Students held small in-person event, but guests were limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. Students celebrated in private from 11-noon and received their enveloped. After they learned where they are headed, they shared their announcement of their residency destination in a public ceremony that was livestreamed.

[Music with video vignettes of match day]

[Giovanni Malaty, president, class of 2021]: Match Day is really a day, you know, for students. It's a day to celebrate. They've worked really hard it should be a celebration. The zoom quarantine theme is something that we thought you know our class would really like. Having just come off of these virtual interviews where you know the colloquial outfit is you know a shirt and tie with a jacket on top and maybe being in your sweatpants and flip-flops on the bottom so we just saw it as an opportunity to say you know this is kind of a stressful day but we can make it kind of fun.

  • [Student 1]: I will be going to Phoenix, Arizona and doing neurology at the Barrow Neurological Institute.
  • [Student 2]: I'll be heading to the great nation of Brooklyn, New York and doing psychiatry at St. John's.
  • [Student 3]: I'll be doing pathology at the Cleveland Clinic. 
  • [Student 4]: West Coast, best coast going to Seattle for my pediatrics residency.

[Ryan Perry, class of 2021]: [Announces: I'll be doing residency right here at Virginia Tech Carilion.] It was a privilege to stay here with them. I was born actually in community hospital here so I'll get to operate in the hospital in which I was born so happy to stay around.

  • [Student 5]: Doing internal medicine at the University of Virginia.
  • [Student 6]: I'm going to Boston.
  • [Student 7]: Categorical internal medicine at the University of California Irvine.

[Lauren Cashman, class of 2021]: When you're a triple Hokie because I did undergrad, master's, and now med school it just kind of gets ingrained in you. [Announces: I matched into pediatrics at the University of Virginia!] Oh my gosh. I'm going to have to confront the idea of being a Hoo, but I ranked them as number one on my list immediately after the interview was over.

  • [Student 8]: General surgery at UCSF Fresno.
  • [Student 9]: I will be doing OB-GYN at Wake Forest.

[Adenike Adenikinju, class of 2021]: It was so nerve wracking these past couple days. I've been having nightmares and getting up in the middle of the night just wondering where I'll be but the anticipation was well worth it. [Announces: I matched pediatrics at VCU.] I'm super excited to know where I'm going. It's such a great step to actually finally be able to plan things and I'm just really excited to start that next step.

[Giovanni Malaty]: Class of 2021, I could not be more proud of you. You're all going to just go out and rock it and I'm so happy to have shared this moment with you. 

20 images of students announcing their matches to residency
VTCSOM's eighth Match Day featured Zoom attire - business dress on top with more laid back clothing on the bottom.

Pre-match day reflections

We asked a few of our students to share their reflections prior to Match Day. These reflections were shared on social media during the week leading up to Match Day 2021.

Ayesha Kar

I am cautiously optimistic about match day. There is a lot of excitement going into it. I'm very excited to see if I match, and if I do, where I match.

There's always a bit of anxiety, there's always a bit of worry with it. Most of all I'm really excited to see where I go, and where all of my friends and classmates go too.

I think we are going to do fantastic. I have so much respect for my classmates, and all of the accomplishments they've achieved in the last 4 years, so I am expecting nothing but the best from them.

It definitely feels hard to think about post Match Day right now, because everything is just leading up to March 19th, but Post Match Day is going to be great! I am very excited.

It's going to be a celebratory time with me and my friends and our classmates, and just having a good time to really enjoy all of our achievements, and see where we're going, and get to spend this time together before we zoom off into residency. 

Addie Adenikinju

It's really a wonderful feeling to know that we're that much closer to knowing where we're going to end up. 

I'm just really excited and ecstatic to find out where I'm going, and where a lot of my friends and classmates are going. It's going to be a good time. 

With the COVID pandemic going on, it does add a pinch of anxiety, in terms of, did I rank my programs in the right way? Would I rank them differently if I was able to go out to these cities and interview there? But I am just taking it all in stride. 

I just want to say to the class of 2021, we've made some really great memories and it's been a really wild ride. 

It's been such a life changing time for all of us. I'm so glad to have done it with you all!

Giovanni Malaty

The class of 2021, it has its own personality. They're tenacious, everybody's got big ideas and big personalities.

I think everybody contributes to the class differently. I think everyone is talented in their own way, and I think everyone's going to end up really successful.

They've all worked hard and gutted out this whole pandemic, and they've done it with a lot of dignity. I am pretty happy about them, and happy to see where they all end up. 

I keep hearing that I should be real nervous... I don't know, it's kind of one of those things, maybe it hasn't hit me yet. I just feel like I'm tapping my foot waiting to see what happens. 

Class of 2021, you don't know how much you all mean to me. I think everyone in the class is going to do great. I believe in every one of you, and I appreciate all you have done for me!

Varun Kavuru

It has been difficult doing everything virtually this year, but I think it went as well as it could have, given the circumstances. 

I felt pretty comfortable when it came down to making decisions in the end. 

I feel like a lot of anxiety for me was just building up until I submitted my list, and then after that I've just felt so relieved. 

I'm sure that other people might be feeling the same way, but once we know, and we have some certainty about where we're going, and what we're going to be doing with our lives, I think it will be just a nice big relief overall. 

It's been a great honor and privilege being able to study medicine alongside these other really intelligent, caring, hardworking people and I'm just really glad I had the privilege of doing that. 

Congrats VTCSOM Match Day 2021
Virginia Tech's own Steve White created this doodle for Match Day 2021