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Writer's pictureDr. Samir Desai

The Successful Match turns 10








Ten years ago, we released the first edition of our book The Successful Match. One of the best things about writing this book has been hearing from readers.

As a faculty member at the Baylor College of Medicine, I take great pride in the accomplishments of my students, some of whom have matched into some of the most competitive residency programs in the country.

I've also been very moved by the many stories that I’ve heard from readers over the years, some of whom have overcome significant challenges on their journey to residency.


  • A U.S. medical student who had always wanted to train at the University of Pennsylvania matched there. This despite the fact that no one from her medical school had ever done so before.

  • A California resident attending medical school at a new school on the East Coast matched into a competitive surgery program near his home in California.

  • An IMG who had failed to match into psychiatry on three prior occasions was able to match into the specialty. He had to overcome multiple attempts on the USMLE Step 1 and 2 CK exams.

  • An osteopathic medical student was able to match into obstetrics and gynecology despite failing her USMLE Step 1 exam.

  • An ophthalmology re-applicant was able to double the number of interviews.

  • An older IMG (over 50 years) who received only 2 interviews for internal medicine was able to overcome his low USMLE scores and date of graduation to match.

  • A U.S. medical student who had to repeat his first year of medical school matched into emergency medicine.

  • Two U.S. medical students participating in the Couples Match were able to match with their # 1 paired program choice despite having very different credentials (one with very high board scores and clerkship grades and the other with several red flags).


A very grateful thank you to the many readers who have shared their personal stories, challenges, and successes with me, and I look forward to hearing more in the future.

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