combat, Humanity in Health Care is a Med Student’s Third Act
Tyler Benjamin, a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is looking forward to matching into a residency program that is as diverse as the winding journey that brought him to medical school.
“I learned long ago that I can’t predict the future, but wherever I’m called to I know there will be opportunities,” says Benjamin, 41, who will graduate in May and embark on his third career path. “Match Day can be a harrowing experience, but I hope all of my peers can find joy wherever the next phase of their life takes them, and I trust that they will.”
Childhood Cancer Experience Sparked CU Medical Student’s Interest in Pediatrics
Kylene DeSmith doesn’t remember much about the kidney cancer for which she was treated when she was 4 years old, but she does remember how the experience affected her parents.
