March 20, 2009

“Match Day” is the day medical students across the country receive envelopes containing the name of where they will begin their residency programs. 

At Drexel College of Medicine, 250 students shared the excitement with parents, friends, faculty and Dean of the College of Medicine Richard Homan, MD, at the college's Queen Lane Campus in East Falls.

Emotions ran high as a champagne toast celebrated the students' hard work before they were given the go-ahead to rip open their envelopes at noon. Keeping with tradition, the Match Day ritual occurs at the same time at medical schools across the globe.

This year's ceremony is the largest Match Day on record, according to the National Resident Matching Program. Nearly 30,000 students sought matches — 1,153 more than last year and 4,500 more than participated five years ago. More than half the participants in this year's Match were U.S. medical school seniors (15,638), 400 more than in 2008.