Not since Oscar night have simple little envelopes seemed so important to so many.

Match Day ceremonies at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine had students counting the moments until they discovered where they would begin their residencies.

“Hopkins is my No. 1 choice,” said Wojciech Mydlarz, who also went there for medical school.

“They have the whole package. It was hard to find a place that had everything from a surgical standpoint. Hopefully I’ll be able to stay.”

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Students are “matched” with a teaching hospital by the National Resident Matching Program, which uses a computer program to link students with programs, based on preference-ranked lists submitted by students and hospitals.

All students who applied from both schools were matched with a program, officials said, and 93 percent of all seniors from U.S. medical schools were matched to a residency program this year, according to the matching group.

“Monday we found out everybody matched,” said Johns Hopkins student Enesha Cobb. “In the big picture, this means I got a job. It’s nice to know that somebody out there likes me, and the feeling is mutual.”

Davidge Hall, the site of University of Maryland’s ceremony, was filled with excitement. Students, teachers, friends and family packed the small auditorium, cramming themselves onto the steep steps when seats filled up.

The school upped the excitement ante by pulling student envelopes at random.

According to tradition, students dropped $5 into a bag at the front of the auditorium as a consolation prize for the last student called.

The results elicited hugs, screams, tears and hoots of joy, and got passed around the room like a game of telephone.

Kathryn Gloyer’s prime spot allowed her to convey match information to classmates.

“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get my first choice, but I’m still excited,” Gloyer said of her second choice match at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Among the students matched to a program, 84 percent were linked to one of their top three choices, according to the match system.

dulman@baltimoreexaminer.com