The 3 months between interviews and the Match is very anxiety inducing. Second only to the 3 weeks between submitting your rank list and the Match List, when you have no control on your future. We’ve spent years on coursework–high school, college, med school–to become doctors, only to now wait for a computer algorithm to decide our fate.
So, what do you do during the interim? Like waiting for med school, I’d recommend doing what you love. Gym, cooking, hanging out with friends. Things you won’t have as much time to do during intern year. Also things you will want to prioritize during your intern year. I recommend doing two types of things:
- Doing things you won’t get the chance to do for a while. Travel, get a tattoo, learn a new hobby, catch up on a TV show. Have fun.
- Doing things that will set a routine for intern year. Want to keep working out during intern year? Do it a lot now. Want to cook during intern year? Learn how to meal prep now.
For me, I’ve done a lot of cooking, a lot of cleaning (Marie Kondo style), and a lot of working out. Hopefully these will become staples during residency.
For all of us, this is our final moments before we devote 80 hours a week to the art of medicine, let alone the additional hours of reading. How will you spend it?
