‘Ready to Get Started’: Harvard Medical School Students Celebrate Match Day

Besmira Alija had her answers within seconds.

Moments after the noon bell rang inside Harvard Medical School’s Veritas Science Center, she tore open her envelope and found what she had hoped for since day one: a spot in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Around her, the room broke into cheers — classmates shouting, hugging, and calling family.

For Alija, a first-generation college student, the moment carried added weight. She said her interest in surgery traces back to watching her father work construction, where she first saw the appeal of working with her hands.

“This day is really special,” Alija said. “My parents’ highest level of education was middle school, so to be able to go to high school, college, now medical school, now match into one of the most competitive specialties in medicine, is such a special moment.”

“I’m so, so excited to be able to fulfill my dreams and go on this journey,” she added.

Match Day, held annually on the third Friday of March, determines where graduating medical students across the country will complete their residencies, which typically last between three and seven years.

Of the 157 HMS students who entered this year’s match, 145 secured positions in clinical specialities and 66 students will train at HMS-affiliated hospitals — figures largely consistent with the past five years.

Internal medicine was the most common specialty, with 28 percent of students matching into the field. General surgery followed at 9 percent. Anesthesiology and dermatology each accounted for 8 percent, while orthopedic surgery and psychiatry each drew 7 percent.

HMS Dean George Q. Daley ’82 addressed the graduating class shortly before envelopes were opened, emphasizing the broader purpose behind students’ training.

“There is nothing more wonderful than using your talents for the betterment of others, for the health and well-being of all,” he said.

Across the room, Oussama Metrouh opened his envelope beside his wife and child and learned that he had matched into interventional radiology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

“Incredible, unbelievable,” Metrouh said. “This is the result of so many years.”

Some students took less traditional paths to medicine. Isabel R. Barnet, a fourth-year student in the Harvard-MIT Health, Sciences, and Technology program, studied mechanical engineering before turning to medicine, initially focusing on medical devices and disability care.

Though she was initially interested in pediatrics, Barnet ultimately matched into internal medicine.

“I just love the ability to build longitudinal relationships with patients,” she said. “I love the breadth of internal medicine. I also like the depth of it as well, and hopefully it’s a good conduit into my career, potentially cardiology.”

Leonard J.N. Nettey, who spent eight years in HMS’ MD/PhD program, also matched into internal medicine and said he is eager to begin.

“Excited, just ready to get started. It’s been a long time coming,” Nettey said. “So ready to finally put everything we’ve worked on to practice.”

Students also said the chance to celebrate together was a central part of the day.

“A lot of close friends here who’ve been through the journey with me,” Nettey said, “so it’s just great to be able to celebrate with them.”

Felita W. Zhang, the only student to match into plastic surgery through the military match, learned in December that she had matched at Yale — months before her classmates. But Friday marked her first opportunity to celebrate alongside them.

“I just love seeing all my friends,” Zhang said. “It’s just honestly the happiest day of my life.”

For Mustafa Nasir-Moin, Match Day marked a return to a familiar place.

“Before medical school, took two gap years at NYU in the neurosurgery department, so I'll be returning there,” he said. “I found really great mentors there.”

“Excited — also nervous,” Nasir-Moin said. “But we have a new journey ahead of us. A new challenge.”

—Staff writer Riya S. Shah can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at riyas.23. Follow her on X @RiyaShah233.

—Staff writer Juliana L. Yao can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at jly.87. Follow her on X @JulianaYao298.