Photos by Rob Strong
The Match®, one of the most anticipated, emotional, and celebrated days in medical education, is annually the day when thousands of fourth-year medical students across the U.S. simultaneously learn where they will spend their residency training.
In his opening remarks for this year’s Match Day on Friday, March 21, Geisel School of Medicine Dean Duane A. Compton, PhD, welcomed everyone and expressed his delight in seeing those who unwaveringly supported the medical students on their journey, his gratitude for the dedicated faculty, staff, and alumni who helped the future physicians reach this important goal, and the medical school community’s pride in sharing this moment.
“On behalf of everyone at Geisel, we are incredibly grateful that each of you chose to commit yourselves to our small community,” Compton said. “I am humbled by your dedication to improve the lives of others through a career that will take you far beyond the borders of our small town. I thank you for that.”
Dean of Educational Affairs Sonia Chimienti, MD, spoke of gratitude—"for each other and for those who have inspired and mentored you,” she said. “I know that each of you have thought about this on your journey to this moment. None of us reaches our goals in life without the support of others—the mentors and educators, who guided you when that internal motivation may not have been there, rekindling your spirit.” In this spirit of gratitude, Chimienti recited an Irish proverb about the lifelong value of love, laughter, good and faithful friends, and enduring peace and joy.
Congratulating the medical students on reaching this milestone, Charles Hopley, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine and medical education, talked about how important this class was to his own Geisel journey realizing that being a course director and broadly connecting with medical students was his calling. While sensing the anticipation and angst in the room, he recalled his own Match Day, and advised the students not to be disappointed if they didn’t match with their top choice—because life works out in wonderfully unforeseen ways.
Delivering the traditional class toast, Tamar Mousulishvili MED ’25 acknowledged the emotions they were feeling because the envelopes held information that will shape the rest of their lives. Congratulating her classmates, she said, “We did not get to this place alone, so thank you everyone. We have failed and have triumphed … we have been serious, stubborn, and at times silly … but through it all we have shown up for each other; creating this loving community makes me so proud and hopeful for our futures and for those whose live we will touch.”
Sharing a bit about the MD Class of 2025, Tara Cunningham, EdD, MS, associate dean for student life at Geisel, noted that 33 percent of the class had matched into primary care residencies. She also acknowledged students in the MD-PhD program who have been working toward this day for eight years. And three students in the Health Professions Scholarship Program, which provides financial support for medical school in exchange for a commitment to serve as military physicians, will be commissioned as officers in the US Army and Air Force after graduating.
Moments later amid thick anticipation, Cunningham led the countdown to noon when the MD Class of 2025 opened their envelopes to learn where they will begin residency. Following the eruption of shouts of joy, students individually shared residency destinations that spanned 20 specialties, including some of the most prestigious residency programs in the U.S., and thanked those who helped them reach this important milestone. They then placed pushpins on a large map of the U.S. indicating where they will be spending the next phase of their training.
The Match® is an intense process where medical students submit their residency choices via a computer program managed by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)—residency programs also submit lists of applicants in order of preference. The lists are then compared against each other utilizing the NRMP’s computer algorithm, matching students to their residency program. This year, 52,498 applicants registered for the Main Residency Match, with 47,208 of those applicants who certified a rank order list vying for a record 43,237 certified residency positions—outpacing last year’s Match.
Primary care, which includes residencies in family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine-primary care, and pediatrics, remained strong among Geisel students. Surgery and anesthesiology were the next most popular specialties. California, Massachusetts, and New York remained the most popular destinations. And this year, six students matched into residency programs at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
The 2025 Match list is available here (NetID required).
You can watch a highlight video of the Match Day 2025 event here:
And you can watch the full event livestream here:
