Match Day Student Profile: Elise Molnar

For four years, students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix have worked toward Match Day — the day they learn where they will spend the next several years as resident-physicians and a major step toward building their career in medicine. Match results are released nationally at ceremonies coordinated to occur at the exact same time across the country. Members of the Class of 2020 will receive letters that reveal where they will go for their residency training at precisely 9:00 a.m. Friday, March 20. The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix is profiling several students in advance of Match Day 2020.

Meet Elise Molnar

Elisa Molnar majored in neurobiology and minored in global health and health policy at Harvard College, where she completed her undergraduate studies.

She is marrying her “non-medicine” fiancé in June, ending a four-year, long-distance relationship.

She said finishing medical school is bittersweet. “It’s so sweet to have the culmination of such a long journey. It’s exciting to start the next big adventure, but the thought of missing all these wonderful people is bitter beyond belief.”

Path toward Medicine

Molnar said she always had an interest in medicine, but it wasn’t until she was a lifeguard and “caught a glimpse of the medical world” that she knew it was the right choice.

“There’s something really special about the bond that forms between doctors and their patients, doctors and their health care teams,” she said. “There is a similar bond and devotion between teammates (in my case, playing water polo). It sparked me to find a career that had that same focus.”

Choosing a Specialty

She chose emergency medicine as her specialty.

“I came in biased after working as an EMT before medical school, but through each rotation, every little thing I loved was something I loved about emergency medicine: the culmination of a good diagnostic workup, the energy of a resuscitation, the first contact with a patient when I put all the little pieces together. I knew emergency medicine was the perfect fit for me.”

Extracurricular Activities

During her four years, Molnar volunteered at the Wesley Community and Health Center, worked as a peer tutor and served as a board member for the Arizona Medical Association.

Why the College of Medicine – Phoenix

“On interview day, we were shown the 2015 Match Day video and it was so amazing I almost cried. It was the perfect way to show the unique culture of the college — the energy, the spirit, the love between everyone was so apparent. I was so worried I wouldn’t be invited back, as an out-of-state student, so I almost dropped my phone in shock when I received my acceptance call. I came back for Second Look and remember sitting at the baseball game and thinking, ‘Elise, if you don’t come here, you’re making a huge mistake.’ ”

Advice to Current or Future Medical Students

Molnar advises students not to lose sight of themselves and don’t be afraid to choose happiness.

• More Match Day 2020 Student Profiles.