Match Day

This post is a little late considering that match day for dietetic internships was on April 2nd but the delay has given me a little time to reflect on what has happened. 

The short story of my match day is that I actually had class all day and when I finally got home I was starving and not really thinking about matching. It wasn't until about ten minutes to 6 pm (the time results are posted) that the anxiety set in (I also forgot my password to the matching site, D&D Digital, so I had to reset it). I wasn't really worried about matching because there is also the opportunity for second match. Second match is an option to reapply to internships that haven't filled all of their spots. And I knew if I didn't match in the first round there would be some great opportunities that followed. But I really just wanted to know what my plans were for next year so I could find a place to live.

My anxiety levels about the whole thing have been very minimal because I have a great confidence that I will end up where I'm supposed to be. 

6 pm rolled around and I logged in to D&D,  and I was very pleased to find out that I had matched with my first choice, The University of Kansas Medical Center. To be honest, when I was first looking at internships KUMC was kind of my fall back. But after I attended their open house I fell in love with their program. 

The first thing that got me is how helpful their staff and current interns were. They answered countless questions and gave each one an honest answer. Then I discovered all of the opportunities I would have. Not only is there the option to pair your internship with a masters but you can finish both in just two years. Plus, the practicum rotations are very diverse and can be very tailored to your interests. They have an option to do a rotation in India over the summer, that was a huge selling point for me! And the interns are required to volunteer a few hours a semester at a free clinic that is mainly Spanish speaking, a unique opportunity to work with translators! There were a ton of other things that compelled me too, so I hope what you get from this is to not write anything off until you find out what they're all about.

I'll do another post about choosing internships sometime but I wanted you all to know that I matched and why I'm so excited for the next year. Match day wasn't so bad, and everything happens for a reason. If anyone out there reading this didn't match, I just want to tell you that there are a host of other opportunities for you!

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