Success at the End of Adversity: A Match Day Reapplicant Story

Posted in News Stories  |  Tagged Match Day, medical education, student experience

(March 19, 2025) — While anxiously awaiting her “match” results in the basement of the Dahlgren Memorial Library in 2023, Sarah Lucas (M’24) knew in her gut that she was pursuing the wrong specialty.

“I remember being in the match room and walking up to Dean [Princy] Kumar and telling her, ‘This may be the craziest thing you’ve heard in this room, but I really want to switch specialties to orthopedic surgery,’” said Lucas, referring to Princy N. Kumar, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology and senior associate dean of students at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Now a first-year resident in orthopedic surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Lucas looks back on the 2023 Match Week where she went unmatched as divine intervention.

“It definitely was a wild year between Match Days, but I love what I’m doing now and I’m not sure I could have survived seven years in residency where I did not fully enjoy what I was doing every day,” said Lucas. “Matching is all about fit, not just within a specialty, but within an individual program. I feel like the pieces just fell into place. I’m eternally grateful to practice in a field that reminds me of why I wanted to go to medical school in the first place.”

‘Worst Day of Your Life’

Lucas, whose father was a plastic surgeon, grew up interested in the surgical field and developed a passion for mechanics while studying engineering. Her interests came together in medical school at Georgetown during an internship between her first and second year with Bryan Cunningham, PhD, director of the MedStar Health Musculoskeletal Education and Research Institute.

“I fell in love with spine mechanics that summer, which led to an interest in orthopedics,” said Lucas.

She spent the next two years curiously exploring other fields before her final year of medical school arrived and she had to make the decision that would shape the next decade of her life. At that moment, she chose a field other than orthopedics. After a whirlwind of applying to residency programs, Lucas described discovering she had gone unmatched like “getting hit by a Metro bus.”

“Not matching feels like the worst day of your life — there’s so much shame and stigma around it. I would really encourage anyone who finds themselves in that situation to first take care of themselves. Let yourself feel, center yourself, and then start to envision where your career will lead next. Remember that attitude is everything, and a combination of humility and grace will take you far,” said Lucas.

Within 48 hours of her first Match Day, Lucas made the decision to enroll in a fifth year of medical school, opting for a clinical year of externships instead of the more traditional paths of taking a research year or SOAPing into a preliminary position (a process that allows eligible unmatched applicants to apply for positions in programs that did not fill during the main residency match).

“I can’t say I would recommend staying enrolled for everyone — it definitely comes with huge personal and financial risk,” said Lucas. “But I rationalized that there was no better way to interview for a competitive field than to physically audition as many programs as humanly possible.”

Staying Positive

Lucas describes her fifth year and going through match a second time as unbelievably daunting.

“There are so many components that went into that year, between setting up rotations, working on research projects and simply learning orthopedics. I was forging a path that was virtually unheard of,” said Lucas. “I also set the standard for myself that I had to perform at the same level as a first-year intern because I was a reapplicant, which came with an astronomical amount of reading and preparations for rotations.”

Lucas committed to keeping a positive attitude throughout the process and to not let the stigma of not matching define her medical career. “I had to be honest with myself about my past mistakes and grow from them in order to fully embrace the rare second chance I was given to do what I love.”

Over the course of her fifth clinical year, Lucas grew in confidence. Orthopedics was a perfect fit, and her unique journey became a memorable part of her portfolio for matching as a reapplicant.

A Second Chance

Lucas’ second Match Day was also filled with tears.

“I remember opening my match letter and just starting to cry. I called my dad, who was really worried, and he asked if my tears were good or bad,” said Lucas. “I responded that they were good tears. I was just so overwhelmed by everything that had gone into the past year to make the match possible.”

Lucas credits her perseverance to the support she received from her mentors, who encouraged her to keep pushing even when she doubted if she could succeed. “Dean Kumar is like a second mother to me, and the first person I reach out to for advice,” said Lucas. “I’m also incredibly grateful to Dr. Ferguson, who gave me so many clinical opportunities, as well as Dr. Kessler and Dr. Postma for their expert guidance throughout the match process. I feel incredibly blessed to have matched here at Georgetown.”

Lucas’ best advice for those medical students who go unmatched is to try to avoid bitterness and instead work to become a person people want to fight for. “There’s also a lot of pressure to make life-altering decisions in a short amount of time, but I would really encourage taking a step back and listening to your gut,” said Lucas.

“It’s daunting to face the uncertainty of starting over, but there can be success beyond your wildest imagination at the end.”

Heather Wilpone-Welborn
GUMC Communications

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